Those two walk side by side, going through the sidewalk in the evening at their own pace. Several other people also passed each other without care. Some were still wearing their working uniforms while trying to do their own business. Several potential buyers were crowding some shops actively promoting its goods. A few others enjoy this warm twilight that illuminates the city inside the small cafe in this shopping district.

The mild warm breeze almost pulled Rio’s drowsiness back. He almost forgot that he didn’t sleep well last night. He rubs his eyes slowly to provide a little stimulation for his sense of sight to keep awake.

Inhales exhales.

Inhales and exhales again.

Soon after, he smiles faintly to feel how fresh the air is in this Tantoris city.

“Where are we going?” asked Rio when he remembered that Rita hadn’t mentioned her destination yet.

“To the gardening store. I have something to get this evening,” answered Rita.

He chuckles softly. “That’s very you.”

“W-what do you mean, Rio?”

“Nevermind. So, what are you going to buy there?”

“You see—” Before Rita finished her sentence, she smiled faintly, “you’ll find out later, Rio.”

“Huh, what’s with that? Is that supposed to be a secret or something?” Rio couldn’t accept that answer while Rita only chuckled mysteriously.

Rio and Rita keep each other busy with their own talks on the way there. Small chats that unknowingly give each other a slight warmth or just lame jokes have filled the moment between them. The intensity of Rio meeting Rita like this is not so much, so many things can be told.

“Suddenly, I reminded a moment of our time at school,” said Rita.

“Which one?”

“When Valerie took you into the school’s greenhouse and met me there alone.”

“That one, huh. Valerie was curious because we’ve never really seen what it looks like from inside. Once we got in and surprisingly saw you inside by yourself, Valerie called you wondering if you’re the one in charge,” Rio added.

“Since then, you always greet me when we meet at the library.”

“Because we’re friends, right?”

“Haha. I also remember when we had a picnic in the greenhouse,” said Rita.

“That’s… something unexpected. But, when you know Val, you should expect the unexpected.”

“I know, right. Still, I had fun. I’ve never done anything like that, so it was really thrilling, thinking what will happen if the teachers saw us.”

“Actually, I also felt that way at the time,” Rio giggles.

They both laughed bitterly at each other. It happened roughly a year ago, not that long. However, just remembering it was fun enough.

The girl stopped at a simple stall selling chicken meats as snacks. Rita is coming closer to ordering one. It should be just a few minutes before she receives her order.

“You want some, Rio? It tastes better when it’s quite cold like this,” said Rita after chewing her part and offering some others.

A thin vapor coming out from inside the paper bag caught Rio’s attention. A few pieces of seemingly delicious chicken look too good to pass up. So, he takes her offer to have some bites.

“How?” Rita became hesitant with her opinion just now. Perhaps it’s not as delicious as she thought?

“As you said before, it’s nice to take during this cold evening like this. It also helps me to think of something,” Rio concluded.

“Phew, thankfully it fits your tongue,” said Rita, “what are you thinking about?”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Rio picks another piece of meat and rearranges the fragments on his head.

“I thought about what kind of significant contribution I should make to give a big impact on the environment. However, I still have a few rough ideas, and I don’t know if it’s realistic enough or not.”

The girl tries to help by coming up with the right idea. However, what Rio has said just now is just too vague.

“You can think about it slowly, Rio. There’s no need to rush,” Rita said and later was greeted with Rio’s smile.

They both enjoyed the chicken snack while brainstorming on Rio’s idea. When one of them realized that there were no pieces of chicken left, Rio could see a shop with a green pattern in front of him. The door and its front walls are made of glass, so potential buyers can glance straight at the stuff without going inside.

The view that can be seen from the outside alone is enough to attract Rio’s attention.

Rita opens the shop’s door, followed by Rio after. When he finally goes inside, she can feel the shop’s calm and serene atmosphere for his soul. One of the sides is full of shelves filled with pots containing various groomed plants that simultaneously look pretty fancy and beautiful. While on another side, there are multiple glasses or transparent containers arranged neatly so they stick to the wall to create an eye-catching harmony.

“This…”

“Interesting, right?” Rita’s tone is quite cheerful.

The girl walks to the cashier to talk about her order. The cashier understood immediately and asked Rita to wait for a moment. While waiting, Rio takes a closer look at the displays of this shop, especially the side that uses glass as its container.

Glasses, bottles, or other models have been modified in any elegant shape possible. Some plants are more like a garden miniature that quickly captivates Rio, especially those several combined decorations such as wood, rocks, or mounds of dirt are formed in such a specific way. It is small and practical enough to maintain that it can be used as a table decoration.

“Perhaps you are interested, Rio?” Rita caught Rio looking closely at the containers to get all the details inside the glass container.

“Huh–oh. Well, you could put it that way. I’m intrigued by everything in this place. Ornamental plants in this era have their own distinct allure. Correct me if I’m wrong but, there is also something like this in our era, right?”

“Yes, but the place where the plants grow and its aesthetics are very different. In our era, terrariums don’t have fertile soil and use other media instead,” Rita said as she pointed to the soil visible in the bottles, “Basically, I want to have some terrariums or simple ornamental plants and put them in the house. It will definitely make my dinner with grandma feel more calming and enjoyable.”

Rio nods slowly and continues his window shopping a few minutes later until the cashier calls for Rita. A terrarium, according to the girl’s order, has arrived.

The shape of the mini garden is just like a miniature dystopia portrait. The ground part, as the basis of the terrarium is filled with greenery, the railroad tracks, and a small train located in the middle of miniature remains of buildings overgrown with moss.

“Amazing. It’s elegant but has its own sadness,” blurted Rio.

Rita, who didn’t think that way, is looking at Rio. “So that’s your interpretation. Interesting.”

“Eh, there’s another interpretation for this?”

The girl chuckled, “No, that’s okay. I think a terrarium is similar to a work of art. Thus, people are free to interpret their respective assumptions. Coincidentally, that’s what you think.”

“Then, what’s your opinion about this, Rita?”

The girl looks at the green diorama with a relaxed gaze. She recalled why she wanted a custom–order terrarium like this, not just buying an existing model instead.

“…I think it serves as a reminder of why we are in this era,” she answered quietly.

Indeed, the interpretation of this object may vary, depending on one’s personal views. Somehow, he understood where his friend’s thoughts were coming from. Those ruined buildings, those trains that almost say that it is still going to run everywhere it wants, and the greenery on the dirt give a conflicting yet beautiful vibe. If you saw how the moss grew on the miniature ruins of that building—

“Rita, is there any kind of plant that can strengthen a concrete structure?” Rio asked out of nowhere.

“Hm? if you ask about it… I think if some plants or trees grow in a building and have roots that are big and strong enough, it will weaken the foundation structure of the building. Logically, any substance that breached inside a perfectly cemented building would mess things up, right? There will be gaps here and there that make the structure weak.”

“Right. Then, is it possible to use a genetic-engineered plant and make it able to blend inside the concrete and strengthen the structure?”

“About that…” Rita tries to rack her brain for a while and eventually reaches a conclusion, “it’s theoretically doable. I’ve read some information about manipulating plants to strengthen building structures. Thanks to the technology of our era, we can achieve that. Though it’s not a popular method to use….”

“Then, do you think the said technology is also there in the city’s greenhouse laboratory?”

“Yes. We happened to bring that technology from the future. It’s a tool that is capable of manipulating the genetics of the plants to our needs, to put it simply.”

“Great. Thank you very much, Rita. I think I know what kind of contribution I will make,” Rio said confidently, “would you please help me to do research related to a plant engineering to strengthen building structures? This research plays a crucial role in my plans and can potentially take up a lot of your time. So, I want you to carefully consider it first.”

He takes Rita’s hands and hugs her. Rio is really serious about his plan, while the girl doesn’t know what is happening.

“I-I don’t really understand what you mean. However, we can discuss this further when we’re out here. I want to help you, really,” Rita answered by looking the other way because she couldn’t meet Rio’s earnest gaze.

“Is that true? It’s settled, then!”

The girl’s mind is perplexed. His two arms hug her tight and mess up Rita’s thinking ability. But, to get him this close to her means anything to Rita.

I didn’t think Rio would want to involve me in his idea. I’m delighted.