Spring.

I know that Jean had already stated his take on the season of winter and it was rather personal, really. But I am not any different from that. I can't even think of an objective thing to say right off the bat. Whether it is the opinion that matters, it is up to each and every individual.

But let's backtrack a few years ago, what, 2016 or rather the beginning of 2017? In that specific time, Orio was still a tropical country, but in spite of that, it's the same as almost any country but that is to be left for an argument because the planet tilts. But what I'm trying to say is that between January to February, or even March, is when the coldest temperature is recorded; hence why anime in that span are categorized in Winter 20xx season. It is not an exception even in this once sweltering country, and keep in mind that I said "sweltering" because in some countries 22°-27°C is still warm, but that's already "at least cold for us." Payns however is another story.

But for some unknown reason, even before that year, the North's seasons started to shift a bit as though it was pulled back a few months early, like how it first snowed in Japan by October for instance. Eventually, that change affected this country and followed suit to that very minute trend. Henceforth, winter starts in October here and you know the drill for the rest. I know I always come in full circle by saying this, but 'I have watched so many anime that it has been ingrained in my head that April is the season for spring, while in reality we're melting in the summer heat. I am pretty much talking about Japan at this point since I absolutely abhor our April-June.

I really can't help but get disappointed, immaturely. My fantasies and delusions have gone too far that I only ever think about the peacefulness of the season with the cherry blossoms falling down.

If it isn't obvious enough, the only spring season I acknowledge is Japan's.

Everything you see in this country is pretty much greens and without the pinks, and I am personally not really a fan of it. Granted, I have experienced a bit of spring in Kyoto but I selfishly just want to see it every single time. At this point—although this country has stepped up its seasons—it is still comparable to the stale breads I used to make when I was starting and had no choice but to eat them all by myself; like a loaf that didn't even gloriously rose atop the loaf pan because its proofing failed. That's how I feel.

Yeah, it's cold and all, yeah, it's peaceful and all. But I am always reminded that I waited for ten years to let myself waste away without even stepping out of the house. I may not dream big, but that was big enough for me.

While I have to agree with Jean that winter is the superior season (arguable), spring hits different, and that was indeed a reference with attitude. It is the season of blooms and beginnings. The sky is clear and at its bluest, the sun is shining brightly, yet the cold has the not yet disappeared and there are a lot less rains than summer and fall.

Perfect balance.

In Orio's case, that balance is totally applicable. While we indeed now have experienced the four seasons, the middle of the year is basically chaos, as obvious as it is. The only time that Orio gets the best weather is in the beginning of the year with the lowest precipitation and so no swimming on poopy water. Sorry, that was immature of me to say.

But you know what, some things just don't change. Amazing weather and all, but I just don't like going outside that much. I am probably the only person in this country that treats my kotatsu with sentimentality and that's why I make the best out of it for the remaining time that it will have in my living room.

Although, that's me talking with hypocrisy. Some ambitious guy several years ago tried to plant cherry blossom trees throughout Ginga, and there were suddenly reports that they were finally growing like how sakura trees ought to look like. I don't really know if me being a "hafu" has anything to do with it but my instinct tells me to get the heck out of my house and do some flower viewing while I still can. Somehow, without any origin, a picnic suddenly got organized.

That said, I still can't help but think about work for this occasion. I suddenly had the idea of making something for picnics alongside our seasonal menu for spring. Maybe with a bit of investment… something like a Giotto's picnic pack? Sure, that sound a bit pricey but it would be a full package that would satisfy (almost) all of the picnic needs.

I guess I know what I'll propose on our next meeting.

On that note, I started on the kitchen while keeping in mind what food would be good for picnic as I am a noob. I don't know how much YouCube will help me but that was the only resource that I have, and picnics aren't really a thing in this soggy country.

You know… soggy… because… it always rains… Y-Yeah…

…

pls kil meh now

"Have you gotten your final output requirement this year, Rin?"

"Not yet. Winter just ended so we're not yet that busy. It always changes every year so I hope that it'd be something picnic related."

"It doesn't really work like that but you'll sure have it easy if the chances favor it.

Oh yeah, what did your dad say about the picnic?"

"He's easy-going as always. Of course he'll always give time to this kind of times."

"I like how I am always on the same wavelength as him when it comes to these things."

"I didn't really know earlier, but I suppose it's because of Uncle Junpei's past?"

"Probably. At least there wasn't a time where he wanted to literally dig his own grave."

"Actually, there was a time."

"Eh…?"

"It was three years ago. But things have been settled so everything's fine and we've calmed down."

"Apples, I'm amazed you can bring that up so easily."

"Not even you literally changing a typhoon's direction can top that from my memories, okay?"

"Even I'm surprised that nothing that significant has actually happened to me after that."

"If anything, I was so excited when your hair turned silver again last month. I miss that a lot."

"Glad to hear that."

"Oooooohhhh, shoot…" on the background, we saw Haku rushing to the bathroom.

"…

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

What do you think Rin… Does-"

"Okay, shut up, Potato. I know you're just going to talk about poop anyway."

"You know me well."

"I know you so well that sometimes you're disgusting."

"…

Owwie."

Oh, right. There's that one meme circulating around the internet about how slice of life anime being a slice of life anime. "So yeah, how was the convenience store arc?" it says.

I know that it's sarcastic, but some people just want to chill and throw their stress out of the window. How come this story was once about the extreme troubles of a guy with a PTSD to a story about fluff and the everyday lives of whoever? Well, amidst that fact, it is just all over the place generally. It is this story's nature, and the display of reality that is sometimes there is a point in our lives that are very uninteresting while conflicts arises inevitably. I have uttered the first sentence of the synopsis so much to hit my point home. While I have acted that all the problems of this world has been put on my shoulders, it's just a matter of realization that there is no one that does not suffer.

Really, these thoughts will be so much worthwhile if I am thinking about this while walking under an array of cherry blossom trees with the petals falling, but that just isn't feasible right now.

I have already planted hundreds of trees on a deforested mountain. I seriously want to get in contact with the person behind the appearance of the trees and I would really love to help him spread them all around this town.

For what reason, a selfish one. I'm not really one to be very interested on the tourism of this country, but I am one to care about the well-being of this town as it affects my life drastically especially since this town is, as mentioned, a prime spot of the "chaos" I was talking about earlier. Tangents aside, the selfish reason that I had is that I want to see this place in the way I envision it in the future. I repeat, I am a man full of delusions and my imagination runs wild… and too far on the future.

I suppose that it was a blessing in disguise that I was once just a husk, for I still don't fully understand human emotions, hence surprising myself with too long of a patience within me.

~ ~ ~

I really wanted to go to Zen Park for this one day, but television and internet existed, which disseminated the appearance of Ginga's pink trees to public making it pretty much a tourist spot for the time being. And so I readied my wallet for a refuel as I had figured that I would be driving borderline the speed limit looking for a prime spot throughout the town. Fortunately, I found a park that was a few minutes close to the greenhouse which was not that crowded. Truly, having a park near an "abandoned" greenhouse does not really sound that appealing, but I suppose to a bit of an exaggerated extent as I can't even see our base from where we are now. It was all about the perception.

Well, it is a humble space. Sure, it's not as huge as Zen Park and I certainly don't see a lake here anywhere, but at these instances, this is way quieter here. As far as I can see, there are eleven trees that have bloomed to a pink, while four out of them grew close to each other. It was the prime spot, but being that, there are of course people there earlier than us.

This is just personal, but I really don't like wearing closed shoes when I know that I will basically be under a bed of grass and instead just use flip flops or some slip-on, but I really can't otherwise my feet will simply freeze on the cold. Really, it hasn't been a handful of weeks since winter ended.

But for the important question, have I actually gone to a picnic before? Is it another instance of my crappy memory or have I really not gone to one? As you get older, you feel a little guilty for the things you've—or in my case, haven't—done in your youth. But I think that this specific realization only applies to me at most.

I'm glad that I'm now a changed man; and I am aware that that made me sound like a former prisoner. But I suppose I create my own prison.

Anyway, I don't even know where Aunt Sumi procured an absolutely huge picnic mat for the eight of us. But since I have a physical prowess of (more than) two people, of course I was being relied on laborious tasks, and one of those is laying down this, what, three-meter square cloth. Like I said, it's huge.

As much as I didn't like it, I really had to catch the attention of the other people on our vicinity. But just when the cloth floats down to the grass slowly, I also saw very familiar faces.

"Nice weather today, isn't it, Uncle Junpei?"

Beside us is the Kirishima family plus one Kajima.

I may sometimes say the phrase "the more the merrier" sometimes, but that's just on a whim. I'm still an introvert with subpar social abilities. Though, this really is the prime spot to see a Kuroko Nijisaki in the wild, but I guess not today.

"Uhh, who brought the red rice?" the Kei asked.

"Sorry, was taking the saying too literally," I replied and thus added, "Gramps used to say that a lot in the past."

"Ahahaha, you're starting to act and sound like him more," and Dad hit my back.

"Is that so."

"Well, you're more Japanese than anyone of us here. You have your own house, so why not embrace that life completely?"

"I sure am planning on putting tatami mats somewhere on my floor but it's only going to be a dream for my second floor if the flood doesn't get resolved there.

And about that, I'll try doing something about our waterways if I actually can."

"Oohhh."

"It's a long process though since I like to make a big deal out of it. If I'll do it then I'll go all out.

It is to our benefit anyway. I don't want any casualty in our rightful places in the coming years anyway."

"It sure is nice that you're not as foolish as I was back then," Uncle Junpei interjected.

"I'm sorry that I'm not very reliable, Uncle," without a hint of satire or ambiguity from Uncle Junpei's words, Nagi still chimed in on his own accord.

"Times have changed and this friend of yours in probably a one-off of your generation. Just make sure that you don't hit a wall. Don't rush like I did."

"Oho…"

So it actually hasn't been a year since that time when we get to hear Uncle Junpei's story, but color me astonished to see that Nagi is now actually conversing normally with him. Or rather, I'm more surprised that Uncle Junpei is talking without any intent to kill that lad. He sure had it hard but I guess it's now paying off.

"Still, though, it really felt like you had wasted your youth," he had to add as he faced me.

I've come to know that Uncle Junpei still has some of his demeanor as a delinquent like his sharp tongue or his harsh yet sensible words. In this case, I don't actually know if it was a joke or he was really hitting the thought home.

"Compared to how it was in the past when we weren't born yet, it doesn't really matter. The world continues to 'flourish' hence why life appears to be easier.

I don't regret being an anomaly. Whatever happens, I can't just change."

"Right, you're actually not a human, come to think of it."

"But that's really not the only reason."

"Youth just wasn't the thing for me, Uncle. While this world has treated me unconventionally, I also became like that."

"Just don't go getting your hands dirty again."

"I'll note that."

I suppose the chain of events that has happened not only for the past five years but throughout many decades has turned our heavy topic to just a casual conversation. Thinking about it, Mom and Dad got involved to an Exile and saw the death of their brother, while Uncle Shuu and Uncle Junpei have also gone through extreme moments in their youth, and to add our family connection in the Medical Children Program. We have quite a history while new ones are still beginning to emerge in new lives. But what gives, we are all eating and enjoying ourselves with those memories behind us.

It is kind of bittersweet, but all we can do at this point is just sigh away the things that have happened.

I was trying to think of a segue but I nearly got hit by an insane fastball on the back of my head.

"Hoo… I guess I still have on me."

"Hey!! Don't go throwing stuff like that out of nowhere, Hothead!"

"It's a trust shot. See, he caught it."

I truly did, but Uncle Junpei is one heck of a guy to feel like my entire hand is burning. I guess, seasoned pitchers are also like that or even stronger.

Catchers have it rough. But I also can't take a break.

While I just lightly passed back the baseball to Uncle, he suddenly threw a baseball glove to a mile (exaggeration) and quite high at that before even catching the ball. But once his fingers touched the ball, he also threw it somewhere close to the glove.

It was a pain to play fetch, but it might actually be good training for me. I've just learned the mobility I can achieve on various situations due to Haku being able to keep up with me to some extent. But in this case, not only did Uncle Junpei throw fast ones at me but they are also quite in an elevation.

At this point, the only thing I can do is image training while applying my inner weeb. It sounds totally chuunibyou but when a character in a shounen or action anime is actually well developed and written, I imagine what would happen if I face them. So while my mind is now occupied with that, a disadvantage has dawned on me.

I'm basically helpless midair. So I wondered, will I actually be able to Step, but while propelling myself with concentrated air?

"…

Apples, I'm on a picnic right now."

In the end, I just caught the ball after wearing the glove.

"What a home run killer you are."

"Let's just do a normal catch please…"

I don't need to ask for more. Just a picture of us all under those trees was enough to excite my half-baked emotions.