Growing Pains (2)
“Charlotte?”
Ed set the flask down at once and stepped out of the laboratory. Yet the entrance where he had expected to find her was empty. She must have slipped away while he was absorbed in another chemical formula.
“Fix, are you certain Charlotte was here?”
“Whirr~!”
“Hmm…”
Ed scanned the corridor once more. No trace of movement, no shadow. The hallway, lit only by the intermittent flash of thunder, held nothing but silence.
In Charlotte’s dorm room, she was reflecting on her own frailty. This incident had shown her that she was not the only one who faced hardship in life; Ed, too, carried similar burdens.
Ed…
Yet Charlotte felt painfully shallow. She had pitied his sobbing, but his tears had also brought her profound comfort. She had believed he existed on an unreachable celestial plane, only to discover he was a person who knew failure and despair just as she did.
“But Ed never gave up.”
Of course he was still Ed. After countless defeats, he had ultimately succeeded. In the end, the difference between those who could shine and those who could not came down to will. A heart that refused to break no matter how many times it was struck. Only that heart could guide one toward a brilliant future.
“Ed… praised himself.”
So what must she do to obtain an unyielding heart? Charlotte had found a clue in his words. When he achieved the outcome he desired, he gave himself meaning: You did well, Fix, you rascal. Even after rising to nobility he had kept his family name, using it to reinforce his self-worth.
“Verdian, you can do it too!”
Charlotte imitated him exactly, like a baby babbling while watching its parents. She had chosen to follow the Ed she admired. First she would encourage herself and forge her will.
“My method was wrong.”
Then came feedback. Ed’s research journal was filled with failures, each accompanied by careful notes. Rather than wallowing in despair, he had recorded the causes and offered logical paths to success.
Charlotte found his scientific approach both refreshing and deeply moving.
“Why didn’t anyone buy the flowers…”
She revisited her own failure. Closing her eyes, she pictured herself selling flowers.
“……”
It was terrible. She looked gloomy and lacking in confidence, stammered when she spoke, her hair was a wild mass of stubborn curls, and her glasses looked crude and cheap. Who would buy flowers from someone like that?
She reached for the hair straightener Ed had given her.
She combed and straightened, but the result wasn’t as neat as when he had done it, so she washed her hair and tried again. Straighten, wash, straighten, wash. She repeated the process without pause.
“……”
In the end her hair fell in a style remarkably close to the one Ed had created. Without the glasses, her face was actually quite lovely.
“My… my skin, too…”
Charlotte’s complexion was dull and covered in freckles from lack of care. She took out the cosmetics Ed had gifted her, applied a light foundation, and smoothed her skin. The makeup looked too obvious.
“Again.”
She washed it off and started over. She repeated the cycle—wash, apply, wash, apply—just as Ed had done with his experiments, until she achieved a natural, attractive look.
“Now I need to decide what flowers I’ll sell.”
Having fixed herself, it was time to fix the product. Charlotte began pondering how to transform the flowers themselves.
“Ah!”
A perfect idea struck her. This product would surely sell. She threw herself into the research required to create it.
The following night, Charlotte stepped into the plaza with freshly straightened hair and her finest clothes. The air was cool and refreshing after the previous evening’s shower. She had a feeling something good was about to happen.
“Ahem. Hm.”
But only if she performed her task perfectly. Charlotte cleared her throat and recalled the countless hours of practice from the day before—expression, gesture, posture, tone. She summoned the image she needed to project: Enya’s bright energy blended with Isabella’s noble elegance. She internalized the perfect balance of both.
Verdian, you can do this!
She shouted the slogan Ed had used, then opened her eyes. Lifting the flower basket that glowed softly in the dark, she approached her first customer. The expression on the man’s face was nothing like the ones from yesterday.
She was beautiful. That was the only thought in the mind of the man walking the street on his way to an evening appointment. Charlotte, fully made-up and elegantly dressed, was the kind of beauty who stopped people in their tracks.
“Lovely weather tonight, isn’t it? On your way to meet someone special?”
Charlotte smiled gracefully as she spoke. The man, momentarily dazed by her smile, stared for a long moment before scratching his head and admitting that yes, he was.
Charlotte smiled again and lifted a flower from the basket.
“Hehe. Then, kind sir, how about giving your beloved a flower? These bloom even more beautifully at night. I’m sure she’ll adore it.”
She gave the flower a gentle shake. A warm light radiated from its petals, carrying a delicate, enchanting fragrance. This was the “luminous bloom” she had spent all day perfecting.
“This is…”
“It’s called a luminous bloom. There is only one of its kind in the entire world.”
Charlotte held the flower out. The man accepted it almost unconsciously and inhaled its scent. The fragrance lifted his mood at once.
“Wonderful, isn’t it? A special enchantment has been applied so that it also clears the mind.”
“…How much?”
“Hehe. Thirty thousand orlen.”
“Thirty thousand…”
“That includes the wrapping paper. Write your beloved’s name on it and rub gently, and…”
—Whoosh!
“The name will glow beautifully on the paper like this. What do you think?”
Charlotte finished with a bright smile. The man, charmed by the smile that warmed him just to look at it, gave a soft chuckle and reached for his wallet. At last, her first proper sale had begun.
Three days later, Charlotte had earned a considerable sum. Word of her luminous blooms had spread, drawing customers of every age and gender.
“I… I actually…”
She felt dazed. The girl who had once been so worthless was now holding a fortune earned by her own hands.
“It’s all… thanks to Ed.”
Charlotte gazed at the hair straightener and diamond necklace resting on her desk. Thanks to the gifts he had given her. Thanks to the glimpse she had caught of his very human tears. She had found the strength to stand again and, for the first time in her life, created a result she could truly be proud of. She could now pay her academy tuition without depending on anyone else.
“A g-gift…”
She decided to buy him something. She had only ever received from Ed; now she wanted to give him something with money she had earned herself.
“H-how much is this?”
“Seventy thousand orlen.”
“I’ll take it.”
Charlotte purchased a high-quality journal bound in fine fabric and leather. She hoped it would one day be filled only with records of success. She then infused the pages with a calming fragrance so that even writing about failure would bring peace of mind.
“It’s finished…”
She turned the completed gift over and over, flipped through its pages, and studied it from every angle. She wasn’t sure whether Ed—who could have anything he wanted—would like it, but she thought it was rather good. After all, scented paper that soothed the heart did not exist anywhere else in this world.
“……Sniff.”
Yet suddenly her eyes filled with tears. She had finally earned the right to stand beside him. On such a joyful day, why did this surge of emotion threaten to overwhelm her?
“Ugh… hic… hicc… haaaah…”
She didn’t understand it herself. Charlotte simply hugged the gift meant for Ed and kept crying. The longer she wept, the clearer the reason became. She was releasing everything. All the memories and feelings that had crushed her self-esteem. All the cold, painful moments. She was letting them go.
The heart wounded by unrequited love was being healed by new feelings for someone else. At long last, her long and painful growing period had come to an end.
“Aaaaah… haaaaaaaa……”