Part 1
Outside Bar Yumejuuya
Sorry for tagging along all of a sudden, Nagi-kun.
Not at all. I’m honoured that you’re interested in my work. You’re welcome to come and watch anytime.
Thanks. If I remember correctly, you’re the one delivering flowers to Yumejuuya, right?
Mm, it’s a pleasure to do business with them. But today’s delivery is a bit different. It’s Flower Arrangement Day.
(Flower arrangement…?)
They enter.
Hey, Nagi. Welcome.
Good evening.
Oh my, I see Shunin is here with you today.
I want to watch Nagi-kun work. Sorry for intruding.
Feel free to stay and relax. I always serve Nagi a welcome drink, so how about one for you as well? But since you’re on the clock, it’ll be a mocktail.
Wow, really? Then I’ll take you up on that.
I just got some new cherry blossom syrup. I’ll make a glass with that.
Cherry blossom syrup…
Yodaka makes the drinks.
Here you go. Cherry blossom mocktails. If I were to name it, I’d go with something like “Yumemigusa”.
Such a pretty pink… the fizzy bubbles make it look so lovely.
The little mint sitting on top is cute. Thank you as always.
Nagi takes a sip.
Hah… Not only do I get to do flower arrangements, but I also got this awesome drink. What a wonderful life it is.2
Fufu, are you feeling all powered up from the mocktail?
I'll be swift and efficient just like a honeybee, and pour my heart into this.
Alright, let’s kick off work with some mocktail power.
Come to think of it, I forgot to ask you earlier, but what exactly is ‘flower arrangement’ work? You said it’s different from your usual deliveries.
Flower arrangement involves going directly to locations like shops, event venues and clubs to decorate the space with flowers.
Usually, what I’m asked to do for Yumejuuya is to arrange flowers in vases, but this time it’s more like decorating the whole shop in a much fancier way.
I see…!
Tomorrow night, we’re having a farewell party for a regular patron who has booked the entire place. I thought we should have it specially decorated for the occasion.
Sometimes I pick seasonal flowers, other times I select them based on the customer’s preferences and the occasion.
Since it’s a farewell party, I brought flowers fitting for a new beginning. Gerberas, sweet peas, strelitzias3…
Oh! Actually, I recently downloaded an app on flower language. Let me look it up.
CHOICE 1: Look up gerberas.
Um, gerberas mean ‘hope’, ‘positivity’, and ‘always moving forward’. Definitely perfect for a farewell party!
Gerberas come in many colours, are lovely, and are easy on the wallet. They're ace-level flowers from a florist’s perspective.
So, for the base, I’ve brought orange and white gerberas.
CHOICE 2: Look up sweet peas.
Sweet peas and strelitzias, right? Let’s see, their meanings—
Sweet peas mean ‘new beginnings’, and strelitzias represent ‘a bright future’, huh.
Auspiciousness coupled with auspiciousness gives you auspiciousness-squared.
Fufu, it seems quite prosperous.
I think I’ll install that flower language app too. It’ll be useful to explain to customers.
(They’re both so fascinated by flower language. As a humble florist, I’m truly delighted.)
(Huh, but wouldn’t that make it impossible to leave my secret messages…?)
Nagi-kun. Is the white flower you’re holding a lily?
! Ah, yes, it is. It’s a type of lily called casablanca4.
Since Yumejuuya has a mature vibe, I thought I’d use this little one as a form flower.
I see, so there’s a term for that too.
Sorry for using fancy terms like a poser. Flowers that become the main focus of the arrangement are called ‘form flowers’.
These are flowers where even just one bloom can grab your attention and stand out. Like our Renga or Kuguri-san.
Ooh, I see…
And this time, gerberas will be our ‘mass flower’. They serve as the link between flowers.
There are also ‘filler’ and ‘accent’ flowers. By assigning roles to flowers of various shapes and colors and combining them, you complete the arrangement.
Wow, so it’s not just about collecting cute flowers. I’m learning something new…!
Hearing Nagi talk, you realise how deep this topic is, and how amazing he is to handle all this knowledge with ease.
W-well, that goes for you too, Yodaka-san.
Nagi-kun, could you tell me more?
I’d like to know what you’re particular about when arranging flowers.
Ah, um— let’s move on to these greens over here…
Cherry blossoms are most commonly known as 'sakura' (桜), with 'yumemigusa' (夢見草) as one of its nicknames.
Here, Nagi references the Japanese title of the film 'It's a Wonderful Life'. (素晴らしき哉、人生). The Japanese title is somewhat grandiose and old-fashioned, so instead of using the English title directly, I chose to add some flair.
Strelitzia is an alternate name for the bird of paradise flower.
Casablancas represent nobility and dignity, and are often used in grand celebrations such as weddings to symbolise blessings.