Lena's Holiday Job

Lena took a deep breath and stepped into the flower shop, the scent of fresh flowers filling her nose. Festive wreaths and poinsettias were displayed neatly in the window. She wasn't sure why she choose to apply here of all places, but the shop was a familiar place, and she wanted some extra money for the holidays.

Fukushima Mitsutada, one of Shoku's older brothers, stood behind the counter, arranging a bundle of holly branches. "Lena-chan!" he greeted her excitedly, "What a surprise to see you."

"Fukushima-san," Lena greeted him in return, "I... heard you were hiring, and I wanted to express my interest."

"Oh, there's no need to be so formal! What happened to calling me Fuku-chan?"

Lena shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't believe that a grown man of Fukushima's age could act so jovial and childish. "Are you still hiring or not?"

"Of course, of course. You're welcome to work here if you want. But you know, I was really looking forward to having you as a sister-in-law."

"What!" Lena could hardly believe her ears, "Seriously, Fukushima? Can you not?"

He chuckled, "Alright, I'll behave. But you have to admit, it's pretty funny."

"It's not funny! Let's keep things professional!"

While Lena was pouting, Fukushima tossed her a blue shop apron to put on. "Fine, professional it is. But you should know, the holiday season is pretty crazy around here. Hope you're ready for it."

Lena put on the apron and nodded. "I can handle it... just, can you promise not to tell anyone I'm working here?" 

"Keeping secrets, are we?" He smirked. Lena said "anyone" but Fukushima could tell she really meant *one particular person*. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. BUT I'm not holding back on the occasional joke."

Lena rolled her eyes, already somewhat regretting her choice to work here. Well, at least getting the job was easy.

~~~

Over the next few days, Lena helped around Fukushima's flower shop: cleaning buckets, watering plants, and trimming flower stems. Fukushima was in charge of arranging the large bouquets, but slowly Lena began to learn from him, and was able to put together smaller ones for customers. 

The shop was extremely busy during the holiday season, as Fukushima had forewarned. Customers that came in requested different things from elaborate wreaths, to simple bouquets for loved ones. Lena found herself constantly on her feet, taking orders and even delivering some of the flowers to nearby addresses.

One especially busy afternoon, Lena was in the middle of arranging a bundle of red roses when the shop bell chimed. She didn't look up, focusing on completing the arrangement before the next order came in.

"Excuse me?" a familiar voice said. 

Lena glanced up slowly and froze when she saw who was standing in front of her. Dressed casually but unmistakably, was Shokudaikiri. He looked surprised to see her.

For a moment, they stared at each other in silence. Lena's hands tightened around the ribbon she was tying.

"I didn't know you worked here," Shoku finally said.

"I just started," Lena replied, trying to act calm and cool as she continued to tie the ribbon. "What are you doing here?"

"Picking up an order for my mother," Shoku said. He observed the arrangement she was working on. "That looks good."

"Thanks," Lena mumbled.

Fukushima appeared from the back room. "Ah, little brother! What brings you here?"

"Mum's order."

Fukushima learned against the counter, grinning. "Didn't I tell you, Lena-chan's working here now? Small world, huh?"

"No, you didn't say anything," Shoku responded flatly. 

Fukushima chuckled and went to locate the order for the pickup. He handed the bouquet to Shokudaikiri. "Here you go. Tell mother I said hi."

Shoku accepted the flowers, his fingers brushing against the colourful paper wrapping. Then he glanced at Lena again. "Good luck with the job," he said quietly before turning to leave.

As the door closed behind him, Lena sighed deeply, her shoulders slumping. Fukushima was chuckling beside her, clearly amused by the scene.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" he teased.

Lena grumbled, "For you, maybe!"

~~~

The bell above the shop door jingled, and Lena looked up from the counter. She was expecting another hurried holiday shopper, but the sight of Mikazuki caught her by surprise. 

"Lena! I didn’t know you worked here."

Lena adjusted the apron tied around her waist, hoping that she looked presentable. "Hey, Mikazuki. Just a holiday job. What brings you in?"

"I need a bouquet. Something simple, but thoughtful."

 "For someone special?" Lena asked, keeping her voice as neutral as possible.

Mikazuki didn’t answer immediately. He thought deeply about her question, then answered, "I suppose you could say that."

"Sure. Let me see what I can put together."

As Lena turned to the flower racks, she couldn’t stop herself from wondering: A bouquet? Someone special? For who?

Her mind wandered, imagining Mikazuki presenting the flowers to some mysterious woman, maybe a colleague, or someone he met at an event? Was he going on a date, a real one? 

For some reason, thinking about these thoughts made her heart ache. It’s none of your business, Lena, she told herself.

She focused on working, selecting a few white carnations, baby’s breath, and sprigs of evergreen to add winter charm. To tie everything together, she added a pale blue ribbon.

"Here you go," Lena said, handing the finished bouquet to Mikazuki. "Simple but thoughtful, like you asked."

Mikazuki took the bouquet, his fingers brushing hers. "It’s perfect. Thank you."

Lena's chest felt tight, but she forced herself to nod. "I hope they like it."

"I’m sure they will," he said with a smile.

As he paid and left the shop, Lena watched him through the frosted window. Why did she care so much? She told herself she was being ridiculous.

But the image of Mikazuki's smile lingered in her mind, and she couldn’t stop wondering who would be receiving those flowers from him.