The Fruit of Desire~ Even a Bullied Gardening Club Member like Me Created a Harem~ - Chapter 12
On Saturday, during the weekend, Ren and Haruka gathered at the meeting spot to participate in the town’s volunteer activity.
The two who had gathered first were then joined by Risa-sensei, who brought a student from the middle school.
Ren was shocked by Asakura Mizuki’s appearance when he first met her, thinking she looked so much like Misaki. However, the difference in hair length and physique led him to believe she was the girl he had heard about.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Asakura Mizuki, a second-year student in middle school.”
Risa-sensei spoke of how she had heard that, like Ren, Mizuki was also being bullied by her classmates.
Ren thought to himself that he wanted to somehow be of help.
After being introduced by Risa-sensei and speaking with the volunteer leader, the students proceeded to a small nature park. The main duties assigned to them were cleaning within the park and taking care of the flowerbeds, utilizing what they had learned in the gardening club.
They were provided with tools such as tongs, brooms, and garbage bags, and traveled in the car of Risa-sensei, who acted as their guardian.
The nature park they were heading to was a place for learning, located next to an elementary school, and was also a spot where they had played during their elementary school days. Memories of the park returned, and they were filled with a nostalgic feeling.
“This brings back memories. I haven’t been here since elementary school.”
“Yeah, I used to play here too. It’s somehow strange to come here again now that I’m older.”
“So that’s how it was for you seniors too. I loved this place as well. I used to run around with the boys.”
Seeing that scene, Risa also felt that the mood was off to a good start, and her spirits naturally lifted in the cheerful atmosphere.
In the nature park nestled in the mountains, a deep forest spread out. Gentle sunlight streamed through the trees, and when the wind blew, the rustling of the trees and the chirping of little birds echoed through the woods.
Upon arriving in the park, they began by picking up trash. As they did so, they noticed the beauty of nature and were also bothered by the irresponsibility of those who littered.
Next, they began tending to the flowerbeds, making use of their gardening club experience. Various flowers were planted in the beds, and they cared for each according to its needs.
“Good work, everyone! Let’s take a break,” Risa said as she appeared with a large amount of sandwiches and drinks.
They had worked so hard that they’d forgotten their hunger, but the moment they saw the sandwiches, they suddenly remembered how hungry they were.
“Thank you, Risa-sensei! We really appreciate you making all of this…”
“Yeah, during times like this, you’ve got to properly recharge your energy. Come on, let’s all take a break.”
During the volunteer activity, Mizuki frequently asked Ren and Haruka about flowerbed care, and quickly became closer to them.
“I didn’t have much knowledge about taking care of flowerbeds, so this was a great learning experience. Thank you.”
“No, no, it’s the other way around. Mizuki, you really helped us out.”
“Ren-senpai and Haruka-senpai, you two are in the gardening club, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Maybe I’ll join the gardening club when I move up to high school… Oh, but by then, Haruka-senpai will have graduated…”
“Ahaha, even then, Ren-kun should still be around, so keep it in mind!”
They sincerely welcomed Mizuki and encouraged her to join the gardening club.
“Now that I think about it, Haruka-senpai, are you by any chance from the Shirakawa family…?”
“Y-yeah. But I’d be happy if you’d just talk to me normally without worrying about it.”
“Of course! I had no idea you were such a wonderful person! I totally admire you!”
Ren had always had few friends and didn’t get involved in gossip, so he didn’t know that Haruka’s family, the Shirakawas, were fairly well-known in the area.
“Really? The Shirakawa family is famous?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say we’re that famous, but people do talk about us sometimes.”
The three’s chatting never stopped. Risa ended the break and told them to go for a walk in the park together.
“Are you sure it’s okay, Risa-sensei?”
“It’s fine, really. I haven’t done much work myself yet. I’ll take care of the trash you all collected and put away the tools you used.”
After that, they spent time walking around the park, feeling grateful for nature’s blessings. There were small ponds and streams in the park, and they were surrounded by natural sounds like birdsong and the wind.
“This park… I didn’t realize it was such a pleasant place. Back when I was a kid, just running around, I never noticed.”
Haruka was soothed by the breeze on her skin, after working hard under the midsummer heat, and it felt like her heart was being cleansed.
“Even for me… this place feels like somewhere I was just playing in not long ago… I can’t help thinking how good those days were.”
Saying that, Mizuki showed a slightly sad expression.
The three of them sat in silence for a while on a bench in the shade, enjoying the nature around them.
This park was a place full of memories for them. When they were in elementary school, they had only been focused on playing, but now it had become a place to heal their hearts while being surrounded by nature.
“Hey everyone, great job everything’s all cleaned up! The volunteer coordinator said thank you, too,” said Risa-sensei cheerfully.
“Thank you. By the way, why were we called to do volunteer work today? If it was just to see Mizuki-chan, it doesn’t really count as volunteering, does it?”
“Ah, yeah. I’ll be honest. The first reason was just to boost our image, build up some achievements for the gardening club. And then, well, I hoped Ren and Mizuki would get a chance to talk to each other seriously. But I’m sorry, I’m not sure if that was the right thing for you both.” Risa-sensei said with an awkward smile.
Ren and Mizuki were surprised by Risa-sensei’s words, but it made them realize they hadn’t properly discussed things between them.
–
“Asakura Mizuki-chan, nice to meet you again. I’m Hayama Ren,” he began nervously, then continued, “I’m a first-year high school student, and I used to be friends with your sister Misaki when we were in the third year of middle school.”
Ren made up his mind to properly talk to Mizuki, and again to Haruka and Risa, about his own situation.
Since around the middle of last year, Ren had been suffering from harassment by a student named Shinichi. The harassment gradually escalated and turned into full-on bullying.
Ren did try to resist at first and reported it to his parents, teachers, child services, and even the police.
The teachers, child services, and police hardly took Ren’s side or listened to what he had to say.
Shinichi had a reputation for being a serious student, so they dismissed it as impossible without even investigating. It was as if Ren had been turned away at the door.
His parents, especially his mother, were persuaded by them and began saying that Ren was the bad one, a liar who troubled the adults.
After that, Ren lost faith in adults.
His classmates were also on Shinichi’s side, and Ren believed he had no friends he could talk to.
Still, despite everything, Misaki alone actively reached out and spoke to Ren.
Ren was happy. To Misaki, he might have been just one of her many friends.
Even though he completely understood that, Ren still ended up falling for Misaki.
However, when the harassment toward Ren started to target Misaki too, Ren felt he had to protect her.
But Ren didn’t know how to protect Misaki.
Ren had neither the means nor the credibility to stop Shinichi.
In the end, all Ren could do was tell Misaki, “I don’t want you to talk to me anymore.”
As soon as Misaki stopped approaching Ren, the harassment against her immediately stopped.
Ren was happy, thinking he had managed to protect her.
Not long after, Ren found himself overcome with deep grief.
Apparently, Shinichi confessed to Misaki and she said yes.
Ren felt like he was going crazy with jealousy.
“It was Shinichi who was harassing Misaki!”
He wanted to shout that.
Even after that, Ren continued to stare at Misaki.
Sensing Ren’s gaze, Shinichi wrapped his arm around Misaki’s shoulder as if to show off.
It made his heart ache, yet Ren still couldn’t tear his eyes away from Misaki.
Could that have been what made things worse? Lately, Shinichi’s harassment had grown more noticeable, turning into bullying that involved the rest of the class.
After humiliating Ren, Shinichi then helped with the aftermath to look good, like setting the fire and playing hero.
This eventually led to what happened the other day. Ren, who had feelings for Misaki, was suspected of stealing something of hers and was treated like a criminal by the entire class. Worse still, Misaki didn’t believe him, and Ren felt as if he’d been cast into hell—his heart completely broken.
That was when Haruka appeared and helped Ren, calming things down for the time being. Still, the class’s suspicion hadn’t gone away.
“If… if Haruka-senpai hadn’t been there… what would I have done?”
Ren sinks into thought. Would I have attacked Shinichi in that moment? Or maybe Misaki? No, I don’t think I’d have had that kind of courage. In the end, without the will to lash out or even to take my own life, would I have simply chosen a life where I submitted to them?
Ren told the story to the three, going through the events in chronological order.
Haruka, Risa, and Mizuki listened in silence.
“Ren-kun… I will definitely help you,” Haruka said, tears in her eyes as she held Ren’s hand.
“Ren-kun… thank you for sharing such a painful experience,” Risa-sensei said, offering Ren a handkerchief with tears in her eyes.
Before he knew it, Ren was crying too.
Characters in this Chapter:
Hayama Ren – First-year high school student, member of the Gardening Club. Has secretly been bullied by Shinichi since middle school. Became intimately involved with Haruka. He also became involved with Risa.
Shirakawa Haruka – Second-year high school student, president of the gardening club, treasures the dogwood tree. She is also kind to Ren. Became intimately involved with Ren. She brought Risa in.
Risa Tachibana – Middle School Teacher, Gardening Club Advisor. A beginner at gardening. Her exhibitionist tendencies were exposed, and she had a relationship with Ren with Haruka encouragement. It seems that her outlaw-like sexual tendencies were suppressed.
Asakura Mizuki – A second-year middle school student and Misaki’s younger sister. She, too, seems to be struggling due to bullying by her classmates.
Chapter length 4097 characters.