The Fruit of Desire~ Even a Bullied Gardening Club Member like Me Created a Harem~ - Chapter 5
That day, Ren woke up earlier than usual.
Using the morning sunlight as his alarm, he felt unusually good as he stretched by the window where the summer sun poured in, and the warmth seeped into him.
While confused by a sensation different from usual, Ren combed his hair to fix his bedhead, washed his face, ate breakfast, brushed his teeth, and changed into his uniform.
“Somehow, it feels like today’s going to be a good day.” Ren muttered to himself.
Before he realized it, Ren noticed that he was holding a small fruit in his palm. Pale pink and translucent, it was a mysterious fruit he couldn’t remember ever seeing before.
“What could this be?” Ren gazed at the fruit, full of curiosity.
Ren felt a sudden urge to try the mysterious fruit. Hesitantly, he put it into his mouth. The fruit was juicy, had a faint sweetness, and was tastier than he had expected.
“Mmm, tasty. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten such a strange fruit before.” Ren said without thinking.
There was no seed in the fruit, and he ate it whole. Then, he was enveloped in a mysterious sensation. It felt like electricity running through his body, and he was surprised by the strange sensation.
“What is this…?” Ren asked himself quietly.
After eating the fruit, Ren realized he could produce the same fruit from his palm. Surprised at the mysterious phenomenon he had caused, he created a second and third fruit and ate them himself.
“This is really mysterious. That something so delicious could come out of my own hand…”
Just as he was about to produce a fourth fruit, he remembered he had to go to school and hurried out of the house.
“Ah, it’s already this late. I have to hurry to school…”
Ren had felt good until he left the house, but as he neared the school gate, his steps grew heavier. Remembering what happened yesterday, he walked toward class feeling anxious.
In the classroom, he felt as if they were whispering about him.
“It’s fine. Don’t let it bother you.” Ren whispered to himself as he stepped inside.
However, even after entering the classroom, no one looked at him. People were talking around him, but no one spoke to Ren.
When Ren reached his desk, he noticed something strange again today. His desk was soaked with disinfectant, leaving it sticky and wet.
“Again…” Ren felt more sadness than anger.
Just then, Misaki raised her voice from behind him, “Who would do something this terrible!?”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing. You really don’t have to worry about it…”
Misaki frowned deeply, her eyes burning with anger as she looked at her classmates.
“Seriously, this is the worst. Do you find this fun?”
Misaki tried to wipe Ren’s desk with her handkerchief, but Shinichi stopped her, saying, “You don’t have to do that, Misaki. I’ll do it.”
“Shinichi-kun… thank you.”
Hearing those words, Shinichi moved to wipe Ren’s desk, but Ren, smiling, stopped him and said, “It’s okay, I’ll do it myself.” and began wiping the desk.
“Thank you, Shinichi-kun. For caring about Ren-kun.”
“No, I’m worried about Ren too. If bullying starts in the class, it’s a serious problem. We have to stand against it together.”
Ren was sickened by Shinichi’s fake smile and its insincerity.
“But it’s really reassuring to have you here, Shinichi-kun. Thank you♡”
“Hey, we’ll stand out too much if we keep this up. Let’s go,” said Shinichi. Misaki added, “Okay then, Ren-kun. Don’t let it get to you,” and followed him. Ren’s mood hit rock bottom.
“Why do I have to go through this…?”
Careful not to be seen, Ren produced a fruit from his palm. Tossing it into his mouth quickly, he tasted its sweetness and felt his mood lighten just a little.
“I wonder why, it feels like someone is encouraging me…”
To him, the fruit felt like a small salvation…
–
After school, Ren made his way alone to the gardening clubroom.
A slightly gloomy expression showed on his face. He walked quietly with slumped shoulders, then as usual he stopped at the sink, washed his face, and tried to perk himself up.
“I can’t let Haruka-senpai see me like this.”
Walking down the quiet hallway, he opened the clubroom door, and the smell of soil along with the familiar calm of the room welcomed him.
As Ren quietly stared at the plants, little by little, his heart began to feel at peace.
“Hello, Ren-kun. Let’s enjoy another lovely gardening session today.” came a beautiful voice from behind.
When he turned around, Haruka was smiling at him. Haruka was a woman known for her gentle smile and calm way of speaking. She had fine skin and beautiful, smooth, brightly colored hair. Her hair had soft waves, with a texture that made you want to touch it. She tied it into a loose braid, which formed gentle curves and looked like a field of flowers swaying in a spring breeze.
There was always a soft air around her, creating an atmosphere where everyone felt at ease. Though she was wearing a tracksuit for gardening club, the contrast was striking—like a princess standing there in a tracksuit.
“Hello, Haruka-senpai. I look forward to working with you again today.”
“Likewise, let’s do our best today as well.”
The two began their gardening club routine. The first task was watering the plants. Using a spray bottle, they gently watered them. It was important to observe each plant’s condition and adjust the amount and timing of water as needed.
“This plant seems to have an overgrown stem. Let’s prune it.”
Next came weeding and pruning. Using pruning shears, they cut off dead leaves and stems. For weeding, they grasped weeds by hand and pulled them out from the root. They had to work carefully, as pulling too hard could remove even the plant roots.
“Let’s replace the soil. This flower doesn’t look very healthy.”
After that, they replaced the soil. They removed the old soil from the pots, added new soil, and mixed in fertilizer to replenish nutrients. This task was also essential for the plants’ growth and had to be done regularly.
To the inexperienced Ren, Haruka gave precise instructions and carefully explained the specific points of care for each plant.
Lastly, they cleaned up the clubroom.
They wiped the floors, desks, shelves, and kept the clubroom clean. Through this task, the two worked together and demonstrated teamwork.
“We’ve finished cleaning the clubroom. It looks nice and clean now.”
With the day’s tasks complete, Haruka smiled at the plants, as if letting them soothe her tiredness. In return, the plants seemed to bloom even more beautifully, as if responding to her affection.
“Ren-kun, you were really attentive to the dog wood tree today. I’m happy you’ve taken a liking to it.”
“Yes… for some reason, I just couldn’t stop thinking about it…”
Ren had always liked the dogwood tree, but today, for some reason, no matter how much he cared for it, he still couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was as if he was caught in some strange illusion.
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.
Shibasaki Shinichi – First-year high school student. Has secretly bullied Ren since middle school. Recently confessed to Misaki and became her boyfriend.
Asakura Misaki – First-year high school student. Used to be kind to Ren in middle school. But now they are distant. Recently became Shinichi’s girlfriend.
Shirakawa Haruka – Second-year high school student, president of the gardening club, treasures the dogwood tree. She is also kind to Ren.
Chapter length 3169 characters.