On a March morning, Bipiku stood beneath the weeping cherry tree.
Her posture was perfect. So was the angle, the expression, the shape of her fingertips. But today, of all days, she was maintaining it somewhere no one was watching.
“I’m tired.”
She said it quietly. In a voice too small for anyone to hear.
“I can hear you.”
Keromi walked over and sat down beside her.
“Today’s a day you don’t have to be perfect.”
“But if I’m not perfect…”
“To whom?”
Bipiku couldn’t answer.
Sonchō came from somewhere, carrying a single mimosa branch. Small yellow flowers swayed gently in the morning light.
“Sweeter honey comes from a flower blooming wild than from a perfect one. Feh-feh.”
Keromi asked, “Want to sing together?” For the first time, Bipiku smiled — just a little unevenly.
Margin note: In Bipiku’s pose that day, there was one small flaw she chose not to fix.
【Today’s Drop】
- International Women’s Day (March 8): An international day advocating for the social, economic, and cultural equality and rights of women. In Italy, it is customary to give mimosa flowers on this day.
This is an English translation of “ミモザの朝に”, part of Tales of Amencho Town (蛙鳴町奇譚).