*ching*

A small bell ring out refreshingly as the door to a small but beautifully kept flower shop opened and a single man in a martial arts uniform walked inside.

The man was tall and his short hair was dark blond while his eyes were so dark brown that they looked almost black.

The man looked like someone important, and yet he was not a magician at all, but it was not strange at all, after all, the flower shop was not in the Bellcephora kingdom.

“I will be right there, dear customer, just finishing up the last flower arrangement for today’s anniversary!”

The owner of the flower shop called out without showing himself only using the sound of the bell as an indication of somebody’s presence.

“…”

Just by hearing the voice, the martial artist straightened his back and gulped down his saliva, as he clenched his fists.

“Thank you for the patience, what can I…”

After a few minutes, a small bouquet of flowers was tossed up on the counter, joining dozens of other arrangements – each one unique with no two identical ones anywhere in sight – and the dlower shop owner revealed himself, standing up while carrying empty buckets that the flowers cut solely for the purpose of becoming the bouquets were brought.

He was a man in his late thirties – or that was how his appearance suggested. He was wearing simple clothes that he covered with an apron. The most discerning part of him was that he had pure-white hair and jet-black eyes.

*thump*

“Great teacher! Please, his highness the Spirit Emperor sends his regards and sends a message through this unworthy student!”

At the sight of him, the dark-blond-haired marital artist dropped to his knees and kowtowed on the spot without a shred of hesitation.

“…stand up, boy, I am just a humble florist, your actual teacher would be ashamed seeing you lowering your head to me…”

The white-haired man sighed, shaking his head while taking the buckets to the back of the shop.

“My teacher and my teacher’s teacher are surely rejoicing amongst the stars that I was granted the privilege of delivering a message to you, great teacher!”

Despite the florist’s words, the martial artist did not raise his head even a fraction of an inch, pressing his forehead firmly on the floor of the flower shop.

“Out of respect for you, your teacher, and your teacher’s teacher I humbly take the praise. Stand up, boy, if you help me out deliver the flowers I will listen to his majesty’s words.”

“This student is humbled by your grace, great teacher!”

The white-haired man breathed out and gave up, putting down the buckets and pointing at the flowers – to which the marital artist responded with a grateful cheer, and began to stand up.

,m “I must request that you will stop calling me the great teacher though, the locals do not know who I am and I wish for it to stay that way.”

The florist said in a stern voice while carefully picking the flower arrangements from the counter.

“As you wish, Heave…”

“Boy, do not even dare to speak that title out loud!”

The martial artist put his hand together in front of his chest and bowed his head before speaking up, but the florist cut him out instantly with a strictness that made the martial artist flinch and tremble.

“…excuse this outburst, boy… Just for the time you will join me on this delivery, address me simply as William. For my sake.”

“This unworthy student will obey your request.”

William breathed out and returned back to collecting the bouquets while the tense marital artist bowed his head even deeper before straightening his back and joining the florist.

*clang*

The bell above the door rang once more as the two men left the shop, the white-haired man put the armful of bouquets on a hand-pulled cart, piling them up on top of hundreds of others, motioning at the marital artists to do the same.

“Gear… umm… W-William, allow me to pull the cart for you.”

The man offered anxiously, stepping towards the front of the cart right after placing down the flowers he carried.

“No. This is my duty. It’s the least I could offer to the brave children who followed me and whom I was unable to keep safe.”

“…”

The white-haired man shook his head, reaching out his hand to stop the martial artists before taking stepping up to the cart and beginning to pull it.

The martial artists followed him respectfully silent.

“William! It is that time of the year again, isn’t it? Thank you for always remembering.”

“I could never forget.”

An elderly man sitting on the porch of his house looked up at the road and greeted the white-haired man as he passed.

“Young William, did you remember that my daughter…”

“Loves forget-me-nots. Of course Mrs. Teresa. Look, this one is just for her.”

An old lady looking out of the second floor of the next house spotted the white-haired man with his cart and called out in a worried voice – to which William responded reassuringly, reaching his hand into the pile of bouquets and pulling out a delicate violet-blue arrangement.

“May the stars bless your kind soul, deary.”

The woman gulped down her saliva and dried off her eyes with a handkerchief with a forget-me-nots motive stitched into its right corner.

“William…”

“Your husband doesn’t like fancy flowers, but greatly enjoys the smell of wild lilac, right?”

“Y-yes…! Thank you… Thank you so much…!”

This time it was a middle-aged housewife carrying a bucket full of laundry – she called out to William, and he responded with a soft smile, taking out the correct bouquet just like the two previous times.

“Mister Will! Did you have time to…”

“The tea roses for your parents, just like your mother’s bouquet on their wedding day.”

Similar scenarios repeated again and again, no matter what, the white-haired man would respond with a gentle smile to whoever called him.

As they continued their journey, the martial artist by the cart’s side was looking increasingly miserable but did not say a thing.

It was not like he was getting tired or annoyed at the slow pace and getting stopped every few steps for William to have a few words exchanged with almost every passerby though…

“…W-William… by any chance…?”

“Your older sister preferred simple dandelions over the roses her suitors would send to your house. Don’t worry. This one is for her.”

The dark-blond-haired martial artist reached out to his cart and pulled out a simple but beautiful arrangement of wildflowers where dandelions were the center of attention.

“You know, every flower has its meaning, but I believe that people should be gifted whatever they fancy without being bothered by the weight we humans try to give nature.”𝒪𝒱𝓵xt.𝗇𝓔t

“…”

William said with a stoic expression, looking forward, allowing the martial artist to cry without feeling ashamed.

After some more time, the two arrived at the cemetery set in a remote location – that despite being out of the commonly used road was upkept perfectly.

After leaving the cart in front of the gate, William grabbed a handful of bouquets and entered the graveyard, and began distributing the flowers – one arrangement each for every single grave – while the blond-haired martial artist waited outside feeling his eye sting from holding back even more tears.