The Florist: This Tree Requires Scary Offerings!

Chapter 6: The Weakest Student

Ivy looked away from him. “This memory loss, only you and I need to know about it.”

“Why?”

“People can use you. You can always call me, but I won’t always be by your side. I...” Ivy raised his eyebrows and stood up. “I won’t... always make it on time.” He clenched his fists.

His eyes widened as Yuma held his hands and smiled weakly. “All right, I get it,” he whispered, “So, don’t... be sad. It hurts...”

Ivy gazed into his eyes in silence then sighed.

“I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to give you an order. I... I just don’t want you to be sad,” Yuma mumbled.

Ivy patted his head. “Can you promise me that?” He slid his hand down to Yuma’s cheek. “Don’t tell anyone. Oh, one more thing you will also have my surname.”

“S-Surname...?! Is that okay? We're not even related.” Yuma looked at him worried.

Ivy shrugged. “You don’t have one. I couldn’t find it. I don’t know who your parents are. My full name is Ivy Bluequeen. Memorize it.” Ivy pushed Yuma’s hair back and poked his forehead. “And get a haircut. It’s a mess.”

“I will!” Yuma grinned. “Thank you, Ivy!”

Ivy frowned and turned away from him. “Sure...”

“And... I know it's a bit late, but thank you for paying for my bills. It must have been expensive. Ah! Also, thank you for saving my life... and thank you for–”

"Just... shut up..." Ivy covered his face, his lips trembling.

Yuma’s gaze saddened. “Did I do something bad? Are you angry?”

Ivy shook his head. “Anyway... What you need to know is that the headmistress of this school is that woman. There is also a chairman, but... Let's not talk about him.”

He pointed at the tall woman who was still standing beside his bike. “I’m just a... failure here. Don’t spend your time with me.”

“A failure?! You?! But... You’re so strong!”

“Everyone here is so strong.” Ivy rested his hand against his hips. “I’m probably the weakest.”

He lowered his head. “But I can tell you one thing.”

He poked a nearby pillar. “This is an unstable planet. It’s the smallest among all others, and it’s visible.

to everyone. That means that the other planets constantly strike it down. There will always be war here.”

“But... It looks so peaceful.”

Ivy coughed a few times and pressed a hand against his mouth. “That’s all I can help you with. I don’t know anything else.”

Yuma’s eyes widened, seeing blood on Ivy’s fingers. He ran to him and helped him stand. “Wh-What happened?! Are you sick? Wait! Let me call for help.”

“No.” Ivy rested his head on Yuma’s. “I’ll be fine,” he whispered, “Go find a friend. I’m too old for you.”

“How... old are you? You seem to be about my age.”

“That old crow is thirty-two. Curse his baby face that made him look in his twenties!” The woman who spoke to Ivy earlier stood beside them. “You’re the new guy, right? Did you get your schedule?”

“But... He’s hurt!” Yuma looked at her with watery eyes. “He’s coughing blood!”

His eyes widened as she kicked Ivy’s stomach, sending him crashing against the wall across the yard. He threw up blood and collapsed on the ground, motionless.

“IVY!” Yuma raised his eyebrows as Ivy straightened, wiping the blood on his chin. He waved goodbye at Yuma and walked towards his motorcycle. She patted Yuma’s head. “Don’t worry about him. He’s tougher than he looks. Focus on your studies for now, okay?”

Yuma saw Ivy driving away and nodded. “I... will...”

He entered the dorms and took the elevator to the eighth floor.

He found another man in his room and smiled nervously, expecting single rooms. “Who... are you?”

“Hm?” The orange-haired man turned to him. “Oh. Hello, hahah!” He grinned. “I’m Ludovic. We will be roommates from now on, I see. Nice to meet you.”

“Ah, thanks... My name is Yuma.”

“Cool. There are no bunk beds, so we won’t fight about who’s on top.” Ludovic laughed. “Don’t worry about me. I'm just rambling!”

Yuma sat on the bed beside the window, looking down anxiously. The room was small, but not cramped; it was barely enough to fit the two parallel beds, a kitchenette and a door that led to the bathroom. The dim orangey lighting made Yuma doze off slightly as he watched the sun setting in the distance.

Ludovic titled his head to the side. “You don’t have any luggage?”

He poked Yuma’s shoulder. “Hello? Anybody home?”

“Ah...” Yuma glanced at him. “Sorry... What did you say?”

Ludovic sat down on his own bed. “You don’t have any luggage with you...”

“N-No, I don’t...”

“Ah... Okay... How did you pay the tuition to get here?”

Yuma looked up to him. “Tuition... I... My family paid for me.”

“Aren’t you rich?!” Ludovic sighed. “Wish I was you! I had to work for a while to afford to be here. At least it’s a one-time fee. I don’t have to worry about money until next year.”

“Is it that expensive? My... family didn’t tell me.”

“Yeah! I had to work three part-time jobs for three years! That’s why I joined late.”

“Do.... you know how many years we have to stay here?”

“Five.” Ludovic took out vegetables from his bag and placed them in the fridge. “Did you eat?”

“Not yet...”

“I’ll whip something up then!” Ludovic smiled confidently. “Don’t worry. I signed up for the culinary course! I’m a very good cook!”

“Culinary... We don’t learn how to fight here?”

“Ah. Did you sign up for the fighting course? That’s really brave of you! I heard it’s very difficult to keep up.”

Yuma blinked slowly. “Is that so?”

“You don’t know all the branches, right?” Ludovic turned to him. “I researched this university a lot, so I know everything about it! Ask away!”

“What’s the name of the headmistress?”

“Marissa.”

“Marissa? What does that mean?”

“No clue. It might be a nickname.” Ludovic spread the butter on the pan and started chopping garlic.

“But I heard that she’s rarely around. There’s another man in her stead. Everyone calls him the chairman, but nobody knows his actual name. He’s the one who generally takes care of business while she’s not around. They don't seem to be related though. They're never seen together.”

“Then, what does this university teach exactly?”

“Hmm... That’s a difficult question. I use the whiteboard for this one.” Ludovic stood in front of a tiny whiteboard he hung on the wall. “As you already know, this is an unstable planet. It’s called Chaos for a reason.”

“Chaos? This planet is called Chaos? We’re not on Earth?”

“No. It’s an independent planet.” Ludovic cleared his throat. “More importantly! Since this planet is unstable, all the activities here gravitate around warfare. Starting from a young age, we had a normal education based on maths, biology and languages. However, we’re also taught self-defence arts. At university, things become different. This is one of the few universities available on the entire planet. All unis teach specialities related to war. Even the most trivial jobs can be related to war, in this sense. That’s the reason why this planet looks like the old world so much. Maybe the only difference is that we use actual robots to fight.”

“Robots.”

“Yeah! Not everyone can use them though. I think the first one was Ivy.”

“Ivy? Do... Do you know anything about him?”

“Yeah. Everyone knows Ivy. He’s the weakest student. He never graduated from the fighting branch. He was a fifth-year student in the past... fifteen years at least. Since the university doesn’t kick students out no matter how many times they fail, he just stayed here forever. Feels like he’s cursed. That's why he's so popular. He's like an urban legend!”

“Oh...”

“Why do you ask about him?”

“Nothing... I just saw him this morning.” Yuma laughed nervously. “S-So tell me, you want to cook for... who?”

“Everyone! I’m so glad you asked!” Ludovic clapped. “Soldiers, families, children, elderly, I will feed everyone! I will have the biggest restaurant in the universe!”

Yuma laughed. “You’re really funny, but I love your dream. I’m sure it will become true one day.”

Ludovic nodded. “You’d better believe it! You will be my first customer. It’s a promise!”

Yuma grinned. “Yes. I’ll order the entire menu.”

“Good.” Ludovic folded his arms. “The fighting branch studies in the sports department, but all branches have common classes. These classes are shared even between different levels. We might study with the fifth grade sometimes. I hate them. They’re so full of themselves!”

He took his schedule. “Ugh. I study for eight hours from Monday till Thursday. At least I have three days to rest. I can experiment all I want with ingredients! Studying is all about practice, you know?”

He glanced at Yuma. “We have common classes with you in Geography and self-defence... but we might have more in common in the future. The schedule is constantly amended, so try to adapt.”

Yuma nodded. “I can only rest on Friday though... I have group training and swimming classes on Saturday and Sunday.”

“Ah! That’s so tough! I’ll prepare good food for you so you can do your best.”

“Don’t act like my wife.”

“You rejected me.”

They laughed. Yuma lay down, unbuttoning his shirt. “What are the different other branches?”

“So many. Administration, Finances, Languages, Law, Medicine, Engineering, Music, anything really!” Ludovic yawned. “Let’s sleep. I’m exhausted. I moved in today.”

“Uhm... Classes didn’t start?”

“Of course not! September is just getting started.”

“I see...” Yuma shut his eyelids. “I’m so tired.”

He blinked as the door knocked. Ludovic opened the door and blinked, seeing Ivy standing with his shoulder rested against the door frame. “Is Yuma here?” Ivy asked, “I need to talk to him.”

Ludovic nodded slowly. “Come in.”

Ivy walked into the room, carrying a bag over his shoulder. He threw it in Yuma’s lap. “Forgot to give you that. You will need those books for as long as you study here.”

Yuma took the books out and watched the notes on the pages. Ivy sat beside him, resting a hand against his shoulder. “My books. No need to buy new ones. The manuals are quite expensive, and the syllabus didn’t change on paper. Only practical exercises change from one year to another.”

Yuma smiled softly and hugged him. “Thank you.”

Ivy lowered his head, resting his hands on Yuma’s back carefully. He stood up quickly and watched the red hair for a few minutes, seeming to be in a daze. He blinked a few times a minute later and took a step back. “I’ll see you later. Good night for now. Make sure to rest well.”

His eyes flashed wide as a steel spear stabbed the glass window and flew towards them. He instantly pulled Yuma behind him and slapped it away, diverting its direction. He gazed at the steel chunks stabbing his hand in silence.

He clenched his hand slowly. “Pain... I can feel it.” He closed his eyes as alarms started beeping loudly across the city.

Yuma gasped, feeling the ground shaking. He looked around, terrified. “What’s going on?!”

Ludovic frowned, confused. “It seems like an earthquake, but this one is quite strong. The building won’t collapse. It was specially conceived to withstand natural catastrophes, but the issue is in case this isn’t a natural catastrophe.”

He ran to the window and raised his eyebrows, seeing a blue barrier surrounding the dorms and college. “I see... There’s a fight...”

“A-A fight?!” Yuma asked, clinging to a nearby pillar.

“During fights, students in different schools are isolated into the buildings. Civilians are evacuated to underground shelters, and graduates fight with fourth and fifth-grade students.” Ludovic explained.

“But who are we fighting?!”

“People from other planets.” Ludovic clenched his fists. “Things got very bad after the king of this planet died. His name was king Ivy. Hyacinth says he died in battle fifteen years ago. Ever since then, attacks against Chaos became more and more frequent. They want to weaken us so they can colonize us now that we lost our king.”

Yuma’s gaze saddened. “That’s... horrible! Why would they do something so evil?”

Ludovic glanced at him. “Because those are the rules of the game.”

“G-Game?”

“Watch out!” Ludovic pushed Yuma down to dodge a flying lightning spear that pierced the window before stabbing the wall. Ludovic sighed. “That was close. Watch out for random projectiles. We’re not entirely safe here.”

Yuma gazed at the spear and frowned, seeing a man appearing from the lightning. “There’s a person...” he whispered, “Is that normal?”

Ludovic glanced behind him and jumped backwards to dodge the man’s knife. “What do you think you’re doing? I can’t open my restaurant if I’m dead!” He gritted his teeth.

“You don’t have to worry about that.” The man smirked, walking towards them. His eyes widened as a blade stabbed his chest before fire incinerated the body into ashes. A female appeared from behind the ashes and examined them with her eyes. “Are you two okay?”

She checked on Ludovic and moved to Yuma. “Here isn’t safe either. The barrier has been breached. Go to the shelter. I will escort you.”

Ivy watched the corpse of the man in silence. He knelt down and picked up a white gem from the man’s belt. His gaze darkened gradually as he stared at the symbol on it. He squeezed the gem until it cracked then threw the shards behind him, piercing the foreheads of three other soldiers who ambushed him. “Where’s your leader?” he whispered, blue fire burning in his fists, “Don’t waste my time.”

“Ivy!” Yuma called his name from behind.

Ivy turned to him. “Go with her. I will catch up with you in a moment.”

They ran down the hallways with the other students, guided by the woman who saved them.

They entered the underground tunnels that led to the shelters. The tremors grew weaker as they ran deeper into the tunnels.

Ludovic gazed at the girl with dreamy eyes. Yuma scowled, noticing his expression. “Why are you making that face?” he asked.

“She’s the strongest alumnus ever! She might be the strongest warrior in the world! Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of her...”

“I haven't.”

Ludovic sighed. “Listen here, her name is Iris. Many people say that’s just a nickname she chose for herself, but nobody knows any other appellation, so they used that.”

Iris stopped running in front of the shelter. “Go inside. We will–”

She clenched her fists as a horde of soldiers surrounded them, spawning from the ground. She took an offensive stance and punched the air. A red ring in her fingers shined as a whirlwind of fire blew away the soldiers. She equipped her sword, and fire coated the blade. She sliced through the remaining soldiers to clear a path. “Stay behind me!” she ordered Yuma and Ludovic, the ones who didn’t make it to the shelter. “I will protect you.”

She stopped talking as she eyed lifeless blue eyes. Ivy stopped in front of her. She smiled weakly. “How are you, Ivy? I’m sorry... I couldn’t talk to you earlier. I had to save the students.”

She rested a hand on his face and stroked his cheek. “You’re injured. You should stay in the shelter too.” She leaned forward. “Let me take care of you...”

He brushed her hand away. “Don’t touch me.” He turned his back to her and walked away. “I’m busy.”

His eyes flashed wide as he turned, and a wall of ice appeared behind Ludovic and Yuma. Iris then pulled them back and hugged them tightly, glaring at the man behind the ice. She glanced at Ivy.

“You can’t handle this! Go inside. I will take care of this.”

Ivy took a step forward and raised his eyebrows, seeing piercing white eyes appearing from behind the melting ice. “Well, is that all of you?” He grinned. “I came here for protection! There’s no need to attack me!” He rested a hand against this chest. “My name is Hyacinth. I was King Ivy’s best friend. He entrusted me his kingdom before he died.”

Ivy gritted his teeth and ran towards him, summoning two blades from blue light.

Hyacinth’s gaze softened. “I understand that you might not welcome a stranger like this, but it’s all right.”

He pointed his hand at Ivy and clenched his slowly. Ivy then felt the space around him narrowing down. He grunted, trying to free himself. He yelped as Hyacinth squeezed him further. Yuma gasped, hiding his face in Ludovic’s back. “Please stop it!”

Ivy gritted his teeth, pushing himself forward. Hyacinth’s smile widened. “Aren’t you a strong little boy?”

Ivy gasped in pain as his bones started cracking. He cried out in pain. Hyacinth moved his gaze to the side and saw the figure of a woman gazing at him with shining purple eyes. He glanced back at Ivy.

“Now then...”

He spread his hand. Ivy whined in pain and collapsed on the floor, unconscious. Iris frowned, gazing at the white-eyed. “Why... He was much weaker than you. He was only emotional. Why did you punish him so severely?!”

“It’s already been decided. I will become the ruler of this planet.”

Ivy gasped as four glass blades stabbed him to the ground. “I don’t want any little rebels like this. I need to subdue them from the beginning so that they know their place.”

Yuma gazed at Ivy’s blood on the glass with round eyes. Hyacinth smiled weakly. “Don’t be like this. I won’t let him die.”

He pulled the blades out and grabbed Ivy’s collar before kissing his lips. The others gasped in surprise. Iris took a step forward. “Wh-What do you think you’re doing to a dying man?!”

Hyacinth ran his hands in Ivy’s pitch black hair and kissed his neck and hand. By the time he released him, all of his wounds were healed. “I can only heal someone upon physical contact.” He grinned.

“Please don’t think ill of me. It’s just the way my powers functions.”

He bowed his head. “I will go now, ladies and gentlemen. I will make an official announcement soon. I hope you will support me.”

Yuma ran to Ivy and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He gazed at him anxiously.

“That perverted shameless fiend!” Iris blushed as she took Ivy’s chin and wiped the saliva from his lips and chin.

“I thought... I thought he was strong, but...” Yuma looked down, disappointed. “He... was defeated so easily.”

Iris pursed her lips, not knowing what to say in Ivy’s defence. “He’s...” She shook her head. “I will take care of him. It seems like the crisis passed for now. Go back to your rooms.”

She threw Ivy over her shoulder and started walking away. She didn’t stop as she passed by a woman with purple eyes. The woman watched her leave. “He’s ours. He will definitely come back to us. Whatever games he’s playing in here won’t last forever.”

Iris nodded. “I know.”

The woman closed her eyes and left in a purple flash.