The sun had barely begun to rise, its soft golden rays barely piercing through the thick morning mist that clung to Greenfall Village. A girl stirred in her bed, tangled in warm blankets. Her green-and-white hair, messy as always, sprawled across her pillow. Half-asleep, she reached for the book lying beside her bed but paused.
"The flower…"
Her eyes opened a little wider, sleep still tugging at her thoughts. The Lunis Bloom. A rare flower that only bloomed in the lake at dawn. She had missed her chance yesterday, thanks to that boy.
She yawned, stretching as she slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. She could already feel the cool air nipping at her skin, but her desire to get that flower outweighed the comfort of her bed. She wrapped herself in a light cloak, slipped on her worn boots, and quietly left her small, creaky house, heading toward the lake.
The walk was peaceful but cold. The early morning frost sparkled on the grass, and the village was eerily quiet, save for the soft crunch of her footsteps. She liked it that way. Mornings were calm. No judgmental stares. No whispers behind her back. Just her and the world.
But as she neared the lake, her eyes narrowed in confusion.
The water wasn't calm as it usually was. Ripples broke the surface, and tiny waves lapped at the shore. Her heart sank for a moment."Did the villagers ruin it?"she wondered, biting her lip."Maybe they had drained part of the lake or disturbed the delicate balance of its waters."
Her mind raced with possibilities.
Just as her thoughts spiraled into panic, she heard a splash.
Her head snapped up, and she froze.
A boy stood in the middle of the lake, water dripping from his soaked clothes. His dark hair clung to his forehead, and his lips were slightly blue from the cold. But what struck her the most was his smile—bright and carefree, as if he wasn't standing in freezing water at the break of dawn.
It was him.
The boy from yesterday.
Her lips twitched into a chuckle before she could stop herself.
What is he doing? she thought, watching him with a mix of curiosity and amusement.
"Is he… playing in the lake? In this weather? He must be insane."
But then she noticed something else. His hands were cupped in front of him, cradling something carefully. As he waded toward her, water sloshing around his knees, he held it out like a fragile treasure.
Her breath caught in her throat.
It was a Lunis Bloom. Its petals glowed faintly in the dim light, a soft blue hue that seemed almost magical.
"You… you found it?" she whispered, eyes wide in surprise.
The Boy grinned. "I figured it might be important to you."
She stared at him, speechless. Her heart fluttered in a way she didn't quite understand.
"I had to dive for it," The boy continued, his voice light despite his shivering body. "It almost got away, but I didn't want you to miss it again."
Her fingers twitched, longing to take the flower from his hands, but she hesitated. No one had ever done something like this for her. Not in Greenfall.
"I… I don't know what to say," she murmured.
"Say you'll take it before my hands freeze,"The boy said with a chuckle, holding the flower out closer to her.
She blinked, then quickly reached out, her fingers brushing against his as she took the Lunis Bloom. It was even more beautiful up close, its petals soft as silk.
"Thank you," she said softly, clutching the flower to her chest.
The boy shrugged, shivering a little. "No big deal. But maybe next time, let's pick flowers that don't involve freezing lakes."
She chuckled again—a real one this time, not the quiet, polite sound she usually made. He's strange, she thought. But not in a bad way.
For a fleeting moment, the world didn't feel so cold or lonely.
For a moment, she felt warmer just standing there.
She stared at the flower in her hand, her fingers brushing against its soft petals. Then her gaze shifted back to him—quiet, curious, and far less cautious than before.
"It's called Lunis Bloom," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I've been trying to pick it for a while."
There was a long pause, her eyes flickering with hesitation before finally settling on something steadier, something braver.
"…Luna," she said, her voice clear this time. "That's my name."
The boy's smile grew. "Kazuki," he replied with a gentle nod, his tone warm and inviting.
Luna glanced at the flower again, its soft light reflected in her eyes. For the first time in a long while, she didn't feel quite so distant from the world around her.