Fresh green leaves and stems with rough little hairs.
Shushu lovingly gazed down at the tomato seedling that she had nurtured with care. The sight of a healthy plant was enough to move her, though she knew she might be exaggerating a bit.
It truly was a miraculous transformation. What had started as a seedling no taller than her palm had grown to nearly half her height, and its once fragile stem, which seemed like it might snap at any moment, had thickened to the size of her thumb. At this rate, it wouldn't be impossible for it to bear fruit before the year was over.
Every day, Shushu cared for the seedling with an eager heart.
"… Isn't it growing a bit too fast? It's almost unsettling."
One of the inmates who had first noticed the seedling had muttered uneasily, but Shushu paid no attention.
'What did they know?'
The rapid growth was surely a sign that the tomato recognized her love and care. In this harsh prison environment, where even kindness could be exploited or mocked, this tomato seedling was the only thing that could accept her affection without ulterior motives. That's why Shushu's love for it was special.
"What're you doing?"
Lost in her kindergarten-instilled farmer's spirit, her serene afternoon was rudely interrupted by an intruder who broke into the world she shared with her seedling.
"… Isn't it obvious? I'm watering Micky."
Micky. The name Shushu had chosen for her tomato seedling. The sound of laughter, as if it were ridiculous even now, stung her pride. Shushu, who had deliberately answered curtly, felt her mood sink further at that laugh, but the person ruining her precious gardening moment didn't seem to care.
"Twenty minutes of watering? I didn't know tomatoes were hydroponic plants."
The sarcastic tone only made her irritation worse. She considered ignoring the comment, but the intruder leaned closer, as if to prompt a response. Shushu, crouched on the ground, felt the person's cheek rest against her head. The intruder's long hair brushed against her prison uniform's open collar.
Their silken hair shimmered faintly under the sunlight, resembling the quartz Shushu had mistaken for jewels as a child. Glossy, white, and smooth. Shushu was sure that if she looked up, she'd see a face with a bored expression.
Just imagining that face made her chest stir with an unwelcome flutter. No matter how cruel their words or actions were, her heart always betrayed her whenever they pulled stunts like this—like a mischievous cat.
When she cast a glance to the side in frustration, she regretted it immediately. That stunningly beautiful face was staring at her with a serious expression. The frosty lashes, winter-morning eyes, and pale lips stole her breath, leaving her heart pounding once again.
She knew all too well that behind those lips, as perfect as an old master's painting, lay pristine teeth and even a tongue—decorated with a tiny black piercing that was oddly sensual in contrast to their elegant appearance.
Blushing at the thought, Shushu shook her head with forced irritation.
"… What are you even saying? And could you back off? Your hair is tickling me."
"I didn't see you during free time, so I came to look for you. I was worried you might be off crying somewhere after getting beaten up again."
The utter lack of genuine concern in their tone stilled Shushu's wildly beating heart in an instant. How foolish she felt. That cold, detached voice, so mismatched with their graceful face, irritated her more than the piercing did.
Feeling it wasn't worth responding, Shushu clamped her mouth shut. Unbothered, the person continued.
"And here you were, hanging out with some 'Micky' behind my back."
"It's just a tomato seedling. What's with that tone?"
"A tone of jealousy over my wife's obsession with gardening."
'… Wife.'
Shushu, truly exasperated, found herself silenced at the word. Before she knew it, the intruder had shifted and was now completely in front of her. Beneath their teasing, their beauty practically glowed.
"I want to kiss you."
The wheedling tone had become familiar. Shushu wasn't sure when it started, but lately, this person had been demanding more and more from her.
Looking into their northern-ocean-blue eyes, Shushu remembered that they hadn't always been like this. But she couldn't recall when things had changed. She only knew it wasn't the first time they kissed, or the first time they crawled into her bed after lights-out. It was somewhere in between.
Thinking of the moonlit gleam of those eyes on a dark night, Shushu swallowed dryly and turned her head.
"… Do as you please."
She didn't say no. Even as her tone tried to bite, the tremor in her voice betrayed her.
"Close your eyes."
A soft laugh was followed by the low murmur of their voice. Shushu hesitated, then asked instead of obeying.
"… Why do I always have to close my eyes?"
Whether it was before a kiss or in the quiet of the night, they always made her close her eyes, like some fairytale princess married to a monster disguised as a boy. Her question slipped out, though she had been scolded before for ruining the mood.
For a moment, they narrowed their gaze at her. Their icy, pale blue eyes carried a pressure that made Shushu drop her own gaze. Finally, a slow response came.
"Because otherwise, you'll burn."
"…Ha."
'What nonsense.'
Shushu frowned but closed her eyes without protest. If she didn't, this back-and-forth would never end, and they'd let free time run out without a care for any consequences. And, truthfully, she knew.
In this peculiar dynamic where they called each other 'wife', she was the one who gained the most.
Cabbage and Mini Cat.
The platinum-haired Mini Cat, as brilliant as quartz, was Cabbage's prison wife, and the petite Cabbage was Mini Cat's prison wife.
Thanks to the privilege of being married to the formidable inmate Mini Cat, Shushu enjoyed leisurely lunch breaks and the time and space to care for her tomato seedling. After becoming 'wives', the kisses came quickly, but the matters under the sheets were slower to unfold.
Yet Shushu had never truly rejected either. Even though the body behind that cascade of long hair was undeniably female, Shushu accepted it all. And sometimes, she had strange dreams.
In those dreams, Mini Cat appeared as a man. He still called Shushu his wife and did far more intense things than they had ever done under the covers.
But when Shushu woke up, Mini Cat was still a woman, still an inmate, and so was she. And so Shushu would feel a tangle of sadness, confusion, and shame, all on her own.
'Otherwise, you'll burn.'
Even while sensing the piercing in her mouth that felt oddly cold, Shushu couldn't help recalling Mini Cat's teasing words. Which one of them would be the one to burn?
Shushu was certain it would be her. Mini Cat was like endless winter, and if someone were to burn, it would naturally be someone born in the summer—someone like her. With such foolish thoughts in mind, Shushu found her breath growing short.
***
She had read novels that began with an innocent person being falsely accused and sent to prison.
The protagonist would wake up to find themselves branded as a criminal, surrounded by people who didn't believe in their innocence. Eventually, they would be sent to prison. In most cases, the protagonist was an ordinary person or a justice-driven detective.
After being imprisoned, they would run around tirelessly to prove their innocence, eventually uncovering a grand conspiracy and clearing their name. They would walk free, sometimes even winning love along the way.
It was a fairly common trope.
However, Shushu had never imagined just how catastrophic such a story would feel if it became her own reality. Nor had she ever wanted to truly understand the steel-like determination those protagonists needed to fight their way through such dizzying circumstances.
And yet, here she was, in exactly that situation.
***