Carnation Recollection - 6: Forgotten Happiness

Nonogi Park

1

Kanade

This place...

Sound Effect: Play

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

2

Little Kanade

Thank you for the meal!

3

Kanade's Father

Hm? Kanade, you have something on your cheek.

4

Little Kanade

I do? Where?

5

Kanade's Father

Your other cheek, silly.
Just stay still for me.

6

Little Kanade

...

7

Kanade's Father

There we go.
All gone.

8

???

Oh, are you sure about that?

9

Kanade's Father

Huh?

10

Kanade's Mother

Kanade isn't the only one with something on their cheek, honey.

11

Little Kanade

Mommy, look!
Daddy did the same things as me!

12

Kanade's Father

What?! W-Where...?!

13

Kanade's Mother

It's on this cheek.
Stay still now.

14

Kanade's Father

O-Okay...

15

Kanade's Mother

There, got it.
Were you trying to copy Kanade, dear?

16

Little Kanade

Daddy's a copycat!

17

Kanade's Father

Hahaha...

18

Little Kanade

Look, a butterfly...!

Sound Effect: Play

19

Kanade's Mother

Careful not to trip and fall, Kanade.

Sound Effect: Play

20

Little Kanade

Mommy, look! The butterfly stopped on the flower!

21

Kanade's Mother

Yes, I see. Butterflies love to eat flower nectar very much, so it must be lunchtime for it too.

22

Little Kanade

It's eating a flower for lunch?
Do flowers taste good...?

23

Kanade's Father

Oh, that's right...

24

Little Kanade

What are these flowers called?

25

Kanade's Mother

These are carnations.
They're my favorite type of flower.

26

Little Kanade

Car-nay-chons?

27

Kanade's Mother

Hehe. Carnations, dear.
Oh...?

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

28

Little Kanade

Daddy's playing his guitar!

Sound Effect: Play

29

Kanade's Mother

Kanade, wait! Please don't run off like that!

30

Kanade's Mother

Hehe...

31

Little Kanade

Let's give daddy a big round of applause!

32

Little Kanade

Which song was that called?

33

Kanade's Father

That one? Well, I sort of just played it off hand, so it doesn't really have a name...

34

Kanade's Father

But let's see...
We can call it, “Kanade and Mommy's Happy Sunday”...!

35

Little Kanade

Kanade and mommy's happy Sunday...?

36

Little Kanade

Haha! That's such a silly name!

37

Kanade's Father

What?! You think so?!

38

Kanade's Mother

Kanade, you know it's not nice to say things like that. You'll make your father sad.

39

Little Kanade

Oh no...!
I'm sorry, daddy...

40

Kanade's Father

Haha. It's okay, Kanade.

41

Kanade's Father

As long as my music makes you and your mother smile, I'll be more than happy.

42

Little Kanade

Me smiling makes you smile too, daddy?

43

Kanade's Father

Yes, it does. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

44

Little Kanade

Really?!
Then I promise to smile lots and lots!

45

Kanade's Mother

Hehe...
Would you mind playing us that song one more time, honey?

46

Kanade's Father

You got it! Get ready for an encore!

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

47

Little Kanade

Mommy, you look really happy...!

48

Kanade's Mother

Oh, I do?

49

Kanade's Mother

I suppose I just can't help it...

50

Kanade's Mother

Your father's music always finds a way to make me smile.

51

Little Kanade

Yeah, me too...!
I love the music daddy plays!

52

Kanade

This is it...

53

Mizuki

Huh?

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

54

Kanade

This is what my parents and I saw.

55

Mizuki

What?!
But this isn't really a glamorous flower field. It's just a bunch of flower beds...

56

Mizuki

No, I got it!
You came when you were little, so it looked a lot bigger than it really was!

57

Kanade

Yes, you may be right.
Sorry for the confusion...

58

Mizuki

No, that's totally fine! I'm just glad that we found it! There really are a lot of carnations here, huh?

59

Kanade

Yes... It's so nostalgic...

60

Kanade

(Oh...)

61

Mizuki

Kanade? Is something wrong?

62

Kanade

Sorry...

63

Kanade

(Remembering what happened that day's making me feel worse.)

64

Kanade

(Even after Mizuki went through the trouble of finding this place. But if I recall any more than this, I might...)

65

Mizuki

This place really means a lot to you, doesn't it, Kanade...?

66

Kanade

Huh...?

67

Mizuki

Sorry, it's just that I'm glad to have learned that because you hardly ever talk about yourself or stuff like this, you know?

68

Mizuki

You had this great expression on your face when you saw these flowers too. You seemed so happy.

69

Mizuki

So, I'm glad we did this...

70

Kanade

Mizuki...

71

Mizuki

Nevermind, ignore that last part! Look at me...! Talking like I know everything about you...!

72

Kanade

No, don't say that...

73

Kanade

I wouldn't have been able to remember anything if it weren't for you.

74

Kanade

Like my memories from when I was little and why I liked this place so much.

75

Mizuki

Kanade...

76

Mizuki

Would you mind telling me more? About what happened back then and stuff?

77

Kanade

Uh, sure...

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

78

Kanade

My parents and I came here on a picnic.

79

Kanade

Dad even brought his guitar and sang for us.

80

Kanade

It was a really simple song, but it was so gentle and happy...

81

Kanade

Because of that, listening to it usually cheers me up.

82

Mizuki

Yeah, that sounds nice...

83

Mizuki

You're talking about that music box your dad made, right? It has to be good if you're willing to say this much. It'd be great to listen to it sometime too...

84

Kanade

Oh, I can bring it with me next time if you want...

85

Mizuki

Wait, really?

86

Kanade

Yes, I'd like you to hear it too.

87

Mizuki

...

88

Mizuki

Great, thanks...!

89

Kanade

(When is the last time I talked about my past like this...?)

90

Kanade

(I'd forgotten about what happened back then for so long...)

91

Kanade

(Or rather, I kept it locked away in the back of my mind...)

92

Kanade

(We were so happy back then, remembering it all now felt painful...)

93

Kanade

(But I'm glad I was able to.)

94

Kanade

(This place meant so much to me, and it still does...)

95

Mizuki

But what are the odds that one of my favorite places would turn out to be this kind of blast from the past for you, Kanade?

96

Mizuki

Hehe. I'm glad we came.

97

Kanade

Yes, me too.

98

Kanade

Thank you very much, Mizuki.

99

Kanade

I'm not sure I would've been able to handle what I just felt if I came here alone.

Kanade

I was able to look back on what happened then with a more open mind thanks to you, Mizuki.

Mizuki

But I didn't really do...

Mizuki

Oh, right...

Mizuki

You're very welcome, Kanade.

Next Chapter: Beyond the Labyrinth