Chapter 76: THE GARDEN OF A HUNDRED FLOWERS

After breakfast was finished, Kai gathered the empty plates and stacked them beside the pot. He poured the remaining water from the kettle onto the campfire until the last ember died—hsss—and thin smoke rose into the morning air. Mira was still sitting in her chair, rubbing her stomach with a satisfied face. Rin tapped the table with her fingers. Ella folded the cloth napkin on her lap. Luna stared at the lake in the distance. Nora stood with her arms crossed. Iris leaned her back against the chair. Eve had already opened her laptop even though there was no signal. Aria bit her nails calmly. Fay hugged her doll.

"I want to take you somewhere," Kai said while wiping his hands on the cloth.

Mira lifted her head. "Where, Sir?"

"A garden. Not far from here."

"A garden?" Rin stopped tapping her fingers. "We still want to play at the lake, Sir. The water is still fresh. It hasn’t warmed up yet."

"Yes, Sir," Mira added. "Mira wants to swim again. Yesterday Mira wasn’t satisfied."

Kai shook his head slowly. "You’ll like that garden. Trust me."

Ella looked at him with raised eyebrows. "What kind of garden, Sir?"

"You’ll see for yourself. I don’t want to ruin the surprise."

Iris rested her chin on her palm. "Mr. Kai really likes making us curious."

Mira pouted her lips. She looked at the lake in the distance—the water was blue-green, its surface calm, and the morning sunlight reflected on it like glass shards. Then she looked at Kai. Then the lake again. Then Kai again. Finally she stood up. "Fine! Mira will come! But if that garden isn’t as good as the lake, Mira will be disappointed, Sir!"

"I’ll take responsibility for your disappointment," Kai said.

Mira hopped lightly. "Yeay! Let’s go!"

Rin looked at Mira and shook her head. "You’re so easy to persuade."

"Because Mira is curious!" Mira was already running toward the car. "Come on, hurry!"

The others started to stand. Nora walked calmly. Luna followed without a sound. Iris walked with a thin smile. Eve closed her laptop and put it in her bag. Aria got up carefully. Fay stood at the very back with her doll.

Inside the car, they sat in their respective places. Rin beside Kai—the seat she always claimed. Mira behind Rin, unable to stay still, her legs moving. Ella behind Kai, with her notebook open on her lap even though she hadn’t written anything yet. Luna near the window, watching the passing scenery. Nora behind, sitting upright. Iris beside Nora, leaning her head against the window. Eve near the door, already holding something like a folded map. Aria in the middle, biting her nails. Fay in the farthest corner, hugging her doll. Lydia sat in the front seat, beside Kai.

The engine started. Vroom.

Ella opened her mouth. "Sir, how did you know about that garden?"

Kai didn’t answer right away. His hand on the steering wheel tightened slightly. He couldn’t tell the truth—that he had found that garden by accident last night, while he was chasing Jero down the slope, when he tripped on a root and rolled onto a path that wasn’t on the new map. He couldn’t say that he had seen the garden gate from a distance, illuminated by moonlight, and that he had almost not believed there was a place like that in the middle of the forest.

He cleared his throat softly. "I found an old map in one of the cabins. That map still listed that garden. It said the garden hadn’t been opened to the public for a long time, but it also said it was still maintained."

Ella nodded. "Oh, I see."

"What’s in that garden, Sir?" Mira leaned her body forward. "Lots of toys?"

"Not toys," Kai said. "A flower garden."

"Flowers?" Mira furrowed her brow. "Just flowers?"

"Not just flowers," Kai said. "The flowers in that garden aren’t just one type. There are many. Maybe dozens."

Mira opened her mouth. "Dozens?! That’s so many!"

Iris smiled. "Interesting."

Luna turned from the window. "What flowers, Sir?"

"You’ll see for yourself."

Rin tapped the dashboard. "Sir, if there are lots of flowers, that means the garden is big, right?"

"Big enough."

"Can we run around there?"

"You can. But don’t step on the flowers."

Rin leaned back. "I promise I won’t step on them."

Mira was already impatient. She leaned her body further, almost pressing against Rin’s seat. "Mr. Kai, hurry up! Mira can’t wait!"

Kai pressed the gas deeper. Vroom. The car sped faster on the dirt road that was starting to slope upward. The pine trees on the left and right started to thin out, replaced by lower bushes and greener grass. After a few minutes, colors started appearing along the roadside—not green, not brown, but red, yellow, purple, white. Wildflowers grew along the roadside, small, but enough to make Mira press her face against the glass.

"There are flowers!" Mira pointed. "There are flowers on the roadside!"

Rin turned. "Those are just wildflowers, Mira."

"But they’re still beautiful!" Mira was already half-standing from her seat. "Look! There’s purple! There’s yellow!"

Ella smiled slightly. "You’re like you’ve never seen flowers before."

"Mira has never seen this many!" Mira pressed her face against the glass until her nose was flattened. "Look, look! There’s a white one over there! Big!"

Luna watched from her own window. Her half-closed eyes opened wider. "Many," she said softly.

Nora leaned her body slightly to see. "Neat. Like they were deliberately planted."

Eve pushed her glasses up. "This doesn’t make sense. These flowers are growing outside the garden area. That means this garden is bigger than we estimated."

Iris smiled mysteriously. "Or maybe this garden has been here for a long time, and the flowers have spread outside."

Aria pressed her face against the glass carefully. "B-beautiful..."

Fay watched from the corner of her eye. Her doll was still hugged, but her fingers touched the window glass gently.

The car passed the last turn, and before them stood a large gate—not an iron gate like the one at school, but a wooden gate with flower carvings on its surface. Above the gate, hung a wooden board with handwritten text that had faded slightly with age: WELCOME TO THE GARDEN OF 100 FLOWERS.

The gate was open. Beyond it, a spread of color. Not one color—dozens. Red, yellow, purple, white, blue, orange, pink. Flowers grew everywhere—on the ground, in large pots, between stones, along the winding path. There were small trees with flowers hanging like lanterns. There were bushes with flowers growing densely like carpets. There were plants creeping on stone walls, with small flowers glistening under the sunlight.

Mira pressed both hands against the glass. "SO BEAUTIFUL!"

Rin leaned back in her seat with wide eyes. "This... this isn’t an ordinary garden."

Ella closed her notebook. "Mr. Kai, this... this is incredible."

Kai parked the car in a shady spot under a large tree. He turned off the engine. Clack. He got out, followed by the others. They stood on grassy ground, among the spread of colorful flowers, and for a few seconds no one spoke. Only the wind blew softly—whoosh—carrying the scent of flowers mixed into one: sweet, fresh, slightly spicy, and warm.

Kai gathered them near the car. "Listen. You’re free to explore this garden area. But there’s a rule. After one hour, you have to come back here. To this spot too. I’ll be counting the time."

Rin raised her hand. "Then?"

"I also have a mission for you." Kai looked at them one by one. "I want you to find the flower that you find most interesting. Then you have to tell me about it. Why you chose that flower. What you saw. What you felt. The one with the most interesting story, I’ll give a prize."

Mira opened her mouth. "A prize?! What prize, Sir?!"

"You’ll see later."

The faces of all the students immediately changed. Mira, who had been cheerful, now furrowed her brow seriously. Rin crossed her arms with a sharp gaze. Ella reopened her notebook. Iris smiled wider. Luna stared at the flowers in the distance with eyes starting to focus. Nora nodded slightly. Eve had already taken out her phone to take notes. Aria bit her nails faster. Fay nodded slightly.

"I’ll divide you into three teams," Kai said. "First team: Ella, Luna, and Fay. Second team: Rin, Nora, and Aria. Third team: Mira, Iris, and Eve."

Mira turned to Iris and Eve. "We’re one team! We have to win!"

Iris smiled mysteriously. "Of course."

Eve pushed her glasses up. "I’ll analyze all the flowers we find. Data is key."

Rin looked at Nora and Aria. "We’re the strongest team. We’ll definitely win."

Nora nodded. "We’ll focus."

Aria bit her nails. "I-I... I’ll try..."

Ella looked at Luna and Fay. "We’re the calmest team. We have to win in our own way."

Luna nodded slightly. Fay smiled faintly.

"Alright," Kai said. "Starting now. One hour. Don’t forget to come back here."

"Let’s go!" Mira was already running. Her team followed—Iris with casual steps, Eve with phone in hand.

Rin turned to Nora and Aria. "Come on. Let’s go there." They walked in the opposite direction.

Ella looked at Luna and Fay. "Let’s go there." They walked in a calmer direction, to the quieter side of the garden.

Kai stood near the car, watching the backs of his students moving away. Mira was already hopping lightly among the flowers. Rin walked with firm steps. Ella walked calmly. They disappeared among the colors of flowers, and the sound of their laughter slowly faded, replaced by the sound of wind and rustling leaves.

He turned to Lydia who was still standing beside the car. The woman was staring toward the garden, but her eyes were empty—unfocused, like she was seeing something far away inside her mind.

"Lydia," Kai called.

Lydia didn’t move.

"Lydia," Kai called again, softer. ℯℯ𝘭.

Lydia flinched slightly. She turned to Kai. "Yes? Sorry. I... I was daydreaming."

Kai looked at her. "Are you okay?"

Lydia nodded quickly. "Yes. I’m fine."

"If something is bothering your mind, you can tell me."

Lydia smiled slightly—a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Nothing. I was just thinking about small things."

Kai looked at her for a moment. He didn’t ask further. "Come on. Let’s see the garden."

Lydia nodded. "Alright."

They walked along the winding path among the spread of flowers. On the left, there was a small pond with lotus floating on its surface. On the right, there were bushes with flowers hanging like bells. In the distance, there was a large tree with flowers growing on its branches.

Kai stopped in front of a flower bed. In front of him, there was a flower with wide white petals and a yellow center glistening under the sunlight. The flower grew from water—a small clear pond, with green leaves floating on its surface.

"Lunar Mirage," Kai said softly. "Lotus. This flower blooms in the morning and closes in the afternoon. Its petals are white, but when exposed to moonlight, the color changes to pale blue."

Lydia stared at the flower. "You know its name?"

"I read it on the old map. That map listed the names of the flowers in this garden."

Lydia nodded. She stared at the lotus for a long time. "This lotus... is like the one in the pond near my house before. My mother liked lotus. She said lotus is a strong flower. It grows in dirty water, but still blooms beautifully."

Kai looked at Lydia. "Your mother?"

"Yes. She has passed away." Lydia didn’t turn. Her eyes were still on the lotus. "A long time ago."

Kai didn’t say anything. He just stood beside Lydia, staring at the same lotus.

They walked again. This time passing bushes with purple flowers hanging like waterfalls. The petals were small, growing densely on branches that cascaded downward.

"Violet Cascade," Kai said. "Or Weeping Amethyst. People call it Wisteria. This flower grows hanging. When the wind blows, the petals sway like rain."

Lydia touched one of the stems with her fingertip. "Beautiful."

"Some say wisteria symbolizes longevity. Some also say it symbolizes love that never fades."

Lydia turned to Kai. "Do you believe in things like that?"

Kai shrugged. "I just read. Nothing more."

Lydia smiled slightly. "You’re strange. You know many things, but you don’t want to admit it."

"I don’t know many things. I just read."

"You read about these flowers. On the old map."

"Yes."

"Why?"

Kai didn’t answer right away. He stared at the wisteria hanging in front of him. "Because I wanted to know. If I bring my students to a place, I want to know that place. I don’t want them to ask, and I can’t answer."

Lydia looked at him for a long time. "You really are a strange teacher."

"I hear that often."