Chapter 17: Chapter 17 Don’t come to Wendy’s flower shop (8)
The ally got wider as they walked further, which led to the large empty area near her house. She quickened her pace, looking through the rain to check the distance to her house, which she now could see over the alley.
The sound of the two people wading through the pool of water was heard in the rain. Her old leather shoes were quickly drenched, but she could never stop walking. She trembled in the chill coming from her toes, but she felt like she couldn’t even tremble because of his body heat so near to her.
Now, there were only two in the lonely ally. Although it was blurry everywhere because of the heavy rain, he was visible in front of her. She turned away her eyes out of defiance to him.
At that moment, a short young ash tree standing at the corner of an alley came into view.
She planted it about a year ago, but it didn’t grow well. It was a poor tree that eventually dried up. However, the shape of the tree seemed a bit unusual.
Wendy couldn’t believe what was happening before her eyes. When its scraggy branches were hit by raindrops, they suddenly turned into strong and lush branches in the blink of an eye. Looking at the bulging trunk of the tree, she saw green leaves budding on its bare branches where the rain fell. She instinctively grabbed her index finger tightly.
What the heck!
‘When did I put my finger on that branch?’ She never did.
The leaves, growing big in size, were steadily getting greener before she knew. She opened her eyes wide open to the mysterious sight in front of her.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
She was just stunned by the white twigs popping up on the leaves which became a dark green. The petals were scattered and fluttered around like bursting peach seeds.
The heavy rain stopped before she knew, and it became sunny like a spring afternoon and the strong fragrance of flowers filled the streets. The white petals bounced all over the place and blew in her direction randomly. It looked like a swarm of silver trout running up the river.
Flinching at the bouncing petals for a moment, she closed her eyes. Then, she suddenly opened her eyes as if she woke up from her dream that lasted a very short time.
The young ash tree was standing lean and leafless amids the heavy rain with dead branches.
“… what’s the matter with you?”
As if he felt she flinched momentarily, Lard asked her with curiosity.
“… it’s nothing.”
Wendy shook her head and became nervous because she seemed to smell the faint scent of the ash flower.
As she suddenly quickened her pace, Lard looked around with wary eyes. He looked at the direction she was fixing her gaze but couldn’t find any person around, let alone any impending danger.
He stopped being suspicious and made a satisfied expression. He felt she was showing such a reaction because she said she felt uncomfortable about his staying with her at the moment.
“Okay, I live over there.”
Though her voice was so small that it could be buried in a heavy rain, Lard heard it clearly.
She was now looking at the green roof of a house ahead. The imperial knight nodded and continued to walk in that direction. Soon, he stopped because he sensed a strange man standing by the door in the yard.
Wendy looked intensely at Lard curiously, who was staring at the front of her house with a straight face. She wondered how this knight would react this time because she couldn’t figure out his intentions at all.
“Somebody is in front of your house. Do you know him? ”
At his unexpected question, she narrowed her eyes and looked around him.
Not caring about her glance, however, Lard was staring at the guy with alertness.
She also tried to examine the man in front of her house, standing on her tiptoes.
But the heavy rain and the trees blocked her view, making it impossible to identify the man.
“There’s someone there?”
“Yes, he is a tall and heavy guy with dark red hair.”
Wendy had no idea who he was. She couldn’t really recall any man who would wait in front of her house in this heavy rain.
“Well, I have no idea.”
When she finished talking, she took long strides as if she couldn’t delay any more.
Hesitating for a moment, Lard also followed her when the rain wet her face.
As she approached her house, she saw a man standing in front of the green door of her house over the yard. Indeed, as Lard said, he was a heavy man with red hair. The man, who was standing with his gaze fixed on the front yard of her house, looked up at them as if he noticed Wendy and Lard.
Wendy was irritated by the sight of him, “Yoda, how come you came here…?”
Wendy walked past the flower garden.
However, Yoda was staring only at the knight’s face standing next to her without an answer. His dark face was distorted when he saw Lard’s arm wrapped around her shoulders.
“… Why did you look for my residence and come? I don’t know why you came here, but please leave!”
Yoda convulsed with anger when he heard her icy voice. Trembling his lips, he protested in a feeble voice unlike his stout build.
“I came to your flower shop in the rain to meet you and came as far as here by asking around to find out your house. Do you know how distressed I’ve been since you stopped coming to the training center? I was really upset. I trained very hard all day long because I thought you might think I was not competent enough compared to you. I was so glad to know you came back to the center because I was convinced that you wouldn’t easily throw me down like before. But you don’t even pay any attention to me … I have been agonizing all day long. In the end, I decided to come up here to have it out with you.”
Yoda’s appeal was pathetic, but it was just his feelings. He then bit his lip and unconsciously rolled up his sleeves. It was his typical posture before he began to train at the center.
Wendy frowned at him as it was still raining hard.
‘Wait a minute. Did he just say he wanted to have it out with me?’
She felt very confused because she was afraid he came here for a sparring match. She seemed to hear him boasting recently that he gathered with several men and visited other martial arts centers to show off their skills. Then, why did he come to her house for that?
She knew he was rather weird but never expected he was such a crazy brat.
Wendy took a defensive stance, staring at his threatening posture.
She thought that if she attacked his right side and grabbed his left arm, she could easily throw him off balance.
“…Wendy? ”
But Wendy suddenly came to her senses when she heard Lard calling her with a low voice. His face, which never showed any emotion, was rather red now. Surprised by his facial expression, she quickly corrected her posture and stayed silent.
“Did you reject me because of this gentlemanly guy? Wendy! Answer me! Why do you think this jerk is better than me?”
She could hear him shouting vehemently in a fit of anger.
Suddenly, she was grateful for the rain for the first time, which she cursed all along while she was coming to her house. Without the downpour, there would have certainly spread strange rumors about her in her neighborhood.
“Hey, keep your voice down. Who did I say I like? I don’t want to talk to you anymore. So, go away! ”
Wendy once again rebuked him coldly. If she could have her way, she wanted to beat him badly in the muddy water, but she couldn’t do it in front of the knight standing right next to her.
“Then, why are you wrapped in his arms like that?”
Wendy felt an irresistible insult at the moment. Wrapped in his arms? Why did he think like that?
She clenched her teeth, shaking off his arms around her shoulders.
“Do I need to explain to you? Don’t meddle in my matter presumptuously. Just get lost!”
She stared at Yoda horribly, stepping under the eaves. Although she was thinking of all the four-letter words in her head and felt like pouring a bucket load of swearing on him, she barely suppressed her anger.
She thought this stupid guy would give up and go away when he got a mouthful of abuse like that, but he didn’t.
“Ugh…Who the hell are you bastard? How come you suddenly appeared before Wendy, trying to win her heart? I can’t allow you to take Wendy away from me! Never! Don’t you know how long I have been watching her? You damn bastard! ”
Now, Yoda’s stupidity was mind boggling. Looking away from Wendy, he was ready to rush to Lard at any moment, revealing his anger without any hesitation.