Catch a Glimmer of Your Star

Manga

"I'm bad at cooking," Sunny protested. "Remember when I tried making eggs but I burnt my hand on the stove?"

"I know. But you should try again one of these days."

"I don't wanna learn to cook right now. There's lots of other things I have to catch up on first, right?"

She sighed at his response while she washed their dishes. "If you don't learn how to cook, how are you going to survive when you become an adult?"

"Maybe I'll be lucky and Basil can cook for me."

Lava rose into Basil's cheeks, hearing those words.

Did Sunny just imply that I'll still be around to cook for him by the time we're both adults?

Sunny turned at Basil and smiled at him.

"Sunny, don't joke around," Mrs. S scolded.

"It's o—okay," Basil said. "I don't mind cooking for Sunny. I can also teach him once he's ready!"

"Gosh, Basil is so helpful," she said to Sunny. "You should learn to cook from him soon."

"Actually, Basil was going to teach me gardening today," Sunny replied. He faced Basil. "Gardening lessons are still on, right?"

"Y—Yes!" Basil said.

"Gardening?" Mrs. S spoke. "Okay. Maybe it'd be good for you to learn to take care of Basil's flowers."

I'm glad she approves!

Mrs. S stood up and grabbed her wallet. "I'm going to head out to buy some groceries."

"Okay," Basil said. "See you later, Mrs. S!"

"Oh, you're too nice," she said back. "Sunny never says goodbye to me or anything like that when I have to go out!"

Sunny rolled his working eye.

While Mrs. S was out, they spent the morning gardening together. Basil let Sunny water the sunflowers.

He taught Sunny the right amount of water to fill the watering can with, how to properly water each pot based on the quantity of soil and flower size—the flow of water from the watering can was important!—and how to assess when the sunflowers were watered enough, when they needed watering again.

As the morning sun rose into the sky and bathed the city landscape in bright light, the sunflowers placed upon the windowsill seemed to ever so gradually turn to face the sky outside.

Grandma, I'm doing good, aren't I?

The lessons you've taught me—I'm passing them on to Sunny today.

Basil had expected Sunny to be a little clumsy, to spill a bit of water over the floor as he watered the flower pots. To his surprise, Sunny took the job a lot more seriously than before.

Sunny listened carefully to Basil's instructions and carried them out with a meticulous hand that had no doubt been colored, perhaps traumatized, by the knowledge of what a pair of hands could do if they weren't too careful.

When a few drops of water dripped over the mouth of Sunny's watering can onto the floor, Basil grabbed a piece of tissue to clean it up. But Sunny had been prepared; before Basil could help, Sunny had already cleaned the floor with a small handkerchief towel he kept inside his pocket.

"No worries," Sunny spoke, smiling.

Basil felt his face flushing at that smile. It was so cute.

He was glad that Sunny had made the effort to change and learn something new. But Basil would never be the type of person to criticize Sunny for who he was on the inside.