Gardening Life With Plant Magic: Haku and the Spirits’ Botanical Garden

One day after the New Year began.

The cold of midwinter makes mornings tough. Really tough.

Getting out of bed is tough.

I just wanted to stay asleep, but then Poko came in from above and patted my head.

“Wake up.”

Pat, pat, pat.

In the face of such cuteness from the morning, I had no choice but to give in.

“…Okay.”

I crawled out and quickly changed into the clothes prepared for me.

I’ll fold my pajamas later!

I tossed them onto the bed and left the room.

When I returned to my room after breakfast, the bed was made, and my tossed pajamas were neatly folded.

Huh? I tilted my head and asked the spirits.

“Did you fold them?”

But they all shook their heads.

Did someone else fold them? Weird.

“This kind of thing has been happening since the beginning of this year. And not just this—laundry gets washed and hung overnight, and the sink and pots in the kitchen are cleaned,” I said, sipping hot milk while talking to Grandfather Al.

It was break time after studying in the annex.

“Hmm. Nothing bad should be able to enter this mansion, though…”

Grandfather Al also tilted his head in confusion.

“Such phenomena haven’t occurred in the annex,” said Mee-Mee quietly in her apron.

Well, the annex has the cat gatekeepers.

It’s a mystery.

Even after that, mysterious things kept happening—like snow being cleared from the front entrance in the morning, and the horses’ feed being prepared.

My family seemed to think it was the work of the spirits.

The spirits, however, looked troubled.

If it wasn’t the spirits, then it’s strange that they didn’t notice, right?

What could it be?

One day, while I was tidying my messy desk, Yue tugged at the hem of my coat.

When I looked at Yue, she put her finger to her lips in a “shh” gesture.

“Hmm?”

The others were napping on my bed.

Was Yue the only one awake?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Yue beckoned me.

I quietly stood up from my chair and followed Yue’s directions.

It led me to my room’s closet.

Yue pointed inside.

Hmm? Should I open it?

I carefully opened the closet doors.

Yue slipped inside, motioning for me to follow.

Under the hanging clothes, small boxes were stored.

Peeking into the gap, I saw a small child curled up and sleeping at the back of the closet!

Whoa!

I almost let out a sound, but Yue covered my mouth with her tiny hands.

Please don’t glare at me like that.

Sorry.

It’s my fault.

I stepped back out of the closet and gently closed the doors.

Why is there a child in my room?

Should I tell someone?

But the child might get in trouble…

Then Yue whispered in my ear.

“Calm down, that’s not a human. Their ears are pointed, and they’re small. I’ll bring the Sage and Mee-Mee, so keep an eye here.”

With that, Yue disappeared.

Yue calls Mee-Mee “Mee-Mee” too…

After a while, I heard a small knock.

When I quietly opened the door, I found Mee-Mee’s black face filling my view.

Mee-Mee, you really need to learn about personal space—too close!

Without a word, I invited Grandfather Al and the two spirits in.

I pointed to the closet, and Grandfather Al peeked inside.

It looked cramped for an adult.

“Oh, it’s a house fairy.”

Grandfather Al spoke normally.

Whoa?

Didn’t that wake them up?

House fairies look like goblins, right?

But the one I saw looked like a child??

There were some rustling sounds from inside the closet.

“Grandfather Al, don’t hurt them.”

I anxiously watched.

The now-awake spirits surrounded me, watching carefully.

They’re all protecting me!

Thank you, I love you!

Love, love, love!

After that, Grandfather Al pulled out the small child from the closet by the scruff of their neck. They looked somewhat sad.

“Oh, it’s a house fairy. They’re not bad fairies, so don’t worry.”

He set the house fairy on the floor and sat down cross-legged beside them.

The house fairy also seemed resigned, lowering their brows.

An elven grandpa and a fairy child.

Both have pointed ears!

What exactly are house fairies in this world?

“House fairies help with household chores. They secretly do housework at night and take care of horses. A cup of milk and a piece of bread is enough as thanks.”

Grandfather Al explained roughly.

“Um, do house fairies all look like children?”

They were about a size smaller than me, like a scaled-down version.

“Well, some appear as elderly, and some as young women. This one looks like a child but is much older than you, Haku.”

Grandfather Al laughed heartily.

Hmm, house fairies in this world come in various forms.

Well, with goblins existing as monsters, if a goblin-looking creature snuck into a house, they’d get killed.

I guess there’s a clear distinction.

“But why didn’t the spirits notice?”

I asked, tilting my head, and the spirits also tilted their heads in unison.

Synchronized cuteness.

“Spirits and fairies are similar beings. They just inhabit different realms. If there’s no hostility, they don’t pay much attention. This house fairy is good at hiding. But if there was any ill intent, the spirits would notice right away.”

So, this house fairy had no ill intentions and blended in like air in our house. My spirits are laid-back and I didn’t notice.

I see, I see, how lovely.

Ho ho ho.

By the way, according to Mee-Mee, “Spirits live in the spirit world, and fairies in the fairy world.”

By that classification, my botanical garden is a kind of spirit world.

The story is getting quite grand…