It was obvious that the big garden outside of her house was Ayu's pride. From the time she spend out there, it better looked the way it was! Clean rows of vegetable patches, crates full of flowers, neatly kept berry bushes, and trees made up a lovely spot to hang out with her thoughts. She grew there both flowers and edible plants herself, getting busy with every passing season. In exchange, nature was paying her back with lots of gifts and a hobby. And someone to talk to... Yeah, Ayu was that type to have a casual conversation with the plants she tended to so carefully. The fact that she understood them made all the difference, though she couldn't say that out loud. People were used to the fact that one could have a chat with a cactus... But they would never expect to hear that it talked back. Enough people were looking at her weirdly, she didn't have to add more suspicions to the already uneasy situation.

The girl sighed slowly. The anxious atmosphere on the blue planet and the growing distrust towards alien races was putting Ayu in a tough spot. In any way, she did not look human enough to be out of this prejudice, but at the same time, the old question would emerge. If she wasn't a human, then what she was? Pulling back a lock of vividly green hair, she tilted her head and glanced through the window. Everything was quiet here on the outskirts, but her uneasiness was kicking in each time she had to visit East City. The fact that she wasn't a fan of crowded and noisy places wasn't helping in the first place. The girl slowly shook her head. Sitting by the kitchen table, Ayu was meticulously working with a knife. Round fruits with glossy ruby skin were one by one, peeled, cored, and placed in the biggest pot in the house.

Having this piece of ground had lots of advantages. First, Ayu never had to buy her vegetables and fruits. Second, she loved taking care of them, with pride picking up ripe fruits straight from the patches. But it all had one big downside... If the harvest season was too bountiful, that would mean she would be drowning in outdoor work. And the food. Yes, that was the worst. At this particular moment, Ayu was drowning in apples. She did the usual round around the neighborhood giving them away, but still was left with so many... Dozens of them were sitting quietly in an enormous wooden bowl on the floor, waiting patiently for their turn for peeling. Their skin was nice and smooth, and the whole kitchen was smelling sweetly thanks to the perfectly ripe apples.

"Too bad you don't have thumbs," Ayu chuckled softly, glancing at the tabby cat napping on the carpet nearby. His ear twitched when he heard her voice, but overall, she wasn't graced with any reaction. Typical behavior from a cat. Since she helped this little one during the last storm, he's been visiting her place regularly, demanding milk and sunny spots to sleep. "If you'd have them, you could help me out here." She glanced at the apple hill briefly, before getting back to work. Zhang was away and if he was at home, grandpa was too busy to help around, so the housework was on her head. Seems that for the rest of the day Ayu was left alone with a cat and her thoughts... At least it was a calm and quiet evening.

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Power Level - 4,498
Word Count - 592