Promise of the Vain Flower

I hate that girl
who paints nothing but flowers.

The reason why is...

In this suffocating world, only you are...

The flowers you painted are really pretty, Marika-chan~
Yeah~
You're so good at painting.

Eh~?
I'm not that good~

Everyone's calling you a prodigy~
Yeah yeah.

Eh? What a buzzkill~

It can't be helped.
Fujino-san doesn't have any friends.
You said it. lol

You'd be better off
not getting involved with her too, Marika-chan.
Eh?

Yeah, yeah.
I heard her Mom joined some crazy religion.

She's always arguing with the teachers from what I've heard.
That's why nobody dares go near her...

...
I'm home...

Yuina.
You're late.

...
Club dragged on.

Every single day,
my mother buys these "special" flowers.

You'd go to club but not church...?

You're God's girl, aren't you?

Look.
Some words came for you today.
Words from God packed into these flowers.

Pretty, aren't they?
You should try to become
as good as these flowers, too.

Like I'd be grateful for this.

I can't escape
from this filthy world that's drenched in lies.

Here I am,
doomed to remain restricted forever,
while that girl's painting flowers without a care...

You hate flower paintings, don't you?

Eh...?

...Ng!
Not really!

Liar.

You always look bored
when looking at my paintings, Yuina-chan.

They are boring.
It's only pretty on the surface.

Pretty paintings and words
feel stifling, like they're condemning me,
telling me I need to be well-behaved.

That's explain why your paintings are always gloomy~
Leave me alone...

p10

Yuina-chan.

The flowers won't condemn you.

p11

Because flowers
have no meaning whatsoever.

p12

If there's one thing I hate,
it's applying words to flowers
and giving them to others.

If flowers don't bloom for the sake of others
and they don't belong to anyone,

then wanting to make them mine

makes me a "bad girl", right?

p13

...

...Haha...

Y'know,
I want to know
more about you, Yuina-chan.

...H-
Huh...?

Eh? Wait...

p14

Hah
Hah

Ow...

p15

You're late, Yuina.
What time do you think it is?

Sit there.

I didn't let you go to school
so you could become such a bad girl.

There are demons lurking all over that place.
But you said you wanted to go, so I had no choice but to let you.

p16

Think about how much I've suffered.
Do you have any idea who much money I've spent on that devil's nest?

I'm sorry...

GET OUT!!
DEMONS!
DEMONS, BE GONE!!

p17

Aah...!
Poor child!

My cute little Yuina.

Let us pray together.
I'm sure God will forgive you.

This is my world.
A filthy world
drenched in lies.

In this world, that girl's...
Marika's words shone bright.
Beautiful words
with no lies attached.

p18

Flowers don't bloom
for the sake of others...

That was Fujino-san just now, right?
That woman's mom came to invite my family to that cult...
When my mom turned her down,
she said "you'll get divine punishment for sure!!" or something...
Uwah~ So cringe~

p19

Marika...

Fufu.
You're so cute,
Yuina.

...Ng!

p20

No...!
Don't... look...!

Don't...
No, show me.

Who did this to you?

I...
just fell...

p21

...
I see.

It must've hurt, right?
It was scary, right?

Back in grade school,

p22

I went to my mom's funeral.
When I got there,

there were so many white flowers I had never seen before.
They were really pretty.

I got so engrossed in sketching them,
that my uncle and aunt got upset with me.
"Why?"
"Mom isn't around anymore,"
"so they don't belong to anyone."
That's what I thought.

Hey, Yuina.

p23

Let's skip school tomorrow
and go somewhere far away.

Some place where nobody knows us,
with flowers of all colors blooming everywhere.

Eh?
T-Tomorrow?

Yeah.
You can do that, right?

I'm sure we have more freedom than we think we do.

p24

Or maybe
you don't want to go with me?

Tomorrow then.
I'll be waiting in that place.

Make sure you come.

p25

We have
freedom...

That's right.
I never thought of it like that.

We don't belong to anyone.

In which case...

p26

Where are you going so early in the morning?

School.

You haven't said your morning prayers.

p27

God is watching, you kno-
And where is this so-called God?

Yuina, what did you just...

I'm saying there's no such thing as God!!

No matter how much we pray,
it won't improve our lives one bit!!

It's only making things worse!

Making us buy these stupid pots and flowers!

p28

Those things are just-

I see.
That's what the devil has been breathing into you.

Poor child...

Come with me.
No!! Let me go!!

p29

Marika!!

Marika is gonna
set me free!!

AAAAAAAAH

p30

In the end,
I can't go anywhere.

p31

Please...
kill me...

You're so pretty,
Yuina.

p35

Aah
AAAAAAAH!!

Marika!
I'm sorry!
I'm sorry!
I-
I...!!

I promise...!

p36

That's good, Yuina.

Everything will be okay.

Haha

Haha...ha
Aaah

p37

We can go

anywhere we want.

We don't belong to anyone.

p38

Hey, where should we go?

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

My cute little Yuina.

Warning