The Memories of a Chrysanthemum

[SpaceTime]

[color=#FFCCFF][font=Monotype Corsiva]"I finally finished, Misaki! I transferred all the data in your personal computer. Even though some of those are not very pleasant..." Kimura said, but her last phrase sounded very depressing and she blamed herself for that.

Kimura Takahashi was and remains being the most close friend of Misaki Sato or in other words, her 'eternal friend' as Misaki prefers to say. Since May 819 A.S. they are part of Nature's Last Hope, an eco-terrorist group primarily based on Bretonia. Furthermore, both of them are very reluctant to speak about their past.

[color=#FFCCFF][font=Monotype Corsiva]" Ahh, good work Kimura! I have no words to thank you for your help!" Misaki said and then she bowed. Both of them were trying to speak english all the time, because the Kusarian language reminded them of their past.

The 9KM6 was one of the latest computer programs developed by Ageira Technologies and it was especially friendly with Kusarian users. There, Misaki submits her journal.

[color=#915E91]________________________________________________________________________

This is the personal Journal of Misaki Satō

[color=#B852B8]Please enter password: [color=#FFCCFF]★★★★★★★

[color=#53B853][font=Times New Roman]Password accepted

[font=Imprint MT Shadow][color=#FE657F]Chapter One [color=#D63D57]~ Sunrise

♔ November 805 A.S. - Distant Memories
♔ April 806 A.S. - Shortly enjoyed Freedom
♔ July 809 A.S. - First Doubts
♔ December 810 A.S. - Great Dilemma

[SpaceTime]

L[color=#F5F5F5]ocation: Planet Kyushu, Saga Prefecture, Home
Date: 23 November 805 A.S.

[font=Century Gothic]It's raining all day. Ahh how much I wanted to go outside and play! I love the rain but I want to play too!

Anyway, Mama doesn’t have a good mood today. She constantly demands me to help her in more and more activities. Today I learned to make some cha. In order to produce cha we don't use the robots at all. She says that it's a special drink so it demands special preparation. But I don't understand that because robots can do cha as well as we do! I hope the weather becomes better tomorrow; yesterday I met a girl named Kimura. I like her a lot and I am sure we could be very good friends! She lives 3 kilometers away. Her family doesn't have any nobility though, so I am concerned because mama might not like it... I will meet her again in 2 days.

Two weeks ago I also started some housekeeping courses which show me ways to not dishonor my future husband's pride & honor. My parents give big importance to these courses, although I don't understand why. What I like most is the kimono I am wearing during the courses, here is a photo of it. It's gorgeous!

That is all for now. I wish to have more free time in the future… Oh, did I mention about the new flowers I have planted in the garden? I will tell more about them tomorrow, lots of homework is waiting for me!

[SpaceTime]

L[color=#F5F5F5]ocation: Planet Kyushu, Saga Prefecture, Home
Date: 5 April 806 A.S.



Hello there! This week I was very busy, so I couldn't update my journal'€¦


I must say that recently I am very close to Kimura... she is very funny and cute. I am very lucky that I met her. Despite the fact that sometimes she feels inferior, because my family has nobility. I hate that and even more the fact that Mama always refers to it when we talk about Kimura. What's so wrong??

Anyway, the last month courses in the creation of perfect flower bouquets are almost over. Yoki-san says that I can easily combine the colors and the different varieties of the flowers in order to create a balanced & colorful flower bouquet. I am very proud since my family believes that it's very important asset for a future wife. Here is my latest work!

Of course I exhibited my bouquets in the Hanami ([font=Fixedsys]花見[font=Century Gothic]). It is a flower festival where all the family members participate and enjoy the flowers. Needless to say that there are also games, concerts, folk dance, parades and kimono shows. Furthermore, the next day the flower of the family or in other words the daughter stays for a day with another family. I really enjoyed the festival and I had a very good time with my friends! However, the next day was even more interesting since I spent it with Kimura's family!


Kimura's parents were very kind and thankful. I actually lost the count of how many times they told me that they were honored for choosing their house. The following morning, along with Kimura's mama we went to the Saga Library. It was a huge building which was filled up with books. She told us that if you are looking for something, the book is your best companion. I still don't understand what she meant... Some hours later - and after I bought some history and literature books which I will read them later this week - Keiichi Takahashi-sama, Kimura's father accompanied us in a restaurant where we got our lunch. Afterwards, we went to a space tourism office where we booked 3 positions for a tour in Kyushu System. I can't describe with words how much excited I was. Kimura was also very excited. I've never left Planet Kyushu, so this was a unique moment!

After we launched we orbited Planet Kyushu for a while. Even though I've seen it many times in simulations, the reality was undoubtedly touching. The northern island in this photo is the Saga Prefecture. I live in the eastern part of that island.

Afterwards we moved near the suns of the system. Even though I knew the story I was never satisfied listening to it again and again. There is a legend among the people of Kyushu. When the Planet Aso lines up with the 2 suns of the system they create the Kimono Line and a red ray of light lights up the sky in Kyushu. The blue dwarf symbolizes the vast oceans of Planet Kyushu, the green dwarf symbolizes the land and the gas giant, Planet Aso, symbolizes the air. So when this phenomenon takes place and the 3 elements are combined, it is said that a great man will arrive. Usually, that day is chosen by the Emperor to formally visit Kyushu. However it happens once in 100 years, so some Emperors never made it during their reign. Ahh how much I admire the Emperor... He is the power that unites the House. Anyway, here is the photo I took from the Kimono Line. Scientists say that in 15 years the 3 objects will be completely lined up.

Some hours later we moved near the asteroid field in the east and then we returned to Planet Kyushu. First time I enjoyed a trip so much. Now that I am thinking about it.. I wish I had more freedom'€¦

This is it, I am closing the recording, Mama is calling.

[SpaceTime]

L[color=#F5F5F5]ocation: Planet Kyushu, Saga Prefecture, Rice Field
Date: 24 July 809 A.S.

Things are really bad lately... My life was in danger...

But let's take the story from the beginning. I will submit all my thoughts in the recording because I may need to listen to this recording some years later…


My family has significant nobility inside the Saga Prefecture.
My father, the head of the family, is a danshaku ([font=Fixedsys]男爵[font=Century Gothic]) in the Kusari Empire. Because of his position, he is able to handle contracts with foreign corporations. In the past 3 years he opened Saga Prefecture's food market to Synth Foods while at the same time he supported that the food production should be made with the enhanced methods developed by this Libertonian company.

Mama yesterday told me that because of these actions, many farmers - mainly unemployed - were threatening him the last 2 years but he completely ignored them because he thought they were powerless. I hate him! He puts his job above the safety of his family!

Anyway... yesterday Mama got a unanimous call which told her that there is a bomb planted somewhere in the house. She immediately informed father and he sent us to a friend of him far away from home. I was very afraid... From what I was told a special police team entered the house and defused the bomb! Luckily, nothing misfortunate happened. An hour later the farmers sent a broadcast message in the whole Saga Prefecture saying that father is secretly bribed by Synth Foods in order to promote their agenda. Mama says that this is a blatant lie.


However, I am very confused. All these years we were living in luxury. Father's job could not be so profitable; he surely had another way to make money. But I still cannot believe that! Surely there must be an explanation! Furthermore, father said it's better to stay some days away from home. Mama suggested that it's better to spend our time working in the rice fields of our father's friend.

She says that if we work hard, we will keep ourselves busy and eventually forget about the incident. She might be right I don't know. Even though I never had manual labor, I found it very interesting and refreshing. Oh and I should remind myself to have a spa afterwards because my whole body is breaking down...

[SpaceTime]

L[color=#F5F5F5]ocation: Planet Kyushu, Saga Prefecture, Home
Date: 18 December 810 A.S.



[font=Century Gothic]I just locked my journal. Noone can read it without having the password. I did this because I am scared, but mostly above all, I am in a great dilemma.


The last months, after the incident with the bomb, I stopped going out to meet my friends. My parents don’t mind either since we rarely argue anymore and I am much more quiet. I only see Kimura once in a while.

So, I usually go outside only to visit Saga Library.
There, I spend lots of hours in reading books. Yesterday, I totally forgot that time has passed because I was reading a wonderful and inspiring novella called [color=#FFFFFF]“Sixteen Months”.

[font=Times New Roman][color=#CCCCFF]It is about a researcher who was living alone in a remote station around the 1st century after colonization. The transports of the closest base, which were regularly supplying him, were taking sixteen months to reach his station. In the first chapter of the novella, the lone researcher who was called Nobu, suddenly realized that the scheduled supply convoy didn’t reach his station even after a few days. He communicates with the other base and they inform him that the convoy was lost for mysterious reasons and another convoy was hurriedly sent but it will take sixteen months before it reaches the station. In the second chapter, the hero is in a dilemma. He either shuts down all the projects of the station which were the work and meaning of his life and give all the energy to the life support systems of the station or keeps the projects running and he extremely endangers his life. Nobu chose the second option. So in the rest of the book, the hero is living extremely hard. He should consume a bit less oxygen than normal, the food was poor and awful, the days were unbearably hot and the nights were extremely cold. The third chapter concentrates in his life the last 6 months and especially his psychology when the hero reached his limits, he numerous times was about to give up and shut down his research, he was regularly talking to illusions and he almost committed suicide. However, his stamina, determination and support to his values prevailed and Nobu managed to survive.

Isn’t it a great novella? I admit that I was unstoppably reading for 6 hours before a secretary comes and informs me that it is late. When I realized that this time I overdid it with the books she calmed me down and told me that the Library has special facilities to spend the night. I called Mama and she surprisingly allowed me to spend the night there. So I took the book with me and followed the secretary who escorted me to my room. It was a relatively small and simple room with 2 beds and in the other side of the room there was a small desk with an in-built computer right in front of it.

In the room there was another girl. She was called Isume and she was 2 years older than me. I noticed that she was reading classical literature which I found “too heavy” for me. Well we started talking about books, what we like to do, our activities and so on. Before we sleep, we also listened to a wonderful poem.

The next morning we had breakfast together and our discussion started concentrating around more personal matters and I confessed to her how restricted and powerless I feel and of course about the bomb incident. When I finished, she told me that I spend so much time in the books because I want to get out of reality and dream worlds where I wanted to live. Afterwards, she described the women in Kusari and compared them with women from the other Houses who are equal to men. I can now say that she looked stressed while she was talking, but I didn’t notice it before because I was carefully listening to her. When she finished, I said that she is right but I don’t know what I can do to change that.

For a few moments there was complete silence and we were just staring at each other. Then, Isume stood up and went to her pack. She opened a well-hidden pocket of the pack and took out a book. The book looked second-hand, very old and had a wonderful chrysanthemum in its cover. She placed it in my hands and whispered to me: “I don’t need to tell you what you should do, in order to bring equality and justice to Kusari. This sacred Book however, will help you open your eyes and give you the opportunity to participate in the Chrysanthemum Movement”

She then kissed me on the cheek and took her pack and left. Only some moments later I realized that I was holding the banned book of Yuyu Matsuda, Golden Chrysanthemum in Bloom. I hurriedly put it in my pack and left the library. Fortunately, my parents didn’t check my pack or anything… Now I am alone in my room making this recording… My desire to read Matsuda’s book is great… but I’m also scared if I do that…