I’m an Alraune, a plant monster girl.
Lately, I just haven’t been feeling well.

And I’m pretty sure I know the reason.


Yes.
Winter has arrived.


Because of that, there’s been less sunlight, which means less time for photosynthesis.
And the sunlight that does reach me is weak, so even when I do photosynthesize, I don’t get much nutrition out of it.

So yeah, I’ve been suffering from malnutrition.
Plus, all the animals have gone into hibernation, too. No one comes by anymore.

On top of that, the ground’s all dried up. I’m thirsty.

Just for the winter, couldn’t someone come by and water me?
I’ll give you some nectar as payment.


Ahh… this is rough.
Maybe because the air’s so dry, but my leaves and petals aren’t doing well.

The dry air must be sucking moisture from my leaves, leaving them damaged.

At this point, I don’t even need regular water. I’d be happy with lotion if it means my leaves can get some moisture.

I really, really want some water.


And lately, I’ve been feeling especially lonely.
My body and my heart are both freezing.

My dear bees haven’t been visiting me anymore.

My female knight, Ms. Bee, and I had to part ways for the winter.
It’ll only be for a few months, but I’m going to miss her.

You see, honeybees hole up inside their hives during the winter.

It’s not exactly hibernation, but the lady knights should be huddled close together, centered around Her Majesty the Queen, my big sister.

It’s called a Winter cluster, maintaining warmth by gathering tightly together.

My big sister’s got more than just a flower in each hand¹.
She’s basically got all those female knights clinging to her and forming a literal lily garden around herself. I’m jealous!


Oh, my dear sister, your majesty, please invite me into your hive as well.
Let me join you and warm up together…

Ah, no, wait.
If I make physical contact with the lily garden, I’ll end up pollinated.

Do I choose the lily garden, or my chastity and avoid pollination? What a difficult choice.

Well, I definitely don’t want to get pollinated, so even if invited, I won’t go.


Now I’m all alone in this lonely forest.

The only one who still visits me was that white bird.

For some reason, it comes by even in winter.
Does it just enjoy making fun of me that much?

White bird.
I’d honestly love to eat it, but if I did, I’d be alone again.

And I hate being alone, so I’ll spare it.

I’ll just listen to the white bird sing to pass the time.
Since no one else visits, winter’s even more boring than the other seasons.

I can’t even sunbathe and photosynthesize for as long as before.


——Wait?

Hey, little bird. Don’t you sing?

Now that I think about it, I’ve never heard it chirp.

Usually, birds are always tweeting and chirping away, but that white one just stares at me silently.


Maybe I should put in a request.

Some birds chirp as if they’re singing a melody.

Birds have a strong sense of professionalism.
So if I ask it directly, a true professional would surely respond.

“Hey, birdie.”

It’s been a while since I’ve spoken aloud.
Still not very good at it.

I can’t speak very loudly, but my voice should reach it.
I’ll do my best to talk to it. I mean, I’ve got nothing better to do anyway!

“Birdie, won’t you sing…?”


No reaction from the white bird.
Only silence. Figures.

I knew a bird wouldn’t understand me.

Still, I’m lonely.
So at least let me talk to myself.

Just as I was giving up, the bird finally moved.

“ChEeN.”

W-what, it chirped!?

The bird chirped!
I can’t believe it, so it could actually sing!

Well, of course it can. It’s a bird. Singing’s part of the job description.

But, uh… you’re kind of bad at it, birdie.
You were way off-key.

Guess the white bird was not a pro after all.
Looks like it’s just an amateur singer, huh?

Maybe it’s just bad at talking, like me.
Thinking that, I felt a little bit of kinship.


Maybe because it’s self-conscious, the white bird only chirped once and then went silent after that.

Oh, birdie, practice makes perfect, you know?

“One more time.”

I called for an encore.

“…Chiiyeen.”

Hmm… Well, that was better than before.

Alright, one more, please.
I feel like a music teacher now.

“Couldn’t hear you.”
“………………Tweet.”

Nice.
You’re improving a bit.

But what’s this?
Is it actually understanding what I’m saying?

Maybe I’ve just been alone too long, thinking like that.
There’s no way a wild bird really understands me.

Still, it’s like talking to a pet bird in a cage. You say something, and it chirps back.
Though, that alone is a little fun. But for me, it’s pure entertainment.


Ah, birdie, wait. Don’t fly off yet!
We’re still in the middle of your lesson!

The white bird took off into the sky.
Ah… and now I’ll be lonely again.

I won’t eat you, so please come play again sometime, birdie.



But honestly, I wish the only white thing around here that had stayed was the bird.

Because the very next day, something else appeared.
Something that physically tormented me.

Snow began to fall.

When I woke and opened my petals in the morning, frost had settled all over my body.

Frost is when water vapor in the air turns into ice and adheres to objects cooled below zero degrees, undergoing deposition.


In other words, my body was frozen solid, like food in a refrigerator.

Cold… it’s so cold…

Even when I brushed off the frost with my vines, my body didn’t warm up at all.

I mean, I’m a plant. I don’t have a heart or blood like animals do.
My leaves, my stem, my roots, all of them just stay cold.


And the ground around me is completely white too, covered in frost and snow.
The air freezes the earth, making the cold even worse.


I need water.
Please, frost, melt into water soon.

This is bad.
The cold is sapping my strength by the hour.

It feels less like I’m freezing to death but more like I’m slowly wasting away.

And the cold’s been hurting my stomach too.
I haven’t eaten any prey in days.

I’ve only been making a tiny bit of nutrition through photosynthesis.

But with so little nutrition, my energy is fading, and this cold on top of it.
What’s going to happen to me?


Come to think of it, when winter comes, deciduous² trees shed their leaves.
So what about me?

Trees drop their leaves to survive the winter.
It’s their version of hibernation.

Leaves are vital for photosynthesis, but keeping them alive costs a lot of energy.

And they’re weak to cold, frost, and dryness.
Just maintaining them eats up a considerable amount of nutrients.

So in winter, when sunlight is scarce, trees simply give up their leaves instead.

That way, they don’t have to waste energy keeping them alive.



Wait… that’s… bad, isn’t it?

I haven’t been feeling great lately.

Even when I photosynthesize, it’s not enough.
The sunlight’s too weak.
The soil’s too dry. I need water.

If this keeps up, I might have to give up maintaining my leaves and petals—and shed them.

If that happens, I, an Alraune, will be reduced to just a bulb.

There’s a chance I might bloom again next year, but there’s no guarantee my consciousness will remain by then. I might just revert to being a regular plant monster.


That would be the same as losing myself
It’s the same as dying.

What should I do?


I… might lose my leaves……

***

Author’s Note:

There will be two updates today.

Next Time: I Think I’m About to Wither.

TL’s Note:

1. Idiom (両手に花): flanked on both sides by attractive people, usually women

2. Deciduous: refers to plants or animals that shed parts off seasonally, most commonly used to talk about trees

Sorry for the lack of an update yesterday.