Chapter 5
[Unexpectedly, Hiratsuka Shizuka talks about the present and the past.]
There were not much obstacles hindering the event nor did it contain
any sort of eye-catching performances. The event continues to progress
on slowly.
42 Main plotline of Humanity has declined.
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As the scheduled time for the event’s beginning approaches, everyone
was merely looking at each other and the atmosphere surrounding it
had the feel of ‘It’s about to start’. Isshiki gave a simple opening speech
and everyone then proceeded to do their own cooking.
Naturally, I wouldn’t go and make chocolate and so had nothing else to
do. If I had to describe what I was going to be doing in this event, it
would be along the lines of being an assistant, a helper to support and
do follow-ups. In other words, I was like an unemployed person.
In contrast to me, Yukinoshita immediately hurried off to begin her
work.
At the kitchen table in front of me, I could see Yukinoshita, Yuigahama
as well as Miura, who were standing in front of the cooking utensils,
each with a serious expression on their face.
“First is to cut up the chocolate then warm them up by immersing it in
hot water. Although it slightly differs depending on what you want to
make, but this step is necessary in any case.”
“Just that?”
“……Well, this is the basic. Although I might say that, but the following
steps after this are very important as well.”
Whilst answering Miura’s question that sounded like she was quite
disappointed, Yukinoshita began to start cutting the chocolate into fine
pieces with the carving knife in a rhythmical manner.
Seeing how she cut the chocolates so smoothly as though she had had a
lot of practice on it, Yuigahama went ‘Oh!’ in an exclamation of praise.
No, I didn’t think that there was anything worth admiring at this point
in time.
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Thereupon, Miura began to imitate Yukinoshita as well. Perhaps it was
because she was not too used to using a carving knife, she set about
crushing the chocolate nervously, making a ‘Ka-cha’, ‘Ka-cha’ sound as
she did so. Incidentally, Yuigahama has still not been allowed to touch
the carving knife. Oh well, guess that can’t be helped.
When the chocolates were almost all chopped up into fine pieces, Miura
looked up from her work. Her expression suggested that she was
somewhat satisfied. It’s still not completely done, you know……
However, Miura seemed to feel that she was quite skilled at this.
“Hmm…… Isn’t this super easy?”
Miura gave a proud smile as she said, “How’s that” in a boastful voice.
However, two voices flew towards her from her sides almost
immediately.
“So naïve, Yumiko!”
“You’re so naïve.”
Yuigahama said so forcefully and without hesitation. Yukinoshita said
that with a scornful smile on her face. Miura shook her head, probably
because she was still stuck in the impression that doing the actual task
was way easier than the instructions had sounded.
“Huh? What great difficulty is there?”
Hearing that, Yuigahama puffed out her chest proudly.
“The difficult parts starts now! Warming something by immersing it in
hot water is just about putting it in the hot water. You have to do it like
Gwa---- Gwa---- something like that.”
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I guess that what Yuigahama was saying was something related to
mixing or tempering. Or perhaps she was actually referring to the
progressive tense of Tenpa? That surely can't be it! 43
On the other hand, upon hearing what Yuigahama said, Yukinoshita
placed her hand to her temple as though remembering something
headache-inducing, and in between sighs, spoke.
“If you just let the melted chocolate harden like this, the white fats will
rise to the surface, making it unsightly, and affect the taste as well.
Furthermore, the time and effort spent in the process after this will take
a lot of effort as well.
Come to think of it, the level of both of their words differed so much……
The difference between them was like the difference between a P2W and
a causal player.
However, looking at how Yuigahama was backing up her words with
such conviction and how logical Yukinoshita’s statements seemed to be,
Miura seemed to have changed her opinion as well.
“Hmm. I see. ……Then, what’s next?”
Although the words that she said seemed very much like her usual self,
her attitude had changed admirably. At least she seemed humble
enough now that she wants to seek advice from them.
Seeing Miura like this, Yukinoshita gave a small smile.
“For now, we will just start with the mixing and tempering. After this,
the work that is to be done will be different depending on what you
want to make…… Well, there’s a quite a bit of people here so let’s just
go with baking a chocolate gateau.”
43 Tenpa -> When you are one tile away from completing the winning hand in mahjong, you "listen" for this last
tile that player either discards/drawn by you.
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“Chocolate gateau! Isn’t that like something made by shops?”
“It’s not really that difficult…… I will use black chocolate, while Miura-
san and Yuigahama can just use whatever you like.”
Yuigahama’s eyes were sparkling and she looked at Yukinoshita with
respect whilst Miura-san gaze had a “Hnng, this girl is really good at
this” sort of feeling to it. Yukinoshita responded to these with a wry
smile.
Well, I was still a little worried for Yuigahama, but with Yukinoshita
there, there shouldn’t be too many problems.
Now then, time to see what the others were doing, and so I shifted my
gaze to the kitchen table next to the current one, and saw the figure of
Isshiki Iroha making her sweets at her own pace.
From where I stood, she seemed to be doing just fine at her cooking.
The chocolate had already been melted, and the chocolate in the bowl
had a smooth finish to it. In another bowl, there was meringue that was
already whisked. Seeing this sight, one could easily tell that she was
quite used to doing this sort of baking.
Isshiki continued to drip small drops of something that resembled
Western liquor in to the bowl, and then proceeded to mix it. Then she
took a spoon to scoop some of it out, and proceeded to taste it.
As she bit on the spoon, she shook her head, seemingly not very
satisfied with the result. Then, once more, she begin to add sugar, fresh
cream and cocoa powder and all sorts of things into the mixture.
“My word, you are really good at this, aren’t you.”
Perhaps one could say that it was unexpected, but I spoke that out of
surprise as I didn’t really think that she was this proficient at cooking.
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Thereupon, Isshiki glanced at me scornfully.
“Senpai, are you doubting my words?”
“No, it’s not that…… I only felt that you were really good at this, and
you are putting in a lot of effort in this as well.”
If she was working so hard just to be able to get Hayama to eat her
chocolate, then this earnestness in her would let one have a good
impression of her. ……Well, perhaps she also had the hidden intention
of raising the value of her obligatory chocolate, but maybe it was
because of her uniform and her apron, this also let me feel that she really
was putting in great effort in this. How strange. I want to reiterate my
point here, that a naked apron was still better than an apron worn over a
uniform! Still, the best is Komachi wearing sleeveless short pants.
When I was done with what I had to say, Isshiki blinked several times in
surprise at what she heard, but almost immediately, she thrust both her
hands outwards so as to keep a certain distance away from me.
“Are you hitting on me? It’s sweet, but naïve at the same time if you
thinking that whispering sweet words to me would work just because
I’m making sweets. You’re going to have to try again. I’m sorry.”
She lowered her head politely and rejected me bluntly.
I am not hitting on you and I am not going to ‘try again’……
Isshiki was acting just like she always did. No, that slyness of hers had
probably grown quite a bit. I respected her and was amazed at the same
time as well, for that, I couldn’t help but sigh. Thereupon, a spoon came
passing by the side of my mouth.
“Eh!”
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Following Isshiki’s voice, the spoon flew by the side of my jaw and was
thrust straight into my mouth. Being surprised by this sudden turn of
event, I was blinked my eyes several times, clearly flustered, and in my
flickering vision, I could see Isshiki’s alluring smile.
“Senpai, this sort of sweet thing, do you hate it?”
As she shook her spoon, she tilted her head, and looked at me with
upturned eyes. Her smile was one that was like a child’s smile upon a
successful prank, but her puffing out her chest was provocative, which
formed an imbalance. That’s why this was seriously alluring.
“…... I don’t really hate it.”
The amount of sugar in this was definitely not little, and my tongue was
about to numb from all that sweetness. Come to think of it, wasn't this
spoon the one that you just used for…… Doing this sort of thing was
really bad for the heart so could you please stop doing this the next
time…….
Although it could be said that sweet things were good for fatigue, but
the adverse effect was larger this time. Suddenly, a wave of fatigue wash
over me and I couldn’t help but sigh, to which Isshiki did the same as
well.
“Haa. I am not really interested in hearing your thoughts about the
taste.”
Although she seemed disinterested from the way she spoke, but her
gaze seemed to be suggesting that she was waiting for an answer.
As I savored the remaining sweetness in my mouth, I pondered over the
unspoken meaning of Isshiki’s words.
“Even so, my answer will still not change.”
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“……Is that so.”
Isshiki seems to be thinking about something, and stared at the bowl in
her hand, then nodded her head. She raised her head almost
immediately again.
“I could use this as reference. Then, I will be leaving for a bit. Hayama
sen------------- pai---------“
As she wrapped up what she wanted to say with a smile, she started
running towards Hayama with a light pitter patter of footsteps.
I watched her leave, and with my finger, wiped the chocolate off my face
and put it into my mouth. The smell of chocolate and rum entered my
nose.
“It’s too sweet……”
Just as I was murmuring my thoughts, I suddenly heard the sound of
metal objects scraping against one another.
That sort of noise sent chills down my spine, and I turned my head to
look at the source of the unpleasant sound, and saw Yukinoshita
hugging a bowl, and stirring the contents in it with a spoon.
“……Come to think of it, Hikigaya-kun is in charge of tasting. Because
you have been useless up till now, I have completely forgotten about
you. By all means, won’t you come over here as well and give your
opinions (on the taste) as well?”
Saying that, Yukinoshita extended the spoon handle towards me. The
spoon itself was filled with pure black chocolate.
“Your cocoa content is over 90%, it will definitely be very bitter……”
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I didn’t have to eat it to know. That there wasn’t sufficient sugar or fresh
cream in it, and at best, there was only a little bit of unsalted butter in it.
From the appearance and the smell of the black luster of the chocolate, it
gave off a ‘super cocoa’ feeling.
However, Yukinoshita continued to look at me coldly, and didn’t seem
like she was going to back off. She even proceeded to take another step
towards me, and thrust the spoon silently in my direction. I wasn’t
going to accept this sort of spoon and so the two of us continued to stare
at each other, until Yuigahama came between us.
“Ah, how’s mine! What about mine!”
As she said that, she brought her bowl over to me as well. The fluid in
the bowl was a light brown color. It would be ridiculous to call that
thing in the bowl chocolate. In fact, it wasn’t even really appropriate to
call it chocolate sauce, perhaps it would be more believable to call it
chocolate milk.
Without hesitation, I thrust my nose forward and took a sniff. There was
a sweet smell to it.
“I think that Hikki will most likely like this……”
As I watched Yuigahama pass me the bowl with an “Ehehe------- How’s
this” sort of expression, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. That was a
choking and sweet fragrance that reminded me of coffee. There was a
whiteness amidst the brown color, the foam that made me feel as though
it had a high sugar content…… It kind of looks like MAX coffee……
However, the person who made this was Yuigahama, its actual taste was
definitely different from its appearance…… This girl, the taste will
shock you just like a jack-in-the-box. I mean, weren’t we supposed to be
making chocolate here?
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The bitterness that was evident in the dark matter without even having
to eat it. As well as the dark matter whereby I had no way of guessing
how it would taste like. This sweetness and bitterness caused me to feel
faint.
Facing the both of them, my voice clammed up in my throat.
“Wai, wait just a moment?”
As I was still deliberating, the door of the cooking room was thrown
wide open.
What followed next was the sound of high heels striking the floor with
displeasure. The person who made that noise swiftly walked towards
us, and the breath from that person sounded like it was the wind from
the depths of hell.
[Tsk, even the air is full of the sweet fragrance……”
Her annoyed murmur seemed to suggest that the air was like a noxious
miasma, and the owner of that voice, was unmistakably Hiratuska
Shizuka-chan (Single woman of around thirty) ! (TL: No good
translation on my part, it ’s just supposed to be (SINGLE • アラサ) )
Although Hiratsuka had said so in a very displeased manner, but there
really wasn’t any trace of the sweet smell that she spoke of in here……
“That, Hiratsuka-sensei why are you here……”
“Hm? Ah, because I heard Isshiki’s reports. So, I decided to come down
here and take a look.”
Hearing Yukinoshita’s question, Hiratsuka sighed before responding.
Then, she glanced at the contents of the bowls that Yukinoshita and
Yuigahama were holding, and laughed softly.
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“I forgot to say, that chocolates are not allowed to be brought into
school.”
“There’s such a rule?”
Yuigahama tilted her head, and Hiratsuka-sensei revealed an evil smile.
“There’s no such rule, however, it’s still banned. This thing is not related
to school work and it’s also very troublesome, very annoying. Why do
you think I supported the abolishment of obligatory chocolate in the
staffroom? Although it will be quite a bother, but students too should
undergo the same pain as well. Because love and feelings can only grow
stronger from the existence of obstacles in its path!”
This fellow, how is she able to give such a pretty smile but say such
lousy things! This aspect of her, was really lovable! However, frankly
speaking, I think that romances that begin from obligatory chocolate do
exist as well! People who can take both chocolates and teachers as their
partner, were being mass-recruited everywhere!
“Anyway, no matter what, I will take a one-day leave on the day of the
entrance examinations.”
As Hiratsuka-sensei said that, she gave a gentle smile before adding
“Just kidding.”
“Well, do you best~”
Hearing her words, Yuigahama gave a little troubled smile, whereas
Yukinoshita turned her face away abruptly. Seeing the attitude of the
two of them, Hiratsuka sensei gave a wry smile as well, but patted their
heads once more in the end.
X X
X
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Thanks to Hiratsuka-sensei, or perhaps I should say thanks to the
existence of this intruder, the mood of the current situation seems to
have changed slightly. Accompanying the spread of the sweet fragrance,
the cooking room began to be filled with a calm and quiet air.
Then, another person who fitted the image of this calm and quiet
atmosphere appeared.
This kid’s bluish-black hair was split into two, and extended down to
her shoulders. She wore an appropriate sized apron as well. She was
someone who I definitely believed will grow into a beauty in the feature.
Her set of facial features was something that I remembered clearly.
Kawasaki Keika. The sister of Kawasomething-san.
Kawasaki had first went to the nursery to pick up her sister, and had
arrived here quite late with a hand carrying a grocery bag. She was now
making the preparations for Keika’s clothes, and sighed satisfactorily
when she was done, and began snapping photos of her, probably as a
memorabilia.
That apron was probably specially modified for Keika’s size; the
applique and the name embroidered on it was very cute as well.
After taking countless photos of Keika, she seemed to remember that her
own preparations were not yet complete.
“Th, that, I will be doing my preparations over that…….”
She waved to me slightly in greeting, and spoke to me as though with
some discretion.
Fumu. Although I didn’t know what she had to leave this place to do
her preparations, but girls will always have a lot of their own matters to
attend to. If I were to pursue the matter further, it would only lead to
anger. Komachi was proof of that. Furthermore, in this crowded place
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that was full of dangerous cooking utensils, I would be worried even if
she wasn’t looking at them.
“Ah, don’t worry, I will look after her.”
“Well, then I will be…….”
Saying that, Kawasaki nodded in reply and walked out of the cooking
room.
I watched leave, then turned my attention to Keika.
Keika was probably tired from the day at the nursery, or perhaps she felt
tired after having her photo taken countless times by Kawasaki. She
seemed to be very tired, and her eyes were about to shut.
However, upon seeing me, she blinked her eyes repeatedly at me with
her mouth agape.
“It’s Ha-chan!”
Seems like she still remembered me, and so, she pointed a short finger at
me using all her strength
“Oh, that’s right, it’s Ha-chan. Well, technically, my name is Hachiman.
Also, don’t point your finger at other. They will get pierced----“
I crouched down beside her and look at her, and at the same time
extended my finger and poked her cheek. So soft, no way……
I kept poking her cheek rapidly, and Keika kept making those queer
‘Ou, ou’ sounds like a seal, looking very confused. ……Umu, the
punishment shall end here. She wouldn’t be randomly pointing her
fingers at other people from now on.
Although I had already achieved my objective, but the softness of her
cheek made it really hard for me to put my finger away. Uh-oh, this was
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bad, her cheek really was that soft…… Komachi had a period of time
where her cheeks was this soft as well. No, it would still be that soft
even today…… As I thought this, I resumed my continuous poking of
her face. Keika still had a puzzled look on her face, but then with a ‘Oh’,
she seemed to have thought of something.
“Ei.”
With a shuuuu, she poked my face without any restraint.
“Ouch…… That’s why I said don’t point your fingers at others. It would
be dangerous if you poked their eyes.”
As a punishment, I began to poke her again. She probably felt that this
was some sort of game, and with a laugh, began to poke my face back in
return. U, Un…… seems like I failed in teaching her a lesson.
I continued to poke Keika’s face, all the while pondering over how did it
become like this, when suddenly, a cold voice could be heard from
behind me.
“……Hey, what are you doing.”
“Eh, no, nothing really.”
Turning my head around, I saw Kawasaki in an apron. With a bowl and
chopped chocolate in one hand, she was looking at me with an apathetic
expression in her eyes. She took a deep breath, aas though there was
something that she found difficult to express in words.
“You know, although you were a great help in looking after her, but this
is, this……”
“No, hold your horses. This is not what you think it is.”
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A dangerous looking male with rotten eyes poking a cute little girl’s
cheeks…… The impression that one got from this was sufficient to get
me into trouble with the law. If this incident took place outside, I could
see this incident being circulated around on notices, and my mom
making fun of me “Isn’t this you? Hahaha” to which I could only reply
“O, Ah” helplessly…… Besides the above, Kawasaki’s “I thought I
trusted you……” gaze made me feel a queer sense of guilt in my chest.
“This is, well see……”
I stood up and raised both my hands, indicating that I have no intention
to oppose, and considered what sort of justification that I could say next.
Thereupon, I felt something slumping against my feet. Looking down, I
saw that I was Keika hugging my waist.
“I was playing with Ha-chan~~”
“Un, well, yeah, something like that.”
Although I had indeed wanted to play with her, but from another point
of view, it was more like a young girl wanting to play with me. Ever
since I was attracted by those cute soft cheeks of hers , I can hardly say
that that sort of interpretation was hardly wrong.
To be able to grasp a guy’s heart at such a young age, this kid sure is
scary……
Well, however, to anticipate this future prospect of hers was not wrong.
In actuality, one could see that from her sister Kawasaki Saki as well, in
general, she was a beauty. The only problem was that the first
impression she gave was that of a Yankee. There was no trace of that
intimidation or scariness in her eyes when she looked at her sister.
“……Is that so.”
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Seeing Keika’s cherubic actions, Kawasaki seemed taken aback and
smiled. Then, Keika smiled as well, and tilted her head, all the while
clinging onto me.
“Want to play as well, Sa-chan?”
“No, no thanks. Ok Ke-chan, come over here.”
Kawasaki pulled Keika away from me, and hugged her tightly. No, I
wouldn’t do anything to do her even if you weren’t so cautious?
In any case, it seems like I manage to avoid getting into trouble this time.
I heaved a sigh of relief.
However, compared to how relieved I was, Kawasaki seemed a little
anxious. As she patted Keika’s head, she looked towards the inside of
the cooking room and began to speak.
“Is it really okay to bring her here?”
It’s not like I didn’t understand what she was so worried about. Afterall,
everyone here was a high-school student, not to mention that there were
people from another school as well. Keika would be a most unnatural
presence amidst them. However, this event itself wasn’t any official
event, and so there weren’t any clear rules to follow.
I looked at the nearby diagonal kitchen table, and saw Haruno-san
talking over there with Meguri-senpai. If even that person was here,
then there was no point in talking about participation criteria and the
like anymore.
“Well, it’s going to be alright. There are others here as well.”
“Un……”
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Hearing my words, Kawasaki nodded her head as though accepting
what I had said. Well, first and foremost, the reason why this event
could even take place was because of Kawasaki’s request. If she was
going to feel uncomfortable staying here, I would be most apologetic,
because I would at least want to fulfill her request properly. ……Then
again, originally, this wasn’t part of the request but I will see what I can
do to make her feel more at ease.
Just as I was searching around for the existence of those who could help
accomplish this request, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard
coming from behind me.
“Oh, Kawasaki. You made it in time.”
The cheerful voice belonged to Yuigahama, with Yukinoshita following
behind her.
“I haven’t see Keika in quite a while.”
Saying that, Yuigahama too, began to pat Keika’s head. Both she and
Yukinoshita had seen Keika during the Christmas event, so they could
be considered Keika’s acquaintances.
Yukinoshita however, walked to Keika’s side but her hand seemed to be
hesitant in reaching out to her. She extended her hand a little then
retracted it. Seems like she was worried about whether it would be all
for her to pat Keika’s head. So clumsy.
As I thought that, it seems like there was someone even clumsier.
‘That……. Today, I look forward to working with your……”
Kawasaki seemed to be vexed at what sort of greetings she should give,
and in the end, managed to utter those words shyly. Maybe she felt that
was unbecoming of her sister, and so, Keika who was looking up at her
sister, straightened her seating posture and bowed deeply.
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“Please take care of me.”
She probably learnt that in nursery. Although she said those words
slowly, but compared to her sister’s curt way of saying it, it still felt
more amicable, and let those who see it be more at ease.
Not only me, but Yuigahama too was struck by her cuteness and
writhing about going “Kya~”. Kawasaki’s eyes were moist, as though
touched by her sister’s growth.
Thereupon, Yukinoshita too smiled with affection. She grasped her skirt
and slowly squatted down, and looked at Keika directly and spoke
slowly.
“I look forward to working with you as well. Well then, what sort of
candy do you want to make?”
Having been asked such a question, Keika raised her head and looked at
Kawasaki’s face, and Kawasaki nodded in reply.
“Ke-chan, what kind of sweets do you want to eat?”
Hearing this question, Keika seemed stunned for a short while, then
spoke suddenly.
“Eel!”
“O, Oh…… I see……”
I couldn’t think of anything else to say at that point in time. I see. Eel, is
it?
“Sorry, our family had eel previously, and she really liked it.”
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Kawasaki lowered her head, seemingly embarrassed. However, kids
were all like that, and at times they will spout some nonsensical things,
and other times they would say the very first thing that comes to mind
without giving it further thought…… I really can’t help but to take her
response seriously.
As I thought that, Yukinoshita-san was instead placing her jaw between
both her hands and seemed to be thinking about something seriously.
“If that’s the case, then how about, eel pie? If it’s pie alone, it’s easy to do
it, but as to the preparation and cooking of the eels, I will have to look it
up……”
“Oh- can that pie really be made through normal means?”
“Yes.”
Yukinoshita replied in a matter-of-fact manner. This girl really does
know everything. Yet considering all that, it was strange that her own
‘pie’ was not made properly. (TL: Pie = pai = oppai = tits)
“If you don’t mind, want to give it a try?”
Kawasaki’s face was flushed a deep crimson as she shook her head at
Yukinoshita’s question.
“No, no need for that! Just teach her something that any kid could
make…….”
“Alright then, then something like chocolate truffle I guess…… Let me
go collect some additional ingredients.”
Saying that, Yukinoshita walked towards the teacher’s desk at the front
of the cooking room.
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While waiting for her, I looked at Keika, wondering if I should continue
to take care of her. However, it seems that this babysitting job was
snatched away by Yuigahama.
Yuigahama took no notice of her skirt, and squatted down immediately
and began to converse animatedly with Keika.
‘About eels, I know what you mean. I want to try them too~”
“Eels are delicious. Can be eaten together with rice and sauce.”
“I know right, eels are so tasty~”
“Un, rice is very nice.”
“Eh, rice…….”
Although the subject of their conversation was totally different, but the
two of them seemed very happy. I mean, it would be trouble if
Yuigahama were to really go and try (TL: to make the pie) it out.
However, it probably wouldn’t be a massive flop if Kawasaki and
Yukinoshita were around. It seems that I, as a taste tester, has yet a need
to make an appearance.
Well then, before my job starts, I guess I should go take a walk around.
X X
X
Under Yukinoshita’s guidance, Kawasaki and Keika began to prepare
the chocolates. Now, there wasn’t even the job of looking after the kid.
Thus, I was now a truly unemployed person. If this were to continue on,
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I think I am going to pick up stones by the riverside and sell them. Eh
44
wait, that’s a [useless person].
Hayama, who was a taste-tester like me was still stuck between Miura
and Isshiki, and Tobe who wanted to try and taste the food as well, was
making a ruckus near Ebina-san. Dude, isn’t it obvious you are being
snubbed.
Haruno-san and Meguri-senpai was talking to Hiratsuka-sensei all this
while. The current and old members of the student council was at
various kitchen tables, taking down various orders, whereas the vice-
presdent and secretary-chan was chatting away and laughing from time
to time. Vice-president, go and do your job!
Kaihinsougou High school was having a DISCUSSION with Tamanawa
at the center of it all. Seeing how they haven’t really started their
cooking, they were probably still in the midst of BRAINSTORMING.
Seeing that, I was really the only one not doing anything.
Anyway, I guess I should just stand at one corner and observe so as not
to get in the way of others, when out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed
the door of the cooking room being opened gently.
The person who opened it was perhaps observing the situation inside, as
the door only opened a few centimeters before stopping.
What……don’t tell me that some other group who were using the
communication center had come to complain that we were being too
noisy……
Seems like I was the only one who noticed the situation with the door,
and so I had no choice but to go take a look.
44 Old superstition in Japan, where they believe that said stones actually come from graves. Some think that it
would be bad luck to pick them up, while others think that if you bring them to a shrine, you would be blessed
with good fortune.
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I walked to the door, but was a little hesitant.
It was going to be scary if it was some old auntie or someone like
that…… If they are coming to come up and complain I am going to just
apologize. Anyway, being scolded by people in society was a common
fact of life. That is to say, being scolded could be said to be a job. Well,
although there wasn’t any salary in such a job. The Service Club has no
wages for the entire year! ……Unpaid
As I steeled my resolve, I opened the door forcefully.
The person outside was someone I knew.
That person was probably on the way home after club activities, wearing
a baggy windbreaker that was too big for him. Owing to the overly long
sleeves, the hands that were unable to fully extend outside were now
crossed in front of his chest in uncertainty. Was it because of the special
aura that came about with this person? Because whenever he made this
sort of pose with his back hunched-over, even the stiff material of his
nylon shirt and coat become soft.
Then, his eyes met mine and his face beamed.
“Hachiman!”
“To, Totsuka…… I see that you came.”
“Un, although I am a little late cause I was held back by club activities.”
The one standing in front of the door was my classmate, Totsuka Saika.
Although I did tell him about today’s event when I met him in school, I
didn’t really expect him to come.
“That’s great, I thought I had gotten the wrong location.”
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As he said that, he looked towards the group of Kaihinsougou High
students. I see, he would be able to see only them if he opened the door
by that little amount.
Yup, if your vision is too narrow, you would be unable to see other
things.
For example, the existence of this fellow standing behind Totsuka.
“Ha------chiman-----“
The person who was standing behind Totsuka was my….. was my
what……… Well, let’s just say he’s my partner during sports class. My
sports class partner, Zaimokuza Yoshiteru. Although I clearly did not
meet him in school, not to mention that I didn’t even tell him about
today, then why was he here? If it’s why, then probably it’s because he’s
Zaimokuza. It’s bad if you take too much notice of the finer happenings.
“So, Zaimokuza? What are you doing here? Getting ready to go back?”
Hearing me ask that, Zaimokuza gave a fake cough.
“Ahem. Ahem. First of all, Totsuka and I were asked by Hiratsuka-
sensei to run an errand for her, therefore, we cannot go back yet.”
“An errand? Are you still not going back yet?”
“That’s why I said, I am not going back yet.”
He was waving his hands in front of his chest, whilst replying me in
some unrecognizable dialect. Come to think of it, what is Hiratsuka-
sensei’s errand…… As I was thinking about this, Totsuka unslung his
bag from his back.
“That, she wanted us to bring this here……”
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With that said, Totsuka began to rummage through his bag.
“Oh oh, you guys are here, you guys didn’t have trouble bringing it here
right?”
Hiratsuka-sensei seemed to have discover the situation by the door and
hence had walked over. Totsuka was still searching in his bag, with a
puff and a smile, passed something to Hiratsuka-sensei.
“Here. Please take this.”
The thing that Totsuka passed Hiratsuka-sensei, seemed to be several
refrigerated bags that the supermarket would give you for purchasing
frozen foodstuffs. After receiving those bags that were emitting a silver
glow, Hiratsuka-sensei gave her thanks whilst confirming the contents
of the bag.
“What’s inside?”
“Un. Ah, you came at the right moment. Please spread these out over
there.”
As I asked my question, Hiratsuka-sensei was picking up the bags and
walking towards the window of the cooking room. She grasped a chair
beside her, and seemed to be in a good mood as she hummed a song and
began taking out the contents of the bag.
“I thought that everyone would like to eat these afterwards. Anyway, I
bought these as a sort of reference material as well and accidentally
bought too much of them, but I was able to meet them when I went out
and so I sought their help to bring it over.”
“I see.”
During this period of time, whether it was the greengrocer, the
department stores or even the mail order, you could buy branded
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chocolates from all of them. Hiratsuka-sensei had probably used some of
these stores’ services and had gotten Zaimokuza and Totsuka to go and
collect them on her behalf.
However, what Hiratsuka-sensei had ordered was no small amount. She
took out a great assortment of said chocolate from the refrigerated bags
that had the store’s name printed on it.
These high-class chocolates that kept spreading across the tabletop drew
the attention of others, and I could feel the glances that were coming my
way.
Amongst them, Haruno-san had a knack for eating. Accompanying her
was Meguri-senpai, and Haruno-san was looking at the chocolates one
by one with a deep interest.
“Eh, Shizuka-chan, you really went all out —Godiva is a given, there’s
also Pierreherme, as well as Charbonnel…… There’s also those from
Imperial Hotel, New Otani hotel…… Ah, there are chocolates made by
Sadohari Aoki too---“
“Ah, yes that’s about it.”
Hiratsuka-sensei puffed out her chest proudly, probably because
someone understood the value of those chocolates.
Actually, from my point of view, I was thinking something like “Aren’t
they all just chocolates?” However this was something who had
experience with chocolates would know about. I have heard of Godiva
chocolates, so I guess the rest were probably an assortment of branded
chocolates as well. Was that French that Haruno-san was speaking just
now? Is it? Well, I don’t know.
What did she say just now again? Something like Pi, Pier…… Pierretaki?
Janpieru……porunarefu? I really couldn’t wrap my head around those
names, but I just knew that they were all branded chocolates.
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Opening those fashionable packaging, one could see the gorgeous
chocolates lined up neatly in rows just like the display in a jewelry shop
window. Seeing all these, Meguri-senpai couldn’t help but give a sigh of
admiration.
“Wa--, looks delicious.”
“Ah, Meguri knows as well? This is really tasty, I recommend all of
these as well.”
“Wait a minute, why do you look so proud, Haruno? All these were
chosen by me.”
Seeing how Haruno-san was saying all these so proudly caused
Hiratsuka to reply unhappily to her.
As expected of Shizuka-chan who took great pride in her own
interest…… Her car seems to be of the high-end as well…… Towards
her own likes and hobbies, she would willingly pour in her own passion
and money in it. This sort of man-like behavior, amazing.
As a male myself, towards this display of extravagance by her towards
her likes and interests caused me to look at her with a newfound sense
of respect. Totsuka too, was staring at Hiratsuka-sensei.
“Sensei, so you eat sweet stuffs as well?”
Seeing Totsuka’s sparkling eyes, Hiratsuka-sensei seemed to be
temporarily at a loss for words.
“……Well, something like that. ……Don, Don’t tell me that this doesn’t
suit me?”
“Ah, no, nothing like that…… I think that it suits sensei!”
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Seeing Sensei drooping her shoulders, Totsuka became flustered and
tried to smooth it over. Seeing all these, Haruno-san on the other hand,
laughed happily.
“For Shizuka-chan, she probably eats it along with alcohol. Sounds
great~ I too, want to eat these tasty chocolates as I drink alcohol.”
“Indeed, I do eat chocolates with alcohol……. However, I can’t do that
today.
Hiratsuka scowled at her, to which Haruno-san seemed dissatisfied, and
pouted.
Watching their interactions, I felt surprised.
In truth, Yukinoshita Haruno was the sort of person who did things
with a purpose, as well as one who commonly made a mockery out of
others. But now, her response towards Hiratsuka-sensei seemed
completely natural, at least, that’s what I thought. Of course, this could
be a special ability of her strong exterior appearance.
Yet, it could be said that I knew next to nothing about Yukinoshita
Haruno. Yukinoshita’s elder sister, Hayama’s childhood friend, Meguri-
senpai’s senpai, a former student of Hiratsuka-sensei, a superdemon
with a perfect exterior appearance. Even if I knew all these superficial
facts about her, I still couldn’t peer through the murky, bottomless
marsh to get a peek at her true nature.
Thinking about it carefully, this was the first time I had seen Haruno-san
spending a long time conversing with someone older than her.
I was somewhat taken aback, and kept looking in the direction of
Haruno-san, all the while thinking that the water surface of that
bottomless lake was being distorted gently.
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She deliberately drooped her shoulders, and Haruno-san proceeded to
lie flat on the kitchen table, and looked at Hiratsuka-sensei sweetly.
“That’s a pity then. Next time, bring me out with you~ there’s so many
things that I want to talk to you about.”
That was just a casual lip service.
However, Hiratsuka looked at her seriously in return.
She ceased her unwrapping of the chocolates, and clasped her hands
together. Slowly, she looked at Haruno-san’s eyes as she crafted some
words and spoke gently.
“Haruno, if you…… really do have something you wish to tell me, I can
entertain you anytime.”
The instant she had said her piece, Haruno-san’s shoulders shook ever
so slightly.
She was still lying flat on the kitchen table, and the eyes that were
looking at Hiratsuka-sensei was like glass-works, devoid of any color.
However, in that instant, I thought I saw a pale flame flash across her
eyes.
Although that instant lasted less than a second, but the time that the two
spent looking at each other felt very long, to the extent that I had even
forgotten to breathe.
The silence was broken by the sound of Haruno-san’s laughter escaping
from the side of her mouth.
“Really? Then you’d best schedule your time------ Ah, Hikigaya-kun is
here too? Come and drink with the big sisters~”
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Jesting, she intentionally shifted her body towards me, and looked up at
me. Immediately, I moved myself away to increase the distance between
us.
“I am still not of age yet. I can’t drink alcohol, how about orange juice
instead.”
Zaimokuza laughed derisively. Hiratsuka lost the serious edge from just
now, and her shoulders shook from the laughter.
Seeing that my joke was effective against the two of them, in other
words, it was useless against the others.
Totsuka had a “And so?” expression as he tilted his head, whereas
Meguri-senpai continued to smile with an expression that she didn’t
quite understand what was going on. Haruno-san frowned and shook
her head.
“It’s too bad if you can’t drink. Well whatever, can’t be helped since you
aren’t of age, how about Meguri?”
“Haru-san, I am still not of age yet~ But it’s ok if we go for tea……”
“I see. Ehh, what should I do then? Find my classmates?”
Hiratsuka-sensei watched Haruno-san picked up her mobile phone and
seemed to be dialing some numbers on it, and she sighed deeply.
“Well, if you want to, just call me.”
With that, it signaled the end of the subject, and Hiratsuka-sensei
pushed a bag of a seemingly famous brand of chocolates in my
direction.
“Hikigaya, Shiromeguri, both of you take it and split it amongst yourself
as you see fit. Also, take the rest and give it to everyone here as well.”
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“Okay. Um, how many should I give to each person?”
As Meguri-senpai answered as such, she placed the chocolates on the
paper plates next to her.
“Whatever you deem fit.” Although Hiratsuka-sensei gave her such an
answer, Meguri-senpai looked up in vexation.
“Well then, Hikigaya-kun, I will leave this to you.”
As she said that, she passed me a couple of the paper plates. It looks like
this was the result of Meguri-senpai’s meticulous distributions of the
chocolates. In each of the plates were an assortment of multi-colored
chocolates and different brand of chocolates. All in all, they were
distributed quite evenly throughout.
I was in awe of the Meguri-power(star) in spite of myself, coming from
Meguri-senpai standing beside me, looking quite proud of herself.
“Understood.”
“Un, let’s get started then, everyone.”
Meguri-senpai picked up a few paper plates as well, and everyone
began to walk towards the various kitchen tables. Even though I might
say that, but we didn’t really spread ourselves out. Generally speaking,
we just split into three directions.
Meguri-senpai was heading in the direction of Kaihinsougou High and
the student council. Totsuka was heading in the direction of the
Kawasaki sisters, Yukinoshita and Yuigahama whilst Zaimokuza
seemed to trailing behind Totsuka’s shadow.
That means, the only kitchen table that was left for me was the one
where Miura and Isshiki were fiercely duking it out.
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I observed their situation from afar; Miura was glaring pointedly at
Isshiki, Isshiki was grinning from ear to ear and Hayama, who was stuck
between the two, was maintaining his refreshing smile the whole time.
Tobe seemed to be quite concerned about Hayama’s situation, and
would often throw in a word or two, and doesn’t seem to be trying to
appeal to Ebina-san.
Un…… Seems like big trouble. I mean, I didn’t want to join in the fray at
all.
I approached their table slowly, all the while thinking of what I ought to
say when Hayama seemed to have noticed my approach.
“Sorry, excuse me for a bit.”
With that, he smoothly extricated himself from Miura and Isshiki and
walked towards me.
“Is something the matter?”
“Ah, ah. Just here to bring some refreshments from Hiratsuka-sensei.”
As I explained, I passed him the paper plate in my hand, only to see
Hayama’s expression darken.
“Chocolates again……?”
“Seems to be quite tasty ones.”
“……Is that so?”
With a short reply, he took the paper plates from me and walked back
swiftly to the kitchen table.
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My mission was now completed without a hitch. Just as I was thinking
to go back since I had done what I was supposed to do, I heard the light
sound of metal behind me.
I looked in the direction of the noise, and saw that the noise was caused
by Hayama flicking his finger against a coffee can. He was waving two
coffee cans about, and with his smile, asked me wordlessly if I would
care to have a can.
Well, I guess that even Hayama would be more or less tired after having
to put up with both Miura and Isshiki for so long. Perhaps he wanted to
use me as an excuse to take a break from them. In any case, I wasn’t
doing anything anyway.
With a ‘Oh’, I nodded my head slightly and Hayama took a seat at a
kitchen table nearby Miura. I followed his suggestion and moved a seat
there as well.
When I sat down, Hayama placed a can of coffee in front of me. The
brand showed that it wasn’t MAX coffee, but BLACK coffee. Seeing me
look at the brand name again and again, Hayama gave a bitter smile.
“You want it to be sweeter?”
“Not really.”
Even I, had no interest in drinking something sweet now. Besides, I still
had to eat chocolate after this. I opened the can of coffee, and drank it in
big gulps/
Hayama did the same as well, and with a ‘Fuuuuuuuuuuu” exhaled
greatly.
There wasn’t any sort of conversation between us, just the sound of
coffee cans hitting the table as well as the occasional sighs that escaped
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our mouth. This sounds of this exchange replaced any possible
conversation and continued on intermittently.
From the weight on my hand, I knew that I was nearly done drinking
the can, when Hayama suddenly said, “Even so.”
“I thought about it properly as well.”
“Huh?”
My reply to him was serious, as I really had no idea as to what he was
trying to tell me. However, he gave his usual Hayama Hayato-like smile
that everyone was familiar with and continued on gently.
“If it’s like this, then everyone…… everyone can behave more naturally
that way.”
Saying that, he took a glance round the cooking room. Following his
gaze, I could see all sorts of things happening around me.
Miura who was looking at the weighing scales seriously, or Isshiki who
was whistling as she operated the oven, or Yuigahama whose face was
flushed pink as well as Yukinoshita who was hugging her head as she
watched Yuigahama.
Soon, Hayama’s gaze returned to me again. That expressions that he
now had was one that I knew fairly well, a lonely bittersweet smile that
was characteristic of Hayama Hayato.
The ‘everyone’ that Hayama spoke of.
Who was he referring to? And who was included in this ‘everyone’ that
he keeps referring to? I noticed this faintly and averted my gaze from
Hayama, and took a sip from the bitter coffee.
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I had no response to his soliloquy, and Hayama added in another
sentence suddenly again.
“It’s all thanks to you, that Tobe could get to eat chocolates and feel
happy.”
Hayama was saying this with a fair deal of jest. From his words, Tobe
seemed to have managed to eat Ebina-san’s chocolates that were still
works in progress. He was being quite noisy his with exclamations of
[Delicious!], [So sweet!] and [Awesome!]. Oh, you did try your best
once. But still, Ebina-san is one of those type of girls that were way more
trouble than they look on the surface. To these type of people, they will
only open their hearts in stages. Or perhaps, a mental make-up was just
structured like that. I too, gave a wry smile thinking about it.
However, well, at least till now, I should at least congratulate Tobe for
trying till now. Although, that’s just my style of saying it.
“I don’t really care about the chocolates or Tobe…… Especially Tobe.”
“Haha, that’s so mean.”
Hayama laughed, then downed the rest of the bitter coffee, and shook it
as though wanting me to confirm whether it was really empty. He stood
up casually and prepared to throw away his empty can. Perhaps Miura
had seen his actions, because she was now calling out to him in a sweet
voice.
“Hayato~~~~~~~~”
“I will be right there.”
With that reply, Hayama turned his head back the last time, to give a
short and simple goodbye, before walking back to the kitchen table
where they were waiting for him.
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I watched him leave and raise the empty can once more to my mouth.
X X X
The confection making had already entered the climax.
Those that worked the fastest had already put their dough into the oven,
or already putting the finished product into the fridge to chill, and were
now advancing towards the final step.
Even Haruno-san, who kept talking non-stop, seemed to have at some
point in time, completed most of the work. Not only that, Meguri-senpai
as well as the previous student council that were under her charge had
also more or less finished too. The only thing left for them seemed to be
setting the shape as well as decorations and toppings for it.
Just how good was this person at multitasking exactly? As always, she
seemed to always able to do those sorts of things that was quite
impossible for humans to understand. In all aspects of the word……
However, she was probably getting tired of looking after others, for she
was now leisurely enjoying a cup of tea with Yukinoshita.
“Yukino-chan, what are you making? Let your Onee-chan have a taste~”
Haruno-san’s insistent voice was completely ignored by Yukinoshita.
Yukinoshita was now supervising Miura and Yuigahama.
Under Yukinoshita’s watchful eyes, Miura was molding the dough into
shape with a serious look, whereas Yuigahama was shaping the mold
with another piece of dough.
She was probably displeased with how Yukinoshita ignored her, and so
her tone changed to one that was pouting, and spoke again to
Yukinoshita.
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“Hey, Yukino-chan, can you hear me~”
“……Haruno0san, Yukinoshita-san is still quite busy.”
Seeing this situation, Hayama had a wry smile, and walked up to
Haruno-san’s side as though wanting to try and dissuade her. If the
surroundings were going to be that noisy, Miura would probably get
distracted. Maybe Hayama said such things because he felt concerned
about this as well.
Those who were focused on their work were not only Miura and
Yuigahama, Isshiki was squeezing out the fresh cream, and were doing
some sort of cute decoration, devoting herself to it. Amongst the
Kawasaki sisters, Keika’s face was full of chocolate, but she did succeed
in making something that sort of resembled a chocolate truffle, which
Kawasaki was busy taking photos of. Oi, you, how many are you going
to take……
As everyone focus on doing their own things, my job as a taste-tester
was probably about to begin as well. As I thought that, I watched from
the sidelines, maintaining my ‘Not going to be a bother’ pose.
Thereupon, Orimoto came running my way, and spoke to me, who had
currently nothing to do.
“Hikigaya, are there still spare chocolate cutters?”
“Oh, oh oh…… just wait a bit.”
Seems like the progress over at Kaihinsougou High was not bad as well.
Although they had kept arguing over how they wanted the end-product
to look like, it looks like they were gradually inching closer to
completion.
As I told her to wait, I walked over to Yukinoshita.
“Excuse me, are there still spare chocolate cutters?”
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“There’s still some over there, you may take those if you need them.”
“Oh, thanks.”
And so, the one answered her wasn’t me.
It was Orimoto Kaori who had followed me here.
Yukinoshita looked surprised at the figure of Orimoto who had
suddenly appeared and became quiet. Yuigahama raised her head and
looked on with a curious expression, probably because Yukinoshita’s
instructional voice had suddenly disappeared.
Amongst the Kaihinsougou high crowd, a particular person wearing the
Kaihinsougou High uniform stood out a little more from the less.
Although there were a couple of people looking at her, Orimoto didn’t
seem to really mind them, and was now scrutinizing the chocolate
cutters one by one. Then, she spoke something casually.
“……Come to think of it, have I ever given some to Hikigaya?”
Her tone suggested that she really had no idea which made me smile
bitterly. You don’t remember? Well, that’s to be expected.
Although Orimoto was the type who would give obligatory chocolate to
whoever it was as long as they asked, I somehow did not fall under that
category of ‘whoever’.
How did I accept that reality last time…… I reminisced about that and
my reply came slightly late.
I coughed a little to make up for the silence, when I suddenly heard the
sound of ‘Ka-cha, Ka-cha’ sound of tableware. I took a look and saw that
It was Yukinoshita holding her jaw with her hand as she looked at me,
Yuigahama had averted her gaze and her hands were moving about in
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circles, Isshiki went ‘Eh’ and nodded her head as though interested in
the topic, Kawasaki was looking at me with a somewhat shocked
expression, Tamanawa coughed and went ‘Fuuu, fuuuu’ as he blew he
fringe. Tamanawa-san, you are a little noisy, you know……
“No, ……probably never.”
I tried not to let that memory reside within me and answered as
naturally as I could. To that, Orimoto laughed ever so naturally as well.
“I see, then I will give you some this year.”
“Eh, no, a, that’s……”
Those unexpected words of her easily collapsed the façade that I was
maintaining, and my words came out in a fluster.
No, perhaps this was my true natural response…… What’s this, am I
really that disgusting?
“Then, remember to come eat it when I am done.”
After saying like that so simply, Orimoto picked up the chocolate cutter
and walked back to her kitchen table.
Having heard what she said, I couldn’t just reject her without any
reason, but maybe that was just lip service from her…… I watch her
leave as I pondered over her words endlessly.
Well, this was definitely Orimoto’s unique ability to be able to say
anything so casually, and that there was no deeper meaning hidden
behind them. Finally, I don’t have to read between the lines of
someone’s words, nor would I misunderstand their intentions and just
accept the words as they are. Thinking of this, I couldn’t help but smile
and sigh as well.
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I carried with me a small sense of satisfaction and turned my head back
at the kitchen table, and my eyes met with Haruno-san, who was
standing by the window.
Haruno-san seemed to have been watching our exchange with a great
smile on her face. Her expression seemed to suggest that she had spotted
something fun to toy with.
Then, her expression changed from the soft smile to a sadistic one. The
corners of her mouth curled upwards, and her eyes that were now
narrowed had a sharp edge to them. Haruno-san looked at Hayama who
was beside her.
“Let me see, Hayato seemed to have receive some chocolate from
Yukino-chan some time ago?”
Although she was talking to Hayama, the truth is that the voice could be
heard by everyone present.
Yukinoshita who had been ignoring her all this time seemed to have
reacted to it. She looked at Haruno-san with a confused expression and
glared at her without saying anything.
Those who couldn’t find their voice was not only Yukinoshita, but also
Miura. Even Isshiki shrieked softly.
I scratched my head briskly as I smiled bitterly. There was no need at all
to say this in front of both Miura and Isshiki. But what was surprisingly,
was that my hands had somehow became fists at some point in time. It’s
going to be hard to comb my hair like that……
Yukinoshita did not deny Haruno-san’s words, and looked at me with a
troubled look in her eyes. Her expression seemed to suggest that she felt
troubled because she didn’t know what to do at having the past
suddenly brought up. She bit her lips lightly, and her eyes betrayed a
sense of the unease she was in.
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However, I probably had a similar expression as well. The discomfort I
felt was as though I had phlegm stuck in my throat, or the insides of my
stomach crawling about due to indigestion.
Yukinoshita lowered her head, and I averted my eyes as well. In front of
me, I could see Yuigahama’s uneasy expression as she seemed to be
quite worried about us.
A short silence. Still, it felt as though a long period of time had passed. I
wanted to say something to break this silence, but I couldn’t find
anything appropriate to say.
“Ah, that’s true, that’s probably during elementary school or so.
Haruno-san received some as well.”
The person who gave such a correct answer under this sort of situation,
was of course Hayama.
Hayama answered with an ever so magnificent, refreshing smile on his
face, and dodged the question. Hearing that, Haruno-san seemed to be a
little let-down.
Hearing his answer, Miura looked relieved, and Isshiki heaved a sigh of
relief as well.
Yet, in contrast to their reaction, Yukinoshita Haruno’s expression
seemed to grow even colder. She glanced at Hayama with a
disinterested look, and left the window side as though she was bored
with the development. Hayama watched her leave with a lonely look in
his eyes.
Haruno-san stopped by Yukinoshita’s side.
“Then, Yukino-chan, who are you planning to give this to?”
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Her voice seemed to suggest that she was just joking with her. If one did
not have a good understanding of the two of them, it would surely have
sounded like some cute teasing between the two sisters. In actuality,
Yukinoshita who looked away with a “Hnng”, seemed to be just a
playful sulk from her in response to her sister’s teasing.
“……This has nothing to do with Nee-san.”
“Eh, you are not going to give your Onee-chan?”
Haruno-san laughed softly, and hearing her joking tone, Yukinoshita
glared at her, seemingly a little angry.
“Of course not. There’s absolutely no reason for me to do that, not to
mention that I have never received chocolates from Nee-san even until
today.”
“Uh, that’s indeed true.”
Haruno-san nodded her head, indicating her understanding, and then,
she smiled bitterly as she sighed.
“Well, Yukino-chan say she wouldn’t be giving me and so she definitely
won’t be doing so. She has never lied after all.”
This point was very close to my impression of Yukinoshita in the past.
However, Yukinoshita Haruno definitely had a greater understanding of
her than I had in the past.
“But, there are still times when she wouldn’t say the truth.”
Haruno-san was looking at Yukinoshita coldly as she said that, a great
change from her previous warm and cheerful gaze.
“You didn’t say that you were not going to give it to anyone. That
means you are indeed going to give it to someone.”
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Yukinoshita maintained her silence and continued to glare at Haruno-
san coldly. Although I saw her accepting her sister’s conclusion, but the
smile on Haruno-san’s face did not change.
“Well, but the people to whom Yukino-chan can give chocolates to are
very limited.”
“Asinine. Whatever you say.”
Yukinoshita discontinued the conversation, and once again, began to
work.
She reached her hands out towards the empty bowl and tray in front of
her, and began to keep them, deliberately making “Ka-cha, Ka-cha”
noises as she did so.
The exchange between the Yukinoshita sisters had finally come to an
end, and the cooking room resumed its usual clamorous state. This
clamorous atmosphere gave everyone present a sense of peace and calm.
Just as I sighed in relief, I heard a loud clanging noise. Looking in the
direction of that noise, I saw a metallic bowl spinning on the floor,
spinning towards me. Accompanying the ringing sound of the bowl,
was a small voice.
“Sor, sorry.”
Yukinoshita lowered her head, her face a shade of red all the way till the
tip of her ears, and she came running over to pick up the bowl.
This sort of mediocre mistake was really rare ; As I thought so, I
squatted down to pick up the bowl that had come spinning to me.
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Thereupon, I locked eyes with Yukinoshita, who had also squatted
down to pick up the bowl. Both of us extended our hands, and froze in
that posture, searching for hints as to who would be one to pick it up
We looked at each other, separated by just a few centimeters.
Yukinoshita hurriedly retracted her hand that was so close to touching
mine.
What are you so agitated about? Seeing you like that will make me
agitated too as well.
“That……”
I looked away from her, and left the job to her as I tried to apologize.
Yukinoshita picked up the bowl in a hurry.
However, probably because of her unstable grasp of the bowl as she
picked it up, the rim of the bowl that was still in contact with the floor
once more made its annoying ringing noise and rolled someplace else.
The noise made by it continued to reach my eyes, and even if it finally
stopped moving, that noise would still be stuck inside my head.
It was not until when someone picked up the bowl gently, did that noise
finally cease.
I raised my head, and saw Yuigahama spinning the bowl on her fingers,
puffing out her chest with pride.
“Hehe, Yukinon, you still need have quite some way to go. My ability in
handling metals bowl and cooking equipment is top-notch.”
Seeing her laugh like that as she said it, I sighed with relief. The thing
that had been stuck in my chest seemed to have disappeared as well. I
said a few words and stood up at last.
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“……No, apart from this, everything else is a fatal flaw.”
“That is indeed so. ……Thank you.”
Yukinoshita too, had a smile on her face, and with her thanks, extended
her hand to take the bowl from Yuigahama. Yuigahama nodded her
head with an "Un” and passed the bowl back to her. Yuigahama ha d a
somewhat lonely expression, and looking at her now empty palm,
clenched her hand into a fist.
That action caused me some degree of concern, and I looked at her for a
while. When and where have I seen that expression before?
Exactly when was that? As I searched my memories, I sat down on the
chair by the wall.
Just as I let out yet another sigh, I seemed to feel that somewhere,
someone was gently laughing away.
X X
X
The sweet fragrance had already begun to spread about the cooking
room.
Several people stood in front of the oven, all waiting anxiously for the
product to be completed. Miura, who was amongst them, stood out from
the rest. She was looking intently at the glass window of the oven.
When they were all baked, it would then be time for taste testing. I too,
could finally strip myself of the label of being an ‘unemployed person’,
and begin doing my job.
Just as I was resting at a place nearby the oven, getting to recharge my
energy, I felt someone tap my back.
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Oregairu Vol 11
Turning my head round, I saw Hiratsuka-sensei standing there. The
paper plates that she was holding in her hand were probably the extra
chocolates.
“It’s a really nice event.”
As she talked to me, she pulled a chair near me and sat down, and held
out the paper plate of chocolate to me. I took one from it and began to
eat, then replied.
“Haa, although this event is pretty nonsensical.”
In fact, I couldn’t really tell if this could even be considered an ‘event’.
This was just gathering people from all walks of life, where everyone
would then proceed to do the things that they want to do, or so I felt.
Hiratsuka-sensei seemed to understand what I was getting at, and
chuckled happily. Then, she looked at the students in the cooking room
warmly.
“That is fine. From the start, you are a nonsensical person anyway. The
people associated with you are as such as well. For it to become like this,
that is to be expected.”
“Nonsensical…… Isn’t that a little mean?”
“Well, compared to the past. I guess I can understand you a little better
now.”
Hiratsuka-sensei gave a broad smile as though teasing me, and began to
eat the chocolates as well.
“People’s perception of others continues to be renewed day after day. If
you continue to spend time with them, and grow together with them,
you will gradually get to know them.”
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“I don’t really feel like we’ve grown though. We keep doing the same
things over and over again.”
“Even so, there will be more or less some changes.”
Hiratsuka conversed with me as she continued eating her chocolates.
She swallowed the chocolate and proceeded to wipe her mouth with her
finger. This action was sexy, or rather, youth-like. I laughed
unintentionally.
Indeed, my impression of Hiratsuka-sensei had sort of gradually
changed. Hence, other people’s perception of me would have more or
less changed a little as well.
However, towards this sort of change, I harbored a sort of fear, the type
that was hard to put in words.
“Change, that huh…… To hear it mentioned like that, gives me a sort of
weird feeling.”
“A strange feeling?”
Hiratsuka cocked her head and observed me. I felt embarrassed and
turned my face away, and hurriedly continue on with what I wanted to
say.
“Ah, something like discomfort and unease?”
After saying it out, I felt an unexpected sense of satisfaction.
That was something that had always been bugging me.
That feeling would strike me unexpectedly at times; that feeling was
somewhat different from what I had always felt.
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Oregairu Vol 11
When I interacted with those people, a doubt would surge forth from
the depths of my heart as I questioned myself, “Was this really right?”
“Unease, huh…… I hope that you will never forget that feeling.”
Hiratsuka-sensei was staring into the distance, and spoke in a tone that
seemed like she was reminiscing of something. Although the target of
her words was me, she seemed to be saying that to someone else as well.
However, as expected, she was instead talking to me, and her gaze
returned back to me.
“This is probably what they deem as signs of growing up. When you
become an adult, you will often gloss over such things. That’s why, right
now, I wish that you would take a closer look at this ‘unease’ that you
are feeling. This is extremely important.”
“But there’s a saying that says that important things can’t be seen.”
I said that on purpose to poke fun at what she said, to which Hiratsuka-
sensei chuckled.
“You are not meant to see it with your eyes. You are supposed to look at
it with your heart.”
“Don’t think, feel. That sort of meaning? I don’t have that sort of
force.” 45
What was this person talking about…… Was she just saying this for the
sake of being able to say some lines from a shounen manga……. I looked
at her with that sort of expression, and Hiratsuka coughed intentionally,
probably from embarrassment.
“Just the opposite. Don’t feel, think.”
45 From Bruce Lee.
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Oregairu Vol 11
Hiratsuka-sensei who repeated her words once more, no longer had a
joking expression on her face, her eyes was filled with kindness and
sincerity. Slowly, quietly, she continued to convey her intentions to me.
“Towards this sense of unease, please, always continue to think about
it.”
“Always?”
I repeated that word, trying to digest the meaning of it completely.
Hiratsuka-sensei nodded her head in reply.
“Un. Always. If you do, you will definitely be able to understand it one
day. People don’t look back to see how much distance they have covered
when they are walking. In fact, from the viewpoint of those who have
stopped walking, the more they progress, the more they feel betrayed.”
Hiratsuka spoke until here, and took one more look at the people in this
room one by one.
“Right now, I am glad to be able to see this sort of scene up close.”
Saying that, Hiratsuka-sensei stood up.
“……After all, I can’t watch over you guys forever.”
Hearing that sort of voice, I looked at her, and saw Hiratsuka-sensei
flexed her shoulders, and stretched herself lazily, making it impossible
to take a peek at the expression on her face.
I turned my head once more to look at her, and she had already returned
to being the Hiratsuka-sensei that I had always known.
“Alright, it’s about time for me to get back to my work.”
“Aren’t you going to stay behind a little and try some?”
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“No, there are still some things that I need to attend to…… It’s quite
close to March now, so I think I want to get it done as quickly as
possible.”
Hiratsuka-sensei let loose a loud laugh. Then, she raised her hand to bid
me farewell and walked away. Following the sound of her high-heels,
Hiratsuka-sensei left the room jauntily.
Watching her leave, I put another chocolate into my mouth.
The chocolate that I had picked at random began to dissolve in my
mouth, just like the words of sensei, leaving a faint bitter aftertaste in my
mouth.
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