chapter 12

Poundcake, banana bread ah, this m.u.f.fin looks delicious, too.

Im looking at one of the confectionery recipe books that I borrowed from Tsubaki yesterday, pondering which one to make. There are too many options for me to pick that I end up getting confused. Of course, its after taking the available ingredients in consideration.

While Im s.h.i.+lly-shallying, Mother points at one section in the table of contents.

You know, Mom wants to eat some pancakes~

Hmm, I often make pancakes, though. What to do?

When it comes to pancakes, there are many and various types that can be made depending on my creativity. I flip through the recipe book and open the page on pancakes.

Yup, this can be prepared with what we have at home. Guess Ill settle with pancakes then.

Ya~y! Hurra~y

I go to the kitchen and confirm that there are enough ingredients to make pancakes. I found a banana and some yogurt in the refrigerator, so theyll go into the ingredients, too.

Yosh.

I add some hotcake mix, milk, eggs, and yogurt into a bowl and beat them well. Then I peel the banana and crush them adequately before putting it into the bowl. After mixing them once again, the batter is done.

Next, I apply oil to the frying pan thinly and pour the batter carefully. After this, I just need to cook both sides with low heat and the pancake will be finished. It doesnt take much time, and the ingredients arent expensive, either, so its pretty cost-effective.

It smells good~

It seems like this one is finished, so I flip it over to see that its giving a nice color. Its a success. I move it to a plate and I start cooking the second pancake when I hear the front bell ringing.

Oh my, a guest.

Mother leaves aside her laundry and goes to the front door to greet the guest. I hear the sound of the door opening, then I hear Mother speaking with someone. The familiar voice peaks my curiosity, so I sneak a look towards the entranceway.

How do you do? I am Sekiguchi Rumi. Is Hinatsan home?

My, you are Hinatas acquaintance? Hinata! You have a guest!

(Uwaah)

Why is she here? With the second pancake finished, I turn off the stove before heading towards the front door.

Good afternoon, Rumi-san.

Good afternoon. Is your leg all right?

Yes, it doesnt hurt at all. Theres no problem.

I see, thank goodness.

She breathes a sigh, looking relieved. Dont tell me shes come all the way here just to ask about my injury. This level of scratch would have healed by itself, even if I left it alone.

This is as my apology for yesterday. It isnt much, but please eat it with your family.

Its too much. In the first place, I was the one who hurt myself yesterday

Mm-mm, that was my fault.

I hurt myself out of my own carelessness, but it seems that she thinks of it as her fault.

Thank you very much.

Yup. Sorry for the sudden visit. Then, Ill be on my way.

Ah, please wait a moment. I am making pancakes right now. Would you mind having some?

Rumi flinches at my words.

Pancakes?

Yes, theyre yogurt-flavored banana pancakes.

Now, now, dont be so reserved. Come in and eat some.

Perhaps listening in to our conversation, Mother appears out of nowhere. Although Rumi is still hesitating, Mother succeeds to help her decide.

I-I think Ill have some.

Then, please come in. Its not going to take long.

Sorry for intruding.

She enters while looking somewhat reserved, and I guide her to the living room. Afterwards, I return to the kitchen to finish cooking the rest of the pancakes.

Thank you for waiting

Wow, it smells good.

These are my finest yogurt-flavored banana pancakes.

Ive been waiting!

Mother shrewdly sits next to Rumi. It seems theyve been talking about something which makes me worry that Rumi might have listened to things that she doesnt need to know about from my chatty mother. I place each of their pancake in front of them before taking a seat on an empty chair. Saki is currently out somewhere, so I put her portion inside the oven.

Hm? You forgot to put syrup on Rumi-sans pancake.

Mothers pancake and mine have syrup on them, but not Rumis.

Youre right. Im sorry. Please wait a moment, I will bring the syrup

Ah, its okay, its okay. I dont really like syrup.

Aah, I see. Then its just perfect.

Rumi never likes honey, syrup, and the like, so I intentionally didnt put any syrup for her. Thankfully, no one notices, which makes me secretly feel relieved.

Mm Delicious~

Mother stuffs her cheeks with pancake, looking satisfied as she eats. Hm, making others happy is the most important, after all. I look at Rumi, but she is silently eating while thinking about something.

That was a feast oops. Mom still has some laundry to do. Rumi-san, make yourself at home, okay?

Ah, yes.

Having finished eating, Mother left to dry the laundry. She couldve put away the table, at least oh well.

Your Mom is lovely and cheerful.

Ahahahaha.

I let out a dry laugh. Hearing someone else praise my parent makes me glad. But I wonder why, Im not 100% happy to hear that one.

Your pancake is really delicious.

Im glad to hear that.

Looking at her savor the pancake as she brings another bite to her mouth, I feel relieved. Having someone else enjoy eating the sweets that you make feels rewarding, after all. This is why I cant stop making it.

Im gazing at the sight of Rumi eating the pancake, when she suddenly loosens her expression and smiles.

Fufu, it somehow tastes like the one that my sister used to make.

I like pancakes, so she would make them for me in the past.

As she says that, she finishes eating the last bite.

That was a feast. It was really delicious.

No, it wasnt much.

I will repay you next time.

Its okay.

Really, shes grown into such an upright and earnest person. Theres no doubt that the mature Rumi is idolized by her students at school.

Now that Im here, maybe Ill visit Tsubaki-chans home before I return.

Speaking of which, you said that you were friends with Tsubakis mom, didnt you?

Yup, I did.

Is Tsubakis mom rarely at home?

Thats true. It seems she is busy working, so shes rarely at home.

hmm.

It may be just my misunderstanding, but the air around Tsubaki and her mother seems tense. It worries me, its like they normally avoid each other. Furthermore, Tsubaki acts a bit differently when it comes to her mother.

If she is troubled about it, then I want to be of help but as the third-partysomeone who has just met her recently, without knowing about their circ.u.mstancesa family problem isnt something that I can just stick my head into. While Im pondering what to do, I feel a gentle pat on my shoulder. So I look up, and I see Rumis kind face.

Get along with Tsubaki-chan, okay? That girl is shy around strangers, and gets lonely easily.

Yes.

Thats about the only thing I can do.

Well then, thanks for today. Good bye.

She smiles and waves her hand as she takes her leave. She must be going next door to meet Tsubaki now.

Im sure that instead of me, Rumi is far, far more reliable.

Well I gotta clean this up.

I collect the now empty plates to the kitchen to wash.

After was.h.i.+ng the dishes, I am now relaxing while reading a recipe book, when Mother comes into the living room. She looks fl.u.s.tered while holding the cell phone to her ear. It seems shes in a call.

Hey, Hinata! This is serious!!

Eh, what is it? Whats wrong?

Mothers panicking expression is making me anxious as well.

I think Saki has gotten lost somewhere in town!

Oh dear.

Whats that girl doing? I lose my spirit and get back to reading. While Im skimming through the recipe book to decide on the next confectionery to make, Mother brings up the topic to me again.

What do we do?! Mom doesnt know the way around this town yet.

How about you tell her to ask directions from the pedestrians?

She already did, but she said told me didnt understand.

Then, how about hailing a taxi?

No one stopped for her, she said.

Well, that girl is tiny after all lend me the phone for a moment.

Theres no end to this. I take the cell phone that Mother presents to me.

Where are you right now?

[Im calling because I dont know in the first place.]

Then, are there any buildings that can serve as landmarks?

[Hm Is there anything ah! Theres a cow statue! Pfft, its face is so funny.]

OK, I got it. Its hard to tell you the directions, so Ill get you there.

[Eh, youre coming here?]

Dont move away from there, got it?

[Thankies Hurry and get here, okay?]

Okay, okay.

I hang up the call and return the cell phone to Mother.

Hinata, you know the place?

Yup, Ive been walking around quite a lot ever since I came to this town. I know the gist around that area. Then, Ill be going to fetch Saki.

Thank you~

I close the book that I was reading and place it in the corner. I dont want my sister to get into a bad mood because of waiting too much, so I make haste to where she is.

I already told her. Why did she still move away?

Im now at the unattractive cow statue, but Saki is nowhere to be found.

Geez! I already told her to stay still!! That girl is always like that, acting at her own pace, making me hold my head in worry every time Well, that part of her is cute, too.

First things first, I bring out my cell phone and call Sakis number. The call rings for several times before it finally connects.

Hey, Saki. I told you not to move away.

[hey, I dont have the to]

What are you doing?

[ing now!!]

Eh? Hey, I cant hear you.

Clack! Toot toot

She hung up on me.

I tried calling again, but Im connected to the voicemail service center instead. I wonder if she ran out of battery. However, when the call connected the first time, Saki seems off.

Could it be

I have a bad feeling about this. I start looking for Saki around the area. I have no idea where she would go, so I have no choice but to search randomly. Sheesh, this is getting troublesome.

(At any rate, I gotta find her.)

Itd be good if its all just my bad feeling. Itd be good if nothing happened. I shake off my uneasiness and begin to run.

Weve finally caught up to you.

Haa haa

Were not gonna eat you or something. Were just asking you to have fun with us.

Hes right, we wont do anything to you~

Like I told you, I dont want to.

Saki is being chased by two men, and is now cornered in a back alley. Behind her is a wall thats too tall to jump over, and in front of her are two men laughing frivolously.

Playing tag is over. Come on, lets go have some fun!

I refuse. To start with, youre not my type. Youre annoying, gross, and persistent.

Haah?! Dont you get c.o.c.ky, now.

The man kicks away an empty can nearby to intimidate her. Then the can hits a wall and resounds loudly, before bouncing away somewhere.

Haha, shes frigging scared.c

You just need to listen to what we say, brat.

Shut up, you lolicons.

You! Dont get c.o.c.ky!!

The moment the man reaches his hand to catch Saki, she evades by a hairs breadth. Then, with that opening, she nimbly runs towards the men and gets away from them. Her small stature saves her this time.

Stupid!

Wait right there, you braaaat!!

Angry shouts can be heard from her behind. She is running as fast as she can, but the men are still faster than her. Getting caught is but a matter of time. Furthermore, it is difficult for Saki to shake off pursuit because she is not familiar with the area.

It will be the end of her if she turns into a dead-end again without knowing. The reason she managed to escape earlier was because she took them by surprise, which means that there wont be a second time.

What did I do to deserve this!!

While getting fed up by the trouble thats uncalled for, she keeps running along the alley. Even as she tries to find for a way to escape, the distance between Saki and her pursuers is decreasing gradually.

Just what should I mmph?!

There, a hand suddenly appears and covers her mouth, while the other hand pulls her body. Like one would expect, Saki, who was only putting on a brave front, freezes due to fear.

Mmg!! Mm, mmph!!

Quiet down.

Perhaps because she hears a familiar voice, Saki looks relieved and slightly loosens her tense body.

They press again each other and stifle their breaths. Soon after, they hear the footsteps from two people, and the two men pa.s.s by right before them. It seems the men didnt spot them, so the girls give a sigh of relief at the same time.

What are you doing in this kind of place?

Its not that I wanted to be here.

Shes seriously in a bad mood, as she speaks in a low, trembling voice.

Didnt I tell you stay still where you were?

Those ugly guys approached because I was standing there, you know. Its really the worst.

Saki is cute like me, after all~

Stupid.

Ahaha, Mom is worried, too. Lets go home.

I release Saki from my arm. After confirming that the guys are no longer around just in case, we leave the dim alleyway.

You couldve saved me openly instead of sneaking around like this.

Now look here although I dont look like it, Im just a weak girl, you know? What can I do if I have two guys as my opponent?

Im not a hero of justice.

But Onee-chan, youre doing judo, right?

Dont lump a brawl and judo together. Im not that strong in the first place, I dont have the talent.

You coward~

Say what you like.

Ive gone out of the way to fetch her, but what att.i.tude shes showing me. Our princess is really a handful.

Stupid~ sleepyhead~ lazy b.u.m~ sweets~

Okay, okay.

What do sweets even mean? Does she mean that Im sweet or something?

Siscon.

I guess youre right

Im aware that I dote her, so I cant deny that.

m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t.

No, Im not!

Ill have to raise my voice and deny that one!! I-its not that Im happy to be dissed, scorned, or bullied! Its just that I have a big heart, or that Ive gotten used to endure it anyways! Im not happy about it at all.

After all, Ive been dissed by my childhood friend left and right in the past. But never once did I f-feel pleasant to receive her abusive words! Thats why I dont have that kind of fetish. Yes, Im sure of it.

I think you have the makings of it.

I dont need that kind of talent!

I sigh exaggeratedly, while Saki is grinning while walking next to me. That att.i.tude of hers vexes me, but as long as Saki is safe, I guess it doesnt really matter.

Thank you for coming, Onee-chan.

Sure.

Im Sakis onee-chan after all.

Various things happened, but were finally back here in front of our home.

Ah, its Tsubaki-san.

Saki is looking our neighbors front door, so I end up looking, too. Tsubaki is currently exiting the door.

Hm? I wonder if Im just imagining it, but she looks downcast and somewhat dejected.

Tsubaki-san, good afternoon

Good afternoon.

My sister greets her cheerfully without much thinking, so I follow suit and give my greetings, too.

Ah, Hinatsan and Saki-chan. Good afternoon, did the two of you go out together?

Well, thats pretty much it. Right, Onee-chan?

Ahaha I guess so

Fufu, youre really close.

Tsubaki smiles, as if her depressed face earlier was a lie. Maybe it really was just my imagination.

Tsubaki-san, are you going out somewhere?

Yes, I am thinking of going shopping for dinner.

Oh yeah, please listen. We were caught by these weird guys earlier, it was really troublesome.

Saki has always been popular, after all in various meanings ouch!

Her eyes tell me not to say unnecessary things. On top of it, shes stepping on my foot. It hurts.

That happened? Were you all right?

Yup, Onee-chan punched, kicked, cut them to pieces before throwing them away.

No, I didnt. Your onee-chan didnt do anything of the sort, okay?

I didnt do such a grotesque thing at all.

Putting the joke aside, Tsubaki-san is a beauty, so please be more careful.

Eh um, I understand. Thank you for your concern.

She bows towards us and leaves. After seeing her off, Saki and I return to our home where Mother is waiting.