Episode 144: New Year’s (2)

Bubbles came gurgling up as though the water was saying it hurts, exhaling white steam.

I stared at it blankly.

I was spacing out too much.

I hurried to drop the fresh soba into the pot.

The water, which had been suffering the heat a moment ago, was briefly released from it.

But it began steaming again almost immediately.

The gaze being directed at me from behind was hotter than the water, and it was making this very difficult to concentrate.

Looking at the dining table in the living room, all the preparations had been finished without my noticing — and the girl beside me was watching me with an insufferably proud expression.

“Endo-san, go over there.”
“Why. Can’t I watch?”
“No.”
“Meanie.”

Saying that — I thought she might give up, but she didn’t move a single step.
Lately she had become someone who absolutely refused to do what she was told.

I probably should have told her off here — but she tilted her eyes downward in that melting way and looked at me, and I couldn’t say anything.

If I kept thinking about Endo-san, the soba would go soggy — so I hurried to pour the soba and the boiling water into a colander.

I ran cold water over the soba noodles to remove the starchy coating.
I transferred the noodles, which looked firm and springy, onto a plate.

My hands, soaked by the ice-cold water, had gone as cold as the soba itself.
But this was no time to worry about my hands — so I added green onion and chicken to the dipping sauce and brought it out to the table with the soba.

A little extra soba, plated on a small dish, went to the altar.

When the preparations were done, Endo-san came rushing over and wrapped my cold hands in both of hers.

“Your hands were cold, weren’t they.”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m worried — please stay like this until they’re warm.”
“You’re too overprotective, Endo-san.”

I shook my hands vigorously and freed them from hers. My face grew hot before my hands did, and I was hardly in a state to be listening to Endo-san.

I slipped into a chair and waited for Endo-san to sit across from me.

Seeing her settle into her chair, I brought my hands together.

“Itadakimasu.”

The sound of soba being slurped filled the room. Endo-san had been watching me with a happy expression the whole time, chewing contentedly.

“We’ve done cold soba, then warm soba — so next is cold again?”
“You’re already thinking about next year?”
“It’s already this year.”

I startled and looked at the clock.
I’d been so absorbed in making the soba I hadn’t noticed.

“Happy New Year. Thank you for the year ahead.”
“Why are you suddenly being so formal?!”

It was hard to tell if she was angry or happy.

“Takisawa, Happy New Year. Looking forward to this year too.”
“Yeah.”

I brought the soba to my mouth immediately.
Being able to eat New Year’s soba with Endo-san again this year was what made me happiest of all.

“Oh… Endo-san, let’s eat over there today.”

I moved a small table in front of the altar and shifted the food over. Endo-san’s eyes went so wide watching me that it was funny, and my face softened the same way hers does.

I greeted Endo-san’s mother and father with Happy New Year and settled down onto the floor.

Endo-san bumped her shoulder against mine and sat down beside me.

“Thank you, as always.”
“I haven’t done anything.”
“Mom and Dad must be so happy.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I went back to slurping my soba.
Endo-san quietly slurped away too.

It seemed that soba eaten pressed close together was also delicious.

Our stomachs full, the two of us were taking it easy when Endo-san began moving in a suspicious way.

“What is it?”
“I was thinking…”
“Yeah?”
“I want to meet Takisawa’s mom and dad.”
“What…?”

Endo-san’s unexpected words squeezed at my heart. The soba I’d just eaten felt like it might come back up.

“I don’t really want to introduce you to them.”

I didn’t have strong negative feelings toward my parents now — but the fact was that their actions had hurt me deeply. I could take whatever was directed at me — but the thought of Endo-san being hurt by them was something I couldn’t accept.

“Whenever you feel ready — just think about it.”

Endo-san rested her head on my shoulder with a gentle bump again.

I didn’t know why she’d brought that up. There was surely some reason — but I couldn’t ask.

The leisurely time came to an end, we cleaned up, and with our stomachs still doing small turns, we lay down.

Naturally I’d ended up lying on Endo-san’s bed — which, thinking about it calmly, was quite strange.

“I’ll go back to my room.”
“Won’t we wake up better if we’re together?”

That was probably true.

Or maybe I was just leaning on her words as an excuse to stay here.

Endo-san happily squeezed my hand tight.

She’d been like a dog wagging her tail all day today.
No — lately she was always like that.

I hoped she would always be like that.
I wanted to do my best so Endo-san’s smile never faded.

I squeezed her hand back and closed my eyes.

May Endo-san smile even more brightly this year——.

By the time I’d finished wishing that, I was apparently already in a dream.

We’d slept in the same bed specifically so we could wake up together — and when I woke, it was already bright enough to hear sparrows chirping.

We hadn’t kept the promise to watch the first sunrise — but thanks to that, a new promise was made to try again next year, so maybe sleeping in was the right call.