And so, Saturday came. The time was just before seven in the evening.
The doorbell rang.
Right on time, I thought, a bit impressed as I answered the intercom.
“Yes?”
I already knew who it was, but it felt proper to go through the motions anyway.
“Good evening. It’s me.”
The moment the screen lit up, as expected, Koreda Murasakiko—Yukari—appeared on the monitor.
“If this is some ‘It’s me’ scam, go home.”
“...I’ll get mad, you know.”
“I’ll be right there.”
I ended the call, grabbed my phone and wallet, and opened the front door. Standing there was Yukari, dressed in a white long skirt that suited the spring season perfectly.
“You didn’t get lost?”
“No, I used the map,” she said, waving her phone lightly.
“This is your place, Sakura?”
“There’s nothing worth seeing inside.”
Yukari stretched her neck, trying to peek past my shoulder into the room. I made sure to warn her first. It wasn’t that I had anything to hide—it just really wasn’t interesting.
“So, what’s the plan?” she asked.
She’d come at this hour to watch the late-night drama that would start soon.
“Minase told me to come at seven,” I said.
“And?”
She tilted her head, noticing my vague tone. In response, I raised my index finger and pointed upward. Yukari looked up.
“No, listen—can’t you hear it?”
From above, there was a faint voice—someone doing vocal exercises. If you went inside and stood near the window, it’d be clearer, but from here, you might miss it unless someone pointed it out.
“That’s Minase-san?”
“Yeah.”
Even after quitting the drama club, she hadn’t skipped a single day of voice training. She was probably trying to finish before I arrived. If I went now, I’d just be interrupting.
Just then, the voice stopped.
“Oh, done already?”
I waited a bit, but she didn’t start again.
“Alright then, let’s go.”
I gestured for Yukari to step back, locked my door, and started up the stairs.
“You really live in the same building.”
“Yeah. Directly above me.”
It was just one flight of stairs, so that was the extent of our small talk. When we reached Minase’s door, I pressed the doorbell.
“Welcome—!”
Minase burst out the moment the door opened, almost faster than her voice reached us. Instinctively, I threw a hand forward, and her forehead collided with my palm. So she really was trying to hug me again, huh.
“Jeez, be careful! Don’t just jump out like that. Even I’d check the intercom first.”
“Well, it’s around the time you’d come, so I knew it was you.”
She rubbed her forehead as she said it.
“And what if it was a delivery guy?”
“Then I’d just embarrass myself, that’s all.”
She really had no hesitation.
“Huh? Koreda-san?”
That was when Minase finally noticed Yukari.
“Good evening, Minase-san.”
“Koreda-san, why are you here?”
Yukari, calm as always. Minase, a bit flustered.
“I invited her. It’s fine if one more joins, right?”
“Hmm...”
Minase folded her arms, thinking for a moment. Then she turned toward Yukari with a rare, apologetic look.
“If possible, I’d rather you sit this one out tonight.”
“Why? The more, the merrier, right?”
“I think so too. But tonight’s supposed to be for the ‘We-Quit-Club Alliance.’”
She must have genuinely felt bad about asking Yukari to leave. Her usual bright smile was much softer and more hesitant.
“Is that really something to insist on?”
“It is to me.”
She said it firmly.
...I messed up. From the way Minase usually acted, I’d assumed she wouldn’t mind if Yukari joined without warning. I should’ve asked first. Now, even if Yukari agreed to leave, it’d just kill the mood for the night.
Just as I was about to suggest canceling, Yukari spoke up.
“From what I’ve heard, the only requirement is that you’ve quit some kind of club, right?”
“Pretty much.”
“I used to do BMX as a kid. But I quit.”
“Huh?”
I was the one surprised this time.
“It’s not technically a club, but... does that count?”
“Hmm...”
Minase went silent again, thinking hard. Yukari and I watched her nervously. Finally, her face lit up with a smile.
“Then it’s fine!”
“Seriously!?”
That standard was way too loose.
“It’s more fun with more people, don’t you think?”
“Uh... sure, yeah.”
She gave me a look that basically said “what are you even talking about?” but I just went along with it.
“Come on in, come on in!”
Minase stepped back to let us in.
Yukari and I exchanged glances. There was clearly a question mark hovering over her head. The way Minase first insisted on her rule, only to toss it aside a minute later, would make anyone confused. I felt the same.
“Ah...”
Then I remembered something.
“Yukari, about the BMX thing—”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.”
So she really had quit BMX. That was news to me. I wanted to ask more, but she clearly didn’t want to talk about it here and now.
Fair enough. Not exactly a conversation for a doorstep.
“I’ll get another pair of slippers,” Minase said, placing an extra pair beside the ones already waiting by the door.
She was well-prepared. My place only had one spare pair for guests like my parents. When friends came over, I usually made them go barefoot. Then I realized—I hadn’t actually had anyone over in ages. Probably not since I quit soccer.
I slipped my feet into the slippers that had been there first—they were slightly larger. As expected, she was thorough.
“Excuse us,” Yukari said softly as she stepped in.
“Hey, Minase. Did you get the stuff I asked for?”
When I reached the living room, I asked her.
“Yup, bought everything.”
“Thanks.”
I headed straight for the kitchen.
“Hey, Minase-san, what’s Sakura doing?”
“Making tonjiru.”
I heard their voices from the living room.
Right. I was making pork miso soup. The plan was to try out the “curry and tonjiru combo” we’d talked about before. That’s why I’d asked her to buy the ingredients beforehand.
I’d thought about cooking it at home and bringing it over, but if it spilled on the way, it’d be a disaster. And cleaning up a mountain of spilled soup? No thanks.
So I decided to cook it here instead.
The ingredients were all neatly laid out on the dining table. I checked through them—everything seemed to be there. Even if something minor was missing, it’d still work out as long as the main stuff was there.
On the stove, there was already a large pot. Judging from the smell, that was Minase’s curry, ready and waiting.
“Oh, I’ll make some coffee now,” Minase said, coming over.
“I’ll have mine later.”
“Okay.”
She took out two mugs from the cupboard.
Meanwhile, I started prepping the ingredients. Since there were two girls here, I decided to slice the veggies thinner and smaller—it’d cook faster anyway.
I started with burdock root, then soaked it in water before moving on to the rest. While I worked, Minase brought two mugs of coffee to the living room.
Next, I browned the pork in the pot, added the vegetables, and kept stirring. After that, I poured in the dashi stock—just the store-bought kind Minase had gotten.
“You can actually cook, huh, Sakura?”
Yukari came over, mug in hand, curiosity in her voice.
“Had to learn fast after moving here. This is pretty much the only thing I can make properly. Everything else is guesswork. My knife skills are too bad to show anyone.”
“I heard. You were chopping vegetables with a weird rhythm,” she said, laughing softly.
...Shut up. As long as I don’t cut my fingers, it’s fine.
“That curry’s yours, Minase?”
“Yep.”
I lifted the lid off the other pot. As expected, curry. The spicy aroma immediately filled the kitchen.
“We both happen to be good at curry and tonjiru, so we thought we’d have both together tonight.”
“I see... together, huh,” Yukari murmured thoughtfully.
“Maybe I should make something too.”
“You don’t have to—”
“No, it’d feel wrong to just sit and eat. Minase-san, mind if I make something?”
“Really!? I’d love that!”
Minase’s face lit up with joy.
“Then, I’ll take a look in your fridge,” Yukari said, setting her mug down and opening the refrigerator. She checked inside, then peeked into the vegetable drawer.
“Perfect. I’ll make a Caesar salad.”
“Ooh!”
Minase looked thrilled. Well, if she wanted to cook and Minase wanted to eat, who was I to argue?
“Hey, Sakura, is it true you and Koreda-san are childhood friends?”
Her voice came from the living room. The soup wasn’t boiling yet, so I glanced back. She was sitting on the sofa.
“Yeah.”
“She lived here until fourth grade. We used to hang out a lot back then.”
My dad’s job had made us move away right before fifth grade, and I came back after graduating middle school. That was about five years apart.
“So you two were close even then?”
“We were,” Yukari replied immediately. “We’d hang out all the time, even more than with our same-gender friends.”
“Hey, I didn’t ignore my other friends that much.”
That version of history sounded a bit too skewed. Sure, if someone asked me who my best friend was back then, I’d probably say Yukari—but still.
“Must be tough, Sakura. Being close to Koreda-san probably makes all the guys jealous, right?”
Minase laughed brightly.
Yukari and I looked at each other.
“She really doesn’t realize, huh?”
“She’s always been a bit oblivious to that sort of thing,” Yukari replied with a small smile.
Yeah... I’d already experienced plenty of envy since getting close to Minase, but she herself seemed completely unaware. She never acted cocky or vain about her looks, so maybe she truly was just oblivious.
“So, the BMX thing—that was back when you and Sakura played together?” Minase asked.
I glanced at Yukari. She looked back at me briefly, then answered.
“Yes. But I quit.”
“Something happened?”
“I got injured. Broke a bone. Botched a landing,” she said simply.
That was news to me. Not that it was surprising—until a few days ago, we hadn’t even talked in years. There hadn’t been time to catch up on everything.
Was she really okay now? For her to have quit something she loved that much, it must’ve been a serious injury.
“Don’t worry. I healed completely. I still exercise regularly.”
She must’ve seen the concern on my face, because she smiled reassuringly.
“Koreda-san stands out in P.E. too,” Minase added.
So she was still athletic. At our school, P.E. was separated by gender, so I never actually saw the girls’ class. But I knew Yukari from back then—if she was anything like her younger self, she’d still be top-tier in sports.
Then why quit BMX? The answer came quickly.
“That’s the thing. I could’ve gone back, but my mom asked me not to.”
“Ah.”
I nodded in understanding.
I remembered her mom never being fond of it. Watching your daughter fly through the air on a bike must’ve been terrifying. After a big injury, it was natural she’d want Yukari to stop.
“It’s hard to say no when your mom’s crying and begging you,” she said with a faint smile.
“And you were fine with that?” I asked.
She laughed softly. “I wasn’t as serious about BMX as you were about soccer, Sakura. I was probably the best around here at the time, but I never planned to make it my life. Besides—”
She paused for a moment.
“There wasn’t much motivation left once the boy who used to cheer like a little kid whenever I landed a trick wasn’t there anymore.”
Then she smiled at me.
She was obviously talking about me. Sure, I’d loved watching her do tricks, but I didn’t think I’d been *that* childish about it. Still, maybe that’s how it looked to her.
“I wasn’t like a kid—I actually was a kid,” I muttered, turning back to the pot to hide my face.
The soup was just about to start boiling. Perfect timing to end the topic.
Post a Comment