That Saturday in May was an exceptionally refreshing day for a cafe.
Momoko made sweets for the cafe only on weekends before going to work at “Eugene”.
Today’s menu was pound cake and madeleines.
She baked them on the cooking stove placed at the back of the kitchen.
It was the same one used when MAHO-do was a sweets house.
Momoko neatly trimmed the edges of the pound cake and placed it on a cake-dome plate.
While the interior filling changed from day to day, today’s cake had a slightly sweet and sour taste with red raspberries.
When serving to customers, each piece of cake is cut individually and served with whipped cream.
With that done, Momoko opened the door to the cooking stove.
On the baking sheet she pulled out, her specialty madeleines were lined up.
She picked one up and took a bite with a crunch.
“Hmm, the usual taste of mine… But still nowhere near Majomonroe’s taste.”
Muttering so, she gently touched the sparkling earring on her left ear.
It was the earring she had received from Majomonroe a long time ago.
Momoko, who had always wanted to revive Majomonroe’s store, continued to make professional quality sweets at “Eugene”. Meanwhile, at MAHO-do, she cherished the taste of homemade sweets that could be made in a home kitchen - but no matter how much people praised them as “delicious”, Momoko was still not satisfied with the taste she had achieved.
“Mmmmmmm♪.”
In the communal space, Otojiro absentmindedly hummed what seemed to be a jazz tune while diligently wiping the cups on the table that served as a counter.
All of the MAHO-do tableware were bought at the flea markets or donated by others. They were mismatched, but they all exuded a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
What kind of cup will appear today?
This had become popular among the customers.
“I’ll make this side shiny too~~~!”
Hana was polishing the glass of the window leading to the terrace from the inside.
On the terrace, Sang-yoo was wiping the tables.
“There~!”
When she wiped the window glass that had turned white with her breath with a cloth, she could see Doremi, carrying chairs, coming to the terrace.
“Steady now, steady…”
She was carrying a pile of stacked and wobbly chairs, desperately trying to keep them balanced.
At that moment, the chairs at the top slipped forward.
“Whoa!?”
Hana and Doremi shouted simultaneously.
At that moment, Sang-yoo turned around quickly and supported Doremi from the front, holding her and the chairs.
Doremi and Sang-yoo’s faces were extremely close.
“Please be careful, Doremi-chan.”
“Phew, close call!”
Doremi smiled in relief.
However, Hana didn’t miss the fact that Sang-yoo’s ears had turned red.
“Ooh?”
The two of them placed the chairs on the terrace, as if to create a space between them.
“Whew…”
“Thanks a lot~~! If it wasn’t for you, San-chan, I’d be covered in bruises, and I’d be the laughingstock of Kotake tomorrow.”
“Huh?”
Doremi cheerfully arranged the chairs and explained,
“He said he’ll come by tomorrow after training camp ends. I mean, he’s been so busy since being selected for the Japanese national team. But that’s a good thing in itself, and I’m cheering him on, but I still want to see him, you know?”
“I bet.”
“He said he’ll make time somehow. I’m so grateful~~.”
“Hmm… That’ll be nice.”
“But still, I wanna go watch games sometimes…”
In Doremi’s mind, the image of Kotake dashing around the field appeared instantly.
Kotake runs across the pitch like the wind in his Marinos uniform.
Kotake superbly dribbles, toying with the opposing team!
Kotake takes advantage of the opponent’s weakness, steals the ball, and shoots!!
“Uha~~~~.”
Doremi’s eyes sparkled in the shape of hearts, and although bewildered, Sang-yoo asked,
“As a Marinos player, it should be easy to get tickets, right?”
“I could have gone before, but now with the cafe on weekends and school preparations, it’s tough.”
“I see.”
“It’s a day game today, so after the cafe closes, I’ll watch the recorded match and cheer for Kotake!”
Sang-yoo wryly smiled and said,
“Cheering… it won’t change the outcome though~.”
“It’s about the sincerity!”
“Sincerity…?”
“In other words, heartfelt support!”
Seeing Doremi suddenly blush after saying that, Sang-yoo added,
“Is that so?”
And scratched his head listlessly.
Hana’s face, pressed flat against the windowpane - she just couldn’t take her eyes off Doremi and Sang-yoo talking outside.
“Hrmmm…”
Hana tossed her cloth aside and rushed to Otojiro’s side, asking excitedly,
“Hey, hey, hey, Otoji! Could San-chan like Doremi?”
While smiling and wiping the cups, Otojiro replied,
“Well now, Doremi-san may be clumsy, but she’s kind to everyone, a lovely young lady, so I quite fancy her too.”
“That’s not what I mean! Whenever Doremi talks about Kotake, San-chan gets that sulky face. That’s jealousy, right?”
Just then, Momoko brought over a pound cake that was arranged on a cake dome and added,
“Jealousy? Is it jealousy?? Ah! San-chan, are you still mad about that time? Look, the day we were preparing for the cafe opening…”
That day, the rare occasion when Kotake made time to come help prepare for the cafe opening.
The incident happened when they were about to bring in the large table for the communal space.
“Let’s take this one inside.”
When Sang-yoo tried to carry the cardboard box containing the table that was placed in the corner of the terrace, Kotake grabbed the box and held it back.
“Isn’t it better to assemble it here? It’s spacious.”
“If we assemble it, it might not fit inside.”
“It’ll fit.”
“No, if we bump it, it might get scratched.”
“It’ll be fine!”
Both of them were silent, holding the box and trying to pull it towards themselves.
Passing by, Doremi called out,
“What are you guys doing~?”
Startled by the voice, Kotake came to his senses and said,
“Oh, just do whatever you want!”
And he let go of the box.
“Huh!? Ah…”
Still holding the box, Sang-yoo staggered backward.
“Whoa!?”
He reflexively let go of the box, but his hands swiped at the air helplessly, and behind him was the pond of the biotope.
Splash~~!
At the loud sound of water, the MAHO-do residents collectively turned around.
Sang-yoo stood up from the pond, his head covered in water plants and dripping with water.
“Oh dear~~.”
“A fine-looking soaked man… Ah, pardon me.”
At Otojiro’s words, Ryo burst into laughter.
Everyone else couldn’t help but laugh either.
Kotake hastily offered his hand to Sang-yoo, but Sang-yoo ignored it, indignantly got up from the pond, and walked away towards the back door while wiping his head with a towel he had received from Doremi, who had rushed over.
“Pfftahahaha…! I can’t believe that happened!”
“San-chan must have been super embarrassed. So when he hears ‘Kotake’, those memories probably resurface, don’t you think?”
“I see~~~.”
Watching the situation with Lala via the crystal ball, Majorika couldn’t help but mutter.
No matter how old they are, those two are always so carefree~...
Well, that's part of their charm, I'd say.
As if hearing Majorika and Lala’s voices, Ryo, who had her face covered with her bangs and couldn’t be seen, leaned her chin on the back of the sofa and muttered upon waking up.
“Hana-chan, Momo-chan, looking at you both just makes me feel better.”
Momoko and Hana whirled around in surprise.
“That surprised me!”
“Ryo-chan, why not just live in the living room?”
While yawning and brushing up her bangs, Ryo closed her notebook and said,
“Ahaha… this sofa’s so comfy to sleep on. Maybe there’s some kind of magic to make people fall asleep… Need any help with stuff?”
“Nope, we’re good!”
“Everything’s totally ready!”
The communal space was fully cafe-ready.
“Fantastico!”
At Ryo’s fluent foreign word,
“Fantastico?”
“Is that Italian?”
Otojiro explained from the counter,
“It’s Spanish for ‘amazing’!”
“Oooh~~.”
“Oh yeah, I had plans to go out today…”
Ryo, carrying her notebook, casually went upstairs.
Hana watched Ryo’s departing figure and pondered,
“Going out? On organization business? And speaking Spanish too… Maybe she can speak several languages… A hacker secretly active worldwide…”
“That sleepyhead? Really?”
“It’s just an act to avoid being found out… I just know it…”
Hana’s suspicion of “Ryo-san the genius hacker” only deepened.
Doremi, who had placed a flower vase on the table, looked at Sang-yoo and said,
“Okay, we’re done!”
“Yeah.”
At that moment, Momoko appeared with a trash bag from the direction of the entrance.
“Ah, Momo-chan!”
Sang-yoo hurriedly rushed over.
“I’ll take that out!”
“Oh, thank you, San-chan! You’re so kind!”
“What? This is nothing!”
Seeing his happy departure out the gate, Doremi puffed her cheeks and said,
“San-chan’s so overly helpful.”
But she suddenly grinned slyly and added,
“Hmm? Could it be San-chan likes Momo-chan? Pffhehehe…”
...Even Doremi is part of the 'carefree group'...
The crystal ball shows us things we never noticed before, huh.
It's addictive!
Majorika and Lala chuckled mischievously like little pranksters.
“Whoa! I’m running a bit late today!”
As usual, Momoko headed toward “Eugene” through the residential area.
At that moment, a bicycle came from the front.
The one riding it was a young man who seemed to be a foreign tourist, carrying a backpack.
With his tan skin and green eyes, and jet-black wavy hair peeking out from under his helmet.
The instant they passed each other,
“Hmm!?”
The young man abruptly stopped the bicycle and looked back, but having already turned the corner, Momoko was out of sight.
“……”
The young man turned his bicycle around and pedaled after where Momoko had gone.
As Momoko briskly walked on, a bicycle rapidly approached from behind.
“Bonjour! Mademoiselle!!”
Saying so, the young man stopped the bicycle right in front of her.
“Huh!?”
Seeing Momoko’s face, the young man immediately reacted,
“I knew it! Kabayaki canned food!!”
“Ka-Kabayaki!?”
Momoko saw the young man’s clear green eyes as he smiled, and at that moment, she remembered who he was.
“Ah, from Paris…!”
It was back when Momoko still attended the confectionery school in Paris.
That day, she reunited with Hazuki after a while and happily chatted over lunch, but Hazuki had to leave for student lessons that evening, so they parted ways.
On her way home, Momoko stopped by a supermarket she happened to spot. While feeling unfamiliar in the department, she was shopping.
Pushing her cart, she tried to recall what was in the refrigerator.
“I bought a lot of tomatoes the day before yesterday. If I make a salad with them and add oil sardines… it will be delicious!”
As she was looking for oil sardines on the canned food shelf, she noticed a can of sanma kabayaki (grilled eel) on the top shelf.
“Huh? The label says ‘kabayaki’. That’s a Japanese product…”
She didn’t particularly like them, but remembering what Hazuki once said,
Yada-kun, you like tamagoyaki with canned kabayaki, right?
Momoko wondered,
“Would Hazuki-chan like this?”
She reached for the can, but it was just out of reach.
As she was desperately stretching, a long, big hand suddenly reached out from behind her and took the can.
Thanking the store clerk who handed her the can, Momoko was impressed by the man with striking green eyes,
“Merci!”
He responded,
“You’re welcome!”
“Huh!? You can speak Japanese?”
The store clerk smiled shyly and replied,
“Just a little.”
“Cooool, amazing, amazing!!”
“Japan’s the amazing one! The land full of gods and goddesses! Everything’s got its god, including canned kabayaki!!”
“Ehh~~!?”
Momoko impulsively took the young man’s hand and said,
“Store clerk of the ‘land full of gods’!”
“That’s right! I’ve finally made it to the god-packed land of Japan!”
“Welcome… um…”
“I’m Henri Dubois.”
“I’m Asuka Momoko.”
They formally shook hands again with smiles.
By the time Momoko finished her work at ‘Eugene’ and returned, Cafe MAHO-do was already closed, with a ‘CLOSE’ sign hanging on the gate.
In the communal space at the large table, Doremi and Hana were cutting apples for dessert.
“Let’s carve this apple into the shape of a rabbit!”
“Hana-chan you nut! It’s the same thing if you eat it! Itadakima~~su!”
As Doremi tried to eat the apple with a fork,
“Doremi that’s cheating! Didn’t you say we’d eat it while watching Kotake’s game recordings!?”
“But Hana-chan, you’re playing around.”
Then Momoko entered the room.
“I’m baaack.”
“Welcome baaack! Wanna share some rabbit apple?”
“Sure. How’s Onpu-chan?”
“She said she’ll be in Fukuoka until next week.”
“Ah right.”
While eating the apples, Momoko quickly shared the story about Henri.
“Full of gods!?”
Doremi and Hana stopped reaching for the apple and looked at Momoko.
“Yeah. That’s what he said when we first met…”
Momoko smiled as she recalled that day.
Henri, who loved Japan so much that he could hardly stand it, passionately told Momoko how he felt.
“Japan doesn’t have just one god. There are gods of the sky, wind, trees, animals, food… I heard there are gods in all sorts of things.”
In that moment, Momoko remembered what Baaya had taught her when she was in elementary school at Hazuki’s house.
Since ancient times, Japanese people have believed that gods reside in all things in this world. Gods of the sun and moon, animals and plants, even small pebbles... Even every single grain of the rice you're eating now, Momo-chan. So while you eat, you thank the god of rice and the farmers who grew it and the people who cooked it for you, and eat every last grain without wasting any.
“Oh, I see…!”
“Right!? So there must be a god in the canned kabayaki too!!”
“Ah~~, I think Baaya-san told me something like that…”
“There are even gods in the toilet! Oh, is there a god in this apple too? And the fork and knife!? There really are ‘full of gods’! Amazing~.”
“We usually forget all about that stuff, huh?”
“Foreigners might know more about Japan than we do… But he didn’t even know your name, right? How nice that he found you, Momo-chan.”
“You think he used magic or something?”
“No way… Oh! Was it guidance from the god of love?”
Hana’s eyes turned into hearts.
“Love!”
“That’s not it!”
Momoko took out a magazine.
“I heard he saw this magazine at the airport.”
When she turned the pages, there was a feature on sweets that included a page introducing “Eugene”.
Momoko was also shown in a small photo next to the owner-chef, Mr. Ikoma.
“Oh, that interview from the other day.”
“So, he came all the way to Misora Town thinking maybe it was you.”
“Wow~~! He must have really wanted to meet Momo-chan!”
“It must be the god of love after all~~~.”
“That’s not it! He just wanted to meet someone he knew from Japan!”
“And tomorrow you’re going to Tokyo together, right?”
“Yeah. Ikoma-san gave me the day off. ‘Isn’t it more fun to be together than alone?’ he said.”
Hana and Doremi exchanged mischievous glances.
“Ikoma-san is the god of love. It’s a premonition of love~~!”
“Congratulations, Momo-chan!”
They nudged Momoko playfully.
“What are you saying~~! More importantly, Doremi-chan, aren’t you going to watch Kotake-kun’s game?”
“Oh! That’s right!!”
She rushed to the front of the TV and grabbed the remote for the recorder.
“Today’s result of Marinos is…”
Doremi covered her ears.
“Nooo! %&#@*!!”
Meanwhile, an oblivious Momoko said,
“Where are we going tomorrow? He said there were places he wanted to go, but what kind of places could they be… Hehe, I’m looking forward to it!”
She happily munched on the apple.
Lala, looks like Momoko's going on a date.
How nice. Since Momoko came back to Japan she's done nothing but study sweets, she never goes out to have fun.
We're excited too!
The next morning, Momoko woke up a little earlier than usual and prepared the sweets.
When Cafe MAHO-do was ready, Momoko came down the stairs in jeans. She pulled Doremi’s arm as she was folding paper napkins in the kitchen.
“Doremi-chan, come here, come here!”
“Huh? What?”
Going to the kitchen, Momoko opened the refrigerator.
“When Kotake-kun comes, you two can eat this together.”
She took out a crème brûlée that she had made in a large ramekin dish.
There was a heart-shaped chocolate on top of the whipped cream.
Doremi hugged Momoko tightly.
“Kyaaa! Momo-chan, I love you!!”
“Fufu… share nicely with him, okay?”
Before she realized it, Hana was standing there, eyes sparkling as she gazed at the crème brûlée.
“No matter how much you aim at it, you can’t have it!”
“Doremi gets to have all the good stuff~~!”
Then Momoko took out a small crème brûlée with a flower-shaped chocolate on top.
“This one’s for you, Hana-chan.”
“Yaaay! Momoko, I love you so much!”
“Ahahaha… Ufufu…”
Laughter echoed in the kitchen with the three of them.
Then Momoko cheerfully headed out.
“See you later~~!”
Henri took Momoko to Shibuya.
The Scramble Crossing was as lively as ever.
What's so great about this crowded, chaotic place? I don't get it.
I wonder why? Are humans scared to be alone? So they gather in bright, flashy places?
If so, then they're like moths flocking to a fluorescent light.
All living creatures need companionship.
“Wow… There really are so many people.”
“Because it’s Sunday.”
“The train was crazy too!”
“You’d never see anything like this in Paris.”
“That’s why it’s so interesting!”
“Huh!? Interesting?”
“And there are signs everywhere, huge TVs attached to buildings… It’s like I’ve come to a city of the future!”
“I see… I never thought of it that way.”
Momoko suddenly recalled something.
The first time she went to Paris, the narrow alleys where tourists didn’t come were very quiet and lonely.
It was a silence she hadn’t felt much even in New York.
Maybe it was just because she felt lonely being in an unfamiliar city in an unfamiliar country.
Anyway, for a foreigner from a city that cherishes its views from ancient times, Tokyo might be a mysterious place.
“Hm?”
Henri abruptly stopped and started waving his smartphone around.
His map app had stopped working due to signal loss.
“No connection.”
“Oh, Japan doesn’t have much free Wi-Fi.”
Momoko handed him her smartphone.
“Thank you, Momoko.”
Momoko, who had been walking with Henri, found herself walking through narrow, quiet residential alleys that didn’t feel like the city at all.
“Where are we going? There’s nothing but houses here…”
“A place with a powerful god.”
“Powerful god!?”
Suddenly, Henri stopped.
“Ah, here it is.”
“Huh?”
In front of them was an old-fashioned gate, much like the current MAHO-do, but still, just an ordinary house.
”??”
“Hellooo.”
When Henri opened the door with a clatter, a spacious wooden-floored hallway appeared before them, and in front of them was a folding screen with a dragon staring at them with a piercing gaze.
“Wow! It’s just like a samurai’s house!”
The moment she said that, Momoko remembered the house of Okajima Kotaro, who was a classmate at Misora Elementary School.
Okajima’s house, where his grandfather was a kendo instructor, was in the style of a samurai residence, and there was a dojo in the garden. Momoko had once learned kendo with Aiko and Yada at that dojo in order to confront a dojo challenger.
Then, the fusuma (sliding door) in front of them opened without a sound,
“Oh, another reckless youngster has arrived today.”
A dignified old man with long white hair and a long beard, wearing a ninja outfit with a splendid jinbaori (samurai surcoat) over it, appeared leisurely.
“I am Kandori Shinzo!”
Henri exclaimed with a suppressed voice,
“God~~~~!!”
“Wow! A ninja!? A real one?”
“Indeed! I am the 20th generation head of the Kyokusei-ryu ninja clan. From now on, the two of you will undergo training as ninja. Work hard!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Not just ‘yes’, say it with spirit! Hai!”
“Hai!”
Trying their best not to laugh after responding so forcefully, Momoko and Henri barely kept straight faces.
The first place they were taken after changing into ninja costumes was the shuriken dojo.
Shurikens flew out of Kandori’s hand one after another, knocking down the mannequins lined up in front of him from right to left in no time.
“Wow!!”
Momo and Henri couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
“After mastering the ninja arts for 70 years, this much is child’s play.”
Kandori declared nonchalantly.
Unable to resist, Momoko and Henri simultaneously shouted,
“God~~~~~!!”
“Now then, it’s your turn!”
“Hai!”
Henri carefully took aim.
The thrown shuriken,
Whoosh!
Toppled the mannequin neatly.
“Henri, great job~~!”
“Now it’s your turn, Momoko!”
“Okay!”
Momoko also closed one eye and took aim seriously… and threw!
But it fell short.
“Oh no~~!”
“Don’t give up, Momoko!”
“Here I go~~!”
But no matter how many she threw, she just barely missed.
“It’s so hard~~~!”
Henri supported Momoko’s arm from behind and said,
“Look, like this… tighten your grip…”
He adjusted her aim.
“Look straight at the target… and throw!”
“Hiyah!”
The shuriken flew with a sharp shuri-shuri sound and knocked down the mannequin with a thwap!
“Yaay! I hit it!”
“Wow~!”
They high-fived and hugged each other.
Watching with approval, Kandori said,
“Well, next!”
Kandori ran down a narrow corridor, with his white hair flowing behind him.
Momoko and Henri chased after him with ninja-like strides.
As soon as they turned the corner, Kandori disappeared from sight.
“Huh!?”
“He vanished!!”
In the next moment, a section of the wall in front of them rotated to reveal Kandori.
“Ahh!?”
As Momoko stumbled from the surprise, Henri quickly caught her.
“Ninjas are really like gods~~!”
Isn't Henri's use of the word "god" a bit off?
God-like, maybe?
Yeah, like "amazing" or something... right?
“Next is swordsmanship!”
The sword drawn by Kandori glimmered brightly, and before you know it, it sliced through the straw bales set up diagonally in front of him with a swish, swish, swish sound.
Momoko and Henri, who saw the straw bales being cut up one after another, were so excited that they clapped their hands vigorously and shouted simultaneously,
“This truly is…!”
“God~~~~~!!”
“Hm… Slicing up such worthless things again…”
”?”
Seeing their dumbfounded faces, he cleared his throat loudly and declared,
“Now, it’s your turn!!”
He handed them swords made of newspaper.
“Wow!”
Watching Momoko and Henri face each other with their swords at the ready, Kandori asked,
“Do you both know how to use a sword?”
“Hai!!”
Answering at the same time, the two of them inadvertently looked at each other,
“Oh, really!?”
And they shouted again at the same time.
“I see! Then, fight to your heart’s content!”
“Hai!”
“Yah!”
When Momoko swung her newspaper sword from the front, Henri quickly dodged it.
“Not bad, Henri!”
“Opening here!”
The moment Henri swung his sword from below, Momoko jumped away.
“Take that!”
Without missing a beat, she attacked again.
“Yah!”
“Haa!”
The two of them heated up, engrossed in their sword fight.
Bam!
Taking Momoko’s blow, Henri…
“Ugh…”
Collapsed where he stood, curling over.
“Henri! Are you okay!? Henri!!”
Momoko rushed worriedly to him and frantically shook him. Then…
“Kukukuku… Ahahaha…”
He laughed uncontrollably as he turned over on his back.
“Ah! Mo~~o!!”
While Momoko playfully hit Henri with the newspaper sword, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter herself.
Watching this, Kandori nodded in satisfaction.
“Truly profound… both the ways of the ninja and love.”
After returning to Japan and coming back to MAHO-do, Momoko was always surrounded by people and there was constant laughter.
But leaving her familiar place and laughing with someone different felt like something she hadn’t done in a while.
Looks like these two are hitting it off, huh?
Yeah, yeah! It's not Hana, but could it be... the god of love has arrived!?
Uhoho... Hm? Where to next?
Momoko and Henri were walking through a slightly old-fashioned arcade shopping street.
“Being a ninja was fun! I should tell Doremi-chan and the others about it too.”
“Your friends you live with?”
“Yeah. It would have been nice if you could have come to my place yesterday.”
“I see. But I had other business yesterday.”
At that moment, Momoko’s stomach let out a growl.
“All that ninja stuff made me hungry!”
“Well then, it’s perfect! Look over there!”
Henri pointed to a sign for “Soba Noodles”.
“Is that… a soba noodle restaurant?”
Momoko’s eyes sparkled.
The soba chef swiftly kneaded the soba dough and stretched it with a rolling pin.
Watching with Momoko, Henri sighed deeply and muttered,
“God…!”
“I know…”
Thinking she was just observing, Momoko suddenly found herself with a headband wrapped around her head, earnestly stretching the soba dough with a rolling pin.
“That’s it, just like that…”
Next to her, Henri was also skillfully stretching the dough.
“If you put your heart into making it, the god of soba will surely make it taste delicious!”
“Yeah…”
However, Momoko, who had reached the limit of her hunger, was silently screaming in her mind.
More importantly, the god of soba, please let me eat soba right now!
The soba chef used a large noodle knife to cut the folded soba dough into even pieces.
Momoko and Henri tried desperately to imitate him by cutting their own soba dough.
Momoko was nervous about using the unfamiliar noodle knife, but she cut the dough evenly.
However, Henri’s cuts were not even at all.
“That’s strange… I’m trying my best to cut evenly.”
“If the knife isn’t straight up and down, it’ll be off.”
“Really!? I’ll do my best not to anger the god of soba!”
“Take it slow, you can do it!”
The soba that the two of them had worked hard to make was boiled by the chef’s hands.
After a while, a shiny bowl of zaru soba was placed in front of them who were lying face down on the table, exhausted.
Deep-fried shrimp and vegetable tempura were also served.
They both immediately sat up and quickly grabbed their chopsticks.
“Itadakima~~su!”
“Bon appétit!”
Henri skillfully picked up the soba with chopsticks and remarked,
“You don’t get the full flavor of soba unless you slurp it loudly, do you?”
“Eh! Really!!”
Slurp, slurp, slurp~~~~~!!
They both noisily slurped up the noodles.
The taste was nothing short of a divine experience for both of them.
“God~~~~!!”
Then the two of them moved again, this time entering a fan store.
There, they could have their names written on folding fans using Edo-style calligraphy.
Momoko chose a yellow fan like rapeseed flowers, while Henri picked a bright green fan. They wrote their names on them.
“Kanji characters are truly divine♪!”
Looking at the characters “飛鳥” (Asuka) that Momoko was writing, Henri said,
“Momoko, your name looks cool in kanji!”
“Yeah. But it’s hard to write~. The balance of the strokes and dots is difficult.”
Momoko remembered when she was in elementary school and struggled to write the character “飛”, seeking help from Doremi and others.
Henri wrote “森杏李” (Mori Anri).
“Yours is nice too, Henri. Since Dubois means ‘of the forest’, ‘Forest Apricot Plum’ suits you.”
“That’s right. Anri means apricot and plum, they’re both fruits like Momoko (peach).”
“You’re totally right~~!”
Their cheerful laughter echoed through the store.
Hey, Lala. Why do humans always want to climb to high places?
Hmmm, maybe because they can't fly in the sky?
Henri and Momoko were looking at the view spread out in front of them from the observation deck of the Tokyo Skytree.
“Wow~~~.”
Anyway, Tokyo is a place packed with so many things that it’s suffocating.
Even so, Momoko and Henri noticed the green forests, gently flowing rivers, and distant mountains, realizing that only then could they truly catch their breath.
“Look, Tokyo Tower!”
When Momoko spotted the tall, red-and-white beautiful tower standing in the midst of the city, she pulled Henri towards the window.
“Wow~~! Tokyo Tower is truly divine.”
“Yeah, but the Eiffel Tower in Paris is wonderful too.”
“The Eiffel Tower was built as a symbol for the Paris Exposition, and it doesn’t have a specific function. But Tokyo Tower has served as a radio tower for over 50 years.”
“Really!?”
“Plus, Tokyo Tower is taller than the Eiffel Tower.”
“Is that so?”
“When they decided to build Tokyo Tower, they chose to make it taller than the Eiffel Tower.”
“Wow~~! You sure know a lot about Japan, Henri. When I first came to Japan from New York, there was so much I didn’t understand and it was really hard. But at school there were so many wonderful friends and teachers who helped me… It was really fun.”
“Having friends is so important.”
After descending from the Tokyo Skytree, the two of them were drawn to the charm of the downtown area, wandering through various narrow alleys.
At the entrance of an old wooden house, potted plants were placed, and a pet dog lazily observed Momoko and Henri.
A cat that was on the fence jumped down lightly and disappeared, as if it was suspicious of them.
There were also elderly people walking with shopping carts, perhaps going shopping for dinner.
“So this is downtown Tokyo.”
“It feels like you could keep walking forever, doesn’t it?”
At that moment, a sweet and fragrant smell wafted around them.
The two of them inadvertently looked at each other and, lured by the smell, they went into an even narrower alley.
Then, in the corner of the alley, there was a small store, and inside, an old woman was grilling something on a griddle.
On the curtain hanging in front of the store, it was written “MAHO-dora”.
“MAHO-do…ra!?”
They quietly passed through the curtain.
“Hello~!”
The old woman was cooking what looked like small pancakes on a griddle.
Noticing them, she smiled a warm and friendly smile, even though her face was wrinkled, and deftly flipped the round batter that had started to bubble on the griddle.
“Oh, is this…!”
“Dorayaki! It’s the first time I’ve seen the real thing!”
“Fufufu… Magically delicious ‘MAHO-dora’. Have a freshly baked one.”
Saying so, she generously piled sweet red bean paste onto the freshly baked skin, sandwiched it with another layer, and handed each of them a freshly made dorayaki in a small paper bag.
“Please, help yourself.”
“Thank you!”
They simultaneously expressed their gratitude, sat down on nearby chairs, and said,
“Itadakima~su.”
As Henri took a bite of the warm dorayaki, he savored it slowly and mumbled,
“Wow, I thought dorayaki was something like a pancake, but it’s completely different! It’s moist and chewy… and the red bean paste isn’t too sweet, unlike the canned food at the supermarket. It’s kind of fluffy like a sweet potato… it’s just divine~~!!”
“Words like ‘moist and chewy’, that’s impressive Japanese. Do you know it?”
“I often see food reviews on the Internet. But being able to eat it for real is truly a blessing! Try yours, Momoko.”
“Okay!”
She gently nibbled her dorayaki.
“Mmm… it’s sweet and warm… it’s just like…”
At that moment, an image of Majomonroe popped into her head.
“It’s like when I eat Majomonroe’s madeleine…”
“Huh?”
“Oh, nothing!”
But somehow, Momoko felt restless.
The old woman began to cook the skin on the griddle again.
She poured the batter onto the griddle with a ladle and made beautiful round skins.
“Wow… all the same size!”
“Beautiful circles!”
When the old woman flipped the skin that had started to bubble, it was baked to a beautiful golden brown color.
“Wow~♪.”
The old woman smiled mischievously and asked,
“Wanna give it a try?”
“Yeah, yeah~~!”
“You scoop batter with this ladle, right?”
“Uh-huh. This ladle is called a Dorashaji.”
“A Dorashaji!”
“Is it a spoon for scooping dorayaki?”
“Exactly.”
Momoko dropped the batter onto the griddle with the ladle.
The batter spread out into a beautiful round shape.
“All right, my turn!”
However, Henri’s batter fell onto the griddle in a mess, forming a strange shape.
“Ahhhhh.”
“Ahaha! It looks like the ‘cloudy’ mark on the weather forecast.”
“It really does!”
When Henri said this somewhat embarrassedly,
“Fufufu… Well, let’s make another ‘cloudy’ then.”
The old woman chuckled and shook her small shoulders.
“Ehehe…”
When the skin was done baking, the old woman placed a generous amount of well-cooked, shiny red bean paste on it and sandwiched it together.
Slowly savoring the flavor, Momoko thought, “It’s really like Majomonroe’s…”
Why does it feel so similar…
Looking around the store, the walls and ceiling were etched with the passage of many years.
But everywhere was polished and meticulously cleaned, not a speck of dust.
And then, the gentle smile of the old woman.
Then, Henri, who was nibbling here and there on the cloud-like dorayaki to keep the red bean paste from spilling out, exclaimed,
“This is… a reward from gods!”
“Huh?”
“Gods reward people who cherish what they’re given!”
“…!”
Henri began to speak French in order to properly convey his thoughts to Momoko.
“I think I had it wrong,” Henri realized.
“About what?”
“It’s not that there are gods because it’s Japan. Gods exist everywhere. And they reward those who cherish what gods have given them.”
“Oh…”
Momoko unintentionally glanced at the old woman smiling happily behind the griddle.
“There are plenty of gods in Paris too! I think there are many people who receive rewards without even realizing it!”
Henri pictured the people from his hometown.
Those focused on their sewing needles.
Those pulling fresh bread from fiery ovens.
Those tending grape vines in the fields, wiping sweat from their brows.
Various images of people appeared in his mind, one after another.
“People who value their work are unknowingly valued by God, and the more earnestly they work, the more they will be rewarded, don’t you think?”
“You’re so right!!”
In that instant, the old woman in front of Momoko overlapped with the image of Majomonroe.
Majomonroe had been making sweets at MAHO-do in New York for hundreds of years.
Momoko realized that even the taste of those madeleines was a flavor received from god over a long period of time.
So, I just have to keep working hard to develop my own flavor without rushing!
She shouted this in her heart and hugged Henri.
“Henri! Henri! You’re the best!!”
Henri was taken aback, but he said,
“It’s thanks to you that I realized it! You’re the best, Momoko!”
And he hugged Momoko tightly.
The old woman watched them with narrowed eyes.
Under the evening sky tinted with sunset colors, Momoko and Henri were on a cruise ship sailing on the Sumida River.
“Ahhh, I can’t believe we’re saying goodbye tomorrow!”
“Next time, I’ll go visit you in Paris! There’s still a lot I want to learn about sweets.”
“Yeah! Contact me when you do. Oh! That reminds me!!”
Rummaging in his backpack, Henri pulled out a small crumpled paper bag.
“Here!”
“For me?”
Opening the paper bag, she saw a strap with a small glass bead attached to it.
When she held it up to the glow of the sunset, the glass bead, which was originally bright red, slowly changed color to yellow, green, and purple, emitting an almost magical radiance.
“Wow, so pretty~~! It looks like colors are swirling inside!!”
Henri also took out his own glass bead and lined them up side by side.
“I went to make these yesterday. It’s a small glass workshop, and the owner there is just…”
“God~~~~~!!”
Henri quickly captured that moment with his smartphone.
The two smiling faces were now stored in the smartphone.
Momoko returned to MAHO-do the next day after seeing Henri off to a nearby hostel as he was leaving for Paris on an early morning flight.
It seems like Momoko's encounter with Henri was meaningful in many ways.
Hope they can meet again someday, those two.
“I’m back~~~!”
As soon as Momoko opened the door, Doremi came running at an incredible speed.
“Oh, Doremi-chan! Kotake said he’s coming…”
However, Doremi rushed out without stopping.
“Huh? What is it?? What’s wrong!?”
Unsure of what was happening, she headed to the communal space.
“It’s definitely Kotake’s fault!”
Hana spoke, glaring at the crème brûlée left on the table.
The heart-shaped chocolate was split in half.
“Huh…?”
“Kotake suddenly sent a message saying he couldn’t come!”
Otojiro, who was sitting on the sofa with Sang-yoo, also looked sad and said,
“She was really looking forward to it, you know…”
On the sofa, Sang-yoo’s lips were tightly pursed into a straight line, and he clenched his fists on his knees in anger.
Two hours passed without Doremi returning.
“Is Doremi-chan okay?”
Suddenly, Sang-yoo stood up, came to the large table, and promptly threw the broken piece of chocolate into his mouth, crunching it.
“San-chan!”
Worried, Hana and Momoko looked at him, and Sang-yoo grabbed his helmet.
“It’s late and dangerous, but I’m going to search for her!”
He rushed out of the entrance.
Momoko, Hana, and Otojiro watched him leave with concerned expressions.
Meanwhile, Doremi was sitting on the embankment under a bridge near MAHO-do, throwing stones into the river.
“I know it’s an important period for him. Gotta be patient and all. But not meeting for a whole month, and with just one message saying ‘can’t make it’, it’s too harsh.”
The stone she threw made a splash as it sank.
Searching around for more stones to throw, she couldn’t find any.
“I ran out of things to throw…”
Glancing around the empty surroundings, the dim streetlamps somehow seemed creepy.
“Oh no. It feels creepy here~~. But, after suddenly coming out like that… it’ll be awkward to go back home…”
Meanwhile, at the same time, Kotake rushed through the ticket gate at Misora Station, panting for breath.
Checking his smartphone, the chat remained unread.
“…Damn it!”
He tried calling, but only the ringtone echoed.
“Oh my!? Doremi-chan ran away from home!!”
“Yeah. Well, San-chan is out looking for her.”
When Ryo, who had been out, returned, Hana quickly informed her about Kotake.
Momoko, still not sipping the cup of café mocha that Otojiro had handed her, kept glancing at the clock instead.
No one noticed Doremi’s smartphone, stuck in the gap of the sofa’s armrest, was vibrating in silent mode.
Sitting on the embankment, Doremi suddenly shivered and sneezed.
“Achoo!”
At that moment, a jacket was gently draped over her from behind.
“Huh!?”
Turning around, she found Sang-yoo standing there with an angry expression.
“S-San-chan…”
She stood up involuntarily, tears starting to flow for some reason.
“Pabo (idiot)…”
Sang-yoo hugged Doremi tightly.
“Doremi…”
Kotake watched this from the bridge above.
Perhaps, spring isn't something that lasts forever after all, huh?
Ohhhh how I hate couple misunderstandings, it’s so frustrating, specially when there’s a third party involved. I think (and hope) that the development Doremi and Kotake have been through for the last 9 volumes won’t go to waste, if they do, I’ll be so freaking mad. Maybe it’s the change of writer, the last one didn’t attempt to attach a rivalry of some sorts between Kotake and another character for Doremi’s heart (idk if we should count Akatsuki cuz I never felt like Kotake saw him as a threat). I just hope everything goes well, it’s unfortunate that we do not have enough info online about the novels to actually check that out. Keep up with the translations! I’m really thankful for them!
Click here to leave comments on GitLab.