Volume 4 Chapter 16 Return To The Homeland And Tai Chazuke
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
This morning, just before leaving, Risa-san said, “I have to change my clothes after coming back from the hospital.” She mentioned she plans to go to a holiday party hosted by the Japanese Medical Association tonight.
I guess I have to ask her directly when she gets back.
Just like when she came here, the news about “going home” came out of nowhere. Why doesn’t she tell me anything? I keep hearing about her moving to the U.S. and going back home from others, not from her.
(She’ll probably just say, “Nothing is decided yet” if I ask her in detail.)
Risa-san doesn’t talk about things that aren’t confirmed. She can’t be thinking about going back home alone again, right?
(That could happen…)
Thinking about it just makes me feel down. Since I can’t contact Risa-san while she’s working, I decided to stick to my plan and go buy some groceries.
”I’m back!”
Risa-san comes home earlier than usual.
”Welcome back, Risa-san. I gave the stuff you asked for to Arshi-san.”
”Thanks! Huh? It smells good in here…”
”Want to eat Tai Chazuke?”
”I want to!”
Since I won’t be able to eat much at the party, I prepared something light. When I went to the supermarket, for some reason, the sea bream was super cheap.
I scaled it, filleted it, and then soaked it in a strong mix of dashi powder, soy sauce, and salt, and put it on top of white rice with chopped green onions.
I made a simple dashi broth with salt and diluted dashi powder in a mug and set it next to the marinated sea bream rice bowl. If you pour it over, it becomes Tai Chazuke, which has a refreshing taste.
”…Shuu? Did something happen today?”
Risa-san asks me while sitting across from me, enjoying her meal and I’m sipping coffee from the mug.
”Why?”
”Japanese food is rare here. You always say, ‘Ingredients are too expensive to make Japanese food here,’ right?”
I didn’t mean to say it all the time, but since the same stuff costs about 4 or 5 times more in Japan, I often found myself saying, “Wow, that’s expensive.”
”Did I really say that?”
”Yes, you did!”
Risa-san puts down her spoon and pours the broth over her rice bowl. It turned into Tai Chazuke.
”I thought Risa-san might want to go home soon.”
”…”
Her hand, which was enjoying the Tai Chazuke, stopped.
”Um… about that…”
”Yeah?”
”Shuu has school starting in January, so you have to go back in January, right? I was thinking I’d like to stay here a bit longer.”
”No, I don’t mind if it’s in December. I’ll come back anyway after I graduate.”
She doesn’t get it at all. I only want to stay here because I’m with Risa-san. Finding what I want to do doesn’t really depend on the place; I can do it anywhere.
”I heard from Arshi-san. Risa-san is going back home at the end of the year?”
I wonder why she wants to keep it a secret. Does she not want to go back with me?
”Um, it’s not really going back home… it’s more like… I’m going shopping… I’m not going back to my parents’ house or my old workplace…”
It seems she’s really just going back for a big shopping event at a huge exhibition center.
”What if Shuu also goes back with me!”
Risa-san’s words trailed off. She muttered something like, “Oh no, I can’t tell Shuu,” but I can guess what she was going to say.
”If I go back with you, you might ask me to help with your shopping, not just prepare meals, right?”
”Uh… sorry! That’s exactly it!”
She seems to think it’s not good to drag me into her shopping hobby. That’s so typical of serious Risa-san.
”I don’t mind helping.”
”Really!? No way! Wait, you shouldn’t say that so casually! It’s a battlefield there, and if you go in with half-hearted determination, it’ll be tough!”
I know it’s tough. I experienced it last summer.
”I know it’s tough. But according to the plan, I’m supposed to help with shopping, right?”
”…It’s just a plan! You really don’t have to push yourself, okay?”
Risa-san is being stubborn. Is there something else she’s hiding?
”I’m not pushing myself too hard. I’ll go home with you. Risa-san, you should eat faster and get ready.”
”Ugh, I can’t believe this is happening! Sigh… I don’t care what anyone thinks anymore.”
Giving up on trying to convince me, Risa-san finished the rest of her sea bream rice soup.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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