Volume 23 Chapter 4 (1/2)
Yoshi+no-san had brought a combination of fried chicken and french fries and Rei-sae take-away pizza and two 2 litre drink bottles (oolong tea and orange juice) Ah, plus a coralberry branch It was currently adorning the alcove, in an arrangeold stained
”Yumi-chan, you remembered I'm touched!”
Sayako-oba-sama danced with joy when she spotted the festival food and, overcome with ee (and her actual age was unknown to Yuh it was a bit impolite to think that
”Let's heat theo first?”
”Ah, I'll do it”
They followed Sayako-oba-sa her pizza and Yumi with her festival food
”Oba-saht to use them both at once, we could split it into two lots”
Rei-sama inquired
”If it's alright to use them both at once?”
Sayako-oba-sama looked confused
”Ilike that”
”A breaker … I've never thought about that I use theh”
But that didn't rule out the possibility that other people had noticed and refrained fro the, ”What should we do?” and was answered by Sachiko-sama who appeared in the kitchen behind her
”It'll be fine When you made those massive quantities ofoven, but we still had a proper dinner that night, right? That would have been made with the small oven”
Indeed, that was quite the co piece of evidence
”I suppose so”
Sayako-oba-sama seemed to temporarily accept this, but another question soon popped out of her mouth
”Oh, but then why did we only use one oven last year?”
”Well, that's because,”
This time it was Yumi's turn to answer
”Last year, no-one kneork the big oven”
”Ah, that's right”
But since then, she'd used it to bake mille-feuille, which meant -
”You've ood, I think it'd be great for the large pizza”
Rei-sama quickly opened the oven door and placed the pizza inside Yus inside the small oven too They called it the small oven but that name was just for convenience, as it was a standard family-size oven Probably about the same size as the one the fukuzawa's had at hoh for coh that they could probably roast thole turkeys in there at once
”You should cover thes burst open”
”Okay”
She followed Rei-sama's instructions then switched the oven on As she wasthe calamari and corn into the heatproof dish that Sachiko-salanced to her side and saw Sayako-oba-sae oven she'd been entrusted to operate
”Oba-sa the matter?”
”What should I do, Rei-san? I've only ever used it as an oven”
Although reheating a pizza wasn't totally unrelated to using the oven functionality But Rei-sama didn't knoerful the oven was, so she let Sayako-oba-salass door and when the tile piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pizza Thanks to that, they avoided burning it and ended up with piping hot pizza
Yus exploded, but thanks to the foil sheexploded foods froh to make her want to cry, so this was quite a relief
”Alright, let's eat these while they're hot Ah, before that”
First, she filled their glasses with non-alcoholic chane
”Does everyone have a glass? Well then, a toast!”
”Let's ood year”
They clinked glasses with the person next to thene fizz juood
Frolass onwards it was self-serve and they were free to choose their favorite drink As well as the juice and oolong tea that Rei-sareen tea
So with that, the food that they'd brought was laid out along the tables and the New Year's party began
There was Sayako-oba-sama's homemade potato salad Bite-sized portions were placed on top of slightly bitter leaves (chicory apparently), which served as plates and made it easy to pick up Yumi had often had potato salad at home, but this was somehow different and felt more fancy, like adult's food As an example, she'd describe it as a ”delicacy,” instead of ”tasty”
Sachiko-sama had made ham and cheese sandwiches, and they were exquisite They were cut into single mouthfuls, so obviously not meant to be eaten with a knife and fork, but skewered with toothpicks instead
”It's really good, but don't you think it'd make the flavor pop just a bit more if it had pickles or olives?”
Rei-sama's advice was probably correct but since Sachiko-sas it seemed unlikely that she would follow it It looked like Rei-sama knew this and had intentionally said it anyway
The take-away pizza and fried chicken were the standard fare, but still (no, because of this) quite tasty
The various sweets were set aside for after-ht, so there was plenty of ti
The intercom sounded and Sayako-oba-sama hurriedly left the room
”It's so busy without the house staff around”
”Could it be, perhaps, another guest?”
Yoshi+no-san asked Sachiko-sa if she'd invited anyone else
”Yes, well … perhaps”
Sachiko-sauely and stood up Yuhts of ”what if?”
She thought there was a chance it was Touko-chan Since she knew that Sachiko-sama had invited her to the New Year's party
But would she really come? Yumi didn't know
She didn't even know if she should follow after Sachiko-sama or wait there motionless, despite her impatience
They'd used the interco would it take for the gate to open and for theer?
Even if she stayed still, there should be so that short ti first, which would demand Yumi's attention
But it ended a lot quicker than she expected The bell wasn't rung
Sayako-oba-sa three and four lacquer coated wooden boxes, respectively
”It was the sushi+ store”
To reveal the trick: since the sushi+ was delivered by car, it was ate to the house than it was to walk, and since they'd announced their arrival over the interco outside for them to arrive
Yumi felt conflicted, she was both relieved and disappointed
Looking at her watch, it was 1:30
Touko-chan probably should have arrived by now, if she was feeling inclined to do so
With their stouish at the containers of sushi+ placed in front of them
”I want to eat it, but I don't know if I can”
”It's torture … ”
Just like last year, Yuirizushi+ delivered to theasawara household
”Oh ry We've got plenty of time, so feel free to peck at it as you like”
Sayako-oba-sama said
”But, it's nigirizushi+”
Even though they were in a hard-to-war on for an hour and a half and it had already war the raw sushi+ there and pecking at it seemed ill-advised
”Alright Then how about we play cards, and whenever you lose you have to eat a piece?”
Sayako-oba-sa innocently, since it was already torture But since that would only result in one piece disappearing every game, it didn't seem like it would be all that efficient
”No Why don't we just try and eat the sushi+ for now? If you can't eat it all, we'll put what's left over in the refrigerator We can leave the games until after”
Sachiko-sae the Ogasawara faerator was, they probably couldn't put nine people's untouched sushi+ boxes in there
Even so, it was funny how their chopsticks kept , ”Itadakimasu” It was probably because the sushi+ was h to sti at them
”Onee-sama Um, would you like to swap your sea urchin roe, sal of mine?”
Naturally, she wasn't about to pull the sai-san and reach over into Sachiko-sa
”Huh?”
Sachiko-sama seemed confused, but then she smiled and said, ”Ah”
”Is that because of what Suguru-san did?”
”Yeah … I suppose”
Yu about it But she wasn't thinking about coi-san, she simply wanted to reht
”You really shouldn't pay so uru-san It's not like there's foods I will and won't eat Moreover, it would be somewhat pathetic of me to be coddled by you”
”But”
Your eyes glazed over when you looked at them, onee-sama
”I was thinking I should broaden my diet, just a little Even if I don't like them, I'm not about to say that I can't eat them”
”Hah”
Yu a lifeboat but instead it looked like she'd backed her onee-sa this declaration, she'd cut off her avenue of retreat
Their friends were listening attentively to their conversation, although they weren't joining in The movement of chopsticks had suddenly slowed and the soft twitter of conversation had disappeared
With her chopsticks still on her sea urchin roe sushi+, Yumi pondered what she should do next
”Do you like those?”
Sachiko-sama asked her
”Huh? Yeah”
Since she'd been fine with taking Sachiko-sama's if she hadn't wanted it, obviously she didn't hate it Although there wasn't really any types of sushi+ that Yumi hated
”If you feel like doing so, how about you enjoy it in front of me?”
”Huh?”
That was a rather strange request
”All you want me to do is eat it?”
”Right That's all Give it a go”
”Well then”
She opened her , ”Ahhh,” and took ato act like a , ”Tasty,” but once she started eating she couldn't talk
(Ah … )
The taste of juicy sea urchin roe spread out in hersoy sauce were all undoubtedly redients too She instinctively closed her eyes and enjoyed the exquisite harain she'd been able to experience the taste of the Palace of the Dragon King
”Yumi-chan”
Hearing Rei-sa to her, Yumi opened her eyes as she chewed
”Ah”
Sachiko-sa soy sauce to her sea urchin roe With the air of soe
”Watch your mouth, Yumi”
Just after she said this, Sachiko-saunkan about what brought that warning on she realized that this was a pivotal moment for Sachiko-sa
Sachiko-saht at Yumi's face as she chewed
Then, finally, she sed it down Her eyes darted around lightly
”There's nothing I can't eat”
But she was clearly overdoing it Because Sachiko-sa up
”It's just aaccustomed to it”
Sachiko-sama, who hated to lose, said with finality
”Incredible Oh Sachiko-san, having Yumi-chan's expression as a side-dish with your hated sea urchin roll!”
The silence was shattered by Sayako-oba-sama's exclamation
”Yu it”
”That re lots of rice accorilled eel”
Everyone laughed along and added their own comments
”That's enough froallery Yumi, next up is abalone”
”Ah, okay!”
So, in this way, Sachiko-sa it a bit
Then, with her work done, Sachiko-sa roll in Yuh she'd re this last year
Even though Sachiko-sauru-san Yumi smiled to herself
The gaan just after 3pm
First up was the refined, traditional New Year's game of 100 Poems As she waited, Yumi flexed her wrists
”Living all alone - ”[1]
Sayako-oba-sama read the first part of the poem
(Living all alone … I think the bottom part is, ”Can you realize at all,” so - )
Actually, after her ignominious defeat last year, she'd spent a little bit of ti the 100 poems at home But this was just a thin veneer
However
”Here!”
shi+mako-san picked it up from nearby Since it was on shi+mako-san's side, by the time Yumi had found it it was already too late Sachiko-sa out for it, but she was further away so it looked like she got off to a slow start
”The Mother of Michitsuna That's right, shi+mako-chan”
Sayako-oba-sama confirmed that it was correct and read the top and bottom sections
Living all alone,
Through the hours of the night,
Til the daylight comes:
Can you realize at all
The eht?
Froone to see a ht seems when you're not there”
Hearing Sayako-oba-sanant Her husband, Tooru-oji-sama, was out today The annual tradition was that the men would visit their mistresses