part1 c10 (1/2)

Chapter 10 : BBQ[edit]

“They’re coming! Welcome to the fascinating place for buddies!!”

Under the shadows of the trees, the dark and thick smoke induced from the BBQ rose in spirals, covering the area.

Hisakawa was holding a circular fan, and his head was wrapped with a towel. Anjo and Tsurumi had already come. It was an ardous mystery of why we could gather so easily. Do they really have no friends at all? I couldn’t help unnecessarily worrying for them.

“Heheh, I’ve prepared the grill! A man lent it to me at my workplace!”

“Food? I only brought some German sausages…”

“I brought candles.”

“Heh?”

“Candles.”

Tsurumi brought a shopping bag in front. It was a heavy bag, and as she had said, it was filled with fragant candles.

“Aren’t we calling upon Menma? These props used in spiritual stories should be essential.”

“Ah. Oh…Then, where’s the food for BBQ?”

“I don’t really eat in the night. Don’t care for me.”

She was overly having her own way in doing things. Nevertheless, this was Tsurumi, she was like this before, but it didn’t seem this serious back then?

“Hey. Tsuruko-san only cares for herself. Oh but willful woman are of my liking!”

“What an idiot.”

“Ah. Because I thought everyone would bring food, and I was afraid I would buy repeated things, so…”

Seemed a bit embarra.s.sed, Anjo opened the plastic bag she was holding on. Inside the bag was a cheap set of fireworks.

“Uh. What do you want to do with this?”

“Playing with fireworks? We aren’t children anymore.”

“What?!”

“Calm down, calm down, calm down! Everyone, settle down. We can stuff ourselves full with this!”

Having that said, Hisakwa opened the lid next to the grill. Inside was some bubbling, slimy liquid.

“This is called Kiru. It’s a sweet congee made of milk and rice!”

With her eyes gleaming, Menma looked at the liquid, speaking in astonishment, “Wa! It looks like vomit!”

“Don’t say such things that will spoil our appet.i.te.”

I carelessly continued what Menma had said. With a “uh?”, Anjo looked at me surprisedly. And I quickly evaded her eyes in panic.

“All in all, this couldn’t be counted as a barbecue.”

“Should I make this into a teppanyaki[1]?”

“I’m good with just German sausages.”

Consequently, the ‘Menma Finding Meeting’ started at last.

Anjo was cutting the sausages.

Tsurumi was randomly placing candles between trees. And Hisakawa was regulating the fire of the oven.

We didn’t even speak, except for the ‘how are you doing’ shouts by Hisakawa from time to time. Nevertheless, out of my expectation, there was some kind of noiseness.

That was because of Menma.

Just then, Menma was going from here to there between people, asking ‘the sausages had to be cut to little crabs!’, or ‘Poppo, the fire is huge! It’s a big poppo, big poppo[2]!!”

This noisiness covered the sense of disharmony among us who hadn’t worked together for ages.

It was a bit forced, lonely noisiness.

For the only one to hear this noisiness was I. Save I, no one could hear Menma.

“Hey, Yadomi.”

“Hah!”

When Tsurumi suddenly invited me to a conversation, my stomach twitched. Though from appearance, Anjo and Hisakwa had changed, for some reason, I thought Tsurumi was the person with the biggest change.

“You said you saw Menma…that Menma had come back. Are you speaking the truth?”

“Um? If you don’t believe it, why are you still coming?”