Volume 25 Chapter 2 Part4 (1/2)
”I know Sachiko always takes her time, thoroughly was.h.i.+ng her hands and rinsing her mouth, and it looks like you're the same, Suguru-san. I should have expected that, since you're cousins. You're both equally fastidious.”
Hearing Sachiko's mother's comment, they both looked at each other and smiled.
”Now, let's eat.”
Being urged to hurry, Sachiko sat down on the sofa.
”I suppose. You went to the effort of making us tea, we shouldn't let it go cold.”
Although it was matcha, so it wasn't meant to be served piping hot, but it would still taste worse cold. It was fundamentally different to iced green tea.
”Ah, hold on.”
Sachiko's mother stopped her just as she was about to take a sip from the teacup.
”What is it?”
”You should start by eating the manjuu. Right?”
The last, ”Right?” was directed at Suguru-san. The gift giver simply smiled and said, ”Well, we could try it your way.”
”We're sitting on a sofa, eating manjuu that's a souvenir from a ski resort, and you're telling me there's a proper etiquette to it?”
It wasn't like it was the full-blown tea ceremony. If it were, they'd first of all have to do something about the matcha that had been sitting on the table for over five minutes.
”Never mind that. Come on, peel off the cellophane. Then on the count of three, take a bite.”
” &h.e.l.lip; ?”
Even though she thought it was a strange procedure, Sachiko followed her mother's instructions. She cut the manjuu bun in two and placed one half in her mouth. At that point she was innocent. She hadn't been told anything in advance, so she held no preconceptions.
”What do you think?”
Suguru-san asked them, as they were chewing. He was a coward - he'd unwrapped his manjuu bun but hadn't taken a bite.
”Give me your honest opinion.”
Sachiko lightly glared at Suguru-san when he asked a second time.
”If you want my honest opinion.”
”Please. Don't hold back.”
In that case - Sachiko made up her mind.
”This confectionery, well, it's - ”
Sachiko started to speak, but then her mother blurted out, ”It's disgusting!”
”Um, mother, shouldn't you consider your words a little more &h.e.l.lip; such as, ”It's not overly tasty.” Or, ”It's not to my taste.””
Having said that, no matter how they sugar-coated it, something disgusting was still disgusting.
The outside was dry and crumbling while the red bean paste was overpoweringly sweet. It would have been better if that was all, but it also had a spicy aroma, so one bite was enough to make her lose her appet.i.te.
”It's alright, Sacchan. I sampled all the sweets they had at the gift shop and bought the most disgusting one as a souvenir.”
”Why would you do such a thing?”
Was he really such an idiot?
”Because all the people around me have discriminating palettes. How would I get a gift that they all found truly delicious?”
”It wouldn't have to be truly delicious.”
That was the nature of a travel souvenir. It was brought back as evidence of where you'd been.
”Ahh, that's boring.”
”I know one thing. It's become the talk of the family.”
That Suguru-san the gourmand had brought back some truly awful sweets from his ski trip. Of course it would become a rumor. Even Sachiko's mother had apparently heard the rumor and had been ready and waiting for Suguru-san's visit.
Even though she'd just said it was disgusting, she was still taking bites out of the remaining half of her manjuu bun and was.h.i.+ng it down with matcha tea.
”You too Sachiko-san, have another bite.”
”No.”
She was not currently overcome with hunger. She didn't want to eat something that she knew was awful. She didn't want to join her mother out of some vague sense of camaraderie.
”You think I'm trying to trick you. Have it with the tea.”
”&h.e.l.lip; Huh?”
Now that she'd mentioned it, Sachiko remembered. The green tea. She'd been forbidden from drinking it before eating the manjuu bun, but it looks like that ban had now been lifted. Not having a choice, but still thinking she was being tricked, Sachiko took a sip of tea and then a bite of the manjuu bun.
And then.
”Oh my.”
”Right?”
It definitely felt as though the flavor had changed. The overblown sweetness was milder, and what she had thought was a spicy aroma was somehow lessened and now had a subtle hint of flowers. Even though the aroma had previously seemed synthetic, now it seemed like the sweet had traces of caraway and dill in it. Was it really the same thing as before?
”Was this your idea, Suguru-san? Did you put that much thought into it?”
”No. I just bought something truly awful.”
Suguru-san sipped his tea, looking unconcerned.
”Then &h.e.l.lip; ”
”It was Mrs Matsudaira's breakthrough.”
”Matsudaira &h.e.l.lip; ah, Touko-chan's mother?”
Sachiko remembered the last time they'd met, a couple of years ago. Mrs Matsudaira was an adorable woman - slightly plump but gentle, and still with the air of a sheltered lady despite being married.
”When I visited the Matsudaira's, aunty was making some green tea. We decided to eat them then, since it seemed like a good time. I knew they were awful so I held back, but Mrs Matsudaira told me they were delicious. It didn't seem like she was faking it.”