Volume 7 - CH 7

The New Year’s Eve evening.

“You can pull out the back of the shrimp by sticking a toothpick in this part …like this. Try it.”

“Hmm… like this?”

“Yes. You’re good at it.”

Yuzuru and Arisa were both pulling out the back end of the shrimp.

Strictly speaking, they were prepping the prawns to make the ‘ebi-ten’ (shrimp tempura) that would go on top of the ‘New Year’s Eve soba’.

“Speaking of which… about Ayumi-chan.”

“What’s the matter with Ayumi?”

“Did she get a flu shot?”

“Didn’t you take it?　We take it every year…”

“If we’ve been taking it and we’ve gotten sick, then isn’t it a failure?”

Yuzuru’s sister, Takasegawa Ayumi, was currently in bed due to seasonal influenza.

The reason why Yuzuru decided to spend time with Arisa instead of going back to his parent’s house on New Year’s Eve was because of the flu.

Because Ayumi fell ill, all the events that usually take place at the Takasegawa home were canceled.

“…No, the dose she took should have lessened her symptoms. In fact, I can say it was a good thing she took the shot.”

“Hmm~…”

“You don’t look convinced.., didn’t you get over it?”

When Yuzuru asked her that, Arisa shook her head.

“No way. Currently, I don’t mind getting injections, or whatever… I just felt sorry for her.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Then you can get injections next year, too.”

Next year – the year before the exam, which will be the year after – both Yuzuru and Arisa will be preparing to take the university entrance exam.

Rather than this year, next year will be more important.

“Y-yeah…, I-it’s totally fine. Just, you’ll keep me company for that… right? Next year as well?”

Arisa’s words reminded Yuzuru of a previous visit to the hospital with Arisa.

He remembered that it was a little… no, incredibly embarrassing.

Frankly, he didn’t want to do it a second time.

“…of course.”

But he could not say no to his fiancée, who was trying her best to get the injections.

Yuzuru somehow managed to nod his head.

“……What was that pause?”

“It was nothing personal.”

“Really? …Even if Yuzuru-san doesn’t want to, I’ll have you chaperone me, okay? Please remember that.”

Apparently, the hospital escort was compulsory regardless of Yuzuru’s will.

Nevertheless, Yuzuru was pleased that Arisa was prepared to give herself an injection, even if it was on a conditional basis.

“I know. Shall we do it together next year?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

While They were making promises of a ‘hospital date,’ they finished prepping the prawns.

All that was left was to fry them in oil along with the other prepared vegetables.

“I’m …anxious about frying them, so I’ll do it. Yuzuru-san, please boil soba noodles… You can do it, right?”

“Of course, I can. I just boil them, right?”

There is nothing special about boiling soba noodles.

Yuzuru could boil somen noodles and instant noodles, too.

“Is that so? …after you boil them, please make sure you marinate them properly with water.”

“Marinate… with water?”

“I mean wash them under running water…  You can do that, right?”

“I can, but …It’s hot soba, right? What we are going to make now.”

If washed with water, it will become cold.

Yuzuru asked Arisa if it would be better to put them directly into the soba noodle soup instead of doing that.

“… It has a better texture when it’s chilled. Please remember that.”

“I see. But if you put cold soba noodles in, won’t the soup get cold?　That’s…”

“After putting in the soba noodles, heat it again… I will give you instructions at that time, so for now, please do the boiling part.”

“O-okay…”

Yuzuru nodded and filled the pot with water and started to boil the water.

While he did so, Arisa was crisply frying the tempura.

“Just as indicated, right?”

Yuzuru asked Arisa again after boiling the water.

Then Arisa turned her gaze toward Yuzuru for a moment.

“Yes. Just as indicated… Please measure the time properly, okay?”

“I know.”

Yuzuru took out his cell phone, set the timer, and then put the soba noodles into the pot.

Following Arisa’s instructions, he boiled it as indicated.

“I’ve boiled it, but what do I do with it now…? Do I just put it in a colander and wash it?”

“It’s fine, but it’s a waste of soba broth… Please transfer the soba to a bowl, then to a colander in the kitchen, and wash it.”

“Okay.”

Yuzuru took the soba noodles out of the hot water as told by Arisa, transferred it from the bowl to the colander again, and washed it under running water.

While washing them under running water, Yuzuru asked Arisa,

“How long do I have to wash them?”

“Until the heat is gone. When you are done, drain the water well.”

“I understand.”

Yuzuru followed Arisa’s instructions and drained the soba noodles.

On the other hand, Arisa was worried about Yuzuru and glanced at him while frying the tempura.

“I’m done… what do I do next?”

“Right… This one is almost finished frying too, so let’s put it in the soba noodle soup. After you put the soba noodles in, please warm it up.”

The soba noodle soup had been made by Arisa in advance and was in a small pot.

Yuzuru put the soba noodles, which had been drained off well, into it and heated it over the fire.

When he judged that it was sufficiently warm, he turned off the heat.

“I’m done.”

Yuzuru said and turned to Arisa.

Arisa had already finished frying the tempura.

“I’m just about done here too.  Let’s put them in the bowl.”

Yuzuru put the soba noodles in the bowl he had prepared, along with the soup.

Arisa put the tempura in the bowl.

Finally, they lightly sprinkled a little green onion… and completed the dish.

The two of them took the soba noodles to the living room.

Then they put their hands together and…

“Itadakimasu~” 

They started to eat the Soba they had made together.

TN: And next it is the new year…