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Authors: Mizuki Nomura
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boisterously, “Ah-ha-ha-ha!
“I’m playing Ping-Pong with Sugiko! Sugiko is infinitely better at Ping-Pong than I. But she did nothing to intimidate me. Instead she was kind to me and passed me easy balls that were child’s play for me to return. It was impossible not to sense Sugiko’s character in that.”
She swung the paddle up high and shouted, “Ha!
“Where else would I find a woman so innocent, beautiful, and pure, so considerate and so lovely? God is offering this woman to me. How cruel He would be otherwise.”
Tohko’s spirited performance was drawing Kotobuki as Sugiko out a little.
“You’re quite good, Mister Nojima.”
This turn-of-the-century story of adolescence flush with romance became a comedy every time Tohko opened her mouth. The famous scenes I had worked so hard on were like skits for a variety show, and I was incredibly nervous about the live performance.
When it was break time, Kotobuki removed the lid of a pink lunch box and held it out for Tohko, fidgeting all the while.
“Um—I baked some cookies. Help yourselves.”
Paper napkins with a cute flower pattern were spread out inside the lunch box, which was stuffed with adorable cookies topped with things like almonds or blueberry jam.
“Whoa! You
made
these, Nanase? That’s amazing! They’re great!”
“Thanks, Nanase. Let’s all try one.”
Tohko couldn’t taste anything but words. She’d told me before that food had no flavor, like if you or I were to eat paper. Wasn’t this gross for her?
I watched, panicked, as she reached straight into the box, grabbed a round cookie topped with an almond, and put it into her mouth.
A bright smile spread over Tohko’s face as she chewed.
“Yummm! The fragrance of the almond and the vanilla aroma melt together exquisitely in my mouth to produce an airy harmony.”
“Oh, don’t exaggerate, Tohko!”
Kotobuki turned red as a flame.
“But it really is delicious, Nanase! It’s a restrained sweetness, so even boys would be totally okay eating these.”
Takeda beamed as she ate her cookie, too. Kotobuki’s cheeks burned even brighter at that, and her voice squeaked when she next spoke, stealing a glance at me.
“I—I’m on a diet. Right now. So I thought I’d try reducing the sugar. That’s all.”
Until then, all my attention had been on Tohko.
“Oh, let me get one.”
I hurriedly grabbed a leaf-shaped cookie and took a bite. There was a firm, homemade texture, but at the same time an unexpectedly tart taste spread over my tongue. Was this lemon?
“Yeah, they’re really good, Kotobuki,” I said.
Kotobuki looked away, stumbling over her words. “O-oh? I wasn’t thinking about what you’d like when I made them, obviously.”
Tohko gobbled up cookie after cookie, chattering like a bird.
“This one’s blueberry, isn’t it? The jam makes a great accent! I can feel the sweet jam melting over my tongue! Hmm, what’s this brown one?”
“Cocoa and nuts.”
“Oh! Cocoa! This is cocoa, of course! There’s a tiny hint of bitterness, but then the crisp sweetness of the nuts joins in. It’s incredible.”
“You sound like a pastry critic, Tohko!”
“Oh yes, I love sweet things!”
Tohko was chucking so many cookies into her mouth and describing her impressions of each one so that I was hanging in suspense.
She was better off stopping while she was still ahead. She was going to slip up if she got too carried away. And besides, could her stomach take being crammed with all that tasteless stuff? If we ate paper, there was no question it would mess up our stomachs. Wouldn’t the opposite be true for Tohko?
“Oh, man, these leaf-shaped cookies are
so
sweet! Yum!”
“What? It’s sweet?” Kotobuki got a strange look on her face. “That’s a lemon cookie. It’s pretty tart.”
Uh-oh—you blew it.
Tohko made a quick excuse. “Oh—oh no, you’re right. Looks like that was the only part that was sweet. Yeah, it’s tart, but ever so slightly
“I’m playing Ping-Pong with Sugiko! Sugiko is infinitely better at Ping-Pong than I. But she did nothing to intimidate me. Instead she was kind to me and passed me easy balls that were child’s play for me to return. It was impossible not to sense Sugiko’s character in that.”
She swung the paddle up high and shouted, “Ha!
“Where else would I find a woman so innocent, beautiful, and pure, so considerate and so lovely? God is offering this woman to me. How cruel He would be otherwise.”
Tohko’s spirited performance was drawing Kotobuki as Sugiko out a little.
“You’re quite good, Mister Nojima.”
This turn-of-the-century story of adolescence flush with romance became a comedy every time Tohko opened her mouth. The famous scenes I had worked so hard on were like skits for a variety show, and I was incredibly nervous about the live performance.
When it was break time, Kotobuki removed the lid of a pink lunch box and held it out for Tohko, fidgeting all the while.
“Um—I baked some cookies. Help yourselves.”
Paper napkins with a cute flower pattern were spread out inside the lunch box, which was stuffed with adorable cookies topped with things like almonds or blueberry jam.
“Whoa! You
made
these, Nanase? That’s amazing! They’re great!”
“Thanks, Nanase. Let’s all try one.”
Tohko couldn’t taste anything but words. She’d told me before that food had no flavor, like if you or I were to eat paper. Wasn’t this gross for her?
I watched, panicked, as she reached straight into the box, grabbed a round cookie topped with an almond, and put it into her mouth.
A bright smile spread over Tohko’s face as she chewed.
“Yummm! The fragrance of the almond and the vanilla aroma melt together exquisitely in my mouth to produce an airy harmony.”
“Oh, don’t exaggerate, Tohko!”
Kotobuki turned red as a flame.
“But it really is delicious, Nanase! It’s a restrained sweetness, so even boys would be totally okay eating these.”
Takeda beamed as she ate her cookie, too. Kotobuki’s cheeks burned even brighter at that, and her voice squeaked when she next spoke, stealing a glance at me.
“I—I’m on a diet. Right now. So I thought I’d try reducing the sugar. That’s all.”
Until then, all my attention had been on Tohko.
“Oh, let me get one.”
I hurriedly grabbed a leaf-shaped cookie and took a bite. There was a firm, homemade texture, but at the same time an unexpectedly tart taste spread over my tongue. Was this lemon?
“Yeah, they’re really good, Kotobuki,” I said.
Kotobuki looked away, stumbling over her words. “O-oh? I wasn’t thinking about what you’d like when I made them, obviously.”
Tohko gobbled up cookie after cookie, chattering like a bird.
“This one’s blueberry, isn’t it? The jam makes a great accent! I can feel the sweet jam melting over my tongue! Hmm, what’s this brown one?”
“Cocoa and nuts.”
“Oh! Cocoa! This is cocoa, of course! There’s a tiny hint of bitterness, but then the crisp sweetness of the nuts joins in. It’s incredible.”
“You sound like a pastry critic, Tohko!”
“Oh yes, I love sweet things!”
Tohko was chucking so many cookies into her mouth and describing her impressions of each one so that I was hanging in suspense.
She was better off stopping while she was still ahead. She was going to slip up if she got too carried away. And besides, could her stomach take being crammed with all that tasteless stuff? If we ate paper, there was no question it would mess up our stomachs. Wouldn’t the opposite be true for Tohko?
“Oh, man, these leaf-shaped cookies are
so
sweet! Yum!”
“What? It’s sweet?” Kotobuki got a strange look on her face. “That’s a lemon cookie. It’s pretty tart.”
Uh-oh—you blew it.
Tohko made a quick excuse. “Oh—oh no, you’re right. Looks like that was the only part that was sweet. Yeah, it’s tart, but ever so slightly
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