She's a stressed and struggling student in Osaka, living alone and barely managing to pay off her debts to keep herself off the streets. But an encounter with her used-to-be favourite utaite, Mafumafu, might change all of that!
"Did we really have to run down again?" I ask Daichi. After nearly falling down the stairs a second time, I'm starting to think if I'm going to have to get used to this in my everyday life.
"Oh, there the two of you are!" Yako says with a smile on her face.
"Sorry, we talked for too long." I apologise, laughing nervously. She just beams at me.
"No, it's alright!" She replies. "I've very happy you've made friends with Daichi-kun. He doesn't have much friends to stay over, so I'm very happy for the two of you!"
I smile politely, sitting down in the seat next to Daichi's. Looking down at my plate, it's omelette.
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"It's done!" Mafumafu cheers, setting on the table. "Oohh...", I say, my eyes shining. "It looks good!" Mafumafu laughs, "You're acting like a kid, ###-chan!", he says, grinning. "No I'm not!", I say blushing, Mafumafu giggles. "How about I feed you?", he suggests. "W-what?!", I ask, blushing. "C'mon, just once!", he says, his eyes sparkling, I sigh, he's giving me puppy eyes. "Fine.", I say, "Yay!", Mafumafu cheers. He takes my spoon "Say aah!", he says cheerfully. I open my mouth, and he puts the spoon in my mouth. This omurice tastes really good. "This is just like an anime scene!", I shriek, blushing. "Mafumafu-saan!", I wail, he giggles, and cleans my mouth with a serviette. "Here's another one~", he announces, taking another spoonful of the omurice. "Wah!", I cry, but I can't stop him. "This is delicious!", I say, once I finish my second spoonful. He smiles, "ready for more?", he asks. I open my mouth, but he eats it himself. "What?!", I ask, confused. "Hehe,", he laughs "I tricked you!". He tricked me?! "Mafumafu-san!", I whine.
Pursing my lips, I'm forced to remember the first thing I ate at Mafumafu's house. As the memories come flooding back, I try to block them with the taste of Yako's omelette. It really is delicious. It's soft, fluffy and has an salty and eggy taste that's just right, making me want to savour it.
Looking over at Mr. Furuichi, I see that he's eating too. But the strange thing is that he's silent, and hasn't uttered a single word ever since I arrived. He seems ....docile? As if he's under a spell. Oh well, I tell myself, it's better than him snapping at me.
"So! Are you two dating or planning to get married?" Yako suddenly asks out of the blue. I nearly choke on my omelette while Daichi spits his water back into the cup.
"What?!" I splutter, caught off guard. "N-no, we're just fellow University students!"
"Y-yeah, mom!" Daichi chimes in, wiping his water-splattered mouth with a serviette. Yako laughs, clapping her hands in amusement.
"Oh, I was just kidding! You kids are so funny~" She giggles, grinning from ear to ear. Kids? We're in our 20's!
"Speaking of which, Daichi-kun's studying to become a businessman like his father. What are you planning to do?" Yako asks, leaning forward in. I think about this.
"Hmm... I don't actually know. Maybe something like a writer or programmer would be nice." I reply thoughtfully, I haven't actually thought about my future - but maybe I should start doing it.
"Ohh, those are nice job choices!" Yako says brightly, smiling approvingly. I smile back, feeling proud of myself to have impressed an adult. Meanwhile, Mr. Furuichi finishes his food - silently scrolling on his phone.
