The Trees Have Eyes [Haikyuu!!]

Ennoshita Chikara

"Welcome!"

Ennoshita Chikara returned the greeting with a simple nod as he stepped into the dessert shop with a cake on his mind. It was his parents' anniversary today—a day of celebration for twenty-five long years of marriage. Their small family of four didn't really do any big for events like this—as a general, they preferred small, contained commemorations.

"It's your parents' anniversary today, right?" asked the shopkeeper, Mrs. Watanabe. Of course Mrs. Watanabe was aware—Ennoshita came by every year on this very day. "Should I make the usual?"

"We've been thinking about trying something a little different this year, actually," Ennoshita said, smiling. Using his phone, he showed the good woman a picture of the cake he and his brother, Kaito, had envisioned. A popular shop in Osaka was selling it, and it was the latest trend in desserts. "Do you think you could make something like this?"

"Of course!" Mrs. Watanabe, proud as she was, smirked and puffed up her chest. "I'm the best baker in this town!"

Ennoshita laughed. "Why do you think we keep coming back?"

"Oh, you."

There were a few more side dishes Ennoshita wanted to order from the patisserie. "I have a list." He fumbled in his backpack before retrieving a crumpled note. "It's quite a lot, but it should be manageable."

"Just leave it to me, Chikara. You can come back around five in the evening to pick them up. I'll call you when they're ready."

In no hurry, Ennoshita glanced around the store. "It's empty," he remarked, if a little sadly.

"Yeah, well." Mrs. Watanabe sighed, sagging. She looked more like her age now—it was easy to forget that the boisterous woman was nearing her sixties. "Business has been slow ever since those cultists showed up. I don't know where they came from, but it seems they're here to stay..."

"Cultists?" echoed Ennoshita. "Is that what they are?" He owned a clinic in the city, and he typically spent the better part of the day there. He'd heard numerous complaints about the mask-wearing men and women from his parents and brother, but he'd never encountered them before.

"Mrs. Fukushima from the flower shop sure thinks so." Mrs. Watanabe huffed, grumpy.

"They haven't targeted you, have they?"

"Y'see, they don't really target people. More like they try to spread their ridiculous message on every surface and street they can find. They used to be a lot more open, but backlash from the residents has led them to become vandals on the down-low." Realising she hadn't really answered his question, she added, "Don't worry, Chikara, I'm fine. How's the clinic?"

"In good hands," Ennoshita said. "I'm taking a vacation until late summer."

"Oho! And why's that?"

"I'm recovering from a knee surgery. My knee started deteriorating in high school, but it didn't get bad until recently." He sighed. "I did all my stretches and whatnot, but it needed to be operated on."

Mrs. Watanabe opened her mouth to respond, but Ennoshita never heard what she had to say. The bell ringed, indicating a customer, and he turned around to see a young woman enter the small cake shop.

At first, Ennoshita thought he was seeing a ghost. His mouth grew dry, and his throat bobbed. Under the glow of high noon, she appeared almost translucent, her hair taking a nigh shapeless form that reminded him of burning embers. Hinata? No... No way...

She didn't seem to notice his staring, fidgeting as she approached the counter. "Um, could I order something?"

"O-oh, yes!" Mrs. Watanabe quickly switched back to her customer service mode. "What can I get for you, young lady?"