Bookwalker Special
Intermission: Rounding Up the Age
*This short story contains spoilers. Please read it after the main one.
The last day of November. It’s a Sunday afternoon.
Kaju looked at me with watery eyes before my house’s entrance.
“...Onii-sama, Kaju’s about to leave.”
“Ahh, be careful then. Don’t be late.”
This is just a little sister’s outing on a weekend as her brother watches her leave.
Despite being an utterly ordinary scene, a drop of tears fell from Kaju’s eyes and slashed her cheeks.
“Onii-sama, won’t you feel lonely? Are you sure you’ll be fine when no one sits on onii-sama’s lap?”
I’ll be fine. If anything, please leave me alone.
I gently knocked Kaju’s head.
“Onii-chan will be fine. Enjoy yourself, Kaju. Alright, you’re about to be late. Your friend’s waiting.”
Indeed, Kaju is just going on a shopping trip with her friend.
“But, …Mom and Dad are also gone out of the blue. What about Kaju’s sweet lovey-dovey time with onii-sama, then…?”
“I’ve been regulating my sugar intake recently. Alright, be careful out there.”
“Nya-”
I forcefully pushed Kaju out of the entrance and locked the door.
…Now I’m the only one in the house.
I took a big stretch as the plan to watch the recorded anime surfaced in my head.
I just have to watch it here, man. The no.1 anime that you can’t let your family know you’re watching, <The Firefighter of the Elf Forest>. It’s time to blow through this with the big TV in the living room-
Ding dong.
The doorbell rang. My excitement disappeared as well.
Did Kaju forget something?
I opened the door without thinking too much. The person who came into view was the last one I had expected.
“Ah, I’m saved. Nukumizu-kun, let me in.”
Bam. I shut the door.
…Why is Yanami here?
That’s right. Yanami’s standing outside the door in her tracksuit. She’s sweating profusely.
Oh, right, I need to lock the door right away.
The door is slammed open the moment I try to grab the key.
“Hold on, Nukumizu-kun. You closed the door after realizing it was me, right?”
“Nope, it’s because you’re sweating a lot.”
My highly convincing explanation didn’t matter.
Yanami leaned forward angrily.
“I’m not here to hang out. There’s a reason-”
“Hey, watch your foot.”
“How about you just stop trying to close the door, Nukumizu-kun!?”
It’s because you’re trying to come inside.
Yanami’s arm reached in as well. Shit, I need to stop any further incursions from her.
Uwah, this girl is strong-
Ultimately, the initial battle at the entrance ended in my complete failure.
*
Yanami got her ass on the chair in the living room and chugged the glass of oolong tea in one swing.
“Ah, I’m alive. I came out for a walk thinking I would be alright without my wallet since I have my phone.”
“So, your phone ran out of battery in the end, right?”
I said that as I sat before Yanami.
“I couldn’t contact anyone, nor could I get any drinks. Ah, can I have another cup?”
I poured another glass for Yanami. She finished it in a blaze again.
“Isn’t Yanami-san’s house very far away? That must have been a long walk.”
“Mom dropped me off at Toyohashi Park’s entrance, so it wasn’t that long. Then, I came to Nukumizu-kun’s house after realizing my phone was about to die right away.”
It only takes like a 10-minute walk from Toyohashi Park to my house.
How is she…sweating so much…?
Yanami waved before her face to cool down as she looked around the living room.
“I haven’t been to Nukumizu-kun’s house since the summer holiday. Did Imouto-chan go out?”
“She went shopping with her friend. When will Yanami-san go back?”
Yanami glared at me.
“Nukumizu-kun, how come you always want me to go home ASAP?”
…That’s true, but that’s not the only reason today.
I hesitated whether I should tell her. However, Yanami pressed the TV remote.
“I can’t go back if my phone isn’t fully charged. Ah, isn’t this the show about that tuna fisherman? I missed it during the new year.”
Yanami put her elbow on the table and paid full attention to the screen.
…Shit, this girl is starting to relax.
I glanced at the calendar on the wall and crossed my legs worriedly.
I didn’t expect to see Yanami today. That’s why I’m not mentally prepared…
“I’ll wait here. How about you just go for a walk while your phone is charging?”
“Resting is important too, Nukumizu-kun. Look at the TV! This seems to be the biggest tuna of the season!”
My eyes turned to the TV, following her excitement. There’s a massive tuna on the hook.
“I think it’s over 100 kg. That’s rad. It’s twice as heavy as I am.”
Oh? Two Yanamis-
“...Uh, did you lie during the measurement?”
“Lying? Nukumizu-kun, don’t you know about rounding down?”
That’s already lying.
Yanami handed me the teacup furiously. I poured oolong tea silently for her.
“Despite my look, I manage to lose weight every time, you know? People call me the Demon of BMI, okay?”
I see. It’s like how my uncle quits smoking every day.
“So, you were trying to lose weight with that walk?”
“It’s not because I got fatter. It’s just that the clothes I bought wouldn’t fit a few days ago. That’s why I want a walk.”
“Ah, so you’re fat-”
Gulp. Yanami’s eyes made me swallow my words.
“I’m not fat. Perhaps the standard has changed. You know, like the metric system.”
That would be a big deal.
“It’s the same, right? The unit of length is still a meter, right?”
“It’s because it was fit last month, alright?”
“The cloth size won’t change even if the standard does. You’re really just too f-”
Yanami stared at me again.
“...The metric system changed, yep.”
“Glad you know that.”
Yanami nodded chicly. She slammed the cup on the table.
“How should I put it today? I want to lose weight for what’s going to happen tonight. We’re having yakiniku for dinner, not something cheap you can just eat on a whim.”
Expensive yakiniku for dinner…? Alright, I can say what I want to at this point.
“Ah, come to think of it, today…”
“Right!”
Yanami interrupted me. She laughed and raised her thumb.
“November 29 is Meat Day! No one can be mad at me for eating bibimbap as an appetizer.” [TL: 29 (ni-kyuu) and meat (niku) sound very similar. Hence it’s meat day every 29th.]
Aren’t we talking about meat?
“No, we can talk about it later. Today is Yanami-san’s-”
“I haven’t eaten lunch. I’m serious today. I’ve ordered all cow parts, but I should start by conquering beef intestine first.”
Yanami chuckled and started her yakiniku imagination.
It would be negligent for me to destroy her smile.
“Eh, Nukumizu-kun. Did you just say something?”
“...No, it’s nothing. I’ve heard that eating a little before meals stimulates your guts and let your stomach fit more food.”
Yanami tilted her head slightly.
“Really? Then it’s better for us to eat cheese beef bowl, right?”
Was I being too rash?
“Just an onigiri will do. You just need to stimulate your stomach a little.”
“Nukumizu-kun, an onigiri is just- an error, right?”
Error. I didn’t know I had been eating errors throughout my whole life.
“Also, you’ll be fat from eating carbohydrates alone. You should mix in some veggies, too, okay?”
Wait, is Yanami giving actual advice right now?
Is she sick from starvation…?
“Yanami-san, I’ll make something for you. There’s still some veggies left in the fridge.”
After that, Yanami showed a surprised look.
“Nukumizu-kun, you know how to cook? Imouto-chan usually handles all of that, right?”
“I’m not that useless. Simple dishes like rice bowls and curry are still within my reach.”
“I see. These are a man’s dish, in other words.”
Yanami crossed her arms and nodded thoughtfully.
“But guys’ cooking is usually brown. You can say they are the enemy of losing weight.”
“Does Yanami-san like brown food?”
“Yes, I love it so much!”
…She confessed to me.
It can’t be helped if she confessed to me. I remembered what was in the fridge and stood up.
“Well, I’ll try to add more vegetables to control the calories.”
“Let me see how good you are, Nukumizu-kun.”
Yanami put one of her elbows on the table and said that.
What’s with this girl's smug face…?
*
Around 20 minutes later, I put a steaming plate before Yanami.
“Thanks for the wait. Enjoy before it gets cold.”
The Way of Nukumizu, a man’s dish: yakisoba with a bunch of veggies.
Also known as Fridge Leftovers Full-Mobilization Special.
Yanami gently gasped. She hesitated to take the chopsticks and stopped.
“Hold on, this seems like a proper meal. Are the calories doing fine?”
“The noodles are halved with vegetable dressing. It’s probably less than 300 calories.”
“300?”
Yanami raised her eyebrows.
“A bowl of noodles has at least 400, you know? Can you tell me your calculation process?”
…This girl is really lenient with herself but strict with others.
“Sure, the main ingredient is Chinese cabbage with a low-calorie sauce made from wood ears, prunes, and corn. For proteins, we have minced chicken breast and quail eggs, further embellished by peas and carrots. Also, all ingredients are steamed in a microwave. No oil is used.”
I put the wakame soup next to her plate after saying that.
“If you care so much about the calorie, it’s fine for you not to finish all of it.”
Yanami stared at the plate for a while.
“...This taste.”
She mumbled.
“What?”
“Cooking is all about the taste, right? How can I know who wins without trying it out?”
We’re figuring out who’s winning now? Yanami sent the yakisoba into her mouth.
Nom, nom, nom.
Yanami cleared half of the plate. She suddenly put down her chopsticks.
“What’s wrong, Yanami-san?”
“Aren’t you very mean?”
“Uh, what?”
Yanami raised her head and gazed at me.
“The bento I made in the first semester. Nukumizu-kun, even though you're so good at cooking? You must feel 'that' when you saw my bento, right?"
…Hmm, I do.
But I’m almost an adult. That’s why I shook my head determinedly.
“That’s not true. It’s crucial to preserve a bento. That way, it will be tasty even when you reheat it again, right? If we ignore the change in appearance, that is.”
We can talk about the look of Yanami’s bento later.
Perhaps she understands my desperate explanation. Yanami grabbed her chopsticks chicly again.
“Glad you know it. Making a bento is tough.”
Yanami’s mood has turned much better. She wiped out the remaining yakisoba in a blaze.
After finishing up the peas, she clapped her hands.
“Thanks for the food! It was good!”
“It was no big deal of a meal. Alright, I’ll pour some tea for you. It’s hot, so watch out.”
I walked to the sink with the plate. Someone yelled, “Hot!” from behind.
…I told you, girl.
*
After finishing up the cleaning, Yanami is now reading the newspaper while sipping tea.
This girl is surrounded by a Showa Era aura…
“Ah, I didn’t know the exchange rate between the Japanese Yen and U.S. Dollar. Things are rough.”
“Is that so? That’s rough.”
I untied my apron and sat on the chair before restlessly checking the calendar on my phone.
Like Yanami just said, it’s Meat Day today. However, compared to that, there’s something more special today.
Before anything else, today is-
I glanced at Yanami. She’s humming a song while flipping the newspaper.
“Uh, today’s the 29th, right?”
I said that on purpose. Yanami lowered her head to the newspaper and nodded.
“Yeah, didn’t I just say it?”
“So, well, …uh. So- here.”
I looked away and handed her a package with a book inside.
“Oh? What’s this?”
“Well, today is Yanami-san’s…birthday.”
Yanami blinked before taking the package.
“So, this is a present? Nukumizu-kun, you know my birthday?”
I plopped my head down out of embarrassment and nodded.
Yanami cheered after opening the package.
“No way! I couldn’t find this anywhere!”
Yanami’s eyes are sparkling over a book named <The Encylopedia of Meat>.
From livestock to wild meat, this book covers all of the meat distributed in the country. It’s a must-have for meat lovers.
“I just stumbled upon it and bought one back. How should I put it…?”
Yanami stared at the page with bright eyes. I don’t think she’s listening to me.
“Look, Nukumizu-kun. This is an annotation of cow stomach! Now I can tell the pouch and abomasum apart!”
“Uh, I see. Is the chance of mixing them up that high?”
“Chance is created by us, Nukumizu-kun. Look, isn’t the cow louver very black?”
“Please don’t stick the book too close to me if that’s what you think.”
A high school boy and girl looking at images of meat in the house- what’s happening here?
…Yanami seems to be satisfied after a while. She closed the book and held it dearly to her chest.
“Thank you so much, Nukumizu-kun. I’m very happy.”
“Well, …no, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“Right, I want to tell Nukumizu-kun something, or I should say I want to ask you for a favor.”
Something? What’s going to happen at this time?
I’m startled. Yanami curled her hair and spoke up embarrassedly.
“...You only put half of the noodles in the yakisoba, right?”
“Ha? Yeah?”
“So, there’s half left, right? In other words, won’t it be a bother to have so many leftovers-”
Fidget, fidget, fidget. Yanami fiddled with her bangs. She literally looks like a young maiden in love.
I grabbed the folded apron again and stood up.
“...Yanami-san, do you want another plate?”
“Yes, please!”
Her charming smile blossomed again.
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
This high school girl fell in love with yakisoba with sauce instead of a boy.
November 29, Meat Day.
Today is Anna Yanami’s birthday.
This girl won’t be getting a boyfriend anytime soon-
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