“It always sneaks up on me how close New Year’s is to Christmas.” Winter vacation had begun, and with it, the new year was about to arrive. “Gonna be nice to just have a bowl of soba and relax without the crowd around.”
Ichika was relieved to be back home after everything he’d gone through recently. But just when he picked up a tangerine, Chifuyu stepped back into the room after a long bath.
“So much happened this year. Hey, Chifuyu, you feel like some soba?”
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll get it going, then.”
As he stood up to go to the kitchen, though, Chifuyu added something unexpected, “But make extra, okay?”
“Huh? Why?”
“Hold on a sec.”
She turned and stepped out into the garden, where a few lazy snowflakes were melting as they landed. Still, though, it was December. More than cold enough for people.
“Come on out, Laura.” For once, Chifuyu was calling her by her given name. “I know you’re hiding. Come out.”
Laura’s instinct was to stay down and hope it was just a trick, but realizing her punishment would only be worse if she didn’t comply, she rose, her white-and-grey winter camo more visible now against the fence.
“How long have you been there?” Ichika sighed. Her nose was beginning to turn red from the cold, but she was still defiant.
“Since before nightfall.”
“What is wrong with you?” He wrapped an arm around her to warm her up, and led her inside. “You know, you could always just knock on the door like a normal person.”
“My mission was to protect you and her from the shado— Achoo!” Laura couldn’t even finish her sentence without sneezing.
“Sit down at the kotatsu,” said Ichika, gesturing forward. “I’ll get you something warm to drink.”
“So this is a kotatsu. An Eden for cats! Symbol of the winter season!” That kind of not-quite-right, not-quite-wrong idea could only have come from Klarissa, who seemingly had an endless stock of slight misconceptions about Japan.
“Here’s some warm milk.”
“Mm. Thanks.” Everyone knew Laura didn’t drink coffee. Even if she was envious of how mature and hard-boiled Chifuyu and Klarissa looked ordering it black. Even if she tried doing so herself at the dining hall, and kept leaving it untouched on her tray. “Phew! That’s hot!”
Laura, never really a fan of hot drinks, sucked her tongue back into her mouth, waiting a few moments before timidly lapping it up like a cat. Leader of the elite Schwarzer Hasen at home in Germany or no, in Japan she was thoroughly domesticated.
“Three bowls of soba coming right up, then. Laura, why don’t you chat with Chifuyu while you wait?”
“Oh, sure.” Even with the prompt, Laura was nervous. Her previous awestruck respect was bad enough, but tinges of an imagined future conversation with her sister-in-law made it even worse. But who could really blame her?
“Laura,” Chifuyu called out, breaking Laura from her daydreaming.
“Yes, Lehrerin!”
“We’re not on base or at school. You can call me by name.”
“Understood, Chiffy!”
“All right, that’s taking it a bit too far.” A quick karate chop reinforced the point. “Anyway. Want a tangerine?”
“Y-Yes, Chifuyu.” Laura cradled the fruit in her hand as if it were priceless. “A tangerine... From mein Lehrerin... I can’t eat this, I need to save it forever...”
Her mumble to herself was apparently loud enough for Chifuyu to overhear.
“No. Eat it... What has gotten into you, anyway?”
“Err. What do you mean?”
“It’s obvious. You’ve been acting funny lately.”
“Acting funny?! Who, me?”
“Yeah. Especially now.” Chifuyu shrugged. Somehow, in the warmth of the kotatsu, she seemed almost impossibly relaxed compared to her normal self. “Anyway, though. This year sure was a mess, wasn’t it? Hey, Ichika. Get me some sake.”
“Of course,” he replied.
“Make sure it’s warm this time, okay?”
“I know, I know. What do you want with it? Pickles?”
“Sure. That’d be great as an appetizer.”
Laura was a little bit jealous of how casually domestic their relationship was. But even a little bit was enough for Chifuyu to pick up on it.
“What did you always used to say?”
“I... I’d rather not think back to that...” Laura muttered.
“C’mon. I know it’s awkward, but it’s still part of who you are.” She cringed as Chifuyu laughed it up.
“Here you go, Chifuyu,” said Ichika, coming back into the room. “Sake and pickles. Try not to drink too much, okay?”
“Fine, fine.” Chifuyu brushed off his concern as she took the plate. What better to go with warmed sake than Ichika’s homemade napa kraut and a conversation with her student Laura? “Mmm, this stuff’s great.”
She seemed in high spirits as she took a swig of the sake. None of the stress which had weighed on her during the Excalibur incident was visible now.
“So, Laura. How are things going with Ichika? Getting anywhere?”
“Well...” Laura clammed up, making the answer obvious.
“You’ve got to step it up, Laura. A woman needs to know when to go on the attack. Don’t worry about winning the battles. Win the war.”
“I... I see.”
Chifuyu continued to loosen up as the line of liquid visible through the sake bottle sunk lower and lower and the plate of kraut disappeared into her mouth.
“The soba’s almost done, Chifuyu. Don’t fill yourself up before that.”
“I’ll be fine. Just keep the sake coming.” Ichika rolled his eyes as he brought out another two decanters. It didn’t take long for a satisfied Chifuyu to polish them off.
“Y’know, Laura. When you turn twenty we really need to go out drinking sometime.”
“R-Really? Are you sure, Chifuyu?”
“Ahahahaha! Think of it as something to look forward to. I know I am.”
Thinking about the future only put Laura on edge. Naturally, perhaps, for someone who normally focused on the past. The unknown unsettled her. But Chifuyu was kind enough to dispel those fears with her own earnest enthusiasm. It was enough to make even her imagine the days to come.
“All right, soba’s done.” Ichika came to the kotatsu, carrying a tray with three bowls and a delicious-looking plate of fried seafood. “I made fried squid and shrimp too. Laura, you eat squid, right?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine with it.” Her wavering eyes were more honest than her words. It didn’t seem like Europeans were very used to eating squid. Ichika remembered her remarking that she’d first eaten it in Japan.
“It’s chopped up nice and fine, so it shouldn’t be too chewy. Get it while it’s hot!”
“...Understood.” Laura gingerly took the bowl of soba. But as her eyes caught sight of the rich golden broth, her mouth began to water. “Wow! This looks great!”
Laura’s own fantasies of her future life in Japan as Mrs. Orimura had taken her into a wholehearted interest in the country’s everyday life, and especially its street food; she’d had plenty of soba by now, and knew a good bowl when she saw one. Knowing the broth was Ichika’s own homemade recipe only made it even more appealing.
“C’mon, Ichika. You sit down too.” Less a suggestion from Chifuyu, more an order. After bringing the empty sake decanters away from the table, Ichika settled down at the kotatsu himself. “Let’s eat, then.”
“Yes, let’s eat.” Chifuyu, Laura, and Ichika each fell silent for a moment. Chifuyu had drilled into them the importance of being grateful for their meals.
“Mmmm! This is delicious!” Laura spoke with her mouth still full.
“She’s right. Ichika, you’ve gotten a lot better at cooking.”
As the meal stretched on, they heard the chimes of distant bells.
“That’s it, Chifuyu.”
“Mm.”
“Happy new year!”
Chifuyu and Ichika bowed their heads, Laura following along after a moment. And thus, a new year dawned at IS Academy.