“Would you be related to him, by any chance?” Mom asked.
“No, no,” Ayako quickly replied. “I got to know them through my husband—he and Tadashi were good friends.” She paused. “Though I suppose I am quite attached to them. I’ve known Takanori and his sister since they were kids, after all.”
The conversation then shifted to their ages, and Mom and Ayako discovered that they were indeed only a few years apart. Man, they are really hitting it off. I found myself a little envious of Mom’s ability to form a connection with someone so effortlessly. If only I could do the same…
“—right, Haruka?”
Had someone called my name?
“Haruka?”
“Oh, hi, yes, sorry Mom—huh?” I snapped out of my thoughts, my gaze flitting down to what Mom was holding. My eyes widened.
“Your mom said you made these yourself, Haruka?” Ayako ventured. “They look scrumptious.”
I was mortified. On the table was none other than the brownies I’d baked the night before. Baking was just a hobby I’d picked up in grade school. I wasn’t particularly good at it but found it fun regardless. I’d made the brownies as a kind of mini celebration for finishing midterms, before the stress of grades and results kicked in. I thought Mom was kidding when she said she’d bring some for Ayako!
“M-Mom, why’d you bring them?!” I choked out.
“Why not?” she answered, nonchalant. “It’s not every day you bake, and I thought it’d be nice to share. Besides, would you prefer they were gobbled up in seconds by your brother instead?”
That’s easy for you to say, Mom! They were just ordinary, run-of-the-mill, bog-standard homemade brownies! They were hardly fit for a normal person’s consumption, let alone the chief assistant of a famous chef!
Internal grumblings aside, it was too late. Ayako had already brought over forks and plates; she looked eager to partake. Wait, these plates are so cute though… They were white porcelain, lustrous and smooth, and an adorable little pink rose graced the center of each. I loved that kind of stuff. On closer inspection, I realized the design on each plate was unique. That one has a lily of the valley, and that one’s a…poppy? Not sure. Ooh, and a marigold.
Wait, four plates?
There were only three of us: Mom, Ayako, and me. So who was the fourth plate for?
“I’m sure Takumi will be delighted.”
No.
While I was distracted by the cute plates, the conversation had progressed without me! Not only had I failed to plead my case about the brownies, but I also had to contend with Towada?
“That boy sure likes his sweets,” Ayako continued.
A male classmate—and one I’d only met once at that—trying my homemade brownies? Could the visit get any more embarrassing? I watched Ayako take a bite, and okay, she appeared to really enjoy it, but still! If I’d known a sampling was in store, I would’ve put in a little more effort! Like, weigh out the ingredients to the gram, or sift the flour twice, or use high-quality couverture chocolate instead of regular bar chocolate…!
Flustered, I turned back to the garden. Movement by the tree caught my eye. What was that? Something brown colored…and furry? I wasn’t sure what I was looking at. It seemed a little too big to be a cat and it definitely wasn’t Koro—I’d tied him securely to the porch railing. Plus, Koro’s coat was a toasted marshmallow, while the creature before me was a darker shade of brown. To confirm it wasn’t Koro, I checked the porch again to see him sitting obediently and quietly. Considering his usual nervousness, the obvious lack of barking suggested that whatever was in the yard wasn’t a threat.
My eyes lingered on Koro. He was so calm, so docile, a far cry from when we first adopted him. Where had his cowardliness gone all of a sudden? Not that I was complaining or anything—I was glad that he had relaxed a little.
“See something interesting out there, Haruka?” Mom interrupted my train of thought.
“Oh, uh, yeah. I think there’s a cat outside,” I replied, realizing I’d been goggling out the window with my plate and fork still in hand.
“A cat?” echoed Ayako; she sounded confused.
“Oh, did you not have one? It must be a stray, then—a brown one.” I pointed at the base of the tree. Then again, the animal was a little too big for a cat. It was also kind of long—and slender? Maybe it was a raccoon dog or something similar. The forest was right there, so I wouldn’t have been surprised.
“I don’t see anything…” said Mom.
“What?” I said. “It’s right there—by the base of the tree. It’s kinda hard to see, but it’s there. Look. That’s its back—I think.”
“I don’t know…” She sounded unconvinced and rubbed at her eyes. Ayako, too, had assumed a perplexed demeanor.
Really? It’s right there, still wriggling around.
Wait. A thought struck me. The creature wasn’t some supernatural phenomenon only visible to me, was it? No, no, no. I shook the notion from my head. I certainly wasn’t in possession of a sixth sense or anything of the sort. Besides, I was sure that if it were something freaky, I wouldn’t be so blasé about it. They couldn’t see it due to their angle of sight. Yes, let’s go with that.
“It must just be a stray,” I reiterated, trying to put the weird situation behind us. “It’s probably gone now… Probably.” I went for a bite of my brownie to distract myself. “Huh?”
My eyes fell to my plate. It was empty. But I’d been holding it all that time. Had I forgotten that I’d eaten my piece already…?