It would take more than an hour to reach “Soleil Levant,” the restaurant which his parents managed. Two train rides were required to reach it. By the time they had arrived at the final station, the sun had already set, and the sky had been replaced by a starry veil.
“Do we turn here?” Fuyuka asked.
“Yeah.”
Smiling couples roamed the brilliantly lit streets. Amidst the bustling crowd, a pair of teenagers were the only source of quiet. Their conversations on the swaying train primarily consisted of discussing their test results, what they had talked about the previous evening, and so on. Now, other than the occasional inquiry about directions, they were both completely silent. Fuyuka wasn’t the talkative type by nature, and the same could be said about Asahi. Still, that didn’t stop the creeping feeling of discomfort that had become common for them whenever this situation arose.
“Did you look up the directions beforehand?” he continued.
“I did not.”
It was only a matter of minutes before they would arrive at their destination, but Asahi couldn’t bear the silence any longer and wanted to clear the awkwardness in the air. Luckily for him, Fuyuka felt the same way. She’d been fumbling around for a topic herself before he spoke up.
She slowed down and explained, “I’ve been to Soleil Levant once before when I was a child.” Asahi was surprised initially, but it made sense. It would explain why she was so knowledgeable about the restaurant, as well as why she was so keen to accompany him.
It must be quite the special place for her, he thought. Enough so that she was willing to go through the hurdle of going out with a guy—on Christmas Eve, no less—in order to visit it again.
“I still recall it quite vividly—this road, the restaurant, the food. Everything,” she added.
“That’s impressive. Your memory is the real deal.”
“It’s... a precious memory I have of my family. That must be the reason why I still remember it so fondly,” she replied with a complicated expression. The warm recollections of a distant past ushered feelings of nostalgia in her eyes, but there was also a tinge of depression. Asahi wasn’t sure if her gloomy expression was just an illusion brought upon by the darkness, or if a serious, agonizing memory was weighing on her heart. For whatever reason, he couldn’t help but feel that it was the latter.
So she does look sad when she talks about her family. This isn’t the first time that’s happened, he thought to himself. He wanted to ask her more about this precious memory of hers. Although he generally avoided bringing up her family, this question in particular may have been acceptable since it involved his parents’ restaurant. In the end, however, he simply ended up stating, “We’re getting close.”
“Indeed,” she replied.
As they continued to walk, Asahi heard a whisper among the clamor of the crowd. “I hope the soup still tastes the same...” It was a distinctive voice, one that was impossible for him to miss—especially since it came right from beside him. It was Fuyuka’s voice. Something was fundamentally different about it, however. It lacked the usual formal tone he had gotten so accustomed to, so he figured she was just talking to herself.
“I think it’s still the same... probably,” he answered.
“Y-You heard me just now?”
“It would be weird if I didn’t. I’m literally right next to you.”
Fuyuka was flustered, as evident by the bright red color that tinged her cheeks. Her bashful expression caused Asahi to break into a smile.
They walked down streets teeming with young couples. With every step they took, the distance between them began to close. They were now at a distance where their hands threatened to brush against each other with even the slightest of movements. Their general proximity, in addition to the overall sappy atmosphere emanating from the town, did little to quell their embarrassment.
“My parents made it so that soup is served with every course. Apparently it’s because it was the first dish they ever made together,” Asahi added.
“I never knew it had such a moving story behind it...”
“Lucky you, getting to eat your favorite soup,” he teased her in order to calm his racing heart. The soup made at Soleil Levant featured eggs as its main ingredient. He was slightly worried that all the food he’d made for her so far had been juvenile, between the omelets he’d made for lunch and the omelet rice he’d prepared for dinner. Eggs certainly seemed to be a main theme.
“Yes, I can barely contain my happiness,” she replied earnestly with a gentle grin, contrary to his expectations. He thought he had gotten used to seeing her smile by now, but it still threw him for a loop each time she did.
“Oh, I can see it in the distance now,” she said, pointing at the signboard as her expression melted into a smile once more. She hastened toward their destination, leaving Asahi trailing behind her. As he watched the excitable girl rush to their destination, a certain warmth filled his body... one that was different from the coat shielding him against the chilly weather.