Before I left, she handed me a ton of shishito peppers. Just how many of these did you plant?
“Thank you! Please come again!” Katsuragi-san waved at me gleefully as she saw us off. What was that all about?
“Say, Yuma... What’s a fujoshi...?”
“I wonder...”
She looked really cute when she cocked her head. Yup, Yuma’s the cutest. Anyway, that was one mentally taxing visit, let me tell you.
I’d told Katsuragi-san about how I’d had too much to drink when I’d stayed over at Aikawa-san’s, and I couldn’t remember when I’d gone to sleep. For some reason, this was a big hit with her. I don’t get it. I really don’t get women.
Back at home, I checked my phone and found a message from Aikawa-san asking if he could come to my place tomorrow. Since I didn’t really have anything to do tomorrow besides dropping the chickens off, I replied affirmatively.
I opened the fridge to check that I had enough food—I had plenty of vegetables, but not much meat. I’d head down to the village for shopping and also pick up the chickens while I was at it.
If I recall correctly, the last time Aikawa-san came to visit...was in the afternoon, so I didn’t prepare anything. We just had some snacks.
“I should make us a proper meal tomorrow. Though I’m not sure anything I can make would count as ‘proper.’ I don’t cook that much...” I was at a bit of a loss.
But maybe you don’t need any fancy techniques or anything as long as the ingredients are of good quality. I called the chicken farm and was asked to sample their new product, which was supposedly packaged in a pouch and easy to prepare at home. Lucky! Just what I needed.
I first headed to the farm. Taking care not to let Yuma near the farm building, I stepped out of the truck. The couple running the farm asked me if I’d like to stay for a meal, but I declined, saying I’d already eaten. The old lady seemed a little disappointed. Maybe I should stay and have something to eat?
The new product they gave me was a whole dressed chicken, minus the head.
“Whoa... A whole chicken...”
Matsuyama-san explained that the chicken was stuffed with glutinous rice, jujube, chestnuts, and herbs. There was also soup.
“What was this dish called again?” Matsuyama-san asked his wife.
“Samgye-tang. It’s a Korean dish.”
“I see... Korean food, huh?” I wonder if Aikawa-san has had this before. “So, how much is it?”
“For now, just try it out and tell me what you think.”
“But this is worth way more than, say, a thousand yen,” I countered.
“It’s okay,” Matsuyama-san’s wife assured me. “Getting to see your unusual chickens makes up for it. Besides, we want to get some opinions from youngsters.”
Am I still a youngster? Well, I’m still in my twenties, so I suppose so.
I made a mental note to definitely bring them a nice present next time I came over. They handed me the chicken, a piece of paper explaining how to prepare it, and I was off on my way. I stopped by the general store before heading to Yumoto-san’s house.
There were a few kids at the general store who all stared wide-eyed at Yuma, and they reached out nervously to touch her. Yuma didn’t seem to mind.
“What a huge chicken!”
“Be gentle with her, or you could get hurt,” I warned one of them.
“Okay. Can I touch?”
“Sure, just let her know, and do it gently.”
“Wow, so pretty!”
“Thanks.”
The children were quite surprised at Yuma’s size, but thankfully, they didn’t seem to be afraid or feel threatened by her. I was glad they weren’t judgmental. But then again, this village in general is pretty tolerant, I feel.
At the Yumotos, Pochi and Tama poked at the ground while they waited for me.
“Pochi, Tama, good job today,” I said. “Let’s go home.”
Yumoto-san waved at me. “Hey, Shohei. Thanks for picking them up.”
“I was already nearby—I needed to do some shopping. Also, would you mind selling me some vegetables?”
“What are you saying? Don’t be a stranger! Just take ’em. The chickens caught three vipers today. If you ask the other folks, I’m sure they’ll also be glad to spare you some vegetables.”
“Three vipers... That’s quite a lot.”
The farmlands around here were fairly large, but three vipers was still a lot. Yumoto-san told me to hold on for a second and came back with a basket full of vegetables.
“This is for you. From the farmers.”
“Whaaaat?” I got a huge load of seasonal vegetables. I’ve definitely got to make something and put these to good use, don’t I?
“Please teach me how to cook!” I called out to Machiko-san.
She’s not quite Doraemon, but she’s just as dependable. I told her I had a lot of shishito peppers, and she taught me a recipe for Chinese food that used them. The recipe actually called for bell peppers, but she said you could substitute them for shishito without any problem. Huh. I didn’t know you could use oyster sauce in stir-fries.
Back at home, I made some preparations for the meal. “Whew... This should be enough,” I muttered. “Tomorrow’s Pochi and Yuma’s turn, right?”
Tama crept closer to me. A bit too close.
“What? What is it, Tama?”
“Aikawa?”
“Yeah, he’s coming over tomorrow.” Man, now she doesn’t even bother hiding the fact that she can speak.
“Business trip!”
“Huh?” I didn’t understand what she meant.
“Tama, business trip!”
“What?”
“Tama, business trip!”
Tama, please, you’re way too close. You’re scaring me with that sharp beak and those jagged teeth. Please don’t bite me.
“Oooh...” I finally began to understand what she was trying to communicate: She’d heard me say that Aikawa-san was coming over tomorrow, and so she probably wanted to go on a “business trip.” That is, she wanted to go to the village in Yuma’s stead. Tama, are you seriously that scared of Rin-san?
“Is it because the snakes will be here tomorrow?” Her sharp beak pecked my arm—it was made worse by the fact that I wasn’t wearing work clothes for protection. “Ow, hey! Stop! Okay! Okay, got it! Tomorrow, Pochi and Tama will be going to the village on business! I’ll be counting on you two!”
Tama raised her head sharply and looked at me condescendingly. You know, Tama, I kind of wish you had a little less of the “tsun” and a bit more of the “dere.”
“Yuma, is that all right with you?” I’d changed her plans without her consent, after all. Yuma, in contrast with a certain someone, came up to my side and cuddled with me. I was so moved by her kindness that I could’ve cried.
Anyway, that was it for my preparations to receive Aikawa-san tomorrow. This should be enough...right?