Chapter 149: Shizuka-chan, Good Morning (Long Chapter)
The summer camp had drawn to a close, and life had settled back into its quiet rhythm. Every day, Akishin watched the world drift by on Konishi Street—the elderly walking with fragile steps, radiant young girls, energetic youths, and mischievous, laughing children...
Countless faces passed through his field of vision each day, and while few truly lingered in his memory, the number of regulars at Chishimaya continued to grow. They came when their moods were sour, they came when they were in high spirits, they came when they simply didn't feel like cooking, they came to reward themselves for a good grade, or to celebrate a payday...
Life seemed to go on like this forever, yet certain familiar things had a way of vanishing quietly into the night, sometimes taking a long time for anyone to even notice.
Uncle Daiki from across the street had fallen ill. While chatting with a customer, he had suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed, and was rushed to the hospital by the very person he had been serving.
The pancake shop, which had been a staple for decades, remained shuttered for five days for the first time in its history.
Akishin and Shizuka brought fruit to visit him. Akishin spent over an hour talking with the old man. Despite the gap between a youth and an elder, their conversation flowed without any barriers.
Uncle Daiki's spirits remained relatively high, though his usually tanned complexion had turned a sickly pale. It seemed to be a gastric hemorrhage exacerbated by various old ailments; he didn't explain the details clearly, but from his son's tone, it sounded like the old man didn't have much time left...
During the day, Chishimaya served as a study hall for Hachiman and the others, a group consisting of Yui, Saika, Saki, plus the three from Yuika Kondo's group, and the Hikigaya siblings.
Zaimokuza showed up roughly every other day.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Zaimokuza's novel writing had finally begun. He couldn't even manage two thousand words in a single day, but at least he had started. Though his pacing was still messy, his prose was slowly improving.
If he kept at it, becoming famous in the future wasn't an impossible dream.
To love the work you do and to take a small thing to its absolute peak—that, too, was a form of greatness.
Chishimaya's business hours officially started at five in the evening. Yuika Kondo acted as an assistant, helping Akishin prep the ingredients, while Kaiko and Saki worked the front as waitresses, taking orders, clearing bowls, and handling the register. Finally, there was an older woman who handled the dishwashing.
Yui, Totsuka Saika, and Zaimokuza usually left around four, though they sometimes lingered a bit longer. Hachiman stayed later since he had Kendo practice.
Soichi walked home with Yuika Kondo every day.
"Ryuichi-kun, here are your Kanimiso-yaki, Qingshui Tofu, and Seafood Fried Rice. I've added a bit of lemon juice to the tofu, and here is your Miso Soup. Please, enjoy."
Akishin placed the small plates and the soup in front of the familiar face at the counter with a smile, then turned to fetch a bottle of sweet potato shochu for him.
Ryuichi Yukinoshita was still dressed in a sharp, handmade suit, his Casio watch occasionally peeking out from under his left sleeve.
"Let me know if you need anything else."
After setting down the shochu, Akishin turned back and expertly took a lightly processed sturgeon from Yuika's hands and began slicing it into sashimi.
Ryuichi Yukinoshita ate his fried rice, watching Akishin's hands move with the precision of a magician. Layer after layer of translucent fish slices fell perfectly onto the prepared bed of ice. He couldn't help but praise him. "Chishima-kun, based on your knife skills alone, you could already pass the exam for a high-level chef certification."
"I don't really have any thoughts about that for now. Aside from this little shop, I don't plan on expanding the business. Honestly, compared to being a chef, I feel like being a teacher is more enjoyable."
Akishin replied while staying focused on his work. He had no intention of furthering a career in the culinary world.
His primary reason for learning to cook was simply wanting to make delicious food, and the second was to have a survival skill in case he ever fell into poverty. Further development would only lead to more money, and he already had enough of that.
Yuika glanced at the middle-aged man who carried such an extraordinary aura. She had heard from Sensei that this man was a member of the Chiba Prefectural Assembly, the current head of the Yukinoshita family, and the father of Yukino Yukinoshita, whom they had played with before.
His status was undoubtedly massive—compared to Ryuichi, Mitsuha's father was just a minor official—but Yuika didn't feel anything particularly special about it.
She didn't compare herself to him, nor did she want anything from him. Compared to that heavy aura, she felt Chishima-sensei was much more impressive.
Yuika kept her eyes on Akishin as he sliced the sashimi. She had been practicing her own knife skills lately; she could now slice a radish until it was semi-transparent, but she was still quite a distance away from the standards required for sashimi.
Soon, the fish was entirely sliced and plated over the ice. Yuika picked it up and handed it to Saki. The remaining bones and head were set aside; they could be used for another dish later.
The faint sound of bamboo swords clashing echoed from the dojo inside.
Yuika looked at the focused Akishin and unconsciously let a smile slip.
This was the daily routine. Even without surprises, it was incredibly happy. Looking back at her past doubts, it all felt like a dream.
She wondered how the recovery of Itomori Town was going?
Ryuichi Yukinoshita saw Akishin's focused expression and knew the boy was giving him a casual answer. A hint of helplessness touched his face before he smiled again, picking up his shochu and taking a drink.
Five minutes later, Akishin finished his task. Carrying a glass of his own, he walked over to Ryuichi and said with a smile, "Ryuichi-kun, let's have a drink."
"Sure."
Ryuichi set down his chopsticks, picked up his glass, and filled it.
The two of them clinked glasses across the counter.
Ting!
The drink went down. Ryuichi ate the last bite of the Kanimiso-yaki and asked, "Does Chishima-kun have something on his mind?"
"If I didn't, would I not be allowed to just chat with you?"
"It's not that, of course. It's just that your expression has already betrayed you."
"Is it really that obvious?" Akishin touched his cheek, speaking casually. "Fine, I do have something. I wanted to ask, Ryuichi-kun... did your daughter, Yukino-san, get into a car accident on the first day of their freshman year, hitting a classmate?"
Hachiman likely didn't recognize Ryuichi Yukinoshita. When he walked past earlier, he had seen Ryuichi but hadn't shown any reaction at all.
"How did Chishima-kun find out about that?"
Ryuichi's expression shifted for a fraction of a second before returning to a mask of calm. After a moment of thought, he remembered and spoke with a tone of regret. "I almost forgot myself. That classmate's name was Hachiman Hikigaya, who is now Chishima-kun's student. I am truly sorry."
Ryuichi lowered his head slightly, offering an apology on behalf of his daughter. But after raising his head, he spoke again. "But that matter didn't have much to do with Yukino; she was just sitting in the back. I also appeared in person later to offer my apologies and compensation to the Hikigaya family..."
Akishin waved his hand and said, "I know about that. I only asked you to confirm it. My goal is just to prepare to tell Hachiman, so that he and Yukino can be honest with each other about the whole thing."
This was tied to Yukino's psychological state. Since Ryuichi was here, he figured he'd tell him first; after all, there was still time before school started.
Ryuichi found it strange. "Hikigaya-kun still doesn't know?" He was genuinely surprised, having assumed Hachiman had known for a long time.
After the accident, even though he hadn't met Hachiman personally, he had been in contact with Hachiman's parents.
"He doesn't," Akishin shook his head.
Across the room, a regular customer raised a glass toward him, and Akishin raised his in return. "Right now, Yukino and Hachiman are supposed to be friends, but your daughter has never brought the subject up. Hiratsuka-sensei—you should know her, right, Ryuichi-kun? She said Yukino has always felt the accident was her own fault. Вy all accounts, she's blaming herself quite a bit and is likely too afraid to say anything."
"..."
Ryuichi fell silent for a few seconds. He picked up the bottle to pour another glass, only to realize it was empty. Just as he was about to set it down, a new bottle was placed in front of him.
Looking up, he saw Akishin's smiling face.
"This one is my treat, Ryuichi-kun. Oh, and this too..." After setting down the drink, Akishin served a plate of spiced beef. "Alcohol goes best when accompanied by a dish like this."
Ryuichi was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a smile and poured a glass from the new bottle. After taking a sip, a sharp, spicy heat immediately filled his mouth, followed by a faint hint of sweetness.
"Cough, cough!"
Ryuichi couldn't help but cough twice. He quickly grabbed his chopsticks and popped a piece of spiced beef into his mouth. The savory aroma of the beef neutralized the spice, creating an even more unique flavor profile.
It was hard to describe exactly how it tasted, but...
It was good.
Ryuichi looked at the bottle in his hand and finally realized it wasn't a bottle of shochu. It didn't even have a label.
"This—this is Chinese Baijiu!"
Ryuichi looked up and stared at Akishin with a frown, but then he looked back at the bottle, poured himself another glass, and drank it again.
This time, he really felt that spicy kick, but it carried a sweetness within it that made him unable to stop himself from reaching for another piece of beef. He thought to himself, these two really are a perfect match.
Akishin saw the look of surprise in Ryuichi's eyes and laughed. "It's from my private collection. I used some major connections to have someone buy it from a specific place in China. There are only a few dozen bottles in total."
This was an order he'd placed with Shizuka's uncle, Yuren Hiratsuka, to have someone buy it in China and ship it back.
The place where the drink was made was the small town Akishin had lived in during his previous life. Because of the specific ingredients and the complicated process, it was a special kind of Baijiu produced and sold in very limited quantities.
Even though he knew this world was different from his original one—at least the original world didn't have people with rainbow-colored hair—there were still many similarities.
He had found his original hometown, and mostly just to see what would happen, he had mentioned it to Yuren Hiratsuka over the phone...
Unexpectedly, Yuren Hiratsuka had actually bought it!
There were originally about a hundred bottles, but the uncle had kept the rest for himself.
Akishin had received the remaining thirty bottles just yesterday. Even Shizuka hadn't tried it yet—not because he was keeping it from her, but because it only arrived at midnight, and she had already been asleep.
Tonight, he planned to share a few glasses with her.
"I see. Thank you very much, Chishima-kun."
Ryuichi had sampled many types of alcohol, including quite a few from China. While this wasn't the absolute best he'd ever had, it was certainly high-quality.
Chinese Baijiu really did need the right side dishes to bring out its best flavor.
However...
Ryuichi held his glass and looked at Akishin seriously, his expression and tone carrying a weight of authority. "Chishima-kun, please don't do something like this again in the future. Even though you are my friend, there are some lines that should not be crossed..."
His identity was very specific and sensitive. He was no stranger to danger and often had to remain vigilant.
It was only because Chiba was his 'territory' and he had eaten at Akishin's place so many times that he trusted him—not to mention his concern for his daughter (the most important point)...
He hadn't even noticed the difference between Baijiu and Sake until he tasted it!
Akishin's smile vanished. Two seconds later, he nodded.
Ryuichi returned to a humble smile and raised his glass toward Akishin.
"Regarding Yukino, I really know so little. I didn't even know about this. I truly haven't fulfilled my responsibilities as a father well. Ah, rest easy, Chishima-kun. I will speak with Yukino after I get home."
"Sorry for the trouble."
"I should be the one thanking you."
The relationship between the two seemed to have distanced by a degree. Both of them noticed it, yet neither had any thought of fixing it—Ryuichi's status dictated that he couldn't get too close to Akishin anyway.
As for whether Akishin had done it on purpose?
Ryuichi couldn't tell, and the answer didn't really matter. It was just a bottle of liquor, after all; it wasn't a major issue. Adult friendships were rarely pure to begin with.
...
The world was silent. It was already Sunday, and the Obon Festival was fast approaching.
Akishin opened his eyes, unconsciously clutching his head which still felt stiff and achy. He had been drinking with Shizuka yesterday. The two of them had polished off six bottles of high-proof Baijiu. Even though each bottle was only two ounces, that was still more than half a liter!
The aftereffects of that drink were powerful; eventually, both of them had become lightheaded.
What happened after that?
It seemed...
He had helped Shizuka to her room, taken off her shoes, and assisted her onto the bed.
And then?
Akishin looked to his side. Sure enough, Shizuka was sleeping right next to him. And this place...
He scanned the room he had only seen a few times before.
This was Shizuka's bedroom!
"Ha~ Hu~"
Akishin took a long breath. While he trusted that he wouldn't do anything inappropriate even when drunk—and he could feel that he still had his shirt and pants on—he still needed to be sure.
He decisively pulled back the blanket. His pajamas were perfectly intact, just a bit wrinkled. They had both showered before drinking, so they had gone straight to bed in their sleepwear after getting tipsy.
As he thought, the idea of people losing control and doing scandalous things while drunk was a lie. Someone who is truly drunk doesn't have the energy to act out; passing out is the normal response. Having other "urges" only proves that the person wasn't actually that drunk.
In other words, they were just using alcohol as an excuse to do whatever they wanted.
"Hu~"
Akishin breathed a sigh of relief, but...
Why did he feel a sense of... no, a sense of deep regret!
Sitting up in bed, he rubbed his forehead again and looked at Shizuka beside him. There was zero distance between them.
The morning sun filtered through the window, making Shizuka's face look soft and pure. There wasn't a single blemish on her skin. Her small nose crinkled slightly as she breathed, and her pink lips looked soft and moist—it was a deadly sight. Her long eyelashes looked like tiny fans, and her long black hair was scattered messily across the pillow.
She was stunning. Truly beautiful.
More importantly, this scene was unfolding right on a bed, and right next to him!
Akishin was dazed for over ten seconds before he snapped out of it. He reached out and gently nudged Shizuka, calling her in a soft voice. "Shizuka-chan, Shizuka-chan, wake up. It's morning. It seems we slept together..."
"Ugh~, Chishima-kun, is class over already?"
Great, she was so out of it she thought she was still at school.
"Ahem!"
Akishin cleared his throat, smiling. "That's right, class is over."
Shizuka opened her eyes dizzily. She scanned the room, not yet realizing anything was wrong, and then saw Akishin sitting beside her. She gave him a gentle smile. "Chishima-kun, good morning."
"Good morning, Shizuka-chan."
Stare—
"Good morning, Shizuka-chan."
Akishin remained gentle in both his expression and tone.
Stare—
"Good morning, Shizuka-chan."
"Σ(っ °Д °;)っ"
Shizuka's eyes suddenly flew wide open. Immediately, a finger was pressed gently against her pink lips, cutting off her startled cry.
Akishin leaned closer to Shizuka, staring into her eyes. He got closer and closer until there were only twenty centimeters between them, both of them feeling each other's warm breath.
Shizuka spoke with a trembling voice. "Chishima... Chishima..." She was so embarrassed she felt like she couldn't breathe.
Akishin spoke softly. "Shizuka-chan~, until you are truly ready to accept me as Akishin, I won't do anything that disrespects you. Please, have a little faith in me..."
...
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