“Ohayou!!!”

“Eh? Nani? What have you eaten today? Are you sick?” Rika was surprised at the action of Maki. There she was having a hard time thinking how she would approach her friend after their talk last Saturday, but it seemed that the awkwardness they felt last time, already vanished into thin air. Maki greeted her cheerfully… not like the one’s she had seen before. This time, there were no reservations.



Chapter 8

Monday

“Ohayou!!!”

“Eh? Nani? What have you eaten today? Are you sick?” Rika was surprised at the action of Maki. There she was having a hard time thinking how she would approach her friend after their talk last Saturday, but it seemed that the awkwardness they felt last time, already vanished into thin air. Maki greeted her cheerfully… not like the one’s she had seen before. This time, there were no reservations.

“I’m not sick ok! Hey, did you know that I’ve watched Captain Tsubasa last night. I think I’ll try his style in playing futsal… Hehehe.” Maki grinned while imitating a kick.

“Ok… Are you sure you’re alright? It’s freaking me out because you’re acting a little bit weird today.” Rika even put her hands on Maki’s forehead to check if she had some fever.

“I told you I’m fine. You don’t have to do that.” Maki removed the hand from her forehead but she’s still holding Rika’s left hand. She pulled her towards their classroom, “It’s almost class.” Rika just followed her.


Lunch Time

“Hey, where are we going?” Rika was wondering where Maki would take her. They were walking to the opposite direction of their usual eating place at the back of their school, under the Sakura tree. She was surprised at the sudden change of Maki. She knew that Maki change a lot ever since then but today, she was acting really different.

“I thought I promised you that we would eat at the cafeteria today and buy that Udon bread and Onigiri?”

Rika’s eyes widened at what Maki said “Hontou ni? Arigatou!!!”

They entered the cafeteria. There are many students eating their lunch there. They searched for a vacant seat but it seemed that it’s already full. Rika was dismayed at the situation. She was going to say to Maki that they postpone their lunch in cafeteria and go back to the Sakura tree but…

“Hey, I saw Eri, Sayu and Reina in that table! I think there are two unoccupied seats in there. Let’s ask them.” Maki pulled Rika to the direction of their classmates. Rika couldn’t believe what she heard. Maki was the one who will initiate the contact to socialize with other people. This is what she wanted but, it feels really strange.


“Konnichiwa! Are these seats taken?”
The three girls were surprised to hear Maki asking them if they could join them.

“Are you talking to us?” Eri asked.

“Of course I am. We wanted to taste the food here but it’s hard to find an available seat.”

“Hai, you could seat with us.” Reina removed their bags from the chair so that Maki and Rika could sit down.

“Arigatou! I’ll be the one to buy our food. You want to taste their Onigiri and Udon bread right?” Maki asked Rika while she was getting her wallet inside her bag.

“Ha… hai”

“Ok, I’ll be back in a jiffy!” Maki ran off towards the cashier.

“Ok, what did you do to her?” Sayu raised her left brow and crossed her arms on her chest. “Why was she acting like that?”

“I… I don’t know. She was acting like that when I came this morning.”

“It feels weird... But I guess that it’s good that she’s starting to socialize now.” Reina commented while biting a large chunk of the pizza she bought. Rika looked at her.

“Is that your lunch? Will it satisfy your hunger?”

“Hai, I’m on a diet.”

“But I thought that pizza has a high cholesterol level than rice? If you’re on a diet, you should eat fruits and vegetables rather than pizza.” Rika smiled at Reina.

“Is that so? I guess…. I’ll stop my diet… It’s hard to eat right, hehehe.” Reina continued to eat her pizza.

“Hahaha... I told you, that you couldn’t possibly do it!” Eri laughed. Rika and Sayu laughed with her also.

“What’s so funny?” Maki asked the four of them. She gave Rika her Udon bread and Onigiri before she sat down next to Reina.

“Reina here gave up her diet because she doesn’t want to eat fruits and vegetables only.” Sayu answered.

“Is that so? Well, she could eat her favorite food without worrying about getting fat. There will be some modifications in the ingredients and it’s also in the way those foods are cooked.” Maki answered before taking a bite out of her onigiri.

“Really? How?!?” The three looked at Maki with excitement. Rika seemed somewhat happy at the way things are turning.

“If you liked pizza,” Maki pointed at the pizza on Reina’s hands, “you could put olive oil instead of lard. And you could put lots of onions. Onions are often eaten by those people who are in diet.”

“But I don’t like onions.”

“You will like them, trust me and also the other vegetables. Maybe your orientation with those foods is negative that’s why you don’t like them. I can cook for you if you want” Maki took another bite and smile at Reina.

“Her mother enrolled her at a cooking and baking school when she was in grade 3, that’s why she knew those things.” Rika told them. She tried her best not to laugh at her classmates whose jaws were already dropping at disbelief.

“I want to taste it too!!!” Sayu shrieked.

“Me too!!! Please let us taste your cooking!!!” Eri followed.

“Hai, that can be arranged.” Maki smiled at them. She was getting used to her new attitude. It feels so good to have some friends surrounding her.


……….
“I saw the two of you sleeping together earlier. You’re so cute when you’re hugging her while you slept.” Maki’s mom was reading a newspaper when Maki entered after she walked Rika home.

“Ehhh? Why are you snooping on us?!” Maki was somewhat embarrassed that her mother saw the two of them while they slept. But she was grateful that her mother didn’t saw them when they were engaged in that “tickling” fight, otherwise, her mother would think that they were doing something…. bizarre.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed… I’m happy that you’re slowly opening up again… Ever since… Ever since that fateful day, you stopped being happy. You did your best to save your father… So don’t blame yourself, ok?” Mrs. Goto stood up and hugged her daughter. Maki hugged her back.

“I’m not blaming myself… I was still young back then and knew there’s nothing more that I could do… I just can’t accept that he’s gone.” Maki sobbed in her mother’s arms. She didn’t want to feel the loneliness a person feels when they lost someone important. As a defense mechanism, Maki tried to close herself from others. It’s really painful to lose someone and she didn’t want to experience it again… Rika… She didn’t want to become close to her at first in fear that Rika might left her but, it seemed that it’s much more painful not to be with her.

“I guess, you should revert back to your normal self now… Ne~e?”

“I guess so…”