Chapter 167: Return Gift [side Nozomi Tachibana]
Hii-chan: "Nee-chan! Yum! This is so good!"
"Right?"
That's right! They turned out really well today!
My little brother Hii-chan is stuffing his cheeks with the cookies I made.
Literally puffing his cheeks like a squirrel.
Hii-chan: "...Nee-chan! Are you going to give a return gift?"
Huh?! Hii-chan munches as he eats,
Hii-chan: "Isn't this the return gift for the potato chips from the other day? Kousuke-kun gave you a bunch, so it's your 'thanks,' right?"
Hii-chan... Yeah! That's right!
"Hii-chan, can you wait a second? I'll give you a pretty one, so just wait to eat for a bit, okay?"
Hii-chan: "This cookie is so cool! It's like my backpack!"
He ans it looks like the car logo on Hii-chan's backpack!
That's the one I just baked with the leftover dough!
I quickly picked out the best, "top clique" cookies and carefully put them in the nice bag left over from Valentine's, tied it with a ribbon, and headed to Kousuke-kun's house!
"For things like this, you have to go all out!"
As I walked, I rembered making them with my best friends—fufu! That was so much fun!
...Seri was strict, though.
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It all started with sothing Seri said.
At school, we were all crunching on the homade cookies Seri had brought.
"So good! Delicious! Seri, you'd make a great bride!" we said as we ate.
Seri: "That's not true! But cookies are actually pretty easy, you know? The ingredients are just flour plus a little extra."
Midori: "No way—seriously?"
Kii: "Really? Even though you say that?"
Akane: "...Aren't they expensive?"
"That's the classic online shopping pitch!"
The five of us burst out laughing.
Seri: "Akane, that was good... Why are you grinning?"
Akane: "Well... you called by my na..."
For so reason, Akane got all shy and fidgety.
How weird!
Smiling at that, I turned to Seri.
"Is it really that easy? My older brother always brings ho cookies from Kashii-senpai, and Hii-chan and I just eat them without asking!"
Seri: "Really? From Kashii-senpai? Handmade cookies? What are they like?"
Seri's pressure is intense! She's a huge Kashii-senpai fan, after all.
"They're the punchy black-and-white cocoa ones!"
Seri: "That'd be icebox cookies... What do they look like?"
When I told her they were checkered or had a swirl pattern,
Seri: "Maybe I'll try making them..."
"You should! I'll sample them for you! I love your cookies, Seri!"
My best friends chid in over my words!
Midori: "Exactly! And they're low-calorie, with no weird additives!!"
Kii: "Perfect for kids' snacks too!"
Akane: "I've been eating these since I was a kid, and I grew up healthy!"
"So we all grew up on Seri's cookies...?"
Seri: "There's no way I have such big daughters! Nozomi, you're older than , rember!"
My birthday is earlier, after all.
So we decided to go to Seri's mom's house on our day off tomorrow.
The next day.
Seri: "As a lady's accomplishnt, I think everyone should at least know how to make cookies, okay?"
Oh no! This is one of those tis when Seri turns into a demon coach!
We'd imagined a fancy Sunday, lounging around eating Seri's fresh-baked cookies, but instead we started complaining,
Midori: "I wanna eat Seri-chan's cookies, pretty please♪"
Kii: "The ones filled with Seri-mama's love♪"
Akane: "Mama! Mama! Babuu!"
"Gim cookies♪"
We did our best to lay on the baby act as thick as possible!
Both hands in fists under our chins, making our eyes all watery!
Seri looked over us with cold eyes,
Seri: "...No way am I having such big daughters... If you want cookies, you have to work for them, okay?"
And so Seri's rciless cookie boot camp began...
...
...
...
Thanks to the intense training, the cookies turned out great!
Why asure everything so precisely? I really don't get it.
Wouldn't it be cooler to just eyeball it all?
Still, chatting while eating fresh-baked cookies—after all that hard work, it was a great ti!
Seri: "Cookies get better texture once they've cooled, but that fresh-baked aroma is irresistible, right? The sll and crunch fade with ti, so I think the texture and aroma are best in the evening or at night."
Huh, interesting.
And so we split up in the evening, bringing us to now.
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Outside Kousuke's house, evening.
Here I am in front of Kousuke-kun's house.
If I hesitate, I'll overthink it! I'll get lost!
Just go for it!
Ding-dong! The intercom answers right away.
Kousuke's mom: "Oh, Nozomi-chan! Long ti no see! Kousuke is—just a sec, okay?"
As soon as I greeted her over the intercom, the door opened.
Kousuke-kun's mom... she looks just like Kousuke-kun.
Kousuke-kun really takes after his mom.
Kousuke's mom: "Kousuke'll be down in a sec! Nozomi-chan! You've gotten so cute!"
"No, that's not really..."
It's kind of embarrassing to get complints from soone who's known you since you were little, isn't it?
...I try to deny it, but everyone always says I was a total brat back then...! Maybe it's just compared to how I was?
Kousuke's mom: "Sho-kun cos by a lot, but it's been ages since I've seen you, Nozomi-chan! Are you in your first year of high school now? Or third year of middle school?"
I laugh as I answer Kousuke-kun's mom's questions,
She glances at the bag I'm holding. Should I ntion it just in case?
"I'm in third year! Today, since Kousuke-kun always gives snacks, I wanted to give him a return gift..."
Kousuke's mom: "Oh my!"
Kousuke: "...Sorry to keep you waiting. Mom, go away."
Kousuke-kun ca down from his room on the second floor.
Kousuke-kun's mom smiled happily and said "See you!" before disappearing to the back.
Kousuke: "What's up, Nozomi?"
Kousuke-kun was dressed casual in a long-sleeve T-shirt and chinos.
"Kousuke-kun, thanks for all the potato chips the other day... You always give so much... so I made these. Um, they're homade!"
I ant to be bold, but I got more and more nervous and totally lost my cool at the end.
Kousuke-kun made an "Ah!" face.
Kousuke: "That potato chip nine-flavor set from that day? Did you eat them?"
"I ate them ages ago. Isn't it amazing? Winning sothing like that is totally a jackpot!"
Kousuke: "Actually, it was decided from the start that we'd win the potato chips. Sho's winning ticket was the grand prize..."
"My older brother was super excited—he said, 'I won a handmade bento ticket from Kashii-senpai!'"
That day... I suddenly rembered—!
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The day of the reunion
On my day off! When I was the only one ho, the doorbell rang!
*Since the Tachibana family house is old, it's just a regular doorbell, not an intercom.
I opened the front door. Who could it be?
"Heeey!"
Kousuke: "...Heeey?"
Wh-w-wha—Kousuke-kun?! Why is Kousuke-kun here?
Kousuke-kun was standing there with a troubled expression—!
"Wh-what's up? What's wrong? My brother's at the reunion... right?"
I thought, wait a sec, isn't Kousuke-kun also supposed to be at the reunion?
Kousuke: "I was with Sho until just now. Here—got this potato chip nine-flavor sampler set, so...I thought you'd like to eat it, Nozomi."
"...Thank you."
*Thanks to years of habit, I accepted it instantly, no hesitation or restraint.
After I took it,
"Eh?! This much? Whoa! That's a ton!"
I couldn't help grinning at how big the bag was! So many potato chips!
Kousuke: "...Yeah, share them with everyone, okay? See ya."
Then Kousuke-kun stared at ...?
Oh no! What was I wearing just now?
Kousuke-kun laughed and said,
Kousuke: "That tracksuit looks good on you. Is it a new model?"
Mom recently bought a new tracksuit without asking! A sports tracksuit!
It's still brand new...but, is wearing a tracksuit okay for a girl?
But still! He complinted !
"Does it suit ? Really?"
I spun around on the spot to show it off.
Kousuke: "You're active, Nozomi, so it fits you. What brand is it?"
Kousuke-kun stared intently at my tracksuit!
He's looking at ! Kousuke-kun is seriously checking out!
*Of course, Kousuke is just looking at the tracksuit.
Ah! Oh no—!
Kousuke: "adiós...?"
...Mom bought it the other day!
Mom...she always manages to pick sothing just a bit...'off'...
The size, the color, the design—they're all my style, but...
It's like a knockoff of that famous brand everyone knows...
I turned bright red from embarrassnt...
(I bet if it were Kashii-senpai...she'd look perfect and cute from every angle...)
But you know? Kousuke-kun said,
Kousuke: "Like I said, it looks good on you. Did you match it to the color of the racket you showed the other day? That pale purple one, right?"
"Yes! Yes, exactly! The racket my brother bought for —my dear Wilson-chan..."
Kousuke-kun listened with a big smile...and before I knew it, I was the only one talking...
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Kousuke: "adiós...that refined design that's just a little like THAT brand...where does your mom find these things?"
"Ahaha! Only Mom knows!"
Kousuke: "I kinda want one too."
I was having so much fun, I ended up talking way too much.
Kousuke-kun isn't usually talkative, but it was all ... I realized and apologized.
"Sorry, I'm the only one talking..."
Kousuke: "...No, not at all. Actually—?"
What is it? Sorry, Kousuke-kun.
While I was getting all self-conscious about how childish I am,
Kousuke: "...Can I have a cookie?"
As he said that, he opened the bag, took one out,
Crunch! He took a big, noisy bite!
How is it? I thought they tasted good, but...I want to know what he thinks...!
Kousuke-kun didn't say anything and just kept eating—second, third cookie,
Kousuke: "...I didn't know you could make cookies, Nozomi. I was shocked on Valentine's Day too. ...Honestly, I thought you were just into eating."
"That's rude! You know what they say—if you haven't seen soone for three days, you should look at them with fresh eyes!"
Kousuke: "...That's for guys, you know?"
Geez! I was so happy and embarrassed, I couldn't even look at Kousuke-kun's face!
When I glanced away, Kousuke-kun's mom was peeking through a crack in the door!
"O-okay, I'm going! I'm heading ho now!"
I got super embarrassed and rushed to leave.
And then,
Kousuke: "Nozomi, thanks for the delicious cookies! I'll eat them carefully...but they might disappear in no ti!"
Nozomi: "Y-yeah, that's right."
I stuttered!
On the way ho, I rembered Kousuke-kun's words and grinned the whole way.
...Kashii-senpai also said that since her hobby is cooking, nothing makes her happier than when soone says her food's delicious...
And my brother often gets to eat Kashii-senpai's homade food, or wins her bento tickets...or maybe she makes sure he wins? I bet my brother hasn't noticed.
I wonder if Kashii-senpai feels happy too when my brother says her food is tasty?
...That was the day I understood Kashii-senpai's feelings, just a little bit.
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Thanks for reading.
Yesterday, I was so wiped out from working overti that I accidentally posted part of this episode in the main story. Faaack.
Now, about the request for Nozomi's best friends' nas from 4/11,
Best Friend 1 → Midori, as planned.
Best Friend 2 → Kii, as planned.
Best Friend 3 → Akane, new!
That's been decided. Soone said, "Hey, tease her and call her 'Akachan' (baby)," and since there's also Kureha-san, it's not straight-up 'red'—it was just the right suggestion.
Two people suggested Akane.
Takasato Yuu
@tohrusan
That's it. I can only give you the right to make a request, but let know in the comnts if you want a story about a certain character.
I'll squeeze sothing out soon (lol).
And lots of other suggestions were submitted too.
Thank you for thinking up nas for Nozomi's three best friends.
Many people suggested several nas.
My heartfelt thanks! Thank you for always reading!
Aru
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