Everyone else had declined, but Hachiro was the one who, reluctantly or not, ate her ohagi and even said it was delicious. Maybe that was when her heart had already made up its mind.
"You’re the kind of person who falls for the wrong guy."
"Perhaps I am."
They both laughed. Now that they’d spoken their true feelings, there was no reason to turn down her ohagi.
"Then… I’ll gladly take it."
Hachiro took Sayaka’s ohagi in hand, and with a bite, he exclaimed:
"It’s still delicious!"
* * *
One day at the end of office hours, Hachiro, back in high spirits, thought he might actually get to leave early today.
Just then, Sayaka approached him.
"Um… Mr. Nazuka."
"Hm?"
"If you’d like… would you come over to my place today?"
"To your place, Ms. Sone?"
"Yes… I’d really like you to have some ohagi."
"I’m in, I’m in!"
Luring Hachiro with ohagi was easier than tempting a horse with a carrot.
* * *
Sayaka lived alone in an apartment and welcomed Hachiro inside.
"Excuse me," he said as he entered.
"Please, come in."
Her apartment was neat and tidy. Hachiro couldn’t help but notice some stuffed animals here and there, which struck him as an endearing, girlish touch.
"I’ll go bring out the ohagi."
"Please do!" he replied, sounding so thrilled that he couldn’t help but slip into polite language.
Sayaka returned with a tray holding three pieces of ohagi.
"They look amazing…"
"Please, enjoy."
"Thank you!"
He took a bite. If there were an ohagi commercial, his enthusiastic eating could have starred in it.
"Delicious!" he exclaimed loudly, which made Sayaka smile happily.
"Who taught you to make this ohagi, Ms. Sone?"
"My late grandmother."
"Ah, I bet hers were even more delicious."
"Far more than mine."
"I wish I could have tried hers…"
Hachiro understood she was being modest, but he still thought her grandmother’s ohagi must have had something uniquely special. If he could have any wish granted, he thought he’d bring Sayaka’s grandmother back to life, just to try her ohagi.
"Is there some special method she used to make it?"
"No, it’s quite a traditional recipe. You boil the azuki beans to make the red bean paste, cook the glutinous rice…"
"Even so, it’s amazing that such a simple process creates a taste like this."
"I never imagined anyone would find it this delicious."
"It must be because it’s filled with your love… or something like that," he said, somewhat awkwardly.
Sayaka’s cheeks turned pink. Hachiro cleared his throat to cover up the cheesy remark he had just made.
"By the way, ohagi goes by other names too, doesn’t it?"
"Yes, it’s also called botamochi. You know, like the saying, ‘botamochi from a shelf’ (meaning an unexpected stroke of luck)."
"They say it’s called botamochi in spring and ohagi in autumn, but apparently it has different names for summer and winter too."
"Oh, really?"
"In summer, it’s called yofune (‘night boat’), and in winter, it’s kitamado (‘north window’)."
"Wow, I didn’t know that! I’ll have to show off that fact sometime."
They continued chatting, covering topics from work to daily life. By then, there was no longer any barrier between them.
* * *
Since he started dating Sayaka, Hachiro’s work had also been on a roll.
"Good job. You’re the top performer this month," said his section chief.
"Thank you so much!"
Sayaka, who overheard, also celebrated with him.
"Congratulations, Mr. Nazuka!"
"Thanks!"
Riding this wave of success, Hachiro gathered his courage and asked—
"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"
"I’d love to!"
Hachiro had made up his mind. There was something he wanted to tell Sayaka.
They went to a fairly upscale restaurant with a nice view of the city lights—not the most luxurious, but a decent choice.
As Sayaka enjoyed the main course, a perfectly cooked meunière, she couldn’t help but exclaim, "This is delicious!"
"It feels good to finally be the one making you say that," Hachiro said with a smile.
Once they’d finished their meal, they shared a bit of wine. Neither of them was particularly good with alcohol, but the mood seemed to call for it, so they ordered a glass.
Hachiro took a deep breath, then spoke with deliberation.
"There’s something… something I’ve been meaning to say, once I found confidence in myself…"
"What is it?"
"Sayaka, I want to keep eating your ohagi."
"Of course…"
"Forever. I want you by my side for life… making it just for me."
His gaze was serious. Sayaka felt her heart pierced by the intensity in his eyes, eyes that held a promise of a lifetime.
"…Yes! I’ll make it for you, always… just for you!"
"Thank you…!"
Hachiro’s unique proposal had succeeded splendidly.
The two were united. Sayaka blushed bright red, and Hachiro, realizing the boldness of his proposal, turned red as well.
With the alcohol already warming them, their faces flushed even redder. To anyone watching, the two might have looked as if they had turned into ohagi themselves.
[The End]
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