“Hachiro Nazuka, a 27-year-old office worker, was facing 3 p.m. at the office.”
There’s no official snack time at the company, but it's common for the female employees who enjoy cooking or for male colleagues returning from business trips to bring treats around this time.
Just as Hachiro was about to suck on a piece of candy, disappointed that there were no treats today, something happened.
Sayaka Sone, the quietest woman in the Sales Division’s second department, took action. She was a year younger than Hachiro, with shoulder-length black hair in a bob, minimal makeup, and a reputation as a “plain girl”. Hardworking yet lacking any romantic rumors, she was the picture of “unrefined.”
Curious, Hachiro watched her.
Suddenly—
“Everyone... I made some ohagi. Would anyone like to try some?”
The response from the team was lukewarm. Hachiro felt the same.
Firstly, ohagi (a Japanese sweet rice cake with red bean paste) is quite sweet, and it’s a bit heavy for an office snack. Eating it could mess up your hands and face. And because it’s homemade, expectations for the taste were low. In many ways, this was a risky move, thought Hachiro.
Sayaka offered some first to her boss, the section chief, but he declined, saying, “I’m not hungry.”
Other colleagues, including some of the usual sweet-tooths among the female employees, also gently turned it down.
Left holding a wooden box full of untouched ohagi, Sayaka looked a bit lost. Though she didn’t show it, it was easy to imagine that she felt hurt.
“...”
After a moment’s thought, Hachiro raised his hand.
“Ms. Sone, would it be alright if I had one?”
“...Thank you!”
Hachiro wasn’t particularly fond of sweets, and he didn’t like ohagi either. But he couldn’t bring himself to ignore Sayaka, who looked like a little puppy left out in the cold. Maybe if someone just ate one, it would ease her disappointment a bit, he thought, as he reached for an ohagi.
Looking at the dark reddish-purple lump, Hachiro felt overwhelmed. Just eating one seemed like it would be a calorie overload. He regretted being so nice… and mentally cursed himself.
“Well... I’ll give it a try.”
He took a bite.
In that instant, something burst within Hachiro.
“This is delicious!”
He couldn’t help but exclaim.
What was this ohagi? The red bean paste wasn’t overly sweet; instead, it had a refined flavor. The soft rice inside blended perfectly, creating an exquisite taste in his mouth.
“Have I really gone 27 years without realizing that ohagi might be my favorite food?” he wondered.
Before he knew it, he had finished it in one go.
“Sorry, can I have another?”
“Y-Yes!”
He asked for seconds and devoured it.
“Sorry, one more!”
“Um, are you sure you’re okay eating so much?”
“No worries! I’ll exercise to make up for it!”
Whether or not that made sense, he continued to wolf down the ohagi.
Hachiro rubbed his stomach, satisfied. His colleagues looked on in amazement.
When Hachiro glanced at Sayaka with a hopeful look, she said—
“Well… if you’d like, I could make some more for tomorrow?”
“Please do!”
With red bean paste still on his lips, Hachiro gave her a bright smile.
* * *
At 3 p.m. the next day, Sayaka brought out a box of ohagi, as requested.
Hachiro, like a character from a manga, licked his lips in anticipation.
But then—
“Sone, may I have one too?”
It was the section chief.
Of course, Sayaka couldn’t refuse, and Hachiro couldn’t claim, “She made them just for me.” The section chief took one ohagi.
This set off a chain reaction.
Yesterday’s ohagi-shy colleagues started saying, “I want one too,” “Me too.” Hachiro felt as if his heart was being wrenched.
In the end, Hachiro only managed to get one ohagi.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Nazuka…”
“No, it’s alright. I’m just glad everyone enjoyed it.”
Of course, deep down he was thinking, “Damn it, just one... everyone’s so selfish.”
As his colleagues tasted the ohagi:
“Wow… this is amazing!”
“What is this? It’s delicious!”
“It’s so good!”
They all sang its praises, and some even started giving taste reviews.
The section chief spoke on behalf of everyone.
“Sone, if you wouldn’t mind… would you make some more? I’ll even cover the cost of the ingredients…”
“I’m glad you liked it. I’d be happy to make more!”
Sayaka responded with a smile that shone so brightly, completely unlike her usual quiet demeanor.
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