Chapter 11: Strawberry

Walking back from the local supermarket, Hana noticed that her front door was strangely wide open. With a bag of fresh fruit in hand, she stepped inside her home and was surprised to see a young woman sitting on the couch in her living room. The woman appeared to be about her age.

As Hana made her entrance, the woman looked up and a fleeting expression of surprise crossed her face. Seeing the bag of fruit that Hana was holding, she seemed to misunderstand something. Standing up, she greeted Hana with a smile and said, "Did you come to see Sato Sensei? He's currently busy with something. Why don't you sit down here for a bit?"

With her eyebrow raised in curiosity, Hana observed as the young woman energetically asked, "Are you a neighbor or a student of Sato Sensei? You're a student, aren't you? From the same university, right? I haven't seen you around before. Here, let me take your bag of fruit and put it in the kitchen fridge. Take a seat and hang tight; I'll grab you a glass of water."

Internally, Hana questioned, "Why does this girl behave as if she owns the place?"

Wordlessly, Hana handed over her bag of fruit and made her way to the couch. She resumed her paused game of "Desolate Planet" from the previous day and started working on today's objectives.

Returning with a glass of water, the young woman looked noticeably annoyed to find Hana nonchalantly playing video games on what she referred to as Sato Sensei's TV. "You really shouldn't be gaming on Sato Sensei's television like that. It's not very courteous," she remarked, while eyeing the screen and pondering, "When did Sato Sensei get a gaming setup on his TV?"

Hana shifted her gaze to meet the woman's disapproving look and asked, "What's Sato Sensei doing?"

Now uncertain about who Hana was, the woman hesitantly answered, "I'm here collecting some research materials for my professor. Sato Sensei went to fetch them for me. Are you actually his student?"

Shaking her head, Hana straightforwardly responded, "No, I'm not."

Astonished, the young woman exclaimed, "Then who in the world are you?" She had assumed that Hana was a student coming to visit Sato Sensei, especially considering her relaxed entry and the bag of fruit she brought.

Right as Hana was about to clarify, Jun appeared from the study. Hana turned to him and announced, "I picked up some fresh strawberries. They're stored in the fridge."

Although they had differing preferences in many things, the two of them both loved strawberries. Back when they were a couple, strawberries were a common indulgence. Today, while shopping for fruit, Hana had seen strawberries and realized how many options were now available even out of season—a silver lining in her new circumstances, she thought. At least she wouldn't have to endure the frustration of craving a specific fruit and discovering it was out of season.

Hana suddenly recalled an embarrassing moment from her past.

Not long after marrying Jun, they were, as newlyweds tend to be, practically inseparable. One evening after making love, she lay sprawled out on the bed and caught sight of a faint red mark on her thigh. Out of the blue, she was overtaken by a craving for strawberries. It was a bizarre but intense craving that she simply couldn't shake off. She swung one leg over Jun and playfully nudged him with her foot.

Jun quickly sat up, his youthful, handsome face flushed, damp hair clinging to his forehead. "What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable?" he asked, concerned.

Normally, Hana wasn't one to make unreasonable demands, but looking at Jun in that moment, she blurted out what was on her mind.

"I want strawberries," she declared.

"Strawberries?" Jun instantly got out of bed. "I'll go buy some for you."

Fresh from an intimate moment with his wife, the young man felt invigorated and eager to fulfill her every desire. So eager that he'd completely forgotten strawberries were out of season.

Hana stopped him with her toes, hooking onto the hem of his clothes. "Are you silly? Where will you find strawberries this time of year?"

Jun hesitated for a moment, then offered, "Would you like peaches instead? I can go get some." Hana had a soft spot for peaches, second only to strawberries.

"Sure," she casually replied.

Off Jun went, buoyant and eager. Hana waited and waited, eventually drifting back to sleep. When she awoke, she realized Jun still hadn't returned and guessed that the fool must have gone hunting for strawberries.

Sure enough, after a while, a somewhat exhausted Jun returned with two bags in hand: one filled with peaches and the other with... dried strawberries and strawberry-flavored tea.

Seeing the sweat stains on the back of his shirt, Hana knew he must've run around quite a bit looking for strawberries, clearly to no avail.

Embarrassed, Jun placed the items in front of her. "I got you some dried strawberries and this strawberry tea. They say it's really good, has an authentic strawberry flavor. Want to try?"

Looking at him, Hana thought, what a foolish man he is. She took a sip of the strawberry tea; it was genuinely tasty, albeit a bit too sweet.

...

Years later, now, Hana, holding a game controller, looked at an older Jun who was smiling back at her. The wrinkles around his eyes didn't look bad; in fact, they gave him a sense of gravitas and warmth. "The strawberries at the community grocery store taste great," he said. "Most of them are specially cultivated varieties from recent years."

After exchanging a few words with his wife, Jun noticed another person sitting nearby. He walked over and placed an old-looking book in front of her. "Check with your teacher to see if he needs this book," he said.

Then he headed to the kitchen, opened the fresh food compartment, and began washing some strawberries.

The girl, unknown to Hana, was already stunned by the casual conversation between Sato Sensei and Hana. She had initially wondered who this mysterious woman was who had just walked in, but seeing that Sato Sensei wasn't surprised and even spoke warmly to her, she felt her brain overloading. 'Who exactly is this person? Could she be a relative of Sato Sensei's family?'

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she forgot to scan the book to show her teacher.

Jun, having washed the strawberries, brought them over and placed them in front of Hana. "Why didn't you buy more?" he asked.

Hana popped one into her mouth and joked, "I didn't want to eat you out of house and home."

Jun chuckled. "It's fine. If you like them, get more."

Hana didn't respond, instead sliding the plate of strawberries towards the unfamiliar girl. "Here, have some strawberries. Don't be shy."

It was as if Jun just then remembered the young girl was there too. He seemed a bit embarrassed and remembering Hana didn't know her, he introduced her, "This young lady is Ozawa Mei. She's a student of an old friend and came today to pick up some stuff for her teacher."

Having said that, he turned to Mei and asked, "Have you sent it to your teacher yet?"

"Eh? Oh!" Mei finally snapped out of her daze. Realizing she had been staring at Hana for a while and forgetting her task, she sheepishly took out her PT to scan the book.

With her head bowed, she seemed busy, but inside, she was screaming. 'What the heck is going on? Who is this mysterious gaming girl? Why didn't Sato Sensei introduce her? They clearly know each other; could she really be a relative of Sato Sensei's? How embarrassing!' She had even invited Hana to sit and offered water. Turned out, however, Hana was probably the host here, making Mei hospitality completely redundant and embarrassing!

After the awkwardness subsided, Mei grew more and more curious about Hana. As she was scanning the book, she also listened keenly to the conversation between the two, unable to contain her nosy tendencies.

Everyone who frequently interacted with Sato Sensei knew that he had been living alone for years. No one else had ever been seen in his home, except for a few students who had taken turns caring for him when he was sick. Mei knew that anyone who could walk in here and have Sato Sensei wash strawberries for them must indeed have a special relationship with him.

In Mei's thoughts, numerous theories were churning. She heard Sato Sensei question the young lady, "Why don't you eat more?" Absorbed in her game, the young lady simply said, "You should eat more."

Slyly lifting her gaze, Mei saw Sato Sensei select the biggest, most vibrant strawberry from the dish and offer it to the young woman, who promptly finished it.

"Why does this situation feel so strange?" Mei pondered internally. "What's actually off about all this?"

"Take a break from your game to rest your eyes and have some fruit," Sato Sensei proposed.

"You're one to talk. Your own lifestyle is far from being healthy. You sit in your study for hours and don't even hydrate," the young woman shot back.

Mei: ... 'If this is a matter of a senior-junior relationship, isn't the young woman's behavior towards Sato Sensei a bit too laid-back? She's even willing to argue with him?'

Their conversation was brief, and Mei couldn't glean any specifics about their relationship. Upon receiving confirmation from her teacher via message, she picked up the book and took her leave. "Teacher says this is the book. We'll return it once we've input the contents. Thank you, Sato Sensei."

Jun got up to see her out. "It's fine, just be careful on your way home."

As Mei reached the door, she couldn't help but sneak another glance at the young woman engrossed in her game in the living room. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she quietly asked Jun, "Sato Sensei, who is this young woman? She looks around my age."

Jun paused before saying, "She's my wife."

Mei was stunned.

Once she left the building complex, she opened her PT and made a curious call to her own teacher. "Sensei! Do you know what just happened? Sato Sensei actually joked with me! Sato Sensei can actually joke!"

She's thinking, 'Perhaps having a younger person around has made even Sato Sensei feel younger. Not only does he allow his child to play games, but he even jokes around.'

Mei and her teacher mused on the importance of companionship for older, single people.

As for Jun's claim about his "wife," Mei absolutely refused to believe it. Sato Sensei was famously elegant professor in their circles, a man of integrity. 'He's not the type to deceive young women despite his age. Even if he were to marry, it would never be to a woman with such an age gap. Moreover, it's well-known that Sato Sensei had been devoted to his late wife for decades without any intention of remarrying. Suddenly a young wife appears? Who are they trying to fool?'

"I just don't know who this young woman really is," Mei sighed, deciding to ask some of her senior classmates who graduated from Naniwa University when she had time. They were students of Sato Sensei and might know something.