章 40: 39 V2
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I waited in the schoolyard, counting the number of students going about their club activities to pass the time. I was leaning against an old tree with a healthy amount of leaves, protecting me from the afternoon sun.
School ended around five minutes ago. I forgot about the cleaning culture where the students themselves clean their classrooms, and I'm pretty sure I heard snickering when the teacher stopped me when I tried to leave early. That was a bit embarrassing.
With lessons and cleaning done, it was time to go to my club for after-school activities. I don't remember having a club, and when I told the homeroom teacher that, she said I could go home early.
I didn't know the way home. Kenzo said he would pick me up, so here I was, just waiting.
I learned a lot in school today. More than I expected, considering that I was a high school graduate of the 21st century. For starters, Japanese history differed from the history I learned back then. You know, different country and culture and all. I already know that Social Studies is going to be my worst subject, but apart from that, everything else is easy-peasy-japanesey.
Also, remember when I was worrying about what to say/do when I meet my supposed friends from school?
Apparently, Pico didn't have any. No one came around to say hi or how are you?
Not one. No one. None.
That's both reassuring and concerning.
Well, whatever. It doesn't concern me that much. Back to the important shit...
While trying to recall the social studies teacher's class content earlier, my father appeared beyond the gate. I expected to wait outside for an hour, so it was surprising to see him. I stopped fast-forwarding time and stood up.
Kenzo immediately smiled upon seeing me, even from a distance. He had the face of someone excited to tell his parents about his first day of school.
"How did school go? Was it fun?"
I took a moment to think. "I thought school was scary, but it wasn't so bad. There's a lot to learn. My brain grew three sizes today."
"Is that so? That's good! What did you learn?"
"There's this thing called 'Percentages' and 'Fractions' that the teacher showed during math class..."
Like a good little kid, I humored Kenzo by answering many of his questions. They were pretty basic and thus easy to answer. I even added more detail than necessary to sate his curiosity. I'm just putting myself in his shoes. Who wouldn't worry about their kid with amnesia attending school? I definitely would.
Fewer people were on the train at this time of the day. Plenty of seats were available. Kenzo held his tongue when we entered the train, so I silently stared out the window to familiarize myself with my surroundings.
Once we got off, his questioning resumed. "So, did you kick anyone today?"
'That's what you're gonna ask me after sitting quietly for so long?!'
"No, I was a good student the entire time. No one bothered me as well," I said. But internally, I thought, If you count the fact that no one talked to me at all as no one bothered me, then I'm not lying.
"That's good news!" Kenzo was delighted to hear me 'getting along' with my classmates. "Did some of your memories return after seeing your friends after a long time?"
I shook my head. To begin with, I don't know who or what my—Pico's friends looked like. It didn't help that everyone seemed to be avoiding me.
"Well, little buddy, don't you worry. Everything has a way of finding its way back." Kenzo said, giving my head a gentle rub as he spoke.
I felt a bit guilty. I'm not Pico and never will be. But being in front of such positivity made it difficult to say otherwise.
"I'll do my best." It was the best answer I could think of.
We talked about more school stuff: how the lessons went and how the school looked. I avoided talking about people since I have nothing on that topic. Hopefully, I wasn't being too obvious.
The house was empty when we arrived. Mayumi still wasn't finished with work. Kenzo was usually at work at this time of the day, but his boss allowed him to leave early for the next few days to help me get used to taking the train home.
After freshening up, I decided to cook dinner early.
Ever since my parents learned of my "newfound" interest in cooking, they've been stocking up the kitchen with all sorts of food. I have everything I need and more.
"Hmm..." I rubbed my stomach. "What do you want to eat today, my dear stomach?"
"..."
No answer. I guess I'm okay with whatever.
"Dad, what do you want for dinner?" I shouted across the house.
"Noodles!" He immediately answered. "Is that alright?"
"Yep!"
Once I decided on a recipe, I gathered my ingredients onto a benchtop. Immediately, I came across a problem.
'We don't have noodles.'
Okay, maybe I didn't have everything I needed and more. I spoke too soon.
After thinking it over, I decided to continue anyway. 'Screw it. I'll make my own.'
Grandpa made noodles once. Noodle dishes weren't his specialty, considering that the Ocean Oasis was a seaside bar, but he occasionally made noodle dishes for dinner. We ran out of store-bought noodles one night. He made his own, and I helped where I could.
Flour. Salt. Starch. Water. Grandpa used them in his dough, so I did the same. I only had a rough estimate of how much he used, but I should be okay.
The loose pieces of the dough felt like sand to my fingertips. It crumbled easily. I kept mixing, adding more water when necessary, until larger lumps finally formed.
Then came the hard part: Kneading.
My arms were built like twigs. I've built some strength by doing pushups and cooking every day, but kneading is next-level work.
'Grandpa did it so easily. Old man strength is no joke.'
"Need help?" Kenzo must've seen me struggle. He looked at the dough with interest.
"Yes, please! Wash your hands first and foremost, and properly. I'll show you how Grandpa taught me."
I stepped aside and watched Kenzo knead the dough to make sure he did it right.
Surprisingly, he seemed fairly experienced. His movements were smooth and natural, unlike mine. "Dad, have you done this before?" I asked him.
"Huh? Of course, I have."
"How come? Do you know how to make noodles too? Or is it bread you've dealt with before?"
He gave me a strange look.
"Eira, you do remember that your mom works in a ramen place, right? As a cook?"
"..."
"She used to cook ramen for dinner sometimes, and I helped her with this kind of labor. She stopped since you insisted on cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner."
"..."
Kenzo continued kneading the dough as I stared at the ceiling, completely lost in thought. My parents' culinary experiences were more extensive than I assumed.
'I've been living with them for half a month. How the hell do I not know what their job is?' I snuck a look at Kenzo. Unfortunately, I also didn't know what he did for a living.
It's official. I'm a horrible daughter. Internally, I was strangling myself for being so brainless.
"I'm finished with the dough," said Kenzo. After thanking him, I wrapped the dough in plastic and let it rest. Some ingredients like shallots, garlic, and ginger required mincing, so I did just that. Cucumbers were more of a topping, so I chopped them into larger, longer strands and put them in the fridge.
Food prep was all done, but I had time left.
*Insert intense Tetris gameplay*
Kenzo resumed kneading the dough until it became nice and smooth. He was really good at this. Thanks for the assist, Mayumi!
Once the kneading was done, I took over. I rolled the dough into a long line, at least as far as I could stretch my arms, and threw it around while holding both ends. It caused the dough to twist into itself, forming a shape similar to a double helix. I did that a bunch of times until the dough was super-elastic.
"Going well so far somehow..."
I'm glad I only needed my hands and sense of touch to make noodles. If I had to taste or smell it, I would've failed before I began.
Finally, I can turn this big chunk of dough into actual noodles. I divided it into smaller portions and started pulling. Make one long strand, bring it back, pull again to make it two strands, bring it back again, pull again, and repeat.
Four became eight, eight became sixteen, and I kept going until the dough became as thin as I wanted. A sprinkle of flour between stretches prevented the dough strands from sticking to one another.
*Chop* *Chop* *Chop*
After cutting them into similar lengths, I finally had several batches of fresh, homemade noodles. I made too much so I packed the extra noodles for another day.
"Time to cook!"
The dish I wanted to make was called, "Fried Sauce Noodles." As the name suggests, you fry a combination of sauces to caramelize the sugars inside. Afterwards, I fried the minced shallots, garlic, ginger, and pork, combining them all to make the main dish.
The pork mixture goes on top of the noodles while toppings like cucumber and scrambled eggs are placed on the side.
At some point, Mayumi returned from work and walked into the kitchen. She studied the dish and gave me a big thumbs-up. Her approval has more weight now that I know she's a cook.
Dinner was uneventful. I spent most of it interviewing my parents about the food and writing down points for improvement in my notebook. Later that evening, I made minor adjustments to the ingredient ratios before taking a shower and retiring for the night.
After my usual morning routine of cooking food for everyone, I headed to school with Kenzo. I sat on my desk in the far corner of the room, silently passing my classmates, and pulled out my Gameboy.
"You have a Gameboy too, Sasaki Pico?"
"My name's Eira. And yeah, I play whatever."
"Oh! Then, do you play Tetris? I have a high score of..."
I joined the boys in the back who also brought their Gameboys to school. These are my people right here.
The teacher arrived, the lesson started, the lesson finished, another teacher came in, and another, and another, until the school day ended.
"School sure is boring..."
I'll admit that it feels nice knowing the answers to most questions brought up by the teacher. It's like I'm doing a New Game+ playthrough of a game. Any schoolwork took little effort to complete. It's still school though, and it doesn't help that I don't have access to the internet for answers, so it sucks still.
"Hey, Pico."
Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around, finding Nakamura with a weird expression on his face. His arms were crossed as he looked down at me. I was shorter than him, annoyingly enough, so I doubt he meant to.
"My name isn't Pico. It's Eira." I corrected him.
"Do you really have amnesia?"
He ignored my remark.
"Huh?" What an odd question. "Yeah, why?"
"You're lying. You aren't that smart."
"...I'm not?"
My mind drew a blank in regards to what he might be talking about. I'm a liar now for some reason. Also, did he just insult me? This little shit...
He continued. "Did you study during the summer break?"
"No," I answered truthfully, trying to see where he was going with this.
"What were you doing then?"
"Working in a restaurant."
"You? No way!"
My eyes narrowed as I frowned. "Why are you even asking me this?"
"We think you're lying about your amnesia."
"...Who is 'we?'"
Nakamura hurriedly covered his mouth.
I looked past his shoulder. For a brief moment, I saw what seemed to be our classmates peeking from a corner. They pulled their heads back when they noticed me looking in their direction.
"I-I meant me... anyway, forget I said anything." He turned around and walked away, leaving me utterly confused.
Suspicious...
After school, I walked home alone. Kenzo had to work super late. The streets were familiar yet still felt foreign, with autumn leaves crunching under my feet as I made my way back. The chill in the air was comforting, reminding me that even if everything else felt different, the seasons remained unchanged.
When I got home, I found a note on the table. It read: "Dinner's in the fridge. Heat it if you're hungry. Love, Mom and Dad."
I smiled at the note, appreciating the small gesture. I heated the leftovers and ate quietly, thinking about the day. Nakamura's accusation still lingered in my mind. Why would he think I'm lying about amnesia? I am, technically, but it didn't make sense why he thinks Pico would.
After dinner, I went to my room and pulled out my homework. It was easy enough to finish quickly.
'...'
I found myself staring at the ceiling, lost in thought again.
'...how long will all this take?'
I sighed and grabbed my journal, writing down my thoughts instead of studying the recipes in it. As I wrote, I heard the front door open and close.
"Eira?" Mayumi called out.
"In my room," I replied, putting my journal away.
She appeared in the doorway, looking tired but smiling. "I'm sorry Kenzo couldn't pick you up. But, you came home all by yourself! That's great! How was school today?"
"Same as yesterday. Nothing special," I said, trying to sound nonchalant.
Mayumi nodded and came over to sit on the edge of my bed. "I know it's hard, but you're doing fine. Just keep at it, okay?"
"Okay," I said, giving her a small smile.
She ruffled my hair affectionately before heading to her room. I lay back down, feeling a bit better.
'Right. Don't forget your grudge. Nothing difficult is ever accomplished in a heartbeat. It's not like I'll die anytime soon.'
That night, I had a dream about eating french fries. Too bad they were tasteless.
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