Chocolate de Familia 10
“Um, Sōma-kun, I wonder if you are good friends with Miki-chan?”
As Sōma pours water over the complicated-tasting curry rice, her mother asks him a question.
“Saito? No, not really. She’s just a classmate.”
Why is Miki’s name suddenly brought up? Sōma wonders while honestly answering.
“Do you two hang out together sometimes?”
“That’s impossible. We only talk occasionally in the classroom.”
“Really?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Even though she maintains a cheerful smile, when she stares at him intently, Sōma feels a chill down his spine.
…Her husband is scary, but this woman is quite intimidating too.
In her eyes, there’s a daunting quality that seems to see through to the very depths of one’s soul.
Due to the age difference, it’s not immediately noticeable, but upon closer examination, Chika and her mother look quite alike.
In other words, if Chika accumulates more experience and years, she may become like her mother.
Well, she already occasionally shows a glimpse of it.
“I only talk to her when she tastes the sweets I’ve made.”
“You’re into making pastries?”
The father, who had been silently eating his daughter’s curry rice, looks towards Sōma.
“Yes, I’ve been studying in that direction on my own because I want to pursue it.”
“Oh?”
“Sōma-san’s sweets are quite delicious, you know.”
Chika adds supplementary explanations to her father, who exclaims in admiration.
“Well, of course, it’s nothing compared to Dad’s sweets, but me Miki-chan enjoy them. Right?”
“I’m self-taught, so I’m aware that I’m still inexperienced.”
“Hmm…”
The father gazes intently at Sōma.
Then, unexpectedly, he makes a proposal.
“If you’re up for it, bring the sweets you make next time. My wife and I will critique them for you. I have quite a long history as a pastry chef, so I believe we can give you some advice.”
“Really? Are you okay with that?”
It’s an unexpected opportunity. It’s incredibly valuable to receive an evaluation from a professional.
While resuming eating his curry rice, the father continues,
“I’m just slightly curious. Don’t misunderstand. Also, we won’t hold back with our feedback. Even if we criticize your work and your spirit gets broken, we won’t take responsibility, so be prepared for that.”
“Yes! Thank you very much!”
This is an unexpected big chance. Sōma feels excited.
“That’s great, Sōma-san.”
Chika, sitting next to him, shares in his joy as if it were her own.
“Ah, but please let me taste them too. I don’t want to be left out.”
“Of course. I’m counting on your tasting.”
Chika’s tasting is highly appreciated. Sōma hasn’t even thought about turning her down.
When Sōma conveys this, Chika happily giggles and suddenly claps her hands.
“I have an idea! Why don’t we have a tea party together soon? Sōma-san can prepare the tea sweets, and I’ll handle the tea and the table setup. It’s a great opportunity for me to challenge myself with hospitality development based on today, so I would be really grateful.”
“Well, that’s… “
Sōma hesitates.
At first glance, it seems like a win-win proposal that fulfills both Sōma’s and Chika’s respective purposes.
However, that means he would once again be sitting around the table with Chika’s parents.
Isn’t that very strange?
For Sōma to insert himself into the Satomi family circle is undeniably odd, but the mother happily smiles, aligning herself with her daughter’s excitement.
“Oh, that sounds lovely. Dad must be looking forward to it too, right? Chika and Sōma-kun were working together and organizing a tea party for us.”
“Grr…!”
The father seems to be grappling with various emotions and can only let out an indescribable groan.
*****
After Sōma leaves, Chika engages in a battle at the kitchen sink, trying to remove the burnt bits at the bottom of the pot.
She vigorously scrubs the pot with a turtle-shaped scrubbing pad.
The mother and father look on with concern but don’t offer to help.
It seems that what Sōma said had an effect.
“Sōma-san…”
She murmurs the name quietly, hoping her parents don’t hear.
She had admired and respected him for a long time, but as they spent more time together, she got to know many different sides of him, making her very happy.
He can be reliable, funny, and cute.
Being with him is always fun and refreshing, and she finds herself wanting to be with him all the time.
While being with Miki and the others is also enjoyable, it feels different in quality. What is this feeling?
“You seem to be having fun, Chika.”
The mother, watching her daughter’s foamy hands, comments on it.
Chika obediently nods and says,
“Yes, I’m having a great time. Just thinking about what to do next with Sōma-san makes my heart race with excitement.”
“Is that so? Then I’m glad,”
The mother said with a smile.
The stubborn and dark burnt bits on the bottom of the pot were difficult to remove, making the task physically taxing and tiresome.
However, whenever she thought about what to do with Sōma, the weariness seemed to lighten just a little.
Watching her daughter full of excitement, the mother narrowed her eyes.
Then, she turned her face toward her husband and said,
“Since she’s a child born when we were old, I thought it might be difficult for us to hold a grandchild in these arms, but who knows, we might be able to.”
“Grandchild!? Isn’t that way too early? Chika is still in high school.”
“Oh, come on, it’s nice to dream a little. Don’t you want to see your grandchild’s face?”
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“Of course I do. I really do… But for that to happen, Chika has to get married, and well, umm…!”
“Isn’t it a good thing for our daughter to get married? Or do you not want to see Chika in a wedding dress?”
“It’s not like that. It’s really not like that, but…”
“You’re not being reasonable. My own father was like that too. Even though he actually approved of you, he stubbornly refused to give his permission for marriage.”
“Come to think of it, that’s true. It was tough back then, and I even held some resentment toward your father. But now, I understand his feelings well. Fathers are complicated creatures.”
“They’re just troublesome creatures.”
“Honey, don’t be so blunt. That really hurts.”
While the parents are chattering away, Chika, who is lost in thoughts about what to do with Sōma, doesn’t pay any attention to what they are saying.