Work Text:
"So, why did you call me here?"
"To eat this."
"What?"
A DM came from Mafuyu quite suddenly around dusk. It was extremely rare for Mafuyu to actually contact Ena by private message at all, so, fearing that anything bad may have happened, Ena came to Sekai just as Mafuyu asked her to immediately. She assumed all the others would have been there as well. After all, that's how it had always been.
However, upon arriving, Mafuyu was there alone with a plate of beef stew in her hand.
"What's this?"
"Beef stew."
"I know that! But why do you bring it here?"
"For you to eat."
"HA?!"
It gets even more confusing the more this charade goes on. Mafuyu did not seem to think everything was bizarre at all though since she did not continue her explanation. Holding back the urge to sigh, Ena let out her frustration in a rather emotional, "But why?!"
"I want to know how it tastes."
When it came from Mafuyu, the words weighed more and Ena struggled to find her next reaction. Conversing with Mafuyu always means one should be extra detailed.
"... But why me?"
"Because you said you're good at identifying ingredients."
"Well, I did. But it doesn't have to be me if you only want to know how it tastes."
"But because you said you're good at..."
"Sheesh! Okay, okay, I get it! I just have to eat it, right?"
It seems Mafuyu thought that since Ena said she was good at identifying ingredients in food, she would be a very suitable candidate to give some food reports. Ena took the spoon that Mafuyu offered her, took a spoonful of some rice and beef stew (purposely avoiding what she suspected was a carrot), and ate it.
The beef stew was good… but somehow Ena had difficulty finding any other words to describe it. It was “simply good”. The beef was cut in very uniform sizes, almost meticulously. The potatoes were still firm, but also very properly cooked. The soup had a very balanced taste of red wine and ketchup with a tint of thyme. The one who cooked must be very skilled, or rather well-informed. But other than that… it lacked… character. Usually, people had some kind of inkling to add more ketchup or to make certain broth consistency, but this stew was simply… good.
Ena said just as is to Mafuyu who quietly listened. Silence followed after her reports and Ena folded her arms.
“Then? Aren’t you going to taste it yourself?”
“I can’t taste anything.”
“Well, you can say something like, I don’t know, the textures or something? Even if you can’t taste, you can still smell and feel things, right? It’s awkward being the only one eating. Here.”
Mafuyu seemed to think about it as she stared at the spoon that Ena returned. A few seconds later, in a rather sluggish movement, she took the spoon from Ena’s hand and took a bite of the beef stew herself. Her expression did not change but Ena sensed Mafuyu did not find it enjoyable. Well, it would hardly be enjoyable at all when you could taste nothing of it, though.
Thankfully, that beef was neither overcooked nor was it a low-quality beef, which hopefully Mafuyu did not find it like chewing some rubber.
“So?”
“It tastes nothing.”
“Well sure, but anything else?”
Mafuyu seemed to think of what to say. Her eyes dropped to the beef stew again and she mumbled, in a rather low voice, “It’s cold.”
“Well, it is cold already.”
“....”
“Mafuyu?”
“... see you at 25:00.”
“HA?!”
Without saying anything else, Mafuyu just disappeared from SEKAI and left the annoyed Ena alone.
“Oh, come on! At least say thank you or something!”
XXXX
After that day, Mafuyu called Ena to taste things from time to time. At first, Ena complained almost every time, but then it became a regularity that she did not complain anymore. From cake to cookies to home cooking, Ena had tasted a lot of the things Mafuyu ate by now and she started to pick up things that maybe Mafuyu herself did not realize. Although Mafuyu’s own report only revolved around “It is hard” “It is mushy” “It is cold” “It is warm” or anything around it, Ena could notice Mafuyu seemed to dislike things that were kind of slimy or overly chewy. The slightly sluggish hand movement, the slight change of the corner of her eyes, and the slightly faster gulp all indicated that she wanted the material to pass her throat fast instead of having the food linger in her mouth. Because all she could “taste” was texture, that would make sense. It must not feel so good to have slimy, chewy tasteless things in your mouth.
When it was getting hard to meet Mafuyu, the food tasting stopped and Ena immediately forgot about it at all. Too many things happened that pushed everyone, especially Mafuyu, to the edge. In such times, knowing the taste of food would be the least of their concerns. After Mafuyu moved to Kanade’s house, for a while it appeared like she was in so much pain. Kanade told them that Mafuyu looked the most okay when she was working with them. As fellow Niigo members, all that they could try was to alleviate the pain by keeping on working. Thus, when Kanade asked them to gather just as always for the new demo, Ena was dumbfounded upon finding Mafuyu there in Sekai with a bento box filled with freshly microwaved pot-au-feu .
“Ena.”
“Eh? What? Now?!”
She totally thought that the food tasting thing that Mafuyu asked her to do had completely stopped. It felt so long ago since the last time Mafuyu asked her to taste anything. She did not even ask for food tasting when they had parties together with Niigo. Also, Kanade was with her now.
Ena turned to look at Kanade for an answer and the bright-haired girl gave a weak smile.
“Mochizuki-san made a pot-au-feu for Mafuyu’s birthday and Mafuyu seems to like it.” She looked almost apologetic. “I could only tell her that it tastes delicious but I can’t really explain why. Mafuyu mentioned how you often tasted food for her, and I figured you will do it better than me.”
“Wait a minute,” Ena raised her hand. “This is Honami-chan ’s pot-au-feu?!”
“Yes. She made a lot for us to heat later.”
Ena’s eyes suddenly beamed in excitement.
“You should have told me first, Mafuyu! I would love to taste it, definitely! Give me a bite!”
Mafuyu seemed to frown a bit at the change in Ena’s demeanor but let her take a bite anyway. The taste of the broth spreading in the mouth and the juicy tender meat made Ena go ‘Mmm!’ after eating a spoonful of it. She also took some of the vegetables (except the carrots) to taste and made another motion of bliss. Kanade smiled at her reaction.
“Is it good?”
“It’s amazing!” Ena beamed. “Honami-chan really is a good cook! The meat is so tender, the vegetables are so easy to eat too! And the taste! The taste is so gentle, it’s really easy to eat!”
“I agree with you,” Kanade nodded at her statement. “All the meals she packed are very delicious and don't taste like heated meals. They always taste very fresh.”
“I am sure she cooked everything in separate batches,” Ena raised her index finger to explain. “Usually potatoes get really mushy if it’s heated too long, so she must have prepared the one to be heated separately. Also the seasoning, she must have added a bit more water so it won’t taste too strong after being heated. If you only make one to eat and separate the rest for later, it won’t taste this good! Trust me.”
“Now that you mention it, Mochizuki-san always made separate batches. She usually cooked the one to be packed first before she then made our dinner.”
Honami-chan really went to great lengths to prepare their meal. Judging by the vegetables, she also must have thought a lot about their health too. Ena felt her heart warm right away.
“Also, she makes it so easy to eat. People usually have their own preferences in their cooking. Like my Mom, she’d add a bit more leek and custard inside because she likes the taste stronger. Honami-chan’s taste is a lot more tender. Like, it’s easy to eat by anyone. I am sure she has both of you in mind as she made it.”
Ena thought of Honami-chan and her kindness in her head. It sure matched the taste of the food she had now. She added, “I guess Honami-chan is just that kind of person who thinks a lot about others and it shows in her cooking.”
“That really sounds like Mochizuki-san.” Kanade looked at Mafuyu beside her, who had been listening in silence. “Right, Mafuyu?”
“Yes.”
Mafuyu nodded. She appeared pensive as she stared at the bowl in her hand.
Ena crossed her arms.
“So? Did you get the answer you’re looking for, Mafuyu?”
“A bit… I think.”
“I see. Good for you.”
Mafuyu nodded. Her dark eyes looked into Ena’s brown eyes emotionlessly.
“It’s surprising that someone like you knows that much about cooking. It’s unexpected.”
“HA?! You know that’s rude, right?”
“I am just saying what I think.”
“Ugh. Honestly, you’re always saying a bit more than you need.”
“You’re the one who said I must say everything.”
“Yes, yes. Sure. Sheesh.”
That said, Mafuyu probably already knew everything before Ena even explained anything. She did say during her birthday that Honami-chan’s cooking was different, that it made her warm. It was rare for Mafuyu to actually say anything about food without being prompted that much.
Mafuyu must have felt Honami-chan’s kindness through her food. The warmth she felt must be more than the temperature of the food. Ena probably explained a bit about the length in which Honami-chan did for them, but Mafuyu sensed it already. That was why she could say it was warm. Food is sure a mysterious thing.
At least it seems now Mafuyu could sense warmth. That is something…
“That said, I feel so jealous that both of you can eat this every day! I totally can have a full plate of this.”
Ena reached out with the spoon but…
“No.”
Mafuyu suddenly moved the bowl away. Her usual expressionless face turned into a bit of a slightly visible scowl.
“Eh?! Why?! Didn’t you bring that for me?!”
“Only to taste, not to eat.”
“What?! That doesn’t make sense. Come on, let me have more.”
“No.”
“Why?!”
“It’s mine.”
“You have some more, come on!”
“No.”
“MAFUYU!”
Ena wished Kanade did more than stand there chuckling at them. At least made Mafuyu see a bit of societal common sense for once.
When Mizuki came a while later, Mafuyu let them have a taste as well but not more than a taste. She ate the rest of the bowl herself right away like a cat protecting its feeding bowl.
XXX
After the pot-au-feu incident, Mafuyu did not bring any more of Honami-chan's meal much to Ena’s chagrin. She wanted to taste more of Honami-chan’s cooking but even if she asked, Mafuyu went “no.” right away. It would be easier to ask Kanade to bring it but Ena wanted Mafuyu to be responsible and pay for not letting her eat the rest of the pot-au-feu that day.
In the end that never happened.
Mafuyu somehow can be quite stubborn for the most troublesome thing.
Just when Ena was about to forget about the food tasting all together, one day Mafuyu messaged Ena to come to Sekai. When she arrived, Mafuyu was sitting on one of the objects lying around the Empty Sekai. She had a small bowl in her hand.
“You want me to taste that?”
Mafuyu only nodded and offered the bowl along with a spoon.
It appeared to be a milk pudding. It seemed to be handmade, especially since it was in a bowl. Ena took a spoonful and tasted it.
The sugar blended with the milk nicely without being too sweet. A slight tint of vanilla wrapped the other tastes together. Usually it is topped with caramel or brown sugar syrup only but this one also had kinako sprinkled on it. It might be a bit too sweet for many, but thanks to the sugar not being too much in the pudding itself, the added sweetness of the brown sugar syrup and kinako were not overbearing.
Ena said everything to Mafuyu, who quietly listened.
“It looks like it’s made for someone who likes sweets. Someone like me who likes sweets may like it, but it may be too sweet to some.”
“... I see.”
With that, Mafuyu stood up and took out her phone as if she had her business over. Ena blinked upon seeing her standing up.
“Wait, you’re not eating this?”
“It’s for you.”
“Huh? But the bowl… Hey, wait!”
Just by that, Mafuyu disappeared from the Empty Sekai without saying anything else, leaving Ena dumbfounded with the milk pudding in her hand.
And all she could do was scowl at the empty space before her.
“Ugh, seriously! Can’t you think of my feelings for once, huh?!”
Annoyed and angry, Ena took another spoonful of the pudding and ate it.
The tender sweetness of pudding spread in her mouth and it dawned onto her that she could eat the whole bowl now.
“... At least it tastes good.”
Mafuyu actually let her have all of it for once. Maybe she’d make a pudding herself to give as she returned the bowl.
The next time they met, which was during another demo meeting, Ena brought her handmade pudding for everyone and gave the bowl back to Mafuyu with the pudding. She purposely made everyone get a different bowl. That way, Mafuyu’s bowl would not be too strange. The virtual singers accepted it rather happily but Mizuki looked extremely cautious and guarded.
“For what occasion is this?” Mizuki’s expression looked like someone who was struck by thunder. Ena crossed her arms and raised her shoulder.
“I just feel like it. I am sure Miku and the others have not tasted milk pudding, right?”
“Well yeaaaah… but… it’s either you’re going to ask a favor or I am afraid it might snow tonight…”
“Say that again, and I will take your bowl back, you hear me?”
“Aww, don’t be so grumpy, Ena!”
The charade continued, with Len watching worriedly and Rin looking exasperated. Kanade also watched everything with a smile on her face and her own bowl of pudding in her hand. She looked beside her, to Mafuyu who sat by a nearby object with her pudding. She recognized the bowl Mafuyu had in her hands. It was the bowl that Mafuyu bought for herself to use after it was decided she would stay in Yoisaki household for a while. Yet, it was given by Ena to Mafuyu. If so, then…
Now that she thought of it, a few days ago there was suddenly some milk pudding in the refrigerator and it was not made by Mochizuki-san.
Kanade’s eyes turned gentler while watching Mafuyu eat her pudding silently. Kanade asked quietly, “Is it delicious?”
Mafuyu took a while before she answered.
“I can taste nothing.”
It was still milk pudding… but instead of brown sugar syrup, the pudding had strawberry sauce. Also the smell of strawberry was quite strong.
Even if you can’t taste, you can still smell and feel things, right?
“But... I like it. I think.”
“I see.”
Kanade smiled and sat beside Mafuyu before eating hers.
XXXX
Mafuyu started to bring food for Ena again. This time, however, she always let Ena finish it all. Or rather, after hearing Ena’s first impression she would always say, “I see.” then disappear from the Sekai. Ena asked her who cooked all the food but Mafuyu never answered. Because Ena ended up with whatever food container that was left, she ended up cooking as well. It just did not feel right to return an empty food container.
In the end, Ena told Mafuyu to stop using a bowl or a plate and just use a bento box instead. It was easier to fill and pass on a bento box compared to a plate or bowl, even if it was just to bring into Sekai.
“You cook a lot lately, Ena.”
Her mother stared at her strangely as Ena made her own bento before going to school. The last meal she received from Mafuyu was some pork teriyaki and broccoli so today, she made some quick spinach with tsuyu , tamagoyaki, and salmon yaki. Ena made her bento from time to time when she actually woke up early (which was super rare) and only if she felt like taking a picture of it for her social media. But in the end, it was still a rare occasion.
Moreover, she was packing two bento boxes, and one of them was a box that her mother did not recognize.
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
Ena almost dropped the salmon that she was flipping on the frying pan.
“HA? No! What makes you think that way?!”
“I mean, you make two portions. You never even made one for Airi.”
“Well, my friend isn’t only Airi!”
But Ena did not feel like saying Mafuyu’s name here either. It made her feel defeated somehow.
“Well that is true…” her mother looked unconvinced. “But then that’s quite a close friend you have, for you to actually make bento for them.”
“She’s just a troublesome one, that’s all.”
“I see? Yet you went through all the trouble nevertheless.”
Ena could swear she heard a smirk in her mother’s voice, but she didn’t want to deal with that.
“Just leave me! I’ll overcook my salmon.”
“Yes, yes. Good luck.”
If Akito was around, it would be an even more annoying conversation. Ena would make sure to have Mafuyu get at least a bit of her annoyance…. But even if Ena were to add chili peppers inside Mafuyu’s bento, she would not notice anyway since she wouldn’t be able to taste it.
Somehow Ena felt like she had lost before the match even began.
XXX
“I knew that you two had something going on, but I wouldn’t have thought it was Mafuyu giving you food.”
Mizuki sneered in between their fried potato munching. Ena pouted angrily at their remark. She took a big scoop from her own strawberry parfait.
“I knew you’re going to tease me about it. I am serious, okay?”
“My, Ena. How could you think of me like that? I am always your bestest ally!”
“THAT is exactly what I call teasing!”
Mizuki laughed out loud, totally having so much fun with everything. Seeing how Ena’s mood went even worse, they finally stopped laughing and continued, “Okay, okay. Now. What is the problem? Getting food isn’t bad.”
“I just don’t understand why she’s doing it,” Ena sighed audibly. “I don’t even know whose food she’s been giving me lately.”
“It’s not Honami-chan’s?”
“It doesn’t taste like it,” Ena furrowed her eyebrows. “I just know it’s not the same hand with the one who made the pot-au-feu. The food after that doesn't have the same touch. I am pretty positive about that. That’s why I have been wondering…”
“Then doesn’t that mean it’s Mafuyu’s?”
“... What?”
Ena completely froze this time. Mizuki smiled and continued.
“Kanade can’t cook and we both know that. That leaves only Mafuyu.”
“... But she can’t taste food.”
“That doesn’t mean she can’t cook. She did say she cooked during home economics class.”
Mafuyu cooked… for her?
She thought she would get a small clue after talking with Mizuki, but now she got even more confused instead.
“But why…?”
“Why don’t you ask her straight away, then?” Mizuki smiled reassuringly. “If you confront her straight, I am sure Mafuyu will answer.”
“You sure?”
“I am pretty sure about it,” Mizuki laughed. They gave a wink. “After all, even if she might hide something, you and I know that Mafuyu never lies to us.”
Mizuki smiled reassuringly. Ena bit her bottom lips. Mizuki made a solid point. No matter if what she said might be harsh, Mafuyu never lied to Niigo.
Probably she should talk to Mafuyu the next time they meet…
XXX
As always the Empty Sekai was empty whenever Ena came in when Mafuyu asked her to. Now that she thought about it, Mafuyu might have asked Miku and the others to leave them alone or go somewhere else. After all, it was strange how 100% of the time when they met, they were the only ones around.
Ena quickly found Mafuyu sitting on one of the objects in Sekai, her eyes staring into space. A bento box sat on her lap. Upon noticing her coming, she stood up and wordlessly offered the bento box.
Ena took it and opened it.
This time, it was nikujaga. Still very warm as well. From the smell, Ena knew it would taste good. If it was Mafuyu’s…
“Before that, I have a question.”
There was no particular change of expression on Mafuyu’s face. Ena thought she was getting better at understanding Mafuyu, just as Mafuyu herself was way better at expressing herself now. Turned out she still did not understand her that well.
“Is this your cooking?”
Silence filled the space between them for a while and Ena could see the gears in Mafuyu’s brain move. The latter eventually answered.
“Yes.”
Ena gave out an audible sigh. It was exactly like Mizuki told her all along.
“Then can you tell me why you keep asking me to taste food like this?”
“Because I want to know what you get from it.”
Receiving Ena’s puzzled look, Mafuyu continued.
“You always managed to get something out of the food I gave you, like what happened with Mochizuki-san's cooking. I thought that if I gave you mine, I might be able to find out something about myself too. Just like how your painting of me lets me know how I am in your eyes, I was hoping to see myself from what you see in my cooking.”
Suddenly the bento box in Ena’s hand weighed differently. She even felt it might be a little too heavy for her.
“Why didn’t you tell me they are your cooking?”
“I want your objective answer, so I didn’t want to tell you.”
“... and now have you found out anything?”
“No, I have found nothing.”
“... I see.”
Ena dropped her eyes on the cooking.
She never really thought much about it other than Mafuyu being annoying and pushy as always. Despite not knowing how things tasted, Mafuyu cooked everything herself. To be very honest, all of the food she had always tasted good and of course she said so to Mafuyu each time. She always talked about the ingredients, the particular things she liked or disliked of the food, or anything else she noticed. But Ena could not imagine cooking if she had no sense of taste. It must have been a lot more difficult…
And for Mafuyu to figure out nothing out of that, made guilt settled inside her heart. She should have probably tried harder, figured out something more or something. It made it felt like she had made Mafuyu's effort came to naught.
“But…”
Mafuyu’s voice suddenly rose again.
“... I did not dislike all the cooking you gave me.”
Huh?
“So I continue cooking because I know you will cook for me when you return the box.”
This is not fair.
Mafuyu was smiling. A small but genuinely kind smile. It might be very faint but her eyes were warm.
Ena found herself lost inside those eyes for a few seconds, before that smile disappeared when a questioning gaze replaced the warm stare. Mafuyu cocked her head to the side, seemingly wondering why Ena was silent all of a sudden.
“Ena?”
“N-Nothing! It’s nothing!”
She surely did not realize that, didn’t she? Like always.
Mafuyu often did not notice if she had smiled at all. It has happened numerous times now. If only she knew… or maybe for this one occasion, it is better if she did not know. The idea that she was the one who put a smile on Mafuyu's face made Ena inexplicably happy, it was almost impossible to contain the feelings bursting inside her.
Ena shook her head to get herself back to the topic at hand. So Mafuyu did not dislike the food. That’s something.
“A-Anyway! S-so, what now? Do you like my cooking or something?”
“I think so. Maybe I am.”
“Ha...?”
Unsure answers as always. In the end, Mafuyu did not exactly know if she really liked Ena's cooking or not. Ena predicted Mafuyu would answer like that, being Mafuyu, but she still felt like sighing anyway. But before she could actually sigh, Mafuyu continued.
“Because I can tell you made it for me.”
“What?”
“The milk pudding was using strawberry sauce because strawberry has a stronger smell than brown syrup. Even if I can’t taste, I can smell the strawberries.”
Wait.
“Your bento always has food with different textures like katsu or croquettes. Even if I can’t taste it, I can tell the different textures.”
“H-Hold it…”
“Your seasonings also tend to have more fragrance for the same reason. Because then I can smell them and…”
“Okay, okay, stop! Stop there! STOP!”
Ena felt like her whole face was burned by the light of a thousand suns. She never thought that Mafuyu would figure everything out like that. Sure, she did cook everything with that in mind, but everything turned embarrassing if Mafuyu spelled everything out to her like that.
Mafuyu seemed sad that she could not say everything she knew, but stopped talking anyway. She looked like she had a lot more to say about the food she received, but if she continued more than that Ena knew she would not survive the onslaught.
Ena finally collected herself after a while and faced Mafuyu again.
“So? What’s the plan after this then?”
Now that Ena had figured out that it was Mafuyu’s cooking and since it all ended up into nothing, the food tasting may have lost its purpose.
Mafuyu did not need long to answer.
“If you don’t mind, I want to continue.”
“The cooking?”
Mafuyu nodded.
So she was serious when she said she liked my cooking.
Then that left her no choice. Ena gave a defeated smile.
“Well okay, then… but as a return, I want you to also tell me what you find in my cooking.”
“In your cooking?”
“Yes, I mean, well, who knows? Even if today you might not find anything or taste anything, we don’t know next time.”
Mafuyu seemed to ponder about it. Ena sighed loudly. She gave a light tap on Mafuyu’s shoulder.
“At times you don’t notice things until you’re being asked about it, right? Now if you’re going to eat my cooking, you’d better answer me when I ask you how it tastes, okay?”
Mafuyu blinked a few times. After a while, she nodded.
“Okay.”
It felt good to be noticed. It felt good when someone actually noticed all the work you did to make something. At least Mafuyu should let Ena feel that as a return.
XXX
After that, the food exchange happened between them on a regular basis even after they graduated high school. Mafuyu moved out of Kanade’s house to live alone for her university life and the food exchange turned into cooking dinner in Mafuyu’s apartment from time to time. Just as Mafuyu noticed the small things that Ena did in her cooking for her, Ena also noticed various things as well. Mafuyu made the pudding sweeter because Ena loved sweets. Ena also noticed how Mafuyu cut the carrots into small pieces most of the time, probably to make Ena lose sight of it and accidentally eat it (which had happened several times). Mafuyu’s tamagoyaki was also on the sweeter side instead of the more umami one. Despite saying that she cooks only according to a recipe, Ena could see that if there was anything to find out about Mafuyu’s cooking, it would be that Mafuyu, too, properly thinks about the one who would eat her cooking and that shows.
Ena could have said that, but it sure would feel quite itchy to tell Mafuyu on her face that she’s actually a very kind person.
“Can you help with the plates, Mafuyu?”
Days when Ena could finish her paintings early or when Mafuyu got home early from the university were days of having dinner in Mafuyu’s place, and whoever arrived there earlier would be the one to cook. Mafuyu was not always at home but Ena had Mafuyu’s spare keys. Usually, Ena only cooked dinner and went home if Mafuyu did not manage to arrive home early enough for dinner, but not this time. Mafuyu arrived home early enough to have dinner together. They always tried to have dinner together, because as Mafuyu said, “it feels warmer together.”
Today’s menu was hamburg steak on top of omurice and sauce. Ena felt like having something with umami so she ended up with that. Since Mafuyu had no preferences, Ena was always the one who decided what they would have. This time was no different. Sitting across from each other on the small dining table, they clasped their hands before their chest and said together, “Itadakimasu.”
Ah. The hamburg steak was cooked perfectly. As always Ena cooked the hamburg steak twice to add crust on the outside while the inside was well cooked yet juicy. Hopefully, that would give enough texture for Mafuyu to enjoy.
“By the way, Mafuyu, have you heard of that next demo Kanade sent on Nightcord? It sounds different than usual. I think…”
Ena looked up to see Mafuyu after scrolling her phone for a bit. Mafuyu did not answer her. It did not even seem like she listened.
“Mafuyu?”
Mafuyu seemed like she had only eaten a spoonful of her meal and simply froze. Her eyes were fixated on the plate before her, wide open in shock.
“Mafuyu, are you okay?”
Ena started to feel worried. She was just about to stand up and go to Mafuyu’s side when Mafuyu faced her again, looking straight into her eyes.
Mafuyu’s dark eyes were beaming brightly and a smile curved up her lips.
“It’s delicious, Ena.”
“Eh…?”
It took a while for Ena to understand what Mafuyu was saying. The latter took another bite of the hamburg steak. Slowly she looked up, deep into Ena’s eyes, and repeated what she said again, slower this time.
“The sauce complements the juicy hamburg steak very well. It’s delicious.”
No way.
“You… Your sense of taste…?”
Mafuyu nodded. Her smile did not leave her face this time.
“It’s just as you said. One day it might be different… Today is the day, I guess.”
After that, it’s almost too hard to taste the hamburg steak and omurice without them being too salty from tears. Yet despite that, that might be the most delicious hamburg steak omurice both of them had ever tasted.