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It was a beautiful day in Tokyo. Hideki and Chi woke up quietly. He went to the kitchen to prepare his breakfast, followed, as always, by Chi, as attentive as on the very first day to his every move.
He went to sit at the kotatsu in the main room and slipped his legs under it to enjoy the warmth it gave off. He always ate the same natto that he was not particularly fond of, but since his wallet had not filled up as much as he had hoped, he had no choice but to eat it if he wanted a full stomach. Around ten o'clock, the phone rang while he was doing the dishes. He turned off the tap, dried his hands, and hurried to answer.
"Hello."
A familiar voice answered him, that of a man in his thirties.
"Hello, Hideki? It is Ueda. You have not forgotten about lunch today?"
Hideki looked surprised upon hearing those words. Chi, for her part, watched him hold the receiver with concern.
"No, no, I have not forgotten, but I am glad you reminded me; I would surely have been late. Thank you."
"I suspected as much, so I made sure you would be there on time."
Hideki's cheerful expression immediately swept away the worry that had lingered on his face.
"Good, see you soon then."
He hung up and picked up the remote control lying next to the small television, then went over to Chi and gently placed his hand on her head.
"I am going to take a shower. You can watch TV in the meantime; I won't be long."
"Chi!" was the only response from the young girl.
He headed to the bathroom after taking a clean towel from the closet. Chi, meanwhile, was frantically pressing every button on the remote, not giving any channel enough time to display properly, until she landed on a cooking show. A man in his forties was making strange round golden things. She tilted her head, like a little dog that does not understand what it is seeing. Then a list of ingredients and a set of instructions appeared on screen. She stopped moving, her eyes changed color intermittently, and then she returned to normal.
She then ran into the kitchen, where she had no trouble finding all the ingredients mentioned. She also pulled out every mixing bowl and measuring cup within reach, poured in the flour and sugar, added the milk and eggs, and began furiously beating everything together.
Hideki had finished showering. After drying himself properly, he put on a pair of trousers and went to see what Chi was up to. He was so surprised that he fell to the floor: Chi was covered in what looked like crêpe batter, surrounded by countless kitchen utensils, each more useless than the last. He got back up and approached her, still sitting on the floor.
"It looks like you tried to make crêpes."
He said this without the slightest hint of anger, though the state of the kitchen would have driven anyone else out of their mind.
"Chi!" was once again the one and only response from the budding little chef.
"All right, you can go back to watching TV while I clean up."
He was about to do so when Chi's hand grabbed his arm.
"Chi wants to do it. Chi made a mess, she has to fix it."
She looked him straight in the eyes with unwavering determination. Her face, so endearing, left Hideki with no choice but to accept.
"That is very kind of you. I will finish getting ready and come help you right after. Be careful when you put things away."
He had barely finished his sentence when she set to work, full of energy and enthusiasm. He went to put on a t-shirt and a shirt. By the time he came back, Chi had already finished tidying up. He symbolically picked up the last mixing bowl that had been left out, as if to convince himself that he had managed to help.
"We're heading out, Chi. Put your shoes on."
She did so at once, then came to stand beside Hideki. He took her by the hand, and closing the door behind them, they set off.
The weather was glorious and the setting idyllic; the atmosphere it produced was almost extraordinary. Hideki had grown accustomed to the grey and biting cold of winter, and a single ray of sunshine was all he needed to be happy. That, and Chi, of course.
They walked for a while before stopping in front of the Chilolu pastry shop and going inside, setting off the little bell above the door. Ueda, in his work clothes, appeared in the room.
"Ah, Hideki, I was waiting for you. I have finished gathering the equipment; all you need to do is help me carry it to the park."
Hideki was relieved to hear that; there was quite a substantial amount to transport, and it must have taken Ueda at least three solid hours to sort everything into the various boxes that filled the back room.
He gently let go of Chi's hand with a broad smile and went to help Ueda load the boxes into the car boot. Chi watched them work, wishing she could help, but they were managing perfectly well and she was afraid of getting in the way. They finished fairly quickly and prepared to leave.
"We are done, Chi. Get in the car."
She obeyed and took her seat in the middle, Hideki to her left and Ueda to her right, on the driver's side. Ueda turned the key and the car started without issue, then began to pick up speed.
After roughly a quarter of an hour's drive, they arrived at the park and got out of the car.
"Right, we should start unloading; the others will not be long," said Ueda, opening the boot.
"Yes, I will come and help," said Hideki, getting out in turn after helping Chi down.
They each took a box and set it down near a park table, not far from the lake. Once everything had been unloaded, they set up an outdoor kitchen and spread a tablecloth over the table, arranging a few stacks of plates on it.
Ueda then began making stack after stack of plain crêpes while Hideki, with Chi's help, arranged the various toppings on the table.
After a while, a small figure approached, clearly a girl. Looking more closely, Hideki recognized Yumi. She had not spotted them yet. He waved to her.
"Hey, Yumi! We are over here!"
The young student came toward them, waving back to show she had seen them. She went up to Ueda and threw her arms around his neck.
"Oh, Yumi, you're here already."
She let him straighten up and helped him make crêpes, not without some difficulty.
Professor Shimizu and Shinbo arrived in turn, greeting everyone present. Minoru and Yuzuki joined them shortly after, and Miss Hibiya was the last to complete the group.
Ueda and Hideki made crêpe after crêpe to satisfy their friends' appetites. The two of them each tossed one into the air and cried out in unison:
"BON APPÉTIT!"