Part 22: House of Sweets ~un petit nid~ (22)
It was a lavish birthday party.
Chise had gotten Rio the 24-color pastel set that he had wanted, and Agi had enrolled him in a childrenβs painting class in the neighborhood. Because Rio had seen the children with their art bags heading to the class and had given them longing looks.
βMommy, Uncle, thank you. Next time, Iβll draw a picture for you both. Hiro-kun, thank you for the art supply bag. Iβll take good care of it.β
Kase nodded and stroked Rioβs head.
βAnd thereβs Uncle Mutouβs presentβ¦ I wonder if I can play with this okay.β
Rio tilted his head at the remote control car in his hands. The toy would normally make a young boy happy, but Rio liked drawing better than cars.
βMutou is goddamn hopeless. Even kids have their own likes and dislikes, but year in and year out, he never listens to Rioβs requests and just buys whatever he wants.β
βAnything is fine as long as the thought is there. Rio, make sure you say thank you to Uncle Mutou next time.β Chise gave Agi a light rebuff and smiled at Rio.
Agi bowed his head and said, βYeah, yeah, youβre right,β while Rio nodded happily with an βOkay!β
A mother, a father, and a childβit was a perfect picture.
βAlright! Itβs about time for you know what~ Chise, get the lights.β
Chise got up, and Agi lit the candles on the cake. In the darkened bakery, an orange-lit space glowed around the cake decorated with bright red strawberries and whipped cream. Rio was in the middle with Agi and Chise on either side of him. That was as far as the light could reach.
βRio, make a wish.β
βOkay. Umm, umm, well, I wish that I can get better at drawing. And that I can stay with Mommy and Uncle Agi forever and ever.β
Rio took a deep breath and blew out the candles. The flames disappeared like theyβd been suctioned away somewhere. Rioβs wishes would likely come true.
Chise turned on the lights, and Agi sang Happy Birthday. Paper streamers and decorations in the shapes of planets and stars hung from the ceiling, and balloons of blue, green, and pink decorated the area. Kase had helped make the decorations too. Chiseβs homemade dishes and cake were all lined up on the table.
Kase looked at this scene of happiness from outside of the circle. He was plainly envious. Kase had never had his birthday celebrated like this. He was no longer a child, and he thought that he was weird for thinking such a thing.
What cut him most deeply in this scene: the ring sparkling on the ring finger of Chiseβs left hand. Kase had noticed it when he got back at the bakery, but he pretended like he hadnβt seen it. It was a beautiful diamond ring, and sometimes Chise would rub at it gently. Maybe it had been unconscious. It was a casual gesture that was filled with love.
Kase pretended to go wash his hands and left the bakery from the back door.
The sun had completely set as he walked through the darkened town and sent a text message to Agi that said he felt sick and left to go home. It was Rioβs birthday, and Kase hated how childish he was acting.
As he walked with his head down, it didnβt take long for him to arrive at the apartment building, but he didnβt want to go back to the dark apartment. Kase turned back towards where he came from. As he sought a brighter and brighter place, he eventually arrived at the train station. The place was crowded with people returning home from work. Kase bought a ticket and went through the ticket gate.
The platform was also full of people. Kase felt a little relieved among the crowd and followed everyone onto the train. However, he became incredibly sad as he watched the nighttime scenery outside of the train window. There were all these people here, but Kase was connected to no one.
However, if he were asked if he wanted to connect with the person next to him, the answer was no.
The name of the town where Kase previously lived was announced over the speakers. He suddenly remembered his ex, and it surprised him. Kase had missed his ex for a long time, and it surprised him that he had forgotten about the person until he arrived so close to the town. The train slowed to a stop.
When the door opened, Kase wasnβt thinking too deeply when he got off the train. It hadnβt been that many years since he moved, and the place hadnβt changed very much. As he walked the street lined with cherry trees that ran along the fence that separated the train tracks, Kase remembered suggesting to his ex that they go cherry blossom viewing in the spring. They broke up soon after that and hadnβt gone to see them. The cherry trees had lost their vibrancy this far into October. All that was left on them were their dried leaves.
βHiroaki?β
Kase had leaned on the fence to listen in a daze to the sound of the trains passing behind him when he heard a nostalgic gentle voice call out his name.
βI never expected to see you here. I thought that it was someone who looked like you at firstβ¦ Itβs been a while.β
Kaseβs ex gave him a smile. Kase didnβt know how to react and looked down at the ground. He couldnβt walk away, and they werenβt on terms where he could suggest that they get coffee or tea together. They leaned on the fence side by side together and watched the crowds of people walking past.
βHave you been doing well?β
ββ¦Oh, um, uh, probably.β
The answer sounded pretty stupid. His health was fine, but emotionally, he wasnβt.
Kaname just smiled and nodded, and a silence fell between them.
βAs for me, right now Iβm a teacher at a cram school.β
βA teacher?β
βYeah. I told you before, right? That I wanted to become one in college. Things happened, and it hadnβt worked out, but lately Iβve finally been able to think about myself more.β
βI think youβd be a good teacher, Kaname.β
βYou think so?β
There was a happy bounce in Kanameβs voice. Kase nodded. Kaname had been endlessly patient with him when they had dated, at a time when Kase acted out violently at the smallest of things. Kaname had had his own issues which had compelled him to act that way, but even so, Kaname was someone who was good at looking after others.
βWhat about you, Hiroaki? What are you doing now?β
ββ¦I work with bread.β
βBread?β
βI work in the kitchen of a bakery.β
βOh? Thatβs nice. I think it suits you.β
Kase lifted his head at the unexpected answer. He felt like someone as gloomy as him didnβt fit the image of a bakery, the symbol of a happy peaceful life. However, Kaname continued on.
βHiroaki, you cooked a lot for us when we dated. You would just throw together something from the fridge. I thought that you were so good with your hands. So you do have a talent for it.β
βAnyone can do something like that.β
βBut we all have things that weβre good at and things that weβre not. Even if I practice, it will never turn out any good for me. Youβre good with your hands, so Iβve always felt that youβre better suited for vocational work than an office worker.β
Did he really think so? Kase didnβt think that at all, but if Kaname said so, thenβ
βThank you.β
Kaname widened his eyes when Kase thanked him.
βWhat?β Kase asked.
βOh, nothing, sorry. I was just a little surprised.β
At what? Kase thought, but when he remembered what he was like in the past, he somehow understood. Everyone around him had been the enemy, and it made him want to vomit at the people who looked happy. If Kase had been his old self, he would probably spit, What would you know about me, at Kanameβs words.
ββ¦Hiroaki, youβve kind of changed. You look more gentle than before.β
βReally?β
βYeah. Iβm happy to see you like this. I think that maybe your current workplace really does suit you.β
Kase gave it a little thought and nodded. βItβs easy to be there.β
βEasy to be there?β
βThe owner is a former yakuza. The boulanger used to be the wife of one too. Her son is cute, but the kids at school call him a pill bug, and sometimes real yakuza will come by too.β
Kaname listened to Kase with a smile.
βEveryone has gone through a lot in life, but they live every day normally. Thatβs why I think that I can alsoβ¦β
That’s why I can alsoβ¦ what? Try my best? Be more honest?
Kase felt like they both seemed a little off, but they both seemed to fit too. He wasnβt sure what to say when he looked over next to him and met Kanameβs eyes.
βYeah, I think I understand what youβre trying to say.β
Kase was relieved that Kaname gave him a smile. A happiness slowly spread throughout his chest.
In the past, Kase had wanted this smile so badly that he became desperate to obtain it. But he hadnβt been able to get a hold of it, and he had hurt Kaname. Right now, it was this simple to see Kanameβs smile. Kase hadnβt said much of anything. And it had been a coincidence that they met up on the street. Something about it felt strange.
The trains ran at high speeds behind them as they leaned against the fence and talked. The rumbling sound that grazed their ears was like the flow of time. Even if he wanted it to stop, it would keep going. There were things that disappeared as it flowed, but there were other things that could be seen instead too.
βI should try my best as well,β Kaname murmured, and a silence descended between them.
They had nothing in particular to talk about, and several trains passed behind them. Time continued to flow even now without stopping.
βWell, I should go.β
Kase was the one to say it.
βOkay,β Kaname said, picking up the handles of his bag
They told each other to take care and turned to go their separate ways. Kase suddenly remembered something that he forgot to ask.
βKaname,β Kase called out.
The slender figure turned around.
βAre you happy now?β
Kaname tilted his head slightly, and his expression slowly changed.
βYes, very.β
It was a clear and bright smile that Kase had never seen before. He stood there captivated for a moment, before smiling back and waving. There were no intense emotions like in the past. He would probably never see him again. With a faint sadness and nostalgia, Kase watched the person he had loved leave.
I hope with this meeting that Kase realizes how much he’s changed and how much everyone at un petit nid has helped him change. That he can still keep working to change and to make better choices.
thank you for the chapter!
gosh I /love/ these descriptions that makes my heart soft and cozy;;;;;
Yes, I really enjoy the description and metaphors in this book. It really brings the story to another level, imo.
Kase really needed this closure. To see his ex happy and realizing he himself has changed It’s good for him.
Thanks for the chapter!
Yes, sometimes it’s hard to see unless you’re forced to step back away from yourself for a bit.
Awww they finally named the unnamed ex.. I’m kinda happy (for a change) reading this chapter.. it seems like Kase comes into terms into his ex which I think is a good start (letting your past go) to finally accepting things as they are in a (kind of) normal way. TvT I just want to say to Kase that it’s okay thinking like that to birthday parties.. even I sometimes want to have a cake given to me on my birthday which never occurred to me before.. nevertheless I’m happy for Kase, I hope he changes for the better ππ
Thank you so much for the chapter!!!~ ππππππππ
It’s still a lot of angst, but yes, it’s step in the right direction. All these feelings are human, and some people maybe don’t have the skills to cope with them, but hopefully Kase can find away to do so.
Hello! Sorry to bother you again, but the URL for this chapter is for Bloodlines Ablaze so it gets skipped in the Prev/Next chapter links~ https://daydrop.nowaki.net/bloodlines-ablaze/part-22/
ty for the chapter~!
Thank you for letting me know! I’ve fixed it, and after clearing the cache, it seems to work properly now.
Great Kase can see how well heβs been doing. Came a long way. π³β€οΈπ»ππΉπ
He really did!