Part 7: House of Sweets ~un petit nid~ (7)
Kase woke up to the doorbell. He looked at the clock, and it was still 11. It was a Sunday morning, and Kase got up slowly, thinking it had to be a church group or a newspaper solicitor. He opened the door with his full displeasure on display and found Rio standing there with a backpack.
âHiro-kun, good morning.â
For a moment, Kase wondered if he was dreaming. He looked down half-asleep, and Rio took out his cell phone from his pocket and called someone.
âHere,â Rio said, handing over the cell phone.
When Kase took the phone, the person on the other line answered.
âHey, itâs me.â
ââŠAgi-san?â
âSorry to spring this on you, but could you take Rio to the zoo today?â
Kase tilted his head with his ear to the phone.
âWe just got a last-minute order, and Chise canât go with him. I have things that I canât step away from, and Rioâs been looking forward to it for a long time. Iâd feel bad if he canât go. So help us out and take care of him.â
Kase had been listening in a daze, but he frantically opened his mouth when it seemed like Agi would hang up.
âYou canât ask me this.â
He wasnât good with children. It was one thing to look after Rio at the shop while he was working, but he couldnât entertain Rio all day by himself. He was sure that Rio wouldnât have any fun if someone like him was the one to take him.
âQuit complaining, and grow some balls once in a while. Okay? Take care of him.â
Agi hung up on him. How could he do this? Kaseâs hand stiffened around the cell phone, and he felt a tug on his pajamas. Rio looked up at Kase with a bright innocent smile on his face, and Kase was at a complete loss for what to do. He had to somehow turn this down. But what should he do if Rio cried? As he searched for something to say, Rio spoke up and smiled at him.
âHiro-kun, itâs fine. Iâll go home.â
âHuh?â
âI know that everyoneâs busy, so Iâm okay. I can go to the zoo next time.â
Kase became embarrassed that this young child smiled cheerfully, putting Kaseâs feelings ahead of his own. There was nothing wrong with refusing a sudden request from a complete stranger. However, Kase felt like he had done something mean to Rio.
Rio continued his words while Kase felt uncomfortable. âBut is it okay if I just eat lunch here? I donât really like to eat alone.â
Lunch⊠He was used to having lunch together at work, so he should be able to endure it, but what did he have in the refrigerator? Kase turned to glance in the apartment, and Rio rushed to put his backpack down.
âItâs okay, I have a lunch box. Mommy made it for us. Thereâs your share and mine.â
Rio held out the backpack, and Kase nervously accepted it.
âOkay, then, um, p-please come in.â
Kase had never invited anyone into his home before, and he was flustered despite his guest only being a child.
Rio gave the greeting, âThank you for having me,â and walked in the door. He made sure to neaten up his little shoes, which didnât even reach half the length of Kaseâs own shoes. For now, Kase let the little uninvited guest into the apartment.
He had no juice, so Kase poured some tea for Rio, and Rio was at the table taking out the lunch boxes. One was a normal lunch box, and the other was an airplane-shaped one for Rio.
âWow~ It looks so good. Thank you for the food~â
Rio clapped his hands together in thanks, and Kase followed suit. There was fried chicken, a broccoli and shrimp quiche, flower-shaped carrots and spinach stir-fried in butter, and colorful chirashizushi. Kase felt complicated feelings as he ate the lunch filled with a motherâs love that he hadnât had himself.
âHiro-kun, is the chirashizushi good? I love Mommyâs chirashizushi,â Rio said happily with his mouth full.
Kase tasted almost nothing, but he mumbled briefly that it was good. He couldnât tell if it was true or not, but it probably tasted good. On that note, they ate their lunches quietly, and the silence gradually became uncomfortable. Normally Chise and Agi were with them, and Kase could listen to them talk and add a few acknowledgments here and there.
ââŠAirplanes.â
Kase grabbed onto a topic of conversation somehow, and Rio lifted his head. He stared right at Kase, and Kase frantically pointed at Rioâs lunch box. It was the shape of an airplane.
âAirplanes, do you like them? Your dish for lunch at the bakery is the same shape.â
âYes!â Rio nodded his head enthusiastically. He seemed to be happy that Kase talked to him.
âWhen I grow up, I want to be someone who drives an airplane. When Mommy gets tired, she always says she wants to go to the South Seas, and you canât go there without an airplane. Oh, and I love to draw too, so I also draw pictures of Mommy on an island for her.â
Rio had been happy as he gave his explanation, but then he hung his head despondently.
ââŠUm, Hiro-kun, is it true that you canât drive airplanes if youâre not smart?â
âHuh? Yeah, I guess so.â
At Kaseâs answer, Rio scrunched up his face like he was about to cry. Kase then remembered Rio saying something about never scoring above 17 points on his tests. Rioâs eyes were slowly filling with tears, and Kase panicked.
âI-Itâs should be okay. If you try your hardest to study every day, youâll become smarter⊠maybe.â
âYou think so?â
Rio wiped his eyes and scooped some chirashizushi in his spoon. It was a heaping spoonful, and half of it spilled instead of entering in his mouth. Rio looked at it mystified. Maybe he really wasnât that smart.
âBut my Daddy wasnât very smart too, so maybe I canât do it after all.â
âYour Daddy?â
âYeah, he died before I was born. Mommy only knew Daddy after he grew up, but Uncle Agi and Uncle Mutou were both Daddyâs friends when they were kids. They said that Daddy was really stupid ever since he was little. But he was really kind.â
Rioâs dead father and Agi had been childhood friends. Maybe that was the connection that had brought Agi and Chise together to run a bakeryâand Kase could see faintly how they were related together. They were all very old friends, Mutou included.
âAnd thatâs why Uncle Agi and Uncle Mutou are almost like my Daddy for me. I love Uncle Agi, and I wish that he can be my real Daddy~ Oh!â
Rio suddenly raised his voice, startling Kase to stop eating.
âHiro-kun, Iâm sorry. I forgot.â
Rio rushed to open one of the pockets of the backpack and pulled out some things from it. There was seasoned salt, along with individual packets of mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce. Rio pulled out the various seasonings and lined them up on the table.
âMommyâs food is tasty, but you donât taste anything, right, Hiro-kun? So I brought all this with me. Sorry that I forgot to take them out. Youâre almost done with your lunch, but you can use these if you want.â
Kase stared at the seasonings and felt strange about it. Rio was not very smart, but he was kind. Kase hated children, and his feelings still hadnât changed, but he felt like maybe Rio was an exception.
ââŠOkay, Iâll use this.â Kase opened the packet of salt and sprinkled it on the fried chicken.
After they finished eating, Kase washed the lunch boxes and returned them to Rio. Rio tried to wrap them up in a cloth napkin, but he couldnât do it very well. Kase couldnât just watch and wrapped them up for him.
âHiro-kun, thank you. And thank you for eating lunch with me.â Rio gave his thanks very properly. He didnât dawdle and stood up to pull on his backpack all by himself. The little figure headed for the front door, well-behaved and far too reasonable.
âRio,â Kase called out without thinking.
Rio turned around.
ââŠDo you want to go to the zoo together?â
Why did he say something like that? He wanted to take it back. However, Rioâs face lit up in an instant, as he shouted âYay!!â and ran over to Kase and hugged his legs.
âThank you, Hiro-kun! I love you!â
The words were warm and bright and almost made him dizzy.
God, my heart broke for Rio when he sensed that Kase was uncomfortable with taking him to the zoo. But he still smiled through it. It was good to see that Kase didn’t have the heart to disappoint Rio either despite his discomfort. Rio is probably used to Chise and Agi being busy all the time because of the bakery…
I really appreciate you translating this. I look forward to the new releases.
Thank you! I’m glad that you like the story!
If I didn’t knew Rio is used to Agi and Chise being busy all the time, I’d think all this zoo thing was a ruse to make Kase be more sociable. But it’s cute to see those two trust Kase enough to ask him this.
Thanks for the chapter!
It really is nice to see. Rio is so cute when he launches himself at Kase.
what a little ball of sunshine that makes my day warmer oh he’s so cute
thank you for the chapter!!
Rio is so darling, I love him~
Thatâs such a brave thing to do đłđ€đđ»đ
Not gonna lie, I teared up. Rio is such a sweetheart, and I’m glad Kase worked up courage to take him to the zoo.
Also, Rio’s only 6 years old. Just how smart are they expecting him to be…? I do hope they work out what’s hindering him so he can get the help he needs and not grow up thinking that he’s stupid