September.21 『A Herbivore that wants to survive in the Savanna and Kurokoshi』

Unexpectedly, it was raining today. I was very happy to see the Owner at Glover Garden yesterday, but to be able to meet with him two days in a row.

When I contacted him, he said he would come to pick me up near the university.

After today’s final 5pm time-block lecture finished, there was still plenty of time before I was supposed to meet up, so I organised my bag.

「Ah, Hidaka-san, you’re here.」

「Yes?」

Turning around, Komada-san, a member of the kimono club, came over to me.

She went to the same lecture as me, but this was the first time we had spoken outside of club.

Asking if anything happened, I learnt some shocking information.

「Just now, I got a message from a friend who said that there was a handsome guy wearing black rimmed glasses outside the university. That’s Hidaka-san’s acquaintance isn’t it?」

「Ah, maybe……」

The Owner is already here!

He must be impatient to arrive so early. I hurriedly packed my pencil case and notebook into my bag.

「Could he possibly be your boyfriend?」

「Eh!?」

Komada-san’s words startled me. I immediately shook my head to deny it.

It seems that I had been seen walking with the Owner several times. I hadn’t paid attention to my surroundings at all.

「Is that so. Because you looked kind of close.」

「Well, it’s for my part time job……」

「Where are you working? Are you still recruiting staff? If possible, could you introduce me to the man and shop?」

「Ah, well.」

Ahh, Komada-san is an aggressive woman.

I remember hearing in the club that she had recently broken up with her boyfriend.

Since high school, there had never been a time where she didn’t have a boyfriend, she was a popular girl.

Her hair was dyed a pretty chocolate and her clothes were always cute.

I was sweating when she asked to introduce her to the Owner.

Komada-san stared at me patiently with big eyes. I felt like a frog being glared at by a snake.

「What is his name?」

「Ummmm.」

「How old is he?」

I want to tell her clearly ‘I don’t want to tell you’ but it might get awkward in club so I didn’t want to do that either. I’m part of several clubs and only go to the kimono try-on or appreciation events, but I also want to stay in a good relationship with them for future activities.

But I didn’t want to introduce the Owner to her, and I didn’t want to tell her about the shop.

I was stuck with that kind of feeling.

「–Hey!」

Komada-san spoke loudly as if irritated and I came back to reality.

Apparently I had zoned out.

「Oh, I’m sorry……」

「That’s fine, but.」

Being a good person or putting myself first.

I weighed up the two things.

It wasn’t my club activities, but the Owner and the Evening Rain that I leaned towards.

Resolving myself, I looked straight at Komada-san.

And I said what I was thinking.

「About your question–」

「Ah, Oto-chan was here!」

Ryoko-chan suddenly broke in between me and Komada-san.

Grabbing my hand, she said that the lecturer was looking for me.

「Komada-san, sorry, Oto-chan was called by the lecturer. Was it anything urgent?」

「No, not really.」

「Then I’ll take her.」

Ryoko-chan pulled my hand and took me out to the hallway.

Reaching the main entrance, she let go of my hand and turned around.

「Oto-chan, what was Komada-san doing?」

「She asked me to introduce the Owner and the shop.」

「Geh, what’s with that!」

Ryoko-chan also saw the Owner outside the university and came to let me know.

When she came to the lecture room, she said that it looked like Komada-san wasn’t being nice to me, so she stepped in.

「Komada-san looked like a lioness staring at an impala, so I thought I should help. It was the right decision.」

「Yea, she was biting at my neck, so I’ve lost a lot of blood.」

As a herbivore (an impala), I had been cornered by Komada-san (a lioness), run down and bitten without being able to jump away.

I think it was a really good thing that Ryoko-chan helped me.

「I didn’t want to give a flat refusal either because we are in the same club.」

「Yea. I don’t like those kind of popular people.」

「No, I didn’t want to tell her either. If Komada-san found out about the Evening Rain, she would definitely make a big fuss about it.」

「Well, that’s true.」

That’s why I don’t talk to Komada-san outside of club. She has a lot of friends and she’s in the core of the club, so I can’t get close to her.

「I’ll tell Komada-san.」

「What?」

「Oto-chan and the Owner are dating.」

「No, no, no!!」

「You’re dating, aren’t you?」

「I’m not dating!」

「But I wouldn’t go to the Glover Garden at night with a man without having any feelings.」

「I might go.」

「I wouldn’t.」

But, Ryoko-chan said it was necessary to say such a thing, even if it was a lie.

「That’s because the others have been talking about the Owner. Recently, there’s been a cool onii-san waiting for someone near the gates.」

「I-Is that so.」

「They think that someone is probably getting picked up.」

This is a women’s university. Ryoko-chan declared that everyone was around the age where they want to have a nice boyfriend, and the Owner was the best one.

「A tiger, a leopard, a jackal, a hyena and a cheetah. To survive as a herbivore in a woman’s college (a savanna) where there are many carnivores, you have to live wisely.」

「Yes.」

「There is only one way to win. That’s to run away with all your strength.」

「That’s true.」

I was slapped heavily on my shoulders and told to survive.

After that, I split up with Ryoko-chan.

◇◇◇

When I went outside, the rain had stopped.

I guess there was no work today then.

Looking at the watch, there were still three minutes before the agreed meeting time.

I had to rush over to the Owner.

I arrived at the very last minute.

Holding my chest to breath with my shoulders, I arranged my bangs with a flustered expression.

The friendly Owner told me not to worry because he had just arrived.

「……It’s stopped raining hasn’t it.」

「Was it just a shower?」

「Looks like so~.」

I’m a little disappointed.

I had hoped to go to the Evening Rain after such a long time.

Maybe because he saw me like that, the Owner made a suggestion.

「It might rain again, so do you want to wait at the shop?」

「!」

I immediately replied yes of course.

Upon arriving at the Evening Rain, today’s sweets were introduced.

「This is the famous Isahaya Kurokoshi.」

「Huh, huh.」

Kurokoshi is one of Japan’s three major Okoshi and is a traditional confection made with brown sugar and lye.

It is an auspicious sweet named according to the proverb ‘Carry oneself, carry one’s name, carry one’s family’ (※There are various theories!). Kurokoshi is made by soaking white rice in lye water, drying it and then hardening it with brown sugar and starch syrup.

I tasted it.

There is a solid texture and the sweetness of refined brown sugar. The peculiar taste of the lye water is hardly felt. It was a sweet that went well with tea.

「Kurokoshi is a traditional sweet with a history of 200 years–」

Isahaya city used to be a town with inns along the Sugar Road and Kurokoshi quickly spread around the region and took root. It is a traditional sweet that is still loved.

「Aside from sweets imported from Portugal and China, there are also sweets that were first created in Nagasaki.」

How many sweets were introduced through the Sugar Road, my curiosity was stimulated.

I wanted to do more research.

◇◇◇

In the end, it didn’t rain.

The Owner will head for Tokyo for a week from tomorrow, so the Evening Rain will be on break.

「Do you have anything you want to get in Tokyo?」

「No, as long as Owner returns safely, nevermind……」

After saying that, I blushed at what I had said.

It’s not something to be said between people who are only close acquaintances.

When I glanced at the Owner, our eyes met.

However, I immediately looked away.

……I’ve become used to it, sorry.

I apologised in my mind.