Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051598917319858
It’s a convenient world we live in these days; if you look for something, you can usually find it.
To recreate the taste of Elis’s home cooking, I visited an import food store located inside a large shopping complex about two train stops away from my house.
As you’d expect from a store specializing in foreign ingredients, they sold far more unfamiliar foods than my local KA〇DI.
“Whole-grain mustard, white wine vinegar, and this here…”
“It’s Maggi, Rintaro. Anything tastes better with this in it.”
“Huh, so it’s kind of like soy sauce in Japan…?”
I felt like I vaguely recognized it.
Probably because I’d seen it in supermarkets back when I lived in Germany.
Elis stopped in front of the shelves, checked the labels on the bottles, and occasionally looked something up on her phone as she placed the necessary items into her basket one by one.
She looked like a child standing in front of the candy aisle, and it made me feel a little warm inside.
“I’m glad you’re having fun, Ellis.”
“Yeah, it’s fun! Plus, it makes me feel a little nostalgic.”
I can totally relate to that feeling.
Back when I was in Germany, I used to really look forward to going shopping at a Japanese grocery store a little way from my house.
Coming across something familiar in a faraway land is much more joyful than you might think.
“So, should we come back again? There are a few things I’m personally curious about, too.”
“Hehe, I’m happy we can come together again.”
We paid the bill and left the store.
I offered to carry the bags, but Ellis insisted on carrying them herself.
To her, these must be worth more than just ingredients for tonight’s dinner.
That’s exactly why I’m feeling a little nervous.
“The taste of home for Elis… I wonder if I can actually make it right.”
“It’ll be fine. I’ll help you make it.”
“No, it’s my turn to cook today, so it’s okay.”
“But if it’s your first time cooking, you’ll need someone to taste it, right?”
“Alright, then I’ll count on you. I want to make it taste good since I’m putting in the effort.”
If I’m going to make it, I want Elis to be happy and enjoy eating it.
Come to think of it, now that I’ve got all the seasonings, it might be a good idea to secretly look up some recipes and expand my repertoire of German home cooking.
It would be fun to surprise her by making something, just like how Elis used to sneak recipes from my mom and cook them on her own.
As I Walked along thinking about that, I suddenly realized that Elis, who had been walking beside me, had vanished from my sight.
I thought maybe her shoelace had come undone, but she had actually stopped and was looking off in the distance.
What caught her eye was an arcade.
Crane games lined the entrance, and from inside came the sound of electronic beeps and children’s excited voices.
“Are you curious?”
“I was just looking at all the different games and thinking how amazing it is.”
“…Since we’re here, why don’t we pop in for a bit?”
“Yeah! I’m gonna play with Rintaro!”
“I don’t know if there’s anything we can play together, though.”
The moment we stepped inside, the density of sound increased dramatically.
The electronic beeps of the machines, the sound of prizes dropping, the sound of drums beating somewhere. It was much noisier than it had been from outside, and at the edge of my vision, colorful lights were constantly flashing.
“Wow…! So many crane games!”
Elis, her eyes sparkling, looked around eagerly.
“I think there were crane games in Germany too, though?”
“There weren’t this many, so I’m surprised. And there are so many prizes!”
Elis walked along happily, peering into each machine as she went.
Watching her profile, I could tell she was in high spirits in a way that was different from when we were just shopping.
But in front of one machine, her feet suddenly stopped.
“…Lily.”
At her quiet murmur, I stopped too.
What was at the end of Elis’s gaze was a plush toy of the mascot character from Starry Sky Magical Lily.
A round, white creature with a star-shaped hairpin. It was the mascot character from the magical girl anime that Elis used to love.
“That brings back memories. They still make merchandise for this?”
“Yeah…”
Elice stared intently at the stuffed animal through the glass.
As if reminiscing about the past, she gazed at it with intense focus.
“Elis, since we’re here, why don’t you try to get it?”
“…But I’m not very good at this, so I might not be able to get it.”
“—Then, would it be okay if I tried to get it?”
Coincidentally, the stuffed animal had already been moved quite a bit from its starting position, and it felt like I could knock it down in one go if I played my cards right, so I decided to give it a shot.
“Rintaro, are you good at this?”
“Nah, not at all. But I have a friend who’s good at it. I heard some tips from him.”
“…A female friend?”
“He’s a guy! What do you take me for—”
As if to escape further questioning, I put some coins in the machine and started the game.
I moved the claw, aiming for the neck. I lifted it as if to hook it—
“…Got it! Rintaro, you’re amazing!”
“Nah, this is where it starts! It depends on the claw settings, but with this feeling—”
The claw remained hooked around the stuffed animal’s neck as it slowly lifted upward.
It looked shaky. It seemed like it was about to fall at any moment.
But that very shakiness seems to have worked in our favor; as the stuffed animal caught on the edge of the exit, it lost its balance and wobbled.
And then, it tumbled right out.
“…We got it.”
“We got it! Rintaro, we got it!”
Before I could even reach for the exit, Elis let out a delighted cry.
I never expected to get it on the first try.
To be honest, I figured I’d be lucky if I managed to get it after a few failed attempts, so this was a surprise.
“Here.”
I pulled the stuffed animal out and held it out to Elis.
Elis blinked, looking confused.
“…For me? Is that okay?”
“Of course it is. I was doing this for you from the start.”
Elis tentatively took the stuffed animal from me and gently hugged it to her chest, as if she were handling cotton candy.
“—Thanks, Rintaro. I’ll take good care of it.”
“You’re overreacting.”
Elis seemed so overwhelmed that I couldn’t help but give a wry smile.
She’s reacting as if she’d received a jewel or some other expensive item, but isn’t that a bit over the top?
“It’s not over the top. If I hadn’t grown to like these little guys, I wouldn’t have been able to talk to you back then, Rintaro.”
“I see. So, for you, Starry Sky Magical Lily is like a lucky charm that brings good fortune.”
If that’s the case, then I can understand why she’s so happy.
I’m sure Starry Sky Magical Lily holds a deeper meaning for her than I realized.
“You’re right, but that’s not it! It’s because Rintaro gave it to me! I’m so happy! It’s my very first present!”
“A present…? This isn’t really anything that grand—”
“That’s not true!”
“Okay, I get it. If it makes you that happy, I’m glad I was able to get it.”
“Yeah. As long as you understand.”
Elis hugged the stuffed animal close, a smile spreading across her face.
Hearing her say that to my face like that made me feel inexplicably embarrassed.
I cleared my throat lightly and looked away.
“—Well, I guess we should head home now.”
“Ah, wait.”
Elis looked up suddenly, still clutching the stuffed animal.
“I want to take a picture.”
“A picture, huh? Well, sure—”
The usual photo, I suppose.
I’m used to it by now, so I quietly agreed and moved over next to Ellis.
But Ellis shook her head as if to say, “That’s not it.”
“Nope. I want that one today.”
Ellis pointed toward the photo booth corner.
It was decorated in pink and white, looking ridiculously cute—the kind of place I’d never go near on my own.
“Ugh… that’s a bit much…”
“I want to take a picture with this one. Come on, can’t I?”
“Do I have to be in it too?”
“No way, I want to take a picture with Rintaro. Besides… isn’t taking a photo booth picture just ‘normal’ when you come to an arcade?”
“…Fine, but just this once.”
“Yay!”
Elis’s face lights up instantly.
I can’t help but feel like I’ve been talked into this, but I convince myself it’s fine as long as it makes Elis happy.
Oh well, it’s probably fine. We won’t run into anyone we know here anyway.
We step inside the booth and close the curtain.
Following the instructions from the overly bright screen and the strangely hyper robotic voice, we get ready.
“Rintaro, over here.”
“Aren’t we already close enough?”
“I’m bringing this little one too, so we have to do it this way to fit♪”
Just like that, I’m pushed back by Elis until I’m crammed into the back of the booth.
It feels like there’s actually more space on Elis’s side, doesn’t it?
—Say cheese!
The shutter clicks.
On the screen, Elis was smiling contentedly while hugging a stuffed animal.
Meanwhile, my smile was clearly stiff.
“Rintaro, your face is all tense.”
“What can I do? I’m not used to this.”
Anyway, we got the photo.
Now, let’s wrap up this embarrassing situation quickly—
—Next up, a heart pose for the two of us!
“It’s not over yet!?”
“Come on, Rintaro. Make a heart shape quickly.”
“I can’t just do that out of the blue.”
“Just do it. Same pose.”
Elis held the stuffed animal in one hand and held out the other.
Before I had a chance to refuse, she clasped my hand with hers.
When I looked at the photo, we both had expressions that were way more awkward than before.
“Should we just scrap this one?”
“No way~♪”
Elis looks in high spirits as she writes something on the photo.
Is this really her first time using a photo booth?
“Here you go, Rintaro.”
Once she’s finished writing, I take the photo printout from Elis.
──Für immer zusammen♡ (Together Forever)
“Hey, you put the photos you take in the back of your phone case, right? I want to try that too.”
“Of course not!”
I couldn’t help but raise my voice at Ellis, who was grinning from ear to ear.
This girl really… she never lets her guard down..
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