That horrible day, six years ago.
I can't seem to forget it.
"Well, who would forget such a thing, anyways…"
I mumble to myself.
Because of my brain trauma, I'm not allowed to go to school, so I've been learning at home by this tutor.
Maybe I got lucky, because she's pretty cute. But, she has a stern personality that sends a chill down my spine.
Takamura. Or, as most people call her, Taka-chan. She hates it though, so I only refer to her as Taka when she's not around.
"I'll make up some dinner before you go. As a thanks for staying so late."
"You don't have to do that, Kota-sensei."
"Ah, but I want to. You should really learn to accept gifts, Apprentice. You even refused payement…"
Kota sighs and places his finger on his chin.
He's right. But, it's not that I find it hard to accept something nice from another person.
It's just that sometimes I don't feel like I deserve it.
For someone whose life was so flimsily saved, in comparison with all those other people who died, why should I receive good things?
Ah, no. That's too pessimistic.
It is just a dinner, after all.
"I'll just make some yaki-soba and shortcake. There's some leftovers from today."
Even though the Shukufuku family bakery is a bakery, the kitchen is more than capable of making a wide variety of dishes.
During the last holidays, Kota-sensei and I were able to cook a turkey.
…Well, maybe not fully cooked, but it was an appraisable effort. I remember having to take medicine for three weeks to get the worms out of my system.
Kota leaves the kitchen to grab some frozen noodles, and comes back with four packets. He opens the drawers above me and takes out the ingredients needed for the shortcake.
"Do you mind making the…"
"Sure, I can…"
And so, I began to make yaki-soba. Kota-sensei wasn't foolish enough to let me try to make shortcake again, so the bakery is able to stand another chance.
Making noodles is an easy thing. After six years of constant effort in the kitchen, I have become a master of my own craft, much more advanced than that of an adult.
To be fair, I could probably rival professional chefs if it came down to the wire.
"Add some onions as well, eh, Apprentice?"
Kota calls out from the counter.
He's eating some cake barehanded like an animal.
I shouldn't have stayed so late, but I like helping out Kota as much as I can.
After all, if I was given a second chance to live, I should live it well. And being of use is one of the best things a human can do.
Eventually, I finished the noodles. A delicious aroma fills the kitchen.
So much so that Kota eats the yaki-soba straight from the pot.
I'm not too hungry, so I don't eat too much.
"Hmm, this is good! And so is this! Hmm!"
Kota mumbles like it's his first time eating.
We sit at the countertop parallel to each other, where Kota faces me after finishing the pot.
Of course, I slide my plate over to him.
"So, how's it been? With homeschooling?"
"Ah, it's been alright. Taka can be quite cold, but she gets the job done."
"Yeah, I can tell. Your vocabulary has really expanded from the last two years. I guess the only downside is that you won't have many friends."
I'm actually under the assumption that I had many friends before that day.
But, of course, I've forgotten most of my early school days.
To be honest, I'm not sure if I can even recall the name of my school.
"——Ah!"
Kota belches and pats his stomach.
"Well, that was good! Really good!"
For all I know, Kota went to culinary school, but dropped out since he didn't have enough money. Now he attends a nearby community college.
But, 'attends' is a kind word, considering he skips classes so often. It's all for the bakery.
In other words, if he was my father, the bakery would be my brother.
"Well, you should start heading home now. I'll finish up with the cleaning myself."
"Are you in a rush, Sensei?"
"Huh? No, nothing of the sort. It's just not responsible for me to make you go to bed so late."
It's currently 11:05PM.
By the time I finish up and walk home, it'll be around 11:20. After Taka's tutoring, it'll probably be around 1:00AM.
"Good work today, Apprentice. Pretty soon you'll have to take over for your old man here."
"Don't say that. You're only 20."
"I'd say 20 is pretty old, no?"
He giggles.
"I'll wash the plates."
"Ah, alright, if you insist."
Kota doesn't put up much of a fight.
He just sighs and watches me from behind as I clear the sink.
Fifteen minutes later, I'm finally done with all my duties.
Kota and I stand up and bow, and I hang my apron up at the front counter. We talk about school stuff for another five minutes before Kota's face changes.
"Ah, yeah, I almost forgot!"
"Hm—?"