Hearing him talk made her smile and turn back to him. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought that!” she said, giggling again. “That’s such a sweet little thing to do.” A vision of the Mochida house being filled with sweet-smelling mochi entered her mind. Soft, squishy mochi furniture. It was definitely fitting.
Then he talked about gummy kits and her eyes lit up as she glanced at them for a moment. “I… I haven’t done a gummy kit since I was a girl, actually! They are fun.” Her smile turned wistful as she remembered. She’d done them a few times with her mother–it was one of her favorite things to do with her then. Not having done them in years, she couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic. And, admittedly, a little sad, having not done them in so long.
It was really because she didn’t have anyone to do them with. They weren’t something she wanted to do by herself, after having always done them with someone else.
Yui distracted herself from her thoughts with a question about Satoshi’s job and listened intently to his answer. “That’s wonderful to hear! I’m not surprised. You were always so diligent with your work,” she replied. “It’s great that you have a job you enjoy. I’ll have to go there sometime when you’re working! If that’s all right with you, of course,” she added, grinning at him sheepishly and hoping she wasn’t being too much.
“Oh, living with Kishinuma-kun sounds like an adventure in itself,” she said, when he mentioned moving in with him. “That’s sweet of him though, letting you live with him. Just don’t let him get you into too much trouble,” she joked.
At his question about herself, she smiled. “It’s been good! Not anything new, really. Summer break just ended, and it’s great to be back! Well, I think so, anyway–the students are still getting used to school again. I missed them all though, and missed teaching. I’ve got a pretty good crew this year too!”
Satoshi gave another smile, noticing the way Yui’s eyes lit up at the mention of gummy kits. He could relate; he hadn’t considered them in years either, not to mention they were something that Yuka was more into. With this in tow, he formulated a quick plan, pulling three sets from the shelf, waving them with a quiet “For Yuka”, before setting them under his arm with the mochi. He hadn’t even considered that he would be buying anything, but the vibes this place gave off were way too much. Not to mention Yui’s own enthusiasm for sweets pushed into his as well.
At the mention of her asking to come by the café, he blinked in surprise, suddenly feeling just the slightest bit intimidated at having to serve her of all people. He felt he should have mulled, but he found himself nodding almost instantly. “That’d be great! It would be nice seeing you there! I probably don’t have to tell you this, but we make some really great coffee too.”
They turned through a few more isles, skirting past jars of jellybeans and patches of foreign chocolate. Satoshi raised his eyebrows in surprise at Yui’s comment, blinking once. “I’m sure it’ll be okay. The most troublesome thing he’d do is leave the milk out on the bench. That’s it, I hope.” He laughed softly readjusting the packets he held under his arms. His mind inwardly pinged at the topic of school, and he found himself missing it a little, and moreover, missing having Yui as a teacher.
“It sounds like things are still as pleasant as ever. What’s your new crew like? I hope they’re not too rowdy, but it’s nothing you couldn’t handle, I’m sure.”
