New Year’s Eve, early evening—
“Insert a toothpick here along the prawn’s back… like this, and it comes right out. Give it a try.”
“Hmm… l-like this?”
“Yes. Perfect.”
Yuzuru and Arisa were removing the veins from prawns together.
More precisely, they were preparing them to make tempura prawns for their toshikoshi soba. Traditional soba noodles eaten on New Year’s Eve.
“By the way… about Ayumi-chan.”
“What about Ayumi?”
“Did she get her flu shot?”
“She should have. We get them every year.”
“And she still got sick? That’s a bit pointless, isn’t it?”
Yuzuru’s younger sister, Takasegawa Ayumi, was currently bedridden with seasonal influenza.
That was why, despite it being New Year’s Eve, Yuzuru wasn’t at his family home and was instead spending it with Arisa.
With Ayumi sick, all the usual Takasegawa family events had been cancelled.
“…No, it still helps. The symptoms should be milder because she got it. So it was definitely worth it.”
“Hm…”
“You don’t look convinced… I thought you’d gotten over it?”
At that, Arisa shook her head.
“Of course not. It’s not like injections bother me anymore. It’s just… I feel bad for her.”
“I see. That’s good, then. So you’ll be fine getting one next year too.”
Next year—
Well, technically the exams were the year after—
But both Yuzuru and Arisa would be preparing for university entrance exams.
If anything, next year would matter even more.
“Y-yes… I’ll be fine. But, um… you’ll come with me, right? Next year too…”
Her words brought back a memory—
Going to the hospital with her before.
It had been… no, extremely embarrassing.
Honestly, he didn’t want to repeat it.
“…Of course.”
But he couldn’t exactly refuse his fiancée when she was trying her best.
Yuzuru nodded.
“…What was that pause just now?”
“No hidden meaning.”
“Really? …Even if you don’t want to, you’re coming with me. Just so you know.”
Apparently, accompanying her was non-negotiable.
Still, the fact that Arisa was willing to get the shot—even with conditions—made Yuzuru genuinely happy.
“Got it. Maybe we’ll both go get ours together next year.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
While making plans for their “hospital date,” they finished preparing the prawns.
All that remained was frying them along with the vegetables.
“I’ll handle the frying… I’m a bit worried otherwise. Yuzuru-san, could you boil the soba? …You can do that, right?”
“Of course. It’s just boiling, isn’t it?”
Boiling soba wasn’t exactly difficult.
He could handle somen and instant noodles, after all.
“…Are you sure? Make sure you rinse them in cold water afterwards.”
“Rinse… them?”
“Wash them under running water. …You can do that, right?”
“I can, but… wait, we’re making hot soba, right?”
If he rinsed them, they’d go cold.
Wouldn’t it be better to just put them straight into the broth?
“…Rinsing improves the texture. Remember that.”
“I see… but won’t the soup get cold if we add cold noodles?”
“We’ll heat it again after adding the soba. I’ll guide you then, so just focus on boiling them for now.”
“G-got it…”
Yuzuru filled a pot with water and set it to boil.
Meanwhile, Arisa deftly fried the tempura.
“Just follow the instructions on the package, right?”
After the water came to a boil, he double-checked.
Arisa glanced over briefly.
“Yes, follow the instructions. …Make sure you time it properly.”
“I know.”
He set a timer on his phone and dropped the soba into the pot.
Just as instructed, he boiled them according to the listed time.
“They’re done… what now? Drain them in a colander and wash them?”
“That works, but the sobayu would go to waste… Water used to boil soba, often drunk afterwards Let’s see—transfer just the noodles into a bowl first, then move them to a colander at the sink and rinse them.”
“Got it.”
Following her instructions, Yuzuru removed the noodles, transferred them, and rinsed them under running water.
“How long should I wash them?”
“Until they’re no longer hot. Then drain them properly.”
“Alright.”
He carefully followed her directions, chilling the soba.
Meanwhile, Arisa kept sneaking glances his way while frying, clearly unable to stop worrying.
“I’m done… what next?”
“Let’s see… I’m almost done here too, so let’s put them into the broth. After that, heat it up again.”
The broth had already been prepared by Arisa and sat in a small pot.
Yuzuru added the drained soba and placed it over the heat.
Once it was sufficiently warmed, he turned off the stove.
“All done.”
When he turned back, Arisa had already finished frying.
“Perfect timing. Let’s plate it.”
Yuzuru poured the soba and broth into bowls.
Arisa placed the tempura on top—
And finished it off with a sprinkle of chopped green onions.
They carried the bowls to the living room.
Then, placing their hands together—
““Thank you for the food.””
They began eating the soba they had made together.
