The next morning, as usual, Kaname woke up naturally. He blinked away the sleepiness from his eyes, then wiped his face with both hands. He was about to pull the blanket off him and got up when he realized he wasn't alone in bed. Curious and concerned, Kaname propped up his elbow, leaning toward Naoki, who was still sleeping beside him.
"Naoki-kun," he called softly, hands gently touching Naoki's upper arm. Naoki didn't answer. Kaname tried once again. This time, Naoki made a soft noise but still didn't wake up. Kaname reached up to touch Naoki's forehead. Sure enough, it was hot. Kaname clacked his tongue, then leaned his head down to check on Kaname's breathing carefully. He leaned back with a relief; Naoki's asthma hadn't relapsed.
Carefully, he got out of bed, then pulled the blanket up and tugged it tightly around Naoki. He kissed his forehead, then went to the bathroom to get a wash up. Throughout the years, Kaname had gotten used to Naoki falling ill a couple of times during the winter, so Kaname wouldn't get too worried. He was only a bit annoyed at himself for relenting too much last night when Naoki insisted for them to keep going. He should've known better.
He threw in a couple of woods into the stove to keep the room warm before leaving the room. He turned the outdoor lights off, then busied himself in the kitchen for a moment, brewing coffee and tea. Then, he went to knock on Kei's bedroom door. His son opened the door with both eyes not fully open, his hair sticking out in some places.
"Tou-san, it's still dark outside," Kei complained, leaning his body against the door.
"I know, but I need your help," Kaname said while grinning at his son's appearance. "Naoki-kun has a fever so he can't work today."
Kei's eyes immediately flew open. He blinked a couple of times then nodded. "I'll be down in a sec."
Kaname returned to the kitchen. He usually wouldn't get to work before getting his cup of coffee, but today was different. He opened one of the drawers on the counter. Naoki always had this little notebook in which he wrote what he planned to cook for the week as well as shopping list. Kaname took it out, read it, then put it on the counter. Kei came down right when the coffee finished brewing. Kaname poured two cups and handed one to Kei. They stood there in silent for a moment, sipping their own coffee. Kei finally put down his cup and licked his lip.
"What do I have to do, Tou-san?" he asked.
"How comfortable are you in the kitchen?" Kaname replied with a question instead.
Kei shrugged. "I can fry things, and make instant noodles. I can cook rice."
Kaname thought as much. When they were in college, Maya wasn't big on cooking and it stayed that way from what Kei told him in their emails and messages. "Then let's make something simple for breakfast. Do you know how to make miso soup?"
Kei grinned sheepishly. "Maya-san usually used a ready-made ones. You know the ones which you only need to add hot water?"
"Never mind, then. Start the rice and fry the bacon, then." Kaname took a look at the opened notebook near him. "After this, we'll go to the fish market. It's a bit late but I think we still can get some good ones."
Kei also looked at the notebook. He recognized it as Naoki's little notebook. From his position, he couldn't read what was in there, but he nodded. He finished his coffee, then took out the rice from the pantry. He never cooked rice for so many people so he hesitated for a while before asking Kaname if the portion he took out enough for about ten people including them. Kaname craned his neck and nodded. "That should be enough."
When he heard the sound of bell ringing from outside, Kaname walked out to pick the newspapers and the milk. When he stepped out, the ground was half-covered with snow. The tops of the trees and plants were also lightely dusted with the snow. No wonder it was cold this morning. Kaname sipped his coffee, slipping one hand inside his pocket to keep it warm. His brow rose slightly at the sight of the newspaper man, Mr. Murai talking with someone near Hummingbird's gate. He didn't recognize the other person. However, as he walked closer, Kaname thought the person looked a bit familiar even though he couldn't remember when or where he saw the person.
Mr. Murai saw him approaching the gate. He smiled widely and greeted him with a wave of his hand. "Ah, Tokui-san! Good morning!" The person talking with Mr. Murai also looked over. He looked like he was studying Kaname but he didn't say anything. He only nodded then walked away, not even saying farewell to Mr. Murai, who frowned and immediately looked displeased.
"Morning, Murai-san. Aren't you a bit late today?" Kaname also ignored the person, and returned Mr. Murai's greetings as soon as he stood behind the gate.
Mr. Murai laughed. "Aren't you the one who's early, Tokui-san? I usually come at this hour," said Mr. Murai. Kaname chuckled and accepted a bundle of newspapers from Mr. Murai.
"Was that your acquaintance just now?" Kaname asked curiously.
"Oh, him? That's Makita-san's son, Shinji-kun. Don't you know him, Tokui-san? I heard he went to college in Sapporo, but he works in Tokyo!"
It was really amusing how people living in rural areas think that everyone who went to the big city would naturally know each other. Kaname only smiled.
"Makita-san… the one from the kimono shop?" Kaname tried to remember. The kimono shop was not far from hhis family's wagashi shop, but Kaname couldn't recall if they had a son.
Mr. Murai nodded. "Oh. I know. Kikugawa-kun probably know him. Didn't they go to the same university in Sapporo? Back then, I sometimes saw them walking together in the shotengai when they returned for the holidays."
Mr. Murai's words seemed to tick something inside Kaname. He nodded then took a sip on his coffee again. "Is he staying in town now?"
"I think so. Earlier he said he got transferred to Sapporo and probably will live move back with his family. He said he's interested with your place because the architecture is interesting and this wasn't here when he went to college back then," Mr. Murai continued without noticing the change in Kaname's expression.
Kaname still nodded. Mr. Murai finally excused himself because he still needed to deliver the newspapers to many customers. Kaname waved to see him off. He clamped the newspapers under one arm, then bended down to pick up the small crate of fresh milk bottles left by the milkman earlier in the morning with his other hand. He looked around at the surroundings before walking back to the house.
Kei was transferring the fried bacons onto a big plate when Kaname came in. There were also pieces of fat sausages on the grill. He helped Kaname with the milk bottles so Kaname could place the newspapers all over the inn.
"What's this?" Kaname looked at the potatoes boiling on the stove.
Kei scratched the back of his head. "I don't feel like eating rice this morning, so I'm thinking of making baked potatoes. I added some more in case any of the guests want some, too. Is that okay?"
"You can make baked potatoes?" Kaname was more interested with this point.
Kei nodded. "Yes. Wa–" He bit his lips. "I mean, Ayane Baa-san made it for us one time and I liked it, so I asked her for the recipe." He laughed, somewhat nervously.
Kaname didn't think much of it. He sat down on a high stool in front of the counter, opening a newspaper. However, he couldn't help but recalling the figure of that guy who talked to Mr. Murai earlier. Mr. Murai said Naoki probably knew him. Kaname tried to remember whether Naoki ever told him about someone named Makita. That man probably didn't go to the same school with them and maybe the moment of familiarity he felt before was because he was the son of the kimono shop, so they must have seen each other in the neighborhood. However, this led to another question: the kids in the shotengai usually knew each other, so how come Kaname had a hard time remembering him?
"Tou-san, how shall I start the miso soup?" Kei's question interrupted his musing.
Right. He still had work to do. Kaname folded the newspaper and put it aside neatly. He finished his coffee, then stood up. "I'll do it."