Naruhito (67)
Somehow, everyone went quiet, and it made me feel awkward. Even though I was trying to speak in a small voice, only my voice could be heard.
"Do you need to talk to Hiiro? Finish it quickly."
"Oh, oh yeah."
Rikimaru nodded with a strange expression.
"Hiiro, if you have something to talk about, make it quick."
I tugged on Hiiro's clothes, shaking them a little. For some reason, Hiiro took a deep breath.
"... No touching from now on."
"Uh, uh, what?"
"One hundred matches, three days. That's it."
Suddenly, everyone around started talking normally again.
"I prefer the smaller ones to eat."
"Ah, yes. For Naru-boy's, I knead it with tofu instead of water. It gives it just the right chewiness. Once he can chew a bit better, I’ll reduce the amount of tofu."
I could hear Otoha and Hirosue chatting cheerfully.
"U-Understood."
Rikimaru answered in a trembling voice and bowed his head.
"Your Highness."
Hitachimaru bowed deeply.
"Hitachimaru, come with me for a bit. Naruhito, eat plenty."
Hiiro said that to me, then left the room with Hitachimaru. I guess Hitachimaru didn't have to eat the dango? Well, nothing I can do about it.
"Rikimaru, let's eat."
I pulled Rikimaru's hand and sat down by the table. I sipped my mixed juice through a straw. Maybe I’ll try one of the small bowls.
Rikimaru roughly rubbed his eyes. Was he crying?
"Did you hurt yourself? Does it hurt? What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You know, I think you'll like this. It's fruit shiratama. It’s sweet and smooth."
Rikimaru handed me the dish with clear liquid, fruit, and dango floating in it. I scooped up a bit of the liquid with a spoon and licked it.
"Tasty."
"Right? That’s mandarin."
"Mandarin."
I put a bit of dango, mandarin, and syrup on the spoon and put it in my mouth.
Wow.
The dango is so smooth.
"If you smile like that while eating, your drool’s going to drip."
"Do you want some, Rikimaru?"
"I’ll eat some. I’m gonna taste everything."
Rikimaru finally smiled.
Phew, I'm glad.
I also tasted everything, but the sweet red bean soup was a little too sweet for me. The kinako powder made me cough, and I couldn't eat it properly. The mitarashi dango was delicious. But my favorite was definitely the fruit shiratama.
Just like Rikimaru said!
What do you think about this chapter?
