Page 15 of A Serving of Hope

“I wasn’t sure either. I mean, anything could happen in that time. What if one of us fell for someone else? I told him it wasn’t a promise I could make.”

“I don’t blame you. There’s no telling what’ll happen in one year, let alone four. It’s like waiting for the next Olympics!”

Shiori chuckled at the comparison. “He talked about how little he earned, how he couldn’t even afford to take me out properly. He said he wanted us to live together right away, but not if it meant me suffering at the side of someone who could barely make ends meet.”

“He sounds like a man of principle,” said Koishi with a quiet sigh. “Still—four years…”

“I told him he didn’t have to take me out on fancy dates.”

“Exactly. Why does it have to be about spending money? Whatever happened to just going for a nice stroll in the park?”

“But I knew what he was like,” said Shiori, gazing absently into space. “Once he decided on something, that was it. He never backed down.”

“Stubborn to a fault, eh? Sounds just like my dad.”

“Anyway, there was a lull in the conversation, and then he brought out the onigiri. Told me he’d made it specially for me. It was in this beautiful wooden box.”

“A farewell onigiri? Hmm. I can’t quite decide if that works.”

“I remember thinking it was just like him, somehow.”

Koishi flipped to a fresh page in her notebook. “Tell me more about this onigiri.”

“Well, it was triangular, and a little bit smaller than the ones you get at convenience stores. It was wrapped in seaweed, and there were ingredients mixed in with the rice.”

“Ingredients mixed in,” Koishi murmured as she scribbled away. “What sort of ingredients?”

“That’s the thing. I couldn’t quite tell. I do remember it tasting of fish, but beyond that…”

Koishi smiled gently. “That makes sense. I don’t think many people would be concentrating on the onigiri in that situation.”

“I broke it in half, glanced at the filling, then ate the whole thing right away.”

“How did it taste?”

“I’d never had anything quite like it. I remember thinking it had a sort of…refined flavor. It was just an onigiri, but you could have paired it with a drink. It might have been minced fish, but it also tasted a bit like prosciutto or something.”

“Hmm,” said Koishi, cocking her head to one side. “Not much to go on.”

“I’m not sure if this helps, but he mentioned that the filling was a very rare ingredient. One of their customers had canceled at the last minute, and he’d been allowed to keep the unused food. He was very proud of that part.”

“That does sound like a useful detail.”

Shiori bowed her head apologetically. “Sorry to be so vague.”

“So, what made you want to eat this onigiri after all this time?”

“I’ve met someone new.”

“I see. Well, four years have passed. And Yasuhiko hasn’t been in touch?”

Shiori silently shook her head.

“Then what’s the problem? You’re young. Nothing wrong with falling in love again.”

“It’s just that…well, before I move on, I’d like to taste that onigiri one more time. I want to know what was going through his mind when he made it.”

Shiori looked imploringly at Koishi, tears shimmering in her eyes. It struck Koishi then just how deep her feelings for Yasuhiko must have been. Even after all this time, and without a word from him, she was still waiting. But if she didn’t let go, she’d never find happiness. Koishi knew well—painfully well, in fact—what Shiori was going through.