Golden Days

by Gakuto Mikumo

  Kojou, intoxicated on the taste of the soup he had cooked on his own, did not notice his little sister addressing him. “Just one more sip,” he murmured to himself, lifting the ladle he had used to mix the concoction in the large pot.

  “Hey, Kojou! Are you listening?!”

  “Whoa!”

  Nagisa, finally coming to a boil, raised her voice right in Kojou’s ear.

  Clearly startled, Kojou stiffened as he finally regained his senses.

  “Nagisa… What gives?”

  “Don’t ‘what gives?’ me. What are you doing, sneaking a bite all by yourself? Kano and Yukina have been working nonstop, you know.”

  Kojou and Nagisa were inside a temporary tent providing shelter for a food cart placed in the corner of a large public park. A simplified kitchen had been set up behind a separating screen, and a large quantity of minestrone soup was boiling on top of a commercial-grade gas stove. The four jumbo pots contained portions for roughly three hundred people. Just cooking it all had been fairly heavy labor. He felt like it was forgivable to swipe a tiny snack, at least…

  “My bad. I just wanted to taste it. Is the other stuff sorted out?”

  “Not even close. There might be even more people than yesterday. Everyone heard about the food then, so now everyone’s going out of their way to grab a bite. The charity organizers did put up numbered tickets, but that last line stretched all the way out of the park. The pot out front looks like it’s finally empty.”

  Nagisa fired off a detailed explanation. Kojou poked his head out from behind the screen to survey the state of affairs in the park; the line of people leading up to the tent easily surpassed two hundred from what he could see. The number had clearly increased from the last time he’d checked a little earlier.

  “I get it, I get it. You just finished seasoning it, so I’ll haul it out right away.”

  “Please do. And then, if you have a minute, help Yukina clear out the plates, please!”

  “Sure thing.”

  Watching his little sister race off, Kojou let a strained smile sneak onto his face.

  When his underclassman friend Kanon Kanase asked for help with her volunteer work, he’d thought it would be a plainer and more solemn affair, but the actual events had gone quite contrary to his expectations. If he had to compare, distributing food to a huge oncoming crowd was more like a festival or a sporting event. As a former athlete, Kojou didn’t mind a boisterous atmosphere like that.

  The food he was carrying was actually for the ordinary residents of Itogami Island.

  Many of those present were victims of a terrorist attack in which a group of people had hacked into demon registration bracelets two weeks prior. It became known as the Roses of Tartarus incident. Blessed with a high-quality medical system, the Demon Sanctuary had miraculously gone without fatalities, but urban areas had suffered a great deal from indiscriminately summoned Beast Vassals going on a rampage. Homes had been destroyed, and many people were forced to live in evacuation shelters. Kojou and the others were visiting a section of the city that had suffered particularly heavy damage.

  In front of the tent, volunteer staffers were distributing soup and rice balls to people. Yukina Himeragi was one of the seven or eight staff members present.

  “Sorry I’m late. Here’s the soup!”

  “Ah, senpai, thank you very much.”

  Noticing Kojou precariously carrying a large pot, Yukina rushed over in concern. Unlike her normal attire, having her hair tied up under a nurse’s cap was a new look for her.

  Behind her was a table with numerous wrapped rice balls arranged tightly together.

  As a matter of fact, the temporary tent was host to a product more popular than pork miso, or minestrone soup, or standard on-the-go food. At some point, rumor seemed to have spread that particularly cute middle school girls were distributing hand-shaped rice balls—for free—and as a result, a great number of disaster victims had gathered from all across Itogami Island in search of this food.

  That turned into publicity, which in turn brought the support of other charitable organizations, resulting in a fairly large amount of donations; the world truly was beyond human comprehension. Because the result was aid to the disaster victims, he supposed he ought to consider it a good thing…

  “You must be tired, Himeragi. Did you make all these?”

  “Yes. We’re out of rice, so these are the last of them,” she fretted, her eyelashes falling as she removed her nylon cooking gloves.

  “That so? Glad there was enough, then…”

  Kojou couldn’t hide the encroaching grimace as he gazed down at the empty rice cooker.

  The line mostly consisted of people looking for the girls’ handmade rice balls. He could easily imagine their dejection if they learned that there weren’t any more. Not like there’ll be a riot or anything…right…? he wondered, suddenly worried.

  “Gotta say, that’s a huge number of people out early in the morning.”

  “I believe that hot food bolsters everyone’s spirits. After all, it would appear they haven’t finished restoring the gas and water to this area yet,” Yukina replied in a serious tone.

  “R-right.” Kojou nodded vaguely. It’s probably better if I don’t tell her about the photo of her and the others that’s been spread all over the net, he thought.

  All the same, Itogami Island’s food situation had improved in the two weeks since the Roses of Tartarus incident. There was no longer any danger that food provided at the shelter would be the only place where victims could get a meal.

  If push came to shove, the objective of the current volunteer work was to bolster the mood and provide some joy to the disaster victims. By that measure, it was no exaggeration to say that Yukina and the others had already more than fulfilled their roles.

  Even as Kojou mulled it over, people in search of provisions were showing up one after another, and the food prepared for them was dwindling at an incredible rate. The volunteer staffers were hastily running to refresh the food and paper plates. One silver-haired, blue-eyed girl vividly stood out from the rest—Kanon Kanase.

  “Ah, Akatsuki.”

  Kanon, carrying a large cardboard box, came to a stop when she noticed Kojou.

  Having lived in a convent when she was young, Kanon had a wealth of knowledge about charitable activities. Even among those involved with the current relief effort, it was she, the youngest of all the staff, who held everyone’s trust. In addition to her beautiful looks that were far from the Japanese norm, she was very popular with the disaster victims. However, put nicely, Kanon had a gentle personality; put not so nicely, she was slightly…oblivious. With the aid distribution on its way to becoming a war zone, she clearly wasn’t the right person for the current job.

  Kanon smiled and meandered around the cramped, cluttered tent. “Perfect timing. I had something to speak with you about—”

  There was no time for Kojou to even say Wait. Kojou and Yukina stared in concern when, before their eyes, Kanon did just as expected, tripping over something and losing her balance.

  “Ah…”

  “Whoa?!”

  “Kano—?!”

  Kanon’s body, in danger of tumbling right over, was caught by Kojou at the very last moment. He held the petite Kanon up with only his left hand, with Yukina catching the cardboard box as it fell.

  “You all right, Kanase?”

  “A-Akatsuki, Yukina. I’m very sorry.”

  Still held up by Kojou’s embrace, Kanon gave a gentle smile. It was a pristine, sublime expression befitting her nickname, the Saint of Middle School.

  Kojou was momentarily captivated by her smiling face, and Kanon formally bowed her head.

  “Thank you very much for today. Yukina, thank you, as well.”

  With Kanon’s serene eyes gazing at him, Kojou averted his, blushing. “Ah, nah, all I did was get some soup ready. It was pretty fun helping, actually.”

  For her part, Yukina seemed embarrassed as she slum
ped her shoulders, a sigh trickling out as she said, “Yes. Besides, the damage to Itogami Island this time around is not something unrelated to us.”

  “W-well, yeah…”

  Kojou subconsciously put a hand to his own chest as an awkward feeling came over him. After all, Kojou and Yukina were right there when the Demon Sanctuary destruction group, Tartarus Lapse, destroyed Itogami Island’s Great Pile. The food stockpile had been set ablaze right before their eyes and there was nothing they could do about it. Even at that very moment, one of Tartarus Lapse’s ringleaders slept inside of Kojou as the eleventh beast vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor. For such reasons, Kojou simply couldn’t help but feel responsible for the fact that Itogami Island had food scarcity.

  “Well, it just means you shouldn’t worry ’bout us. The more I work, the less guilty I feel.”

  “Understood. But I truly am grateful to you both.”

  Kanon, who shouldn’t have been aware of the finer details, did not press them for answers; she merely spoke with a gentle, charming smile. Then she gestured with a finger to indicate her wristwatch as she said:

  “Also, I was thinking it is best if we finally head to school after this.”

  “Huh? It’s that time already? So that’s why I was feeling hungry…”

  Bewildered, Kojou looked to the clock placed in the park.

  At some point, the time had drawn close to eight AM. If they didn’t hurry, they’d be late for school.

  Fortunately, many of the volunteer staffers were college students with more time to spare. Kojou and the others had been told beforehand there would be no problem if they left partway through.

  However, thanks to having helped with the supplies since early morning, Kojou’s appetite was already back with a vengeance. The rice balls laid out before him looked irresistible.

  As if seeing through Kojou’s gloomy thoughts, Yukina waited for Kanon to leave before offering him something. With both hands, she was holding a small plate that had a few rice balls sitting on top.

  “Um, you can have this, if you’d like. I set one aside for you.”

  “Whoa, really? You sure it’s okay?”

  “Yes. I don’t know if it will suit your tastes, however…”

  “Nah, I appreciate it. I’m starving.”

  Taking the paper plate offered to him, Kojou swiftly bit into a rice ball. It was freshly made and still warm, and the seaweed was pleasantly crisp. The shape was a little off, as one would expect from a homemade rice ball, but it was impressive nonetheless. The ingredients were the standard grilled salmon and dried plum, and mustard mayonnaise for flavor. Yukina watched as Kojou stuffed his face without another word. Her gaze seemed almost affectionate.

  “—Um, Himeragi, aren’t you gonna eat something?”

  “I’m not particularly hungry… Oh, how does it taste?” asked Yukina, almost like she was forcing a change of subject.

  Kojou, chewing on the second rice ball, nodded as he gave his judgment: “This is surprisingly good.”

  “Oh. ‘Surprisingly’…hmm? …Is that so…?”

  “Uh…Himeragi?”

  “No, don’t worry about it. I’ll pour some tea.”

  Kojou shot Yukina a questioning look as she departed with a sulky air about her. When Kanon returned, she and Yukina passed each other at the back entrance to the tent.

  “Excuse me, Akatsuki.”

  “Kanase…? What is it?”

  “This is… I made you some rice balls, Akatsuki.”

  Kojou blinked as he looked from Kanon’s expression to the paper plate she was offering him.

  “Erm… Kanase, you made these? For me?”

  “Yes. I would like you to eat them…if it pleases you.”

  “R-right… Thanks. I appreciate it. I—I was starving,” Kojou stammered.

  He accepted the plate from Kanon even though he was sated after having just eaten Yukina’s rice balls. When he saw Kanon’s expression full of anticipation, he simply could not refuse.

  Kanon’s rice balls were roughly the same size as Yukina’s, but she seemed to have devoted a lot of attention to them, for she had piled a total of ten atop the plate in a pyramid formation. Kojou hardened his resolve as he picked one up. Though his stomach still had a fair bit of room left, it was undeniable that his eating pace had slowed.

  As Kojou ate, Kanon stared at him, her eyes full of concern as she asked, “Does the taste not agree with you?”

  “Nah, it’s tasty. Yep, really tasty.” Kojou shook his head as he stuffed more food into his mouth.

  Kanon patted her chest in relief. “I’m so glad.”

  Thanks to her staring at him, he felt pressured to continue, and in the end, his stomach bulged with the entirety of the rice-ball mountain.

  “Th-thanks for that.”

  “It was no trouble.”

  After miraculously cleaning his plate, Kojou brought his hands together in thanks, and Kanon lowered her head in a bow. As she cleared the utensils away, Kojou wheezed and stared at the sky.

  “Are you all right, senpai?”

  Yukina, who’d returned at some point, spoke with an exasperated look as she poured tea into a paper cup. Apparently, she’d been watching the entire time he was eating Kanon’s rice balls.

  Kojou gratefully accepted the tea she’d poured as he said, “I…guess I ate too much.”

  “Goodness, what were you thinking? Here, you have a grain of rice on your face.”

  With a sigh, Yukina picked the rice off Kojou’s cheek. He laughed weakly, already bereft of the willpower to make excuses. He had eaten a total of thirteen rice balls. Assuming each one weighed about a hundred grams on average, he calculated that he’d eaten thirteen hundred grams of white rice in total. Though he was the World’s Mightiest Vampire, Kojou’s stomach was at its limit.

  “Sorry for the trouble, Himeragi.”

  “No need to apologize. I watch over you, senpai. This is the least I can—”

  Yukina was speaking with a lively expression when, suddenly, they heard a boisterous patter of footsteps. Nagisa stormed into the back of the tent and ripped off her apron.

  “Kojou!”

  “—?!”

  Yukina was still touching Kojou’s cheek. Her back trembled as she jumped away. Kojou coughed loudly as he looked back and said:

  “N-Nagisa?! What gives, all of a sudden?!”

  “Why do you two seem so surprised…?”

  Nagisa, seeing Kojou’s and Yukina’s overly dramatic reactions, tilted her head with a mystified look. Then, she beamed with pride and produced the paper plate she was hiding behind her back.

  “Well, whatever. Anyway, I made rice balls!”

  “Huh?”

  “We really need to head to school now, but you didn’t have time to eat breakfast, right, Kojou? I made these just for you, so make sure to savor them when you eat them. I mean, I even picked out the ingredients you like: cod roe and tuna with mayo!”

  As the words spilled from her mouth, Nagisa pressed the paper plate toward him. Sitting on it were two rice balls so humongous that they easily protruded over the edges.

  “R-right… Thanks. I—I appreciate it. I was s-starving…”

  Unable to turn away his little sister’s good will, Kojou thanked her with a trembling voice. Nagisa put on a big smile.

  “I thought so! Now hurry and eat up before someone catches you. There are still plenty of people lined up out front waiting their turn, you know!”

  “Ha…ha-ha…” Kojou laughed weakly, staring at Nagisa’s offering with a desperate look on his face. “Thanks for the food,” he said, closing his eyes with a horrified expression as he wolfed down the rice balls, almost as if he meant to eat the plate along with them.

  “………”

  Yukina watched him with a sigh before closing her eyes out of pity.

  2

  When Kojou finally made it to his homeroom, there was still some time before class started. Overeating had taken its toll on him, a
nd he looked about ready to keel over. In desperate need of a break, Kojou headed toward his seat. However…

  “Ah, he’s here! Akatsuki, over here, over here!”

  “Tanahara?”

  …As soon as he entered the classroom, Kojou’s classmate Yuuho Tanahara flagged him down. The two of them had been classmates since middle school, so he liked to think he knew her pretty well. Unable to ignore the loud-voiced girl calling out to him, Kojou reluctantly sat in front of Yuuho.

  The heck does she want? thought Kojou as Yuuho pointed at an empty desk by the windowsill and said, “Hey, Akatsuki. You been in touch with Asagi Aiba lately?”

  “Asagi? Ah…so she’s out today, too?” Surveying the classroom, Kojou spoke with an air of composure.

  Asagi hadn’t been to school even once since the Tartarus Lapse incident. Apparently, she’d been holed up at the Gigafloat Management Corporation, helping with the restoration of Itogami Island. The only reason Kojou wasn’t worried about Asagi was because they texted every day. Most of her texts were about her work for the Corporation or complaints about the food they were giving her, but…

  “Come to think of it, the message she sent yesterday was pretty long. She was talking about how her part-time job was killing her, or something…”

  “Oh yeah? She’s definitely not coming to school today, then. That’s tough… I promised my cousin in elementary school I’d send him a photo of Asagi and me…”

  Yuuho’s small nose wrinkled as she murmured her disappointment and fiddled with the smartphone in her hand.

  “Your little cousin…?” Kojou asked, shooting her a look of confusion. “Why would a little kid want a photo of Asagi?”

  “Well, that’s because he’s a fan,” Yuuho explained as if it was nothing. “He was super-happy when I told him that I’m Asagi’s classmate.”

  “Huh… It’s almost like she’s an idol, or something.”

  Kojou let the words trickle out, as if he didn’t even realize he was thinking out loud. Even after hearing that Asagi had a young fan, it didn’t seem real; it just didn’t click.