20_Cheerful Summer Vegetable Pork Miso Soup

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"What is it? 'Geppaku'?"

As my hazy vision cleared, Inada-kun was there, his brows furrowed.
“Inada-kun. Why are you here?”
“That’s my line, Kana-san. What are you doing, sitting down in a place like this?”

I stood up, supported by Inada-kun.
The fog had completely cleared. Before me, just as when I had come here before, the dilapidated shrine stood quietly.

“Just... making an offering.”
“Hmm. I see.”

I realized the red furoshiki cloth I had been holding was gone. Looking at the shrine, the red furoshiki was spread out on the altar. The lid of the tiered food box was also left open. I approached the altar and peered into the open box.

“Did Kohaku eat it, I wonder?”
Inada-kun was peering in from behind me as well.
“Maybe so.”
I wrapped the empty tiered box in the furoshiki.

We stood side by side and offered coins.
Two bows, two claps, one bow.
My back straightened. My body, which had felt so heavy, suddenly felt light.

I walked down the stairs with Inada-kun and headed toward the observation deck.
A refreshing breeze blew. As we passed through the dense trees, the view opened up. It was the observation deck. A vivid red sunset jumped into my eyes. Had I ever seen such a beautiful sunset before? The air, cleared by the rain, was dyed deep red.

“Wow. It’s beautiful.”
“It really is, isn’t it.”
“I’m glad I came.”
“Me too.”

Inada-kun turned to face me.
“Kana-san, how did you get here?”
“By bus.”
“And you, Inada-kun?”
“In my company car.”

I burst out laughing.
“Don’t tell me, are you slacking off again?”
“Well. I suppose you could say that. I’ll drive you to Mizutama-tei.”

I shook my head.
“No, that’s alright, I don’t want to be a bother.”
Inada-kun shrugged and pointed to the bus stop timetable.
“There are no buses on weekday evenings.”

I thanked Inada-kun and climbed into the passenger seat of his company car.
“But still, why were you at the Inari shrine, Inada-kun?”

“I just felt curious about it. I don’t think Kohaku is a bad guy, honestly. Sure, he said things like 'Inari Park' that didn't make any sense, but it didn't feel like he was forcing anyone to do anything. Looking back, it felt like he was just fumbling his way through running a business. Maybe that’s why I couldn't bring myself to hate him.”
“I kind of get that.”
I nodded slightly.

“So, I wanted to work hard at sales and move to a different department, but I’m so catastrophically bad at sales that even a fox was worried about me, so I decided to quit the company. I originally wanted to join an architectural firm, but I couldn't get hired. It wasn't the job I wanted, either. Today, I went to report that.”

I see, I said, nodding my head up and down emphatically.

“Come to think of it, after you quit your job, you took over Mizutama-tei, which your mother used to run, right? Why did you decide to take over the shop?”

The car came to a gentle stop. A red light. A girl being led by the hand by her mother was crossing the crosswalk. The girl was happily stepping only on the white lines as she crossed. Her mother watched her with a gentle smile. It somehow overlapped with the image of my mother and me.

“Well, I suppose there might be many reasons, but in the end, it might just be a simple reason: I loved my mother and I loved that shop. Of course, I love cooking, too.”
The light turned green. Inada-kun glanced at me, turned back to the front, and started the car.
“That’s nice. It’s like being guided. Is that what you call destiny? I don’t really know. I wonder if there’s something like that for me, too.”

The red sky gradually dyed into a deep navy blue. The sky after the rain was clear, and the first star was clearly visible.

“Thank you for the ride.”
I got out of the passenger seat.
“Oh, would you like to have something to eat as a thank you?”

Inada-kun raised his voice.
“Eh? Are you sure? Oh, but, is it okay if I leave the car here?”
He pointed to the car.
“Of course. I’ll get things ready.”

I watched the Akitsune Real Estate sales car drive away.
I entered the shop. I left the sign up. Today is reserved for Inada-kun.

I washed the rice and let it soak. Thinking about the time it would take for Inada-kun to return, I made it a bit short, thirty minutes. In the meantime, I took the pork and plenty of summer vegetables out of the refrigerator. When I serve it at the shop, it's my mother's pork miso soup, but today I'm making Kana's special summer vegetable pork miso soup. It's an unusual variety with okra, tomatoes, eggplant, and bell peppers.

I stir-fried the pork in olive oil and poured in the dashi stock I had set aside in another pot. I added the chopped eggplant and let it simmer. I would add the okra, tomatoes, and bell peppers just before eating, at the same time as the miso.

I put the soaked rice into an earthenware pot and set it on the fire.
The sound of boiling water echoed through the quiet kitchen. I miss the singing voice of the rice that I used to be able to hear.

I sat on a chair in the corner of the kitchen and watched the steam.
As time flowed slowly, my body began to relax and melt.

The shop door opened with a clatter.
"Kana-san, is the shop closed today? Is it okay for me to come in?"
Inada-kun's voice echoed through the empty shop.
"Oh! Today is reserved for you, Inada-kun."
"Are you serious? I feel bad!"

I turned to face Inada-kun.
"I've already made it, so please eat. It would be a disgrace to a diner if I sent you home hungry."
Inada-kun answered with the sound of his stomach growling. I laughed with my mouth wide open at Inada-kun, who was blushing.

"Come on, sit down."

I heated up the pork miso soup and added the boiled okra, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Once it came to a boil, I turned off the heat and added the miso.

I looked at the earthenware pot. I was happy to see the rice had cooked up fluffy.
I scooped it up with a rice paddle and placed it in my hands, which I had wetted and salted. It was hot, but I was already used to this heat. The fillings were pickled plums and kelp tsukudani. Usually, the rice would tell me how hard to squeeze, but today I couldn't hear their voices. I shaped them more carefully than usual.

I poured the colorful pork miso soup into bowls and placed the large rice balls on plates. There were two trays.

"Wow, that looks delicious!"
Inada-kun narrowed his eyes.
"Can I eat with you?"
"Of course!"

We sat facing each other and put our hands together.
"Itadakimasu!"

I slurped the pork miso soup. The dashi was strong, and the variety of textures was fun. The soft texture of the eggplant and the sweetness of the bell peppers spread in my mouth. The acidity of the tomatoes intertwined in a complex way.
I also stuffed my cheeks with the rice ball. The rice fell apart softly in my mouth. I don't mean to brag, but it turned out well.

"This is incredibly delicious! I've never had it before, but it's so good!"
From Inada-kun's expression, with his eyes narrowed into lines, I could tell that his words were not flattery.
Inada-kun also opened his mouth wide and stuffed his cheeks with the rice ball.

"As expected, the rice ball is incredibly good!"

I couldn't help but beam.
"I'm so happy! Thank you!"

Inada-kun waved his hands in front of his face.
"I really mean it. It's not flattery. It's seriously good."
"Thank you."
I bowed my head.

"Do you drink alcohol, Inada-kun?"
"I think I like sake."
"You're quite the adult."
When I opened my eyes wide, Inada-kun softened his cheeks and said, "I am an adult."

Inada-kun had given me the impression of being a bit goofy, but talking to him, I found he was surprisingly level-headed. His long-standing interest in architecture, his hometown, his favorite drinks, and his favorite music. The casual conversation and the sake flowed slowly into my tired body. It felt fluffy and comfortable. My cheeks grew warm.

"Kana-san, I was thinking, wouldn't it be better to fix the Inari shrine on Mt. Ho-musubi?"
"That's true, isn't it?"
"If it's left alone, anyone would let it fall into disrepair."
"But I wonder if it's okay to just fix a shrine on your own?"
"That's true, isn't it?"

Inada-kun and I tilted our heads.
I wonder if there's a good way to do it.

"It would be great if there was someone who knew a lot about shrines."
At Inada-kun's words, I opened my eyes wide.
Inada-kun also seemed to have had a flash of inspiration from his own words.

"There you are! Someone who knows a lot about shrines!"

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