Minami no Hanashi : Yume - Prelude

Sora broke the chaos with these few words. Dai glared at him, Eiji stopped and became wary, remembering Dai's words about Sora: "He's a demon." Eiji felt sorry for Sanae and turned to see her reaction. She smiled and kept looking at Eiji. Seeing her face, he understood that she was trying to ignore Sora's provocation, but he also began to understand Sanae's character. Eiji realized that she was hiding her emotions to show no weakness. This made him angry, and he stared at Sora with a gaze similar to Dai's.

-(Sora) Eiji, right? You’re pathetic, but you’re aware of it, which is a good start. However... I’m afraid bowing won’t be enough to atone for the sins you’ve committed during this test. He said, laughing.

Eiji remained impassive, just staring at him along with Dai. Sanae still hadn’t turned in his direction and remained silent.

-(Sora) Hmm... I see. Well, we’ll do it differently.

-(Sora) You were pathetic, but I don’t blame you since it’s your first time cooking... But Sanae, on the other hand...

Sora burst into laughter, openly mocking Sanae. Eiji was furious. He felt Sanae's hand on his shoulder tremble slightly.

-(Eiji) Hey! You can say whatever you want about me, but I forbid you from talking nonsense about Sana-

-(Sora) And who are you to forbid me anything? He said in an icy tone.

Dai, seeing Eiji’s state, took over and started yawning loudly.

-(Sora) Well, well, what do we have here? Isn’t it my little depressed puppet? Why are you yawning like that? Is the test exhausting you?

-(Dai) No, it’s just you boring me. I hoped to see a different face, but even after all this time, you’re still that cowardly and sadistic man. He said, scratching his head.

-(Sora) Oh~ but come on, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve always done my best to guide you. He said with sarcasm.

Dai smiled slightly, surprising Sora, who had never seen such an expression on his face. A face showing an arrogant smile and a look of pity. This facial expression greatly displeased Sora. But it was Dai's next words that would erase Sora’s smile and leave him with a closed and hateful face.

-(Dai) You? You did your best to guide me? You mean... You? The demon?

A heavy silence took over the atmosphere of the room. Dai wore a maniacal and provocative smile, a first for Sora, who was initially stunned but quickly filled with hatred. His face turned cold, and his gaze became threatening.

Dai and Sora stared at each other in silence. Meanwhile, Sanae reassured Eiji with a smile, getting up with him.

-(Sanae) Don’t worry, Eiji, you have nothing to feel guilty about. Don’t lose your calm over such a little thing.

Eiji looked attentively at Sanae.

-(Eiji) It’s fine, I’m calm. But I could give you the same advice, Sanae. I know that idiot’s words hurt you. I hope you don’t go through all the trials in your life in silence without talk-

Sanae cut him off with a face that mixed sorrow and comfort.

-(Sanae) No... I have a friend. I’m not alone, don’t worry.

Her bitter smile turned into a bright and warm one.

Sora heard Sanae's words and decided to add more.

-(Sora) Unfortunately, your friend wasn’t there to save your poor performance! Honestly, she wants to lead the cooking club but can’t even make a simple strawberry tart! HAHAHA

There was only one mocking laugh in the room, not a single other sound. Sora caught his breath and then exclaimed again while speaking.

-(Sora) Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I promise it wasn’t the strawberry tart that made me laugh. BUT I REMEMBERED THE AWFUL TASTE OF THE RISOTTO! IT FELT LIKE EATING RICE PUDDING! He said, laughing.

No one responded. After a good minute, Sora got bored and decided it was enough.

Five minutes later

A heavy silence had reigned for a few minutes. Sora was on his phone, and our trio was waiting for the principal's return. Suddenly, the principal returned to the room through the back door, the same door through which the two judges had conferred.

-(Principal)*Clapping his hands* Well! I hope you had fun during this test! He said joyfully.

Silence.

-(Principal) Hmm... I see, you must be tired. I won’t keep you any longer! You can go change in the locker room!

Dai and Eiji headed to the locker room. Meanwhile, the principal explained to Sanae that he would inform her of the verdict in the following week. Sanae went to change after the boys.

And with that, the cooking test came to an end.

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Outside the Cooking Room

Minami was impatiently waiting outside, worrying herself sick for her friend. From her perspective, seconds and minutes seemed long and endless. Her gaze was directed at the club door, hoping someone would finally open it. She didn’t dare enter herself because she still heard the sound of utensils, thinking the test was still ongoing. She kept looking at her phone to see if Sanae had sent her any messages, but there was nothing. Her anxiety and stress reached their peak. Suddenly, the door opened.

But it wasn’t Sanae. To Minami’s surprise, Sanae had turned into... a boy?

-(Minami) You’re not Sanae at all, are you?

-(Dai) Who are you?

Minami ignored Dai’s presence and moved aside to see what was happening in the room. But alas, the doors closed.

-(Minami) Ugh!

-(Dai) You know, if you want to go in, you have to open the door like this.

Dai showed her how to open the cooking club door.

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-(Minami) Well, thank you, but I'm not going in until I know if the test is over or not!

Suddenly, a voice was heard.

"Thank you, Dai."

It was a soft, graceful voice, very familiar to Minami. Yes, it was finally Sanae.

-(Dai) I didn't hold the door for you; I was showing this girl how to open it.

-(Minami) Finally!! Tell me everything!

As Sanae was about to greet Minami, footsteps echoed, marked by a proud and disdainful stride, very familiar to Dai and Sanae.

-(Sora) The principal forgot to tell you, but before leaving the room, you obviously have to tidy up, wash, and dry everything.

-(Dai) We already knew that. Eiji is already doing it. As useless as always.

-(Sora) Oh really? He exclaimed sarcastically.

Sora’s gaze turned to Sanae. Minami, seeing this, became wary, paying attention to her friend’s reactions to determine; is he a friend? Or an enemy?

Sora approached Sanae and whispered something intriguing in her ear. Then he turned on his heel and left, casting a few glances at Dai and Sanae.

Minami watched Sanae to try and discern what this person had said, but Sanae remained impassive.

From a distance: -(Sora) Don’t clean like you make risotto, okay?

And his silhouette disappeared.

-(Minami) Huh? What’s he talking about? Does he have a problem?

And it wasn't by looking at Sanae's face that Minami got an answer to her question, but by looking at Dai's reaction. He displayed an expression that did not correspond to one of friendly teasing.

Minami, realizing her answer, wanted to run after Sora. But Sanae stopped her by holding her arm.

-(Minami) Let go of my—

She was interrupted mid-sentence by the club doors opening abruptly. It was simply... the culinary duo’s apprentice.

-(Eiji) Am I dreaming, or was that Sora’s voice? I’m starting to hear his voice in my head?

-(Dai) No, he was really here.

-(Eiji) What does he want from us, anyway!? Which way did he go?

-(Minami) That way!

-(Eiji) I’m going after him!

As Eiji tried to catch up with Sora, Sanae also grabbed his arm.

-(Minami) But?

-(Sanae) Leave it. We shouldn’t play his game.

-(Dai) He came to tell us to clean and tidy up before leaving. And obviously, you haven’t finished. He said, looking into the club room.

-(Eiji) Yeah, yeah, I know!

-(Sanae) Are you sure you don’t want any help?

-(Eiji) No! It’s really to make up for it! I’m going back! But if he comes back, let me know!

-(Minami) Wait!

Eiji, surprised, turned to Minami.

-(Eiji) Yes?

-(Minami) I feel like you’re the only one who can tell me. How did it go?

Dai realized she was Sanae’s friend; it was obvious. He saw Sanae’s look and understood she wanted to tell her in private. But as for Eiji...

-(Eiji) Oh! Well, everything was fine! But you see, that guy you saw...

Sanae discreetly gestured to Dai, urging him to interrupt Eiji. If she intervened herself, she knew Minami wouldn’t let go and insist Eiji finish. Sanae trusted Dai's understanding; their cohesion and complicity had already been demonstrated. And she was right, Dai immediately understood the sign. He had every chance to speak, giving Sanae space. However, an unexpected call from his mother interrupted the scene. Dai stepped away to answer the phone and talk to his mother in peace. Leaving Sanae helpless and Eiji continuing his story to its conclusion.

He then told the whole story to Minami. She was now aware of everything. Her worried gaze turned to her friend.

Sanae smiled, then said in a bright, confident voice, "As Eiji told you, we aced the cooking! The principal appreciated it, and he’s not one to lie! He’s straightforward. So everything is fine! It’ll be okay."

Minami was reassured. Dai returned to join the group.

-(Eiji) Who was it? He asked Dai.

-(Dai) My mom.

-(Sanae) Oh, she wanted to know how the test went, right?

Dai understood that Sanae's tone was different to convey a message; ‘You abandoned me!!’

-(Dai) Y-Yes. Sorry. He murmured.

-(Eiji) Why are you apologizing?

-(Dai) What are you talking about?

A brief silence filled the air. Minami interrupted it.

-(Minami) Well, it’s great if everything is fine then!! Congrats to you!!

Sanae smiled proudly.

-(Eiji) I was almost useless, so congrats especially to those two.

-(Sanae) Don’t say that.

-(Dai) But he’s right.

-(Sanae) At least you didn’t abandon us! I’m proud of you!

Dai knew it was meant for him.

-(Dai) Y-Yeah... Good job, Eiji.

Eiji started to smile, feeling a bit proud of himself.

-(Sanae) I just thought!! Minami?! She exclaimed, grabbing her friend’s shoulders.

-(Minami) Y-Yes?

Sanae took on a dramatic and worrying expression.

-(Sanae) What does… "mince" mean?

Dai and Eiji exchanged glances.

Eiji : I thought she had put that aside!

Sanae : Come on, Minami… You are Azumi’s daughter! Narumi’s big sister!

-(Minami) Rinse?

A silence of despair filled the hallway.

-(Sanae) Oh no… not you too, Minami…

-(Eiji) Mince! She said "mince", not rinse!

-(Minami) Ahh, of course, I know.

-(Sanae, Dai) So?

-(Minami) Well… it’s to cut into thin slices or small pieces…

-(Sanae) Phew!

-(Eiji) Phew?

Sanae started to laugh, a laugh that did her and the whole group a lot of good. After this brief moment of joy, Eiji went back to finish cleaning. Dai also left to attend to his own tasks, while the two friends went to eat.

-(Minami) I hope they’re not there…

-(Sanae) Tsuka and Taiya?

-(Minami) Yes… she said, sighing. They’re all worked up because they’re helping Haru with her election presentation… and their agitation annoys me!

-(Sanae) She’s preparing early, isn’t she?

-(Minami) Yes. Very.

Sanae smiled, leaving a gentle silence. Suddenly, Sanae stopped.

-(Minami) Hm?

-(Sanae) Tell me, Minami…

-(Minami) What’s wrong?

Sanae wore a mysterious expression, a glimmer of sadness in her eyes. Yet just moments ago, her laughter had filled the air. She had carefully concealed her emotions, but it went unnoticed by Minami. Then, without explaining anything, Sanae asked Minami to accompany her to the restroom. Perplexed, Minami couldn’t discern the situation, having no idea what Sanae really wanted, but decided to follow her.

Once inside the restroom, the atmosphere was different, a bit more intimate. It was then that Minami noticed a tear slowly rolling down Sanae’s cheek. Surprise painted Minami’s face as she began to realize that something much deeper was surfacing. Words seemed unnecessary at this moment, as this single silent tear revealed much more than any speech could. Minami remained silent, waiting for Sanae to explain.

-(Sanae) I’m so happy to see you. she said with a trembling voice.

Minami crossed her arms, worried and impatient to hear the rest.

-(Sanae) I-I think I failed the test.

Sanae smiled, and her cheeks were flooded with tears. Minami, concerned, suspected there was another reason behind these tears. Although Sanae held this test close to her heart, it wouldn’t make her cry like this.

-(Sanae) At least, I did my best!

-(Minami) Sanae.

Minami took on a serious expression, then paused, letting the echo of her voice resonate in the room.

“You’re not telling me everything, are you?”

Sanae had contradictory thoughts. She considered Minami as one of the only people she could open up to. However, she also wanted to be a friend Minami could rely on. And until now, Sanae felt she wasn’t that yet. Indeed, she admired Minami’s straightforwardness and indifference to others’ opinions. One consequence of this character was that she rarely needed to confide in others, which could make Sanae feel she wasn’t the friend she wanted to be for Minami.

Sanae hesitated to show her weaknesses. Nevertheless, her desire for privacy with Minami, away from others, clearly expressed her distress and the urgency she felt to confide in her friend. She wiped her tears.

-(Sanae) To be honest, his words hurt me more than I expected.

-(Minami) Sanae…

At that moment, Minami recalled Sora’s behavior after the test. She started to lose her temper bit by bit. Although she knew all the awful things Sora had said, Sanae was a good liar, and Minami really thought Sanae wasn’t affected. Now that she knew her friend’s true feelings, it was a different story.

-(Minami) What did he whisper to you earlier? she asked seriously.

“You completely messed up your test.”

Everything became clearer for Minami. She understood that Sanae had been a ticking time bomb throughout the test and that those words were the last straw that made her break down.

Minami took a tissue from her pocket and properly wiped Sanae’s tears. She grabbed Sanae’s wrist, and the two friends left the restroom.

-(Minami) Let’s go eat, I’m hungry. It must have made you hungry, right?

-(Sanae) Ah, um… Yes? I really didn’t expect this reaction, but strangely it’s lifting my spirits?

The two friends walked side by side down the hallways towards the cafeteria. Sanae herself was confused by the situation. She wondered how Minami managed to soothe her so quickly. It must be natural for her, she thought.

-(Sanae)*Embarrassed* I-I really don’t know how to thank you, haha. she said, scratching her head.

-(Minami) Thank me? Why? I haven’t done anything yet.

Sanae had a bad feeling and turned to Minami. This feeling immediately turned into worry. Minami was emanating a malevolent aura, her face wearing a smile filled with frustration.

-(Minami) This is just the beginning. Sora better watch out! she said, clenching her fist.

-(Sanae) WHAT?

END OF CHAPTER