*Unedited
This was when I was still a 3 year-old kid.
Ah, though I was only 8 years old right now!
Yes, I know I was still very much a kid right now!
And so, let’s rewind back to 5 years ago.
On a narrow street, I thought all those couples holding hands should just break up.
In public, I thought all those couples who spoke lovey-dovey stuff to each other should just exploded.
On the train platform, I thought those couples who were reluctant to part as they gave each other a good-bye kiss should just hopped onto different trains and never met again.
With crazy eyes, I frantically whipped up the eggs white. *swish swish swish* In the quiet kitchen, only the sound of the whipping could be heard. Although it was only whipping of the eggs white, a tempest of curse were raging inside my heart. Die, reality.
” What for… ”
My words echoed throughout the empty kitchen. Together with my rage, something was puzzling me as well. You guys whose age = to the number of years without another half… cough cough. My dearest partner-in-crime, I was pretty sure you were thinking of the same question as me. Yes.
…… Somehow, in this alternate world, christmas exist!!
” It’s going to be christmas soon. ”
As I was diligently studying about the nation politics, I got jerked back into reality by this 1 sentence.
” John-Sensei. What was that you said just now? ”
” It’s going to be christmas soon. ”
I was speechless. The sound of that word simply rang of inauspiciousness.
” Can it be… that you said ‘Christmas’ just now? ”
I asked haltingly. That’s because I never wanted to hear that word. But John-Sensei answered without any hesitation.
” Yes I did. What’s wrong? ”
And he gave me a puzzled look. Ah, that was dangerous. I almost scream out loud. What’s wrong? Everything’s wrong! I mean, it’s christmas you know! That christmas! If I was not wrong, that’s the event that felt like hell, right?
Christmas.
Although it origin from the religion in Europe, leaving that aside, ‘Christmas’ as an event, to most Japanese, was a white bearded, dressed in red, pulling reindeer man as he flew all over the world delivering presents, ‘Santa Claus’.
And thanks to that setting, it was also when parents would gift their children presents.
Sadly, I came to know all of these when I searched it up, as I did not received any presents when I was at that innocent age. But let’s leave that aside.
Yes, on earth, ‘Christmas’ was an event where couples would ham it up.
Thinking back, it was when I was in grade 7. It was a warm day that reminded one of autumn when it was in fact, winter. The trees along the street were decorated with fairy lights and were twinkling away as the pure and innocent I looked along in wonder.
But on that day, I saw it.
Under the lighted trees, the figures of a boy and girl in my class, kissing. And that pure and cute me realized it for the 1st time. That I had a possibility of getting a girlfriend.
No, I meant, that we had reached the age where we started dating. And when I looked around, I saw couples littered everywhere. Even thought it was just a small school in a countryside. Usually, there would be no one at this hour.
Then, it was the winter of my 1st year in high school. It was a special day where it snowed, producing a ‘White Christmas’.
Of course, I was at my part-time job, working, see how I don’t have a girlfriend. And as usual, at a restaurant. Looking out from the kitchen, all of them were in pairs. And when I went around as a waiter, I was met with comments like ” Working on this kind of day…. ” with pitiful eyes from the girls while the guys kept glaring at me.
And the worst torture was on the way back home.
People on the street were all in even digits apart from me. Yes, everyone formed a couple. That day, I was most certain that the streets of Japan were overtaken by a cult.
It was a nightmare. The damaged dealt was enormous.
I kept receiving the same looks no matter where I go so I hurried back. I was not running nor escaping. It was a strategic retreat. The attacks from even numbers were too much for me.
In conclusion, Japan’s christmas was hell for me. It was ranked, along with valentine, as the events I hated the most. Why was most events usually meant for couples? Be it a business strategy or couples that jumped on it, it was annoying.
Please think about other people!
…. I know, this is what you people called ‘inferiority complex’! But! You knew, don’t you?! Don’t you think those couples along the street was just annoying?
So, there you go. ‘Christmas’ was simply a horrifying word. That’s all there was to it.
” A, ah, no, I didn’t know anything about ‘christmas’. ”
I said, with a shimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, the ‘christmas’ in this world was different. But that hope was soon dashed by John-Sensei.
” Is that so? Sorry about that. ‘Christmas’ is a time where a god called ‘Santa Claus’ would deliver gifts and presents to good kids. There were records in history that kids living in the slums, or even street kids had received presents from him. Ah, but it was actually a day to thank god for all he had done but when people grew wild in holding the parties, it had evolved into event. ……..Especially for couples. …. Damn, there are couples everywhere on the street…. ”
John-Sensei mumbled the last part under his breath. Yep, my tears can’t stop. My ears had heard everything John-Sensei said, clearly. Aah, the hearing ability of a child sure was scary.
Reality was cruel. I thought I didn’t had to experience hell when I came to this alternate world. There was no god. Hm, okay, there was one (beard)….
” Does Sensei have anything up for that day? ”
I asked as Sensei smiled.
” Fu fu fu. Yes I do. ”
Ah, okay. I got it. That smiling Sensei’s schedule was filled with experiments and research. I somehow felt better.
As I thought about all that happened in the morning, I continued whipping. I need to whipped the air inside. Dear egg white, for the sake of my future, please swelled up with more air inside! The more you swell, the more popular I would be. The more you swell, the taller I would grow. That’s how I felt. Please take care of me.
My state of mind was when I thought about what John-Sensei told me, about his ‘Christmas plans’. It sure was good having friends. …..Even though it solved nothing. We were all victims to it, that’s why we formed groups.
… Wasn’t it?
” What’s wrong?”
As if John-Sensei heard my thoughts, he asked. Ah, he was here, using the name of ‘experimenting’, to see my cooking.
” It’s nothing. I was just thinking that it’s not swelling. ”
” Let me have a go at it. I should try it too since it’s an experiment. ”
John-Sensei said, eyes glistening. It’s really just trying a different way of cooking… despite you kept claiming it as an experiment. It was way different from those experiment John-Sensei did on the magic circles.
” Sensei, isn’t it just ‘experiment’ cooking? ”
He might like the word ‘experiment’ but he should just admitted that it’s only cooking.
” Even so, cooking is cooking. Food heals the heart. The development of food is the development of culture. The development of culture is the development of techniques. Above all, an experiment is an experiment, regardless the kind. ”
John-Sensei replied with a straight face. The things he said was so cool. His face looked so cool! Damn it… explode, ikeman!
But food.
I wondered if this world viewed food as an important culture. Earth… Japan placed a huge importance in food. I was not that sure about Europe. Oh yes, we had that proverb…
” 『People know manners when they have food』, right? ”
Yep yep, that’s the one…. eh?!? I stared at the person that just spoke. Who was that? Although there was only the 2 of us right now.
” That was…. ? ”
Suppressing my trembling voice, I gave my usual smile as my hands didn’t stopped. High speed rotation. I sure had a good grip. The elegance of physics… that’s not it! Why did Sensei knew about that proverb? Was there a same proverb in this world? Or was Sensei the same as me (reincarnator)..?
” It was left by the First Founder. It’s a proverb. It sure strikes the heart, doesn’t it? ”
I was wrong….. Sensei smiled. Of course I was wrong. Most reincarnator would realized I was one too. Plus they wouldn’t even need to researched so hard about the magic circles. I could figured it out if I just thought about it.
” The First Founder… ”
His name should be Elzmu Tera Olo… or something like that. It was ridiculously long for me to remembered all of it. Could be that that this was the one instead? I meant, there was way too many laws and stuff that coincided with my previous world. I had great expectations for him.
” The First Founder was splendid. Only that he seems to hate having records about himself so there was not much recorded in the historical records. ”
I see…. I was happy for a moment there, thinking I would find out the truth as long as I searched for it. Maybe that shown on my face as John-Sensei laughed.
” You looked up to the First Founder as well huh… come to think of it, Will is only 3 right. It’s only during these times where you behaved like a kid… ”
Somehow, I was looked upon with warm eyes.
Hm.
Looked like I was misunderstood. I was shown the same look from John-Sensei as I did from Father. The look where an adult looked at a kid who was excited getting a photo together with his hero.
” Th, that’s not it. I am… ”
” Oh, Will. The egg white swelled quite a bit. It should be okay like this? ”
Me, who opened my mouth the cleared the misunderstanding, shut up when a happy John-Sensei spoke up. It would only sounded like an excuse. Oh well. I would really sounded like a kid if I were to make a fuss here.
Hm? I was a kid? No no no. My body is small but I was still a gentleman inside. A gentleman.
And so, the gentlemanly me gave up on explaining and went to check up on the egg whites. Yep yep. The meringue was whipped up nicely. Nice and firmed.
” It’s perfect, Sensei! ”
I happily placed the meringue into another bowl and mixed them up together. The ingredients in the other bowl was egg yolks, butter and brown sugar. You should know by now what I was planning to make.
” So, what are you making, Will? ”
Sensei asked. I grinned.
” A Chiffon cake, Sensei! ”
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