Dorayaki

"Honestly, big brother, how did you even find the wrong classroom? I waited for you for over ten minutes and thought you weren't coming."

Aimisi leaned against the railing of the school building, half her body hanging over it and both arms dangling down, as she complained to Wuling beside her.

A gentle breeze stirred her neatly tied pink ponytail, its ends brushing the smooth back of her neck.

Her cheeks were slightly puffed out, and her sparkling golden eyes stared straight at Wuling. She sounded a little aggrieved, but not genuinely angry in the slightest.

Wuling stood by the railing and reached out to gently pull her leaning body back, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Be careful. Don't lean your whole body out like that. Falling down is no joke."

Only after that did he sigh helplessly and readily accept her complaint.

"My fault, I guess. It's my first time here, so I don't know my way around. Will you forgive your big brother this once, Aimisi?"

Pulled back by his hand, Aimisi stumbled slightly and took the opportunity to lean gently against his shoulder. Her golden eyes curved into two little crescents, though she still refused to give in so easily.

"Hmph, I suppose I could forgive you."

She turned her head, her ponytail brushing Wuling's shoulder. Putting on an air, she hooked her fingertips around his cuff and gave it a little tug.

"But you have to make up for your mistake."

Wuling turned to look at the girl putting on a haughty act beside him, a faint smile spreading through his eyes.

"Oh? What kind of compensation would our young miss Aimisi like?"

"I want the red bean dorayaki from that place on the shopping street."

Aimisi blurted it out at once, her eyes sparkling, making no effort to hide what she wanted.

"Rehearsal took so much energy just now. My stomach's been empty for ages."

"That's all you want?" Wuling chuckled.

"What else? Did you think I'd really make you treat me to a huge meal?"

Aimisi stuck out her tongue, straightened up and let go of his sleeve. She turned and walked down the corridor, not forgetting to look back and beckon to him.

"Come on, hurry! Let's pick up Chisaki first, then get going. If we're late, the dorayaki might sell out."

The two walked side by side down the long corridor toward the stairs. The evening light streamed through the windows along the outside of the corridor, laying warm patches of light across the floor.

The arts department's teaching building wasn't far from there, with only one building between them.

As soon as they arrived, they saw Chisaki waiting downstairs.

She was still wearing the simple cream-colored blouse she had worn to class that day. Her long, smooth black hair hung loosely over her shoulders. One hand held the strap of her canvas schoolbag, while the other idly played with a blade of grass drooping by the roadside.

Hearing their approaching footsteps, Chisaki looked up, a trace of warmth spreading through her cool eyes.

"You're here."

"Little Chisaki!"

Aimisi's eyes lit up. She immediately let go of Wuling's arm, ran over in a few quick steps and linked arms with the girl.

"Sorry for the wait, sorry for the wait! We got held up for a little while on the way."

"It's all right. I haven't been waiting long."

Chisaki answered softly, looking past Aimisi at Wuling as he walked over at an unhurried pace. She gave him a slight nod in greeting.

Wuling stopped and looked at the two girls standing together.

"Come to think of it, aren't you two about the same age? Why do you call her 'little'?"

At Wuling's question, Aimisi's hand paused on Chisaki's arm. She tilted her head and answered as if it were only natural:

"Calling her Little Chisaki sounds more affectionate. Isn't that how friends like to address each other?"

A faint blush touched the tips of Chisaki's ears. She shook her head gently, helplessly, but didn't correct the way Aimisi addressed her. She simply turned to look at Wuling.

"Just let her be. She can call me whatever makes her happy."

Aimisi lifted her chin smugly and winked at Wuling, as though she had won a small victory.

Seeing the two of them like that, Wuling couldn't help chuckling and stopped worrying about the little matter of how they addressed each other.

"All right, now that everyone's here, let's get going. We'll buy you some dorayaki first, then head to work."

Wuling said.

"Yay! Go, go, go!"

The three of them followed the road and soon left through the school gates. The bustle of the shopping street greeted them, with steam rising from food stalls and pedestrians coming and going.

The dorayaki stall was on the street corner, not far from the academy gates. Its griddle sizzled, and a sweet aroma drifted over on the wind.

"There it is." Aimisi spotted the stall at once, her eyes lighting up as she nearly dragged Chisaki into a run.

"I noticed this place the first time I came here. I was just curious and wanted to buy one to try, but I never expected it to be so good. Trust me, once you've tried it, you'll love it too."

Perhaps because school had just let out, there weren't many people in line. Before long, they each had a warm red bean dorayaki in hand.

The warmth of the waxed-paper bags seeped through to their palms, and the sweet aroma grew stronger.

Aimisi couldn't wait to open hers. She took a big bite, her cheeks bulging and her face full of satisfaction.

"Wow, it still tastes just the same. This makes me so happy."

Chisaki took small bites too, her cool expression softening.

Wuling stood beside them, eating his dorayaki as he watched the two of them and took a look at the surrounding shops.

He hadn't forgotten that he was taking Senior Camellya out to eat on Saturday, and he still hadn't decided where to go.

Although Senior Camellya had said there was no need to find somewhere too expensive, the quality had to be decent at least.

This dorayaki tasted pretty good. Maybe he could add it to the list.

Wuling ate half and gave the rest to Abu, because Abu had been pestering him for a bite.

"Come to think of it, big brother, what are you looking around for?"

Aimisi spoke indistinctly, her cheeks still stuffed full.

Wuling raised his hand and lightly tapped the corner of his own mouth, indicating that she had bean paste on hers.

"Wipe your mouth first."

Aimisi froze, then hurriedly rubbed at the corner of her mouth. A little reddish-brown bean paste came away on her fingertip, and her cheeks grew slightly warm.

Chisaki pulled a clean tissue from her canvas bag and handed it to her.

"Wipe it carefully."

"Thanks, Little Chisaki."

Aimisi took the tissue and carefully cleaned the corners of her mouth, then repeated her question.

"So what are you looking at? We hardly ever get to come out, and you're already thinking about something else."

"I'm looking at places to eat."

Wuling took the last bite of his dorayaki, folded the waxed-paper bag and tucked it into his pocket, ready to throw it in a trash can later.

"Do you know of any cheap, healthy restaurants around here?"

"Restaurants?"

"Yeah, but they don't have to be too cheap. Just normal prices, but they definitely have to be healthy."

"Oh, that."

Aimisi finished the small piece of dorayaki she had left, brushed the crumbs from her hands and leaned forward, looking around.

"Then let's just take a look along the way. We have plenty of time, and it's still a while until work. We can take a quick look around and scout the place out."

Without waiting for Wuling's answer, she pulled Chisaki two steps forward by the arm, looking eager to get started.

"Don't go running around. Watch your step." Wuling stepped forward to follow the two of them.