Blue Cheese is Served in Heaven

As Kousei walked through the familiar streets of his hometown together with Mahiru, he couldn’t help but notice the subtle hint of confusion flickering across her face. The sun hung high in a clear sky, casting soft light over the streets, and there was a calming stillness to the afternoon. It was a typical Sunday, much like every other week, with only a few passersby scattered along the sidewalks.

Despite the tranquility – or maybe precisely because of it – Mahiru felt out of place, unsettled by the stark contrast to her own life.

“Uhm, Kousei? Why is it so quiet? Aren’t we in the middle of the city?”

Mahiru turned her head left and right, but she could only spot a handful of individuals walking down the street – not couples, not families, just individuals, each lost in their own world. She had expected the centre of the city to be bustling with life, but this view reminded her more of a ghost town.

“Well, today’s Sunday. Most shops are closed, so people don’t have much of a reason to come here. Almost everyone has their day off, so they either stay at home or go to a nearby park with their kids,” Kousei explained with a casual shrug.

“A day off? But don’t people need to earn money to survive?”

“Of course they do,” Kousei spontaneously laughed after hearing Mahiru’s question. “But more importantly, they need rest every once in a while. Our shop is closed as well today.”

“Explains why your father was still asleep when we went out.” Mahiru broke into snickers as well. “But then your government forbids you to work on Sundays? Am I getting this right?”

“Hmm, no, the government doesn’t really have much of a say in that. They don’t encourage us to work, nor do they disallow it. I think it had some…religious reasons originally?”

“Woah, you guys are so free here.”

Kousei couldn’t quite understand how having a single day off was enough to be considered “freedom.” As far as he knew, this was just how things had always been. He couldn’t even picture life working any other way. Was it really so different on the other side of the wall?

“Well, I’m not sure if this will blow your mind even more,” Kousei started, a sarcastic grin on his face, “but many have Saturdays off as well.

“W-what? That can’t be! Now you’re just making fun of me, you dummy,” Mahiru protested, hitting Kousei on the arm.

“Ouch! No, I swear I’m telling the truth. What’s it like where you come from?”

Mahiru stopped in her tracks, a cloud passing over her face. Hearing Kousei speak about what life could be like – or perhaps even what it should be like – made her suddenly realise how gruelling the conditions in the East were. For the first time in her life, she paused to think of all the people who worked so tirelessly, day in and day out, just to satisfy the demands of her family…and even her own.

“Where I live…working on Saturdays is mandatory. It’s a bit less strict when it comes to Sundays, but even then, a lot of people don’t get the day off. For example, my home teacher came over on some Sundays as well, depending on my results.”

“That’s crazy…”

Kousei could see that Mahiru’s expression had changed from a few moments ago. She looked so serious, her forehead wrinkled and her brows knit together as though she was in pain.

He wanted to say something to cheer her up, but the words got caught in his throat. Thankfully, he remembered what Yuuna always did to improve her own mood when she felt a little sulky.

Remember, an ice cream a day keeps the doctor away, his sister’s words echoed through his mind.

“W-well, there are some places that are open today. Let’s go, I’ll show you one,” Kousei said, encouraging Mahiru to follow him.

A few minutes later, they arrived at an ice cream parlour.

“What kind of flavour do you like, Mahiru?”

Inspecting all the different types of ice cream in front of her, Mahiru was having a hard time deciding. The parlour seemed to offer most of the classics, but also some exotic flavours she had never heard about.

Who in their right mind wakes up craving blue cheese ice cream? Seriously, are people over here crazy?

“Uhm, I’ll just have chocolate,” she said, playing it safe.

“You’re just like Yuuna, huh? Alright, one chocolate ice cream, please. As for me… Oh, I think I’ll try some blue cheese today.”

This guy can’t be for real, Mahiru thought as her appetite promptly disappeared.

They sat down next to a fountain in the middle of a wide, open plaza, silently licking their ice creams. The sound of trickling water filled the space between them while a warm breeze ran through their hair.

“By the way, this is our main marketplace. Of course, it’s rather empty right now, but during the week, it’s bustling with people. We should come here in a couple of weeks to see the fireworks.”

“Fireworks?” Mahiru’s face lit up, stars in her eyes.

“Yeah. It’s to mark the day the war ended. We call it, well, Freedom Day, and we celebrate it with a huge firework festival. Don’t you do something similar?”

Mahiru's smile faded, her expression becoming more somber.

“No… The war’s seen as a tragedy responsible for all our suffering, so we don’t really want to have anything to do with it. Everyone says the people who are now in charge of the West are the same ones who dragged us into war. In our eyes, it wasn’t our fault, so we barely even mention it.”

“I see…”

Kousei felt this was a heavy topic for Mahiru, so he let the conversation fade on its own. Still, how could the people in the East have such a narrow-minded view on the war?

Mahiru continued to eat her ice cream in silence. Sitting next to her, Kousei couldn’t help but notice her long eyelashes casting soft shadows on her cheeks, her hair dancing lightly in the breeze. Being faced with such a beautiful sight, he was suddenly overflown with a desire to close the distance between them.

But as he shifted a little closer and reached for her hand, Mahiru flinched and pulled back in an instant.

“Wh-what are you doing?” she asked, startled.

“Uhm… I thought we could get a little closer, if that’s okay for you? You’ve been acting a bit distant since we went out. Did I say something wrong?”

“No, n-not at all! But we’re in public. Someone might see us.”

“Oh, so you’re a bit embarrassed?” Kousei raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Where’s the confident Mahiru that wanted to marry me?”

“It’s not that, dummy!” she shot back. But then her voice trailed off, a realisation settling in. “Oh, I see. So you also have a more liberal view on love, huh? In the East, couples are forbidden to show any kind of physical intimacy in public. They say it disturbs the tranquility or something.”

She gave a small, sheepish laugh. “It’s kind of dumb, honestly.”

“O-oh, okay. But you know, we don’t have to if you don’t–”

“It’s too late to take it back now.”

“Wha–”

With one swift motion, Mahiru pulled him closer, his head coming to rest against her shoulder. She gently ran her fingers through his black hair, a content smile forming on her face.

“You know,” she whispered into his ear, her voice like silk, “we are still getting married one day.”

And just like that, Kousei felt himself drifting into heaven.

⸻⸻⸻⸻❊❊❊⸻⸻⸻⸻

The evening before, on the other side of the wall…

“Master Kenji, I’m here to inform you that your daughter Mahiru has decided to stay in the West, just like you predicted.”

“Very well,” Kenji replied, taking a slow sip of red wine. “It seems like everything is going according to plan.”

“It appears so, Master.”

“I’ll give her a few weeks at most and she’ll be crawling back. And if by some miracle she decides to stay there… Well, then we’ve finally rid ourselves of her. She was starting to become dangerous…like that damn grandpa of hers.”

“Yes, Master. Another perfect plan.”

“It seems we have nothing more to worry about for now. Great job, Mamoru.”

“Thank you, Master. It is my honour to serve you.”

“Oh, now that I think of it, you should check on him again. It’s been a while since your last visit. He might finally be dead this time, ahahaha.”

The dry, bitter laughter from Mahiru’s father filled the dim room.