The Okonomiyaki Party

Upon arriving back to her room, Konoko found her phone ringing loudly inside her bag. She hurried to respond, gradually becoming alarmed at the thought that she had wasted precious time inside the poster when she had to prepare dinner! It was Nanako, who wanted to announce to Konoko that she had invited Kenji to dinner. Normally, Konoko would have reacted with noisy enthusiasm. But right before answering the call, she noticed in shock that time seemed to have stopped during her little escapade in the poster. The phone showed that only ten minutes had passed since she had left the kitchen to find her bag. How could this be possible? This meant that she had stayed less than a minute inside the poster, which was unexplainable. She must have spent at least half an hour there! Bothered by such reflections, she barely replied to her friend's news, making Nanako believe she may have caused Konoko an inconvenience by inviting another person to dinner. Konoko had a hard time reassuring her that was not the case. When she finally closed the conversation, she felt emotionally worn out and guilty too. But there was no time for sulking! She had to quickly finish the dinner preparations.

On her way to the kitchen, Konoko couldn't help but feverishly recheck the time on her phone again. It was not her imagination! Time had barely passed during her absence! It was certainly strange! The only explanation was that she had been asleep and dreamed the whole time. The phone must have woken her up. Yet, why could she not remember the moment when she got up? Waking up had an unmistakable feel! She only remembered coming back from the poster. Konoko was already in the kitchen, but couldn't focus on dinner because of the time enigma that haunted her. She quickly chased away her doubts, convincing herself that she was not herself lately. The incapacity to remember the moment she woke up must have been just another side effect of her recent lack of sleep.

After finishing with the ingredients, she had planned to work on her manga. There was still time until Nanako arrived. Surprisingly, the negotiations with Mr. Yuno had been successful. He agreed that she made a special chapter with a side story as a short break from the main plot. Gaining some time for the manga's next chapter was not quite her primary reason, though it was certainly an excellent way to delay it. She had thought about this side story for some time now. It was the present she wanted to give Nanako for her birthday, which coincided with the day when she had to deliver her next manga chapter. Initially, Konoko wanted to write the chapter and add the side story as a bonus. But things went so badly with the chapter that she realized her plan was no longer achievable. Making only the side story enabled her to further develop it as well. She couldn't have done it if it was only a supplement. A longer special chapter just for her would have definitely made Nanako happier! Unlike with the chapter for the main story, Konoko knew perfectly what she desired to include in this story. It should have been a piece of cake to complete it. However, Mr. Yuno had conditions—as always. He wanted it delivered earlier so that he could properly evaluate it and also consult with his superiors. It was important that Konoko used every possible moment, brief or extended, to make progress!

Unfortunately, things went awry as she found herself incapable of concentrating. Her mind wandered off to Manime and its two cute guardians. From time to time, she stared intensely at the poster, as if she wanted to hypnotize it and bring the guardians back to her room again. Then she remembered that it must have been only a dream. They didn't actually exist. She kept forgetting because this was one of those dreams that felt so painfully real that one could not differentiate them from reality. Besides, it was such a nice dream too! All her childhood, she wished to visit her favorite anime characters! It almost seemed like an impossible dream came true! Or maybe not! Those no-fun guardians wouldn't have let her explore anyway. But at least she would have known that meeting personal favorite characters was technically possible! That would have meant a lot to her! The time didn't pass though, which means it couldn't have been real! Konoko sighed.

Unable to get rid of these thoughts, she drew Chie and Saitou. She told herself that, in time, she would have forgotten about them. By drawing them, she was ensuring their memory lasted. Who knew? Maybe at some point she would have even used those characters. If it was her dream, they were her characters right? She looked at the drawings and was surprised to see how accurate they were! If only she could see Virgil's love in a dream too! She sighed again. It was almost time that she prepared for Nanako's arrival and their visit to the fair when Konoko finally managed to bring herself together and draw a couple of panels. Realizing that she had to stop and get changed, she felt furious at herself for having wasted so much time daydreaming. Now she had to spend part of her night to catch up.

*

"Hey Noko!" Nanako saluted joyfully from the door as Konoko appeared to greet her.

"Hey Nako! Do you want to grab some snacks before we leave? Or get changed?"

"No, I'm fine. Maybe we can buy something tasty from the fair!" She grinned suggestively.

Konoko's face lit up.

"Hmmm... I like the way you think! We should certainly do that!"

"How's dinner coming along?" inquired Nanako curiously.

"Perfect!" replied Konoko proudly. "All the ingredients are ready for cooking! It won't take long to have it ready to eat!"

"I can't wait!" exclaimed Nanako excitedly. Then her face suddenly became a little troubled."Say Noko, are you sure that you're okay with Kenji coming over this evening? I got carried away and carelessly invited him as well! It didn't cross my mind that it could mean more work for you!"

"Oh, Nako! I am so happy that you invited him! And it's not more work at all! I had prepared for bigger quantities anyway! Plus, I enjoy bragging about my okonomiyaki, hehe! It's just that when you called I was asleep and the phone woke me up. I must not have been very myself at that moment!"

Nanako agreed that Konoko didn't sound very herself on the phone, though she was wondering if it was really because she had been woken up from her sleep. She didn't sound like someone who had barely woken up and she certainly knew how Konoko sounded at those times. As she considered this aspect, Nanako remembered the moment when she and Ichirou noticed that Konoko had changed her route home. Even if Konoko convinced her that Kenji's presence didn't bother her, it was hard to buy the sleep explanation. Nanako felt worried that something else was happening with Konoko. She didn't insist though.

*

The two girls had a great time at the fair, but Nanako noticed moments when Konoko spaced out. It troubled her a bit as usually Konoko could not think of anything else when she was at a manga-anime fair or convention. Was it only her imagination? Maybe... normally she didn't watch Konoko so carefully. Perhaps she spaced out other times too, but Nanako didn't realize it. Now that she thought about it, Ichirou mentioned that lately Konoko was seen daydreaming at college. Even if she was in a better mood today, that didn't cancel the fact that a day before, she had snapped. Moreover, Kenji mentioned that she looked like a person that lacked sleep. That could explain why she accidentally fell asleep earlier today. Maybe even her nap from this afternoon was shallow and that was the explanation why she didn't sound like a person barely awakened. Nanako decided that it was probably a good idea that she ensured Konoko benefited from a good night's rest. It was time that she prepared a soothing tea for tonight. For Nanako, it worked wonders when she suffered from stress or anxiety.

Both Kenji and Ichirou came to pick them up. The girls had done a bit of shopping by then and were ready to go home, but upon arriving, the boys too became curious to check the fair. Konoko was praised for discovering it. This fair was different from the regular ones. Every one of them ended up with quite a few bags of new acquisitions. Kenji and Ichirou were not the kind to buy things recklessly, but they thought that it was a rare experience. It was likely that the fair wouldn't take place any time soon again. Besides, Kenji didn't buy things only for himself. He liked to spoil Nanako whenever he had the chance. Organizing their return home proved challenging with all that supplementary luggage. Kenji already carried some refreshments too, which he had bought for dinner. Luckily, his car had enough space, even if that meant that the back seats were occupied by luggages. As usual, Ichirou rode together with Konoko on her motorcycle while the sidecar was packed with bags too.

Whenever Konoko was on her motorbike with her two friends, Ichirou sat at her back and Nanako in the sidecar. Ichirou always insisted on being right by her side to make sure that she wasn't doing anything reckless during her drive. While Konoko used to be careful when she had her friends with her, both Ichirou and Nanako had heard stories of Konoko driving like crazy through the city when she was alone. Though she had never caused any serious accidents, she had spooked a lot of people and a few times had gone off the road too. She received a few fines as a result. Fortunately, she often wasn't alone on her motorbike mainly because she was such an otaku. She mostly stayed inside. Even when Konoko went outside for a few rides, she never engaged in long travels. All in all, incidents were scarce.

*

"I came to help you!" announced Nanako cheerfully entering the kitchen. "We have already brought the beer in the living room. I'll quickly set up the table there!"

"Oh! Thank you Nako!" Konoko seemed so dreamy and far away again. Of course, Nanako had no idea that two little cute anime characters were responsible for her friend spacing out.

"Hey, Nako!" Konoko started suddenly as if only then she became aware of her friend's presence. Nanako was already out of the kitchen, but popped her head back inside.

"Could you please leave a beer here?" asked Konoko with a soft secretive voice. Nanako blinked a few times with questioning eyes.

"It's the first time I'm cooking okonomiyaki for people outside of my family and I'm starting to get nervous! I don't want to have any accidents when I turn the okonomiyaki upside down! If I drink just a little, it loosens me up a bit," added Konoko, a little embarrassed.

"Oh, alright!" Obviously Nanako heard that for the first time.

Even if her mind stubbornly kept wandering to Manime, Saitou, and Chie, Konoko's movements were swift. She hadn't lost her touch during the past months. She realized that her daydreaming had the same effect as the beer. It loosened her up because it kept her away from worrying about her friends' expectations. She barely touched the beer. The cheerful voices she could hear from the living room felt soothing too. They were not impatient. However, she didn't notice when the voices became louder. She unexpectedly found herself with everyone in the kitchen carrying their plates and drinks with them in a noisy atmosphere. They were in the middle of a conversation and laughing. As Konoko watched them confused, Ichirou came near her and took the spatula from her hand to flip the okonomiyaki pancake.

"Let me do this one!" He winked at her.

"Wait, wait!" started Konoko. "Have you ever done it before?"

"It looks like fun! Let me try! Besides, how difficult can it be?"

"Well... I don't know…" Konoko was so agitated that she couldn't find her words. Her friends had completely taken her by surprise. She took hold of Ichirou's wrist trying to stop him from using the spatula.

"Chill out Konoko! Come on! Let go! If it gets on the floor, I promise I'll eat it myself!" reacted Ichirou laughing.

"No!" screamed Konoko in a high pitched voice. Ichirou looked surprised and stood still for a moment. Nanako and Kenji stopped their conversation as well. No one has ever imagined that Konoko could use such a little voice! She noticed their friends' looks and felt embarrassed. Her cheeks became purple and she moved her eyes to the ground.

"I don't want it to go on the floor!" she added in a faint voice. She frowned a bit too. Ichirou looked at her affectionately. It was obvious that because of her pride, she could not conceive her food being anything but perfect.

"It's all right Konoko! I won't drop it on the floor! I was just kidding!" He laughed again.

Nanako and Kenji laughed too. Normally, Ichirou would have teased her a little more, but after the events at the café, he was on the fence. Konoko, however, was skeptical even if she saw that he was serious. Her hand wouldn't let go. A part of her was telling her to let him, but it was difficult to comply with that voice. Maybe she should have drunk more of that beer after all.

"Please Konoko! Just this once!" His persistent stare was quickly convincing her to give in. Konoko was stubborn, but she could rarely resist in a psychological fight if stakes were not critically high. Now she was tired too and after all that happened today, she felt mentally exhausted. She reluctantly removed her hand, though she left it suspended in the air, ready to intervene again if it was the case.

Ichirou made the okonomiyaki pancake jump into the air with unexpected ease and precision. It landed safely onto the hotplate, just like an acrobat finishing their number with graceful perfection. Konoko remained speechless for a second, mouth open. Kenji and Nanako were out of breath. Ichirou grinned with satisfaction as he moved the pancake to his plate. While Kenji and Nanako bursted into loud applause, Konoko covered her mouth with both hands in disbelief.

"How did you do that?" she asked Ichirou with a mixture of excitement and admiration. Her face was completely red from the emotions she felt.

"Eh! Beginner's luck!" he replied in a composed yet playful tone. He winked at Nanako and Kenji, but that didn't go unnoticed by Konoko. She turned to her friends with an inquisitive look.

"Ichirou's grandparents are from Osaka, Noko!" explained Nanako. "There were slim chances he didn't know how to cook okonomiyaki. He wanted to surprise you though. You're not mad at us, are you?" she added in a small voice.

Konoko didn't know how to react. She looked at Nanako and Kenji, then to Ichirou, repeatedly alternating between them while still trying to understand what had just happened. She wasn't mad! She started to laugh nervously, but as she laughed, she felt increasingly joyful. The others laughed as well. She laughed so hard that she started coughing and tears came out of her eyes. When she finally composed herself, she felt like a huge stone had lifted from her heart. Her troubling thoughts had been chased away. Then, without Ichirou expecting it, she started punching his right arm and chest.

"How dare you scare me like that?" Her tone was both angry and playful. "It's your food too, you know? You shouldn't scare the person that feeds you!"

Ichirou backed off laughing. Konoko's small punches didn't seem to have any effect on him despite her doing so in a frantic manner.

"I said I would eat it even if it went on the floor, didn't I?" he defended himself while still laughing.

"But you knew that you wouldn't have dropped it! I didn't! It's not fair!" shouted Konoko in the same angry yet playful tone, but so forcefully that it caused her to lose her breath. Ichirou couldn't stop laughing. Kenji and Nanako were contemplating them affectionately as they thought of kindergarten kids playing.

"What if I dropped it just because you made me scared?" insisted Konoko in the same state of agitation.

"I would have eaten it anyway!" replied Ichirou with a smile. He had stopped from laughing.

Konoko didn't expect that reply. It had the same effect on her as when hearing the other night that he had spent hours searching for her after she had left the café. She stopped punching him and moved her eyes away embarrassed.

"Let's finish the okonomiyaki together Konoko!" he proposed joyfully as he hadn't noticed her embarrassment. "I have just warmed up!"

"But it's only one hotplate!" protested Konoko.

"You put the filling on the plate and I turn it! Simple!" proposed Ichirou.

"That's not fair! I want to flip it too! I'm just as good as you, you know?" She hated being eclipsed by Ichirou and that amused him.

"Well, you already turned three pancakes before me! I only did it once!" He retorted.

Before they knew it, the okonomiyaki cooking had turned into quite the competition as each time a pancake had to be flipped, Ichirou and Konoko fought over the spatula. Ichirou had the upper hand most of the time, but Konoko managed to get the spatula first on a few occasions. The moment was received with vigorous applause from Nanako and Kenji each time. Pancakes were continually thrown into the air just to impress the audience. They definitely baked more okonomiyaki than needed. It was enough for the next day as well. After eating until she became stuffed and drinking a whole beer, Konoko felt extremely drowsy. Looking at her, Nanako realized there was no longer a need for soothing tea that night. Though if she was to be honest about it, it was not the okonomiyaki and beer that made Konoko sleepy. All that laughter most certainly relaxed her. Her mind had stopped wandering.

*

When Kenji left that night, Nanako and Konoko carefully packed him a few okonomiyaki pancakes. Then, the girls and Ichirou quickly cleaned up. It was past midnight when they returned to their rooms. Konoko couldn't hold her eyes open but was determined to work on her side story manga. As she was struggling to stay awake while drawing a panel, she heard a faint knock at the door. She startled, remembering that if anyone entered her room they could find Chie and Saitou. She looked scared toward the poster, yet there was no sign of them. They wouldn't have gotten outside as long as someone was in the room, especially someone other than herself. Then again, weren't they just a dream? As she moved to open the door, she felt so lonely at the thought that Chie and Saitou were not real! It was funny how easily she had gotten emotionally attached to fictitious characters. She was so hopeless! Konoko sighed. It was Ichirou at the door! What could he possibly want at that hour? He looked concerned. She invited him inside.

"Oh my god Konoko! It's so messy here!" he couldn't refrain from remarking.

"I'm in the middle of work!" defended Konoko in an irritated tone. "I need all this stuff around me to work easily! And what do you want anyway?" she scorned him.

"Are you okay Konoko? You kind of seemed more absent today... " he said in a grave tone.

"I'm only tired!" she replied, trying to avoid getting into details.

"Yet, you don't look like you are going to bed!" he remarked.

"I am a bit late with some work. Today, I was at the office to see Mr. Yuno." Ichirou became suddenly alert. Konoko rarely had this kind of initiative. "I asked him for a delay. Instead, I would prepare a special chapter. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time." She stopped.

"And?" inquired Ichirou curiously. "What did he say?"

"He agreed, but I have to hand it over a week earlier. The company needs to make sure that this won't affect the ratings. It's not difficult for me to wrap it up, but I have lost a lot of time already…"

"I don't think staying awake tonight will do you any good Konoko! I say leave it for tomorrow morning!"

"I have classes tomorrow morning!" she protested.

"You could go to bed right away and wake up two hours earlier in the morning! It will work better this way, trust me! Just looking at you and I know you won't make any progress now! You'll just torture yourself, become even more tired, and finally get frustrated when you'll see that you have accomplished nothing!"

Konoko had a very unhappy look. She knew he was right, but with that amount of fatigue, she couldn't trust that she would have been able to wake up earlier.

"I'll wake you up myself Konoko! And make you a strong coffee! You'll see, it will work!" encouraged Ichirou.

Konoko gazed at him intensely. If there was any human on that planet to make her get up when she wouldn't, it was certainly Ichirou. How many times has he pestered her with her manga deadlines? He was so persistent that one would have said Mr. Yuno had paid him.

"I'm counting on you then!" she mumbled as she was not quite satisfied with the arrangement, but she felt she had no choice.

He bade her goodnight and left the room. Konoko stayed a few seconds motionless. She was so tired that she didn't even feel her body. It was like she was a bodiless spirit, floating somewhere in an indefinite space. When she finally moved to go to bed, her body felt heavy and stiff, like a big rock rolling onto the mattress.