apotelesma - o. tooru

quinze.

"Ah, Mitsuha-san! Last minute White Day shopping?" the baker greets her cheerfully, as he steps out from behind the ovens to come to the counter. She nods and gives him a small wave, before heading up to him.

"Do you have any milk bread?" she asks, as she places the brownies on the counter. "I've checked other stores but they seem to have run out or they've closed, and I was kinda hoping you would have some?"

"Let me go check in the back," he replies warmly, taking the brownies and ringing them up. "If I'm not mistaken my daughter should have put in a loaf earlier, it should be done by now."

Mitsuha lights up, her eyes twinkling. "Thank you so much!"

He returns after a while, a large smile plastered on his face as he carries out a fresh loaf of milk bread in a tray. "You should thank Aiko later, I'm glad her love for bread pulled this through," he chuckles, taking it off the tray and placing it in a brown paper bag, along with the brownies. He punches a couple of buttons on the teller, and looks up at her. "That will be 1200 yen," he says, as she rummages through her purse for the money. Mitsuha hands it to him, and they exchange thanks as she takes the bag and heads out, not before she bows.

She practically whizzes past everyone as she tries to make it home before they do. She'd seen the third years earlier heading over with Hajime, since they were going to hold dinner in their house. Oikawa was there too, but she hopes he can spare a little time for an early dessert.

It's 6:30 when Mitsuha reaches their house, and she throws open the gate, skipping up the steps that lead into their door, wincing when she hears the gate clang. She opens the door hurriedly, kicking her shoes off her feet, stumbling while she does so. Hajime's mother is in the kitchen, watching her with a frenzied look. "You okay there, Mitsuha?" she asks worriedly, as the girl nearly runs into the kitchen doorpost. 

"Yep!" she cries manically, giving her a crazy smile. Her aunt blinks at her twice, before shaking her head. "Did you hit your head on the way home?" she asks, crossing her arms.

"Nope!" Mitsuha places the brown bag of baked goods on the counter carefully, before running to the fridge and taking out whipped cream and strawberries. Like a mouse, she scampers to their bread box, sighing in relief when she finds an unused loaf of buttermilk bread there.

She lays everything out on the kitchen counter, just as her aunt comes up to her and inspects her hair.

"Is everything okay, auntie?" Mitsuha asks, with wide eyes.

"Yeah, I'm just checking where that rat that's making you move like the world's about to end hiding in your hair," her aunt replies, determination lighting up her dark brown eyes. Mitsuha groans as her aunt chortles. "Like in Ratatouille."

"Help me make the sandwiches," Mitsuha pleads, batting her aunt's prying fingers away from her. "I need to get it done before they come back."

"Is that why you ran like a mad woman?" she asks her, opening the tub of whipping cream and pouring some of the liquid into a bowl. She passes it to Mitsuha, who takes out a whisk and begins to work like there was some rat sitting on top of her head.

Her niece nods, her eyes concentrated on the task at hand. "You know those are desserts, right?" her aunt asks, as she cleans up the strawberries, before cutting the crusts off a few slices of the bread. Mitsuha hums in response, and hands her the whipping cream, which her aunt graciously spreads on both sides of the bread slices. Strawberries are placed delicately on the cream, before Mitsuha places the other slice on top, and presses down firmly.

This continues until they've both three sandwiches, and her aunt takes them and places them in the fridge for a while. "C'mere, let me fix your hair," her aunt says after a while, watching Mitsuha slump down on the counter, exhausted after all that running.