Mei POV
I continued to sit still, my hands folded against my lap as I waited for Uncle. I didn't have to wait very long; about five minutes later, the kitchen door opened.
"Sorry for the wait," he said with a bright grin.
I politely waved my hand, reassuring him. "No—it's fine. I didn't wait very long."
Uncle set his plate on the counter and took a seat next to me. He grabbed two glasses, a wine bottle, and a juice bottle. He poured the wine for himself and the juice for me.
"Here," he said, sliding me the glass. "Just in case you get thirsty."
"Thank you very much."
I accepted the glass and took a sip of the juice. I'd already gone to the washroom while I waited for him, so the extra drink wasn't a problem.
As usual, I couldn't taste it, but that didn't stop the cheery smile on my face. "That was refreshing. Thank you again, Uncle."
Uncle scratched the back of his head with an awkward chuckle. "Please, you don't have to thank me for every little thing. This is the least I can do."
He grabbed a spoon and took the first bite of his meal. "Sho," he said with his mouth full, struggling to keep the food from spilling out. "When dish you shtart getting closh to my Shon?"
Wow… the way he talks is almost the same way Hoshino texts—illegible.
Still, watching him struggle to balance his own needs as well as keep up a conversation was oddly… endearing.
I couldn't help but let out a little giggle. "He and I were in the same elementary school and now the same high school, so we always knew each other."
Uncle's eyes widened as he gasped, causing him to start choking. I quickly but gracefully handed him the glass of wine. Maybe it wasn't the best choice—but it was better than nothing. He took it from my hands and drank until the glass was half empty.
He slammed the glass down with a relieved breath. "Ahhh—sorry about that. I thought I was gonna die."
"Hehe, it's fine. Anyway, what were you going to say?"
"Oh, right." Uncle pulled out his phone and swiped through it, his thumbs flicking across the screen. After a few seconds, a wide grin spread from his lips. "Found it!"
He put his phone down between us so we could both see. On it was one of those old class photos we were forced to take every year in elementary school. I never really saw how mine turned out, since my parents never bought them, so I stared a little longer than I needed to.
It didn't take me long to find myself. It should have been obvious, but I looked so… young. So different.
And with it, the childhood memories that I had long since abandoned came flooding back into my mind.
It felt like I was floating outside my body as my finger moved on its own and lightly tapped the image of my younger self on the screen, as if trying to reach it.
"Is this you?" Uncle asked.
His words came muffled in my ears, barely reaching me.
I could only manage a slow, small nod, eyes still fixed on my own image.
"Wow," Uncle breathed. "You looked so… cute back then! Way cuter than my Son!"
His unexpected words snapped me out of my daze. I flinched and turned to him, confused.
"...Pardon?"
Uncle let out a loud laugh, grains of rice flying from his mouth.
"I mean, take a look at this." He pointed at a certain boy on the screen. The boy sat at the very corner, separated from the rest of the kids. "You look so much better compared to him!"
I squinted, staring at the boy.
Is this… Hoshino?
For some reason, the Hoshino on the screen didn't resemble how I remembered him when he was a kid. Maybe it was because he was stylish now, but seeing him in shabby clothes felt wrong.
Aside from all that, I wouldn't go so far as to call him ugly. He was just a kid, after all. Still, seeing how giddy his Dad was about it, I couldn't help but laugh.
Uncle's shoulders dropped a fraction as I did.
"Seeing this picture really takes me back..." Uncle said softly, almost a whisper.
My laughter slowly died down, a quiet silence settling between us.
"If you don't mind me asking, what do you mean?" I asked.
Uncle grabbed the nearby wine glass and lifted it.
"How about we do a cheers first? This might take a while. Besides... It's not right not to toast when we're sharing a drink!"
With a small giggle, I nodded as I lifted my own and tapped it against his, a soft *click* ringing between us.
We both drew our glasses toward our lips and took a sip. After setting them down, he began slowly.
"When you see a picture like this, what do you think?"
Although he phrased it as a question, he didn't wait for me to respond before answering it himself.
"People around your age would probably think something like 'Wow, I look so young,' or 'I remember when I used to do this as a kid.' I used to think that way, too."
He rested his head against his hands, gazing towards the backroom, to where the others were.
"But seeing that same kind of photo of your own child is... different."
Uncle sank further into his chair, his voice going lower—shakier.
"It's easy to think you know that those times won't come back, but as a parent—that's even more true."
He turned back to me, his usual bright, childish smile carrying a sense of age to it now.
"The older I get, the more I realize how fleeting my time with my kids actually is. Let's take you, for example, you're going to graduate soon, right?"
"Yeah," I responded quietly.
"Right," he went on. "By the time you do, you're already an adult. Probably independent. Even if you live in the same house as me, I won't have to really 'parent' you anymore."
Uncle paused, a thick sniffle escaping him.
He looked away from me, taking a moment to rub his face before turning back. He tried his best, but a faint wetness lingered in his eyes.
Still, he continued to speak.
"I can wish for that time back—to keep living with my kids under my care, maybe to fix some mistakes I made while I'm at it—but time never goes back. And the same goes for you."
Uncle lifted his glass for one last sip, finished what was left of it before settling it back down, gently.
"You have a long life ahead of you, and there'll be some hardships along the way. I can't say anything for certain—but I can tell you that this shop is always open if you're hungry... except on Sundays."
The last part caught me off guard, and I chuckled a little.
Drunk as he was, those were the clearest words he spoke all day. I tried to say something— it was always easy to—but no matter what came to mind, nothing felt right.
Uncle gazed at me one last time before a playful frown crossed his face.
"Hey! I was the only one drinking. It's not fun drinking alone!"
He glanced at my half-full cup of juice.
"Drink it all down in one go!"
"O-okay!" I hurriedly grabbed the juice and poured it down my throat.
As I did, his words replayed over and over again in my head.
Maybe it was because I wasn't a parent, but I couldn't really understand his concerns, even if I wanted to. Still, even I was aware that he had confided in me—and therefore, to some degree, trusted me.
The juice formed a lump in my throat, causing it to start cramping as I chugged—but I didn't stop.
Even if I wanted to, I can't return his gesture.
...But that doesn't mean it was a waste—that it has to be.
I set the empty cup down and let out a long breath, wiping the juice from my lips.
Maybe… if it's this place—I can come here too...
I couldn't find it in myself to look at him right now, so my eyes drifted around the room until they settled on his plate.
He followed my gaze only to find himself staring at his own plate. He blinked, then looked back up at me and asked, "Do you want a bite?"
"No, thank you," I answered politely, yet hurriedly. It was his food, and it felt wrong just to take it. Besides, it'd be nothing but a waste on me.
Uncle put on a playful scowl. "Oh, don't be like that. Here."
He grabbed a clean spoon from behind the counter and scooped me a bite. Since he'd already gone out of his way, it felt rude to turn him down, so I gently took the spoon and took the bite.
Everything stopped. The cold metal of the spoon stung my tongue, as it always did. But in the midst of that chill was the faintest taste of something… pleasant? Something that reminded me of my childhood.
Ah—that's right. This is what something sweet tastes like.
That sweetness didn't last long, but I would never forget it.
Seeing my expression, Uncle asked, "Soooo, did you like it?"
I took the spoon from my mouth and looked at him.
I wasn't sure what expression I was making. I was sure I was smiling as I always did, but seeing it, his eyes went wide, and his smile softened.
"...I'm glad you liked it."