JSWGAS Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Kokonoe Taka went to the kitchen to get the afternoon tea prepared by Mrs. Tsurumi, gesturing for the two to follow him upstairs to his room.

Miya Atsumu wasn’t initially willing, but Miya Osamu defected faster than he had imagined.

The moment Osamu saw the pudding, green rice dumplings, and small cakes in Taka’s hands, he couldn’t help but follow him. Atsumu desperately tried to hold him back, but Osamu dragged him forward several steps. “Osamu! Get a grip! Don’t just follow anyone who gives you food!”

Osamu impatiently shook him off. “Mom said we need to be wary of food from strangers.” He stated righteously, “But I’ve already forged a friendship with Kokonoe through mustard rice balls! Atsumu, you’re so annoying, let me go.”

Taka, walking ahead, chuckled softly.

Atsumu stomped his feet in frustration, but he couldn’t bear to be left alone downstairs while his brother spent time alone with the cunning guy. In the end, he rushed in before Taka could close the door, running defensively to Osamu’s side.

He was in such a hurry, but Osamu acted as if he were at home, grabbing a cake, much to Atsumu’s dismay. Taka, who had closed the door, sat down calmly and took a spoonful of cake. “Aren’t you going to eat?” he asked Atsumu.

Atsumu was completely puzzled. “You can’t taste anything, right? Why are you eating? In this situation, you should have Mrs. Tsurumi take you to…”

Taka interrupted him. “Please, have some.” He pushed a slice of cake towards Atsumu.

“Are you even listening to me…”

“Please.”

“I’m saying…”

“Please.”

“Can you listen to people properly!”

Osamu kicked Atsumu’s shin impatiently. “Are you going to eat it or not?” He was skilled at manipulating Atsumu’s thoughts, threatening him expertly. “If you don’t eat it, I’ll eat it all.”

Atsumu immediately protested. “It’s mine!” He quickly picked up the small plate, angrily scooping a large spoonful of cream into his mouth.

Taka observed their expressions. “What does it taste like?”

“Delicious!”

Osamu added a few more details. “It’s mango cake. The cream is soft and fluffy, very sweet, and the cake itself is just the right texture.”

But in Taka’s mouth, the cake only had a faint sweetness.

He pushed a small plate of cookies towards the Miya twins. “Then please try these.”

The cookies were honey milk cookies that Tsurumi Sumiko had learned to make from Mrs. Oikawa. The cookies were star-shaped, golden brown on the surface, dotted with a few nuts, and had a faint aroma that made people want to swallow.

Osamu once again reached out and took a piece without hesitation. “It smells so good…” he said, then stuffed the cookie into his mouth. The cookie crumbled in his mouth, very crispy. After a few muffled sounds, he easily chewed it up. “It’s a little sweet too.”

When it came to food, Osamu became serious. “It feels like there’s more honey than in normal cookies. Was it made that way on purpose?”

He looked at Taka inquisitively, who admitted, “I like sweet things, so my mom makes her desserts sweeter than usual.”

Osamu swallowed hard a few times. “Can you taste it now?”

Taka also reached out and pinched a corner of the cookie, putting it in his mouth—”I can only taste a little sweetness.” He calmly swallowed the food. “But I can smell the aroma.”

Osamu shrugged. “That’s strange. Didn’t you notice before?”

“Until this morning, I was sure my sense of taste was normal,” Taka replied. “I’ve had a few abnormal perceptions before, but I always thought it was just my imagination.”

“…You’re a weirdo.”

“Takes one to know one, Miya-kun.” Two identical faces looked up at him simultaneously because of the address. Taka paused. “…Alright, Osamu-kun.”

Atsumu had been completely captivated by the mango cake beside him, and his mouth was covered in cream. He only looked up blankly when he heard the words “Miya-kun.” “What are you guys talking about?”

Osamu pushed his stupid face away impatiently. “Just eat your food.”

Taka had brought a whole platter of desserts. Mrs. Tsurumi was obviously very happy to entertain her son’s new friends, and had filled it with almost half the contents of the refrigerator, including the yokan that Mr. Tsurumi had secretly hidden.

Although Atsumu was also greedy, he didn’t like things that were too sweet, so he simply gave up on the yokan. Taka calmly cut the yokan into two pieces and pushed half to Osamu. “Please, have some.”

Osamu: “…I’m almost full.”

Taka only ate a bite of each item and then put it aside, while Osamu dutifully finished off most of the food, including Taka’s share. He protested with his fork, but in the end, he frowned and took a bite. “So rich…too sweet. Isn’t Grandpa Tsurumi going to get cavities from eating this…”

Taka’s eyes were deep, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. After Osamu finished his evaluation, he put the yokan in his mouth. “…It’s a normal sweetness.” He paused, frowned, and took another bite. “It is really rich.”

Osamu was surprised. “You can taste it?”

“I think so.”

But this one piece of yokan didn’t prove anything. Taka turned his attention to the mustard rice balls that the Miya brothers used to play pranks, and took a bite without hesitation. Atsumu caught sight of this and was shocked. “Has he lost it? He ate such a big bite!”

“…Atsumu, if you don’t talk, no one will think you’re mute.”

“You’re so annoying, Osamu!”

The twins beside him started arguing again, but Taka ignored them.

The cold rice grains were wrapped in sauce and chewed up by his teeth. Then, a large amount of pungent and stimulating aroma gushed out. It was as if his whole body was being washed in spiciness. His breath almost stopped, and tears involuntarily filled his eyes.

Honestly, the way he stuffed the rice ball into his mouth while crying looked quite comical. But if you looked closely, you would find that there was no emotion on his face, as if his emotions were locked deep inside his body.

Atsumu tugged at his brother’s clothes, desperately shrinking behind him. “…Osamu…Osamu…Osamu! Is he, is he finally crazy?”

“Clear your pig brain, Atsumu.”

Osamu looked at him with a complicated expression as he finished eating all the rice balls he had made. A strange sense of relief rose in his heart. Before long, Taka had eaten the entire rice ball. He nonchalantly pulled out a few tissues, his voice muffled with an obvious nasal tone. “How much mustard did you put in?” he asked Osamu.

Osamu said expressionlessly, “You have to ask Atsumu that. He put in the mustard, I was only responsible for making the rice balls.”

So Taka turned to Atsumu. “Uh…” Atsumu looked at his slightly red eyes cautiously. “I squeezed in half a bottle…”

Osamu: “…Mom will definitely beat you when she finds out.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll just say Osamu used mustard when he was eating.”

“You pig! Don’t push everything onto me!”

Taka got the answer, and then reached out to take the food he had just eaten to try again. This time, he finally captured the deliciousness of the food itself in his mouth.

He confirmed, “It’s back to normal.”

Osamu made a long “oh” sound. He quickly accepted the matter and didn’t think that Taka was deliberately playing with him. Osamu could tell that Taka’s expression when he first ate the mustard rice ball was completely different from now.

Taka fell into another mystery. Why would his sense of taste change so drastically in such a short period of time? Was this harmful to his body? Was this situation frequent or occasional?

Apart from the loss of taste, he didn’t feel any other discomfort for the time being.

Atsumu looked at the two people in confusion. “So why did you come up here with this guy, Osamu? And say things I don’t understand?”

Osamu returned to happily devouring the delicious food in front of him, his eyes even narrowed into crescent moons with happiness. “What does it matter? These things are delicious enough.”

Taka then came back to his senses and coughed lightly. “This is what I wanted to talk about next—Atsumu-kun, Osamu-kun.” He used polite language. “Please don’t tell my mother what just happened, okay?”

Atsumu immediately refused. He was rebellious to the core. “Why? I don’t want to!”

“…Osamu-kun?”

“Regrettably, I share the same thought as dog-Atsumu.” Osamu slowly put down the fork, rubbed his stomach, ignoring his brother’s noisy shouts again. “You said who’s a dog!”

“I thought this could already be considered hush money.” Taka pointed to the empty plates in a serious manner.

Osamu slowly thought for a moment. “That can only shut my mouth.” He said quite honestly, “But it can’t shut his—”

Atsumu, who was pointed at by him, revealed an ignorant but proud expression.

Taka raised his chin and said calmly, “Then what will it take to keep you from telling my mother?”

Before the two could respond, he continued, “Game console? Manga? Sneakers? Snacks?”

Atsumu opened his mouth wide. The sentence “Nothing will work!” stuck in his throat, unable to come out.

He glanced at Osamu—his brother didn’t care about these things, and started slowly stuffing cookies into his mouth again.

This is why Osamu weighed a kilogram more than him at the last physical examination!

He thought indignantly.

Atsumu barely escaped the temptation, but when he opened his mouth, he was puzzled. “Why don’t you want Mrs. Tsurumi to know? Is she the kind of person who wouldn’t get you medical treatment if she knew you were sick?”

Taka smiled. “Isn’t this my privacy? Why should I tell you?”

“But now you’re asking for our help!” Atsumu’s arrogance rose.

Osamu complained from the side. “You’re smiling too ugly, Atsumu.”

Atsumu turned his head and shouted, “Shut up, pig-Osamu!”

Taka closed his eyes, and thought of the “noisy twins” that his grandfather had mentioned in the car, and finally understood why Mr. Tsurumi had that tone at the time. He interrupted the two brothers, who were about to start fighting at any moment. “Okay, can you keep a secret for me if I tell you?”

His straightforward approach made Atsumu feel like he had punched cotton. “You say it first!”

Osamu added fuel to the fire. “Don’t try to weasel out of it later, stupid Atsumu.”

Atsumu bristled. “I won’t!”

Taka had to interrupt the two who were slapping each other again. “After the New Year, my mother will go abroad with my grandparents. If I tell her now, my mother won’t leave with peace of mind. I don’t want to be a hindrance.”

Osamu: “…”

Atsumu: “…What? It’s because of that reason?” He muttered in a low voice.

Osamu then gestured to Taka, “You’re welcome to hit him. It doesn’t matter if you accidentally kill him, just bury him somewhere.”

“Osamu!!!”

“You’re such a pig brain, stupid Atsumu.” Osamu scolded without any politeness.

Taka watched with interest as the two brothers kicked each other and punched each other. “Atsumu-kun, what’s your answer?”

Atsumu coughed violently. Osamu had just stuffed a large mouthful of yokan into him, and he had almost fainted from the sweetness. After a long while, he said stubbornly, “Do I have to teach you the seven words you have to say when asking for someone’s help?!”

Even if he deliberately raised his eyebrows and lowered his voice at this time, it had no deterrent effect at all. Instead, it had a strange and cute feeling of being clawed by a cat. Taka curled his fingers, wanting to use his mobile phone to leave this interesting scene. But in the end, he regrettably gave up. “Please, do me a favor.”

Atsumu’s face turned red. “Th-then there’s no way! I’ll keep it a secret for you!”

Osamu next to him said coldly, “Stupid pig.”

“Damn you! Do you really think I won’t resist?!”

The Miya brothers really kept their promise and didn’t mention this episode to anyone. It’s just that Atsumu and Osamu always liked to run to the Tsurumi’s house in the following days. Osamu purely came to sponge off Mrs. Tsurumi’s and Mrs. Kokonoe’s handmade desserts; Atsumu secretly brought all kinds of strange-tasting food from home, or brought the sauces from the kitchen, expectantly feeding them and asking if they could taste anything this time.

Taka refused to taste these seasonings that looked like they had been randomly mixed together by Atsumu. He sincerely suggested that Atsumu first take a class before entering the kitchen. This suggestion was strongly supported by Osamu.

In this way, the people who kept the common secret became closer and closer.

Taka learned that the Miya brothers both played volleyball—”Speaking of which, it seems like a lot of people around me play volleyball. Isn’t this a bit abnormal?” he complained to Osamu one day.

Atsumu lazily hummed. “Then why don’t you play?”

Taka thought for a long time. “Because I came into contact with tennis first.”

He didn’t mention his past, skillfully bypassing the topic. Osamu didn’t ask further questions, he was at least better than Atsumu at grasping the difference in interpersonal relationships. “How about this?” Osamu pointed to the knee pads in the sports goods store. “The latest model, it’s not bad to give as a gift.”

Mrs. Miya drove Atsumu and Osamu out to send New Year’s cards, and as soon as they were swept out the door, they skillfully made a turn, knocked on the door of the Tsurumi’s house, and insisted on dragging Taka out to go with them.

Taka originally planned to refuse, but Mrs. Tsurumi had already smiled and brought a coat after letting the two brothers in. Looking at his mother’s expression, Taka had no choice but to resign himself to his fate, put on the coat, and went out with them.

After sending the New Year’s cards, the two brothers then turned into the sports goods store on the nearby shopping street with a clear goal. The store owner hadn’t finished saying “Welcome”, but his head swelled when he saw the Miya brothers. “Don’t fight this time!” He slapped the table, but after all, he still helplessly let them in amidst Atsumu’s repeated begging.

Atsumu ran to the shoe area as soon as he entered the store, and Taka and Osamu followed behind him. “Last time? You fought here?”

Osamu recalled it very reluctantly and perfunctorily. “Ah, I think so. I remember dog-Atsumu snatched my braised fish…”

Taka couldn’t help but laugh. “Is that so?”

Osamu didn’t know what he was thinking and gave him a suspicious look. Taka shrugged and changed the subject. “If you play volleyball, you should know what kind of New Year’s gift is better to give to a friend who plays volleyball?”

“Are you going to give me and dog-Atsumu gifts?”

“…It’s my childhood friend in Miyagi.” Taka made a surrender gesture. “As for you, Osamu, what do you want?”

“Can you give me whatever I want?” Osamu didn’t believe it. “Then I want the stars?”

“Hey, don’t give me a hard time.” Taka smiled, refusing to be pushed around, and then urged, “Think quickly.”

“…Why don’t you ask Atsumu?”

“Osamu is more reliable than Atsumu.”

This flattery was really wonderful. Osamu felt refreshed and energetic. He walked around the store with his hands behind his back, looking like he knew what he was doing, and chatted for a few words before pointing to the knee pads and suggesting that he give this.

He chose a pair of black knee pads, which were the McDavid brand, had better impact resistance, were adjustable, and had small ventilation holes. At this time, Atsumu, who was wandering over from the other end of the store, interrupted their conversation. “What are you doing?” he said dissatisfied. “I thought you two left me and ran away.”

Osamu didn’t miss any opportunity to mock his brother, and immediately ridiculed. “Are you so afraid of being alone? You need someone to accompany you? How lame.”

“What did you say, bastard Osamu!”

The two started glaring at each other again at the slightest disagreement, and wanted to rush at each other after rolling up their sleeves. Taka had already caught sight of the store owner, who was glaring at them. So, with practiced ease, he grabbed one of them by the collar with one hand and pulled them in opposite directions.

“You don’t want to be kicked out, do you?” He was extremely kind, and at this moment, he suddenly felt like Iwaizumi, “Behave, okay?”

Atsumu, “…Okay.”

Osamu: “Hmph.”

After releasing the two who had settled down, Taka smiled apologetically at the store owner, who was about to rush over and drive the two little rascals next to him out, and then replied to Atsumu, “I was asking Osamu what’s a good gift to give.”

“How would stupid-Osamu know?” Atsumu reacted and stared at the knee pads in front of them. “Is this what you chose? It’s so tacky that it’s not surprising at all.”

Osamu: “…”

Taka: “Hold on, Osamu. It’ll be even more embarrassing if we get kicked out.”

Osamu sneered gloomily. “Then can you pick out something better?”

Atsumu was so proud that his nose was about to point to the sky. “You wait and see, Osamu, what I pick will definitely be better than what you picked.”

Osamu simply stood and waited for him. How could he not know this guy? After all, twins still had some strange commonalities. As expected, Atsumu turned around twice, and the knee pads he picked out were exactly the same as his except for the color.

“This is different!” Atsumu argued, “The white ones are much more conspicuous than the black ones!”

“White gets dirty easily! And what do you need to be so conspicuous for on the court! You show-off bastard!”

“Ha?! If I play well, everyone will pay attention to me!”

No one could convince the other, so they turned around angrily and called the referee. “Taka! What do you think?!”

As a result, only the store owner glanced at them impatiently, and the other person who was standing here had disappeared. “He went to look at the shoes.” The store owner replied after being asked.

Going to the shoe area to find someone, they ran into Taka, who was carrying several shoes and reporting the shoe sizes to the store owner. After doing all this, Taka turned around. “Have you two finished choosing?”

Immediately put the dissatisfaction behind them. “Which one do you think is better?!” They asked in unison.

“They’re both good.” Taka said perfunctorily, and simply asked the store owner to pack up what they had chosen. “It’s not like it’s being bought for me, it depends on whether the person who receives the gift likes it or not, right?”

Atsumu and Osamu had no choice but to agree to use the recipient’s evaluation to determine the winner.

Seeing that they were no longer arguing, Taka waved his hands and asked them to come over and pick out gifts for themselves. “If you don’t want sports goods, you can go to the mall again.” he said, “New Year’s gifts, everyone gets one.”

Mrs. Tsurumi gave most of the alimony and compensation she won to Taka, hoping that he would at least have enough money in his hands in the country. And this rich and powerful style made the two brothers stunned and bewildered.

Taka went to swipe his card, and the two who were left in place looked at his back.

“So cool.” Atsumu murmured.

Osamu agreed. “Yeah.”