Chereads / Traveling Through Tales / Chapter 43 - Chapter 43 Accident

Chapter 43 - Chapter 43 Accident

With the day's light fading, Azi rushed home to make it in time for dinner and to obtain his long-awaited dessert. Seeing that the lights wer still on in Kajima's house, Azi rushed to the door and slide it open as he declared his presence.

"I'm home, Kajima what's for dinner!"

"Just in time boy, go get cleaned up in the bath. We are having roasted meat with some wrapped vegetable dumplings tonight."

"Were you able to obtain the dessert?" Asked Azi who looked on with expectant eyes.

Laughing, Kajima placated the boy.

"Not to worry I was able to obtain a single serving before they were all sold out."

Pointed over to the kitchen counter, Kajima indicated a small wooden container that held the dark colored pastry.

When Azi saw the wooden container, his excitement grew and without batting an eye to Kajima, he quickly made his way to the bath. Kajima laughed at the boy's child-like excitement which contrasted with his actual age.

Kajima then turned his attention back to the stove and oven. He was still in the process of cooking the roasted meat and boiling the dumpling, so his attention was quite focused and now inattentive to his surroundings.

While Kajima was distracted by his cooking and when Azi was away in the bath, Shizu had just arrived home a few minutes after Azi. With a tired expression and tone, Shizu called out the Kajima.

"Hi Uncle Kajima's, I'm home, what's for dinner?"

Kajima off handedly responded.

"Vegetable dumpling and roasted meat. Azi's in the bath and will be out shortly."

"I see." Said Shizu as she made her way to a seat at the kitchen counter. "I'm going to rest a bit so don't mind me."

Kajima responded to Shizu's statement with a nod for just a moment and returned to preparing tonight's dinner.

Shizu's recent work has been taxing on her mind as the long hours and constant reading of paperwork drained at her warrior spirit. When she was trying to rest her mind, she still had many things on her mind, one of those being the recent attacks from monsters.

So, in her paranoia, Shizu took out a few reports from her bag and began reading through them. She was looking for clues on why the monster attacks kept coming in increasing numbers. They had already set up numerous hunting parties to cull the monsters, but they seemingly kept increasing no matter how many they killed.

As she was reading, she noticed just how tired and hungry she was as it felt like a huge weight was placed on her shoulder. Since she missed out on lunch due to a meeting, with village chief Manu, that lasted all throughout the afternoon. While she did have a few snacks during the meeting, they failed to satisfy her hunger or restore her energy.

Wanting something sweet to help reenergize her, Shizu noticed the small wooden container on the kitchen counter. The mark on the wooden container was from a recognizable shop that was known for its pastries and desserts.

So Shizu, not knowing that it was for Azi, opened the wooden container and proceeded to eat the single pastry contained within. The dessert was bittersweet, which caused Shizu to grimace, but she nonetheless ate the pastry as her hunger made her cravings for something at least sweet was hard to resist.

Licking her lips and the leftover dark colored syrup from her fingers, Shizu remembered that Azi did like this bittersweet dessert immensely but could still not figure out why he would like such a bitter dessert.

Thinking about the expression of bliss Azi had when he ate this two weeks ago, she smiled and chuckled a bit in delight at memory of the cute expression he made.

He looked like a kid eating his favorite food and the few specks of dark syrup on his lips and cheeks added to the childish scene as he chewed in what looked like absolute bliss.

"Shizu!?"

Shizu's thoughts were then interrupted by outcry of a voice nearby.

She turned to the source and saw Azi with a shocked and sadden expression on his face. This befuddled Shizu as she was just imagining him with a smile on his face, to now see him with such a depressed expression confused her but after taking a moment to compose her words she responded plainly.

"What's wrong?"

To this, Azi's depressed expression deepened and in a defeated tone that seemingly made the atmosphere seem dreary, Azi responded.

"That ... was ... mine."

A tear began to form in his eye which cause Shizu to panic as she tried to figure out what he meant by his words. Seeing that Azi was directing his attention to the wooden box besides her, she looked over to the box and then her hand that had a small amount of dark syrup on her fingertips.

It soon clicked in Shizu's mind as she realized that the dessert was likely for Azi and her thought was confirmed as she heard Kajima speak out in an admonishing tone.

"Oh no, Shizu did you eat the dessert meant for Azi?"

Her face paled at this moment, and she began to sweat in her mind. Shizu was thinking of what she could say without making Azi feel worst but knew that there was no answer that could get her out of the hole she had unintentional dug herself into.

With reluctance she nodded in guilty affirmation of her crimes.

This caused Azi's shoulders to slump, and he despondently stated a single word.

"Oh." He then began to walk over to the dining table.

With a thump, Azi sat himself down in a chair like a sack of vegetables that were carelessly set down in the back of a wagon. He then tucked his head into his now crossed arms atop the table and began sulking.

Shizu watched in silence, guilt marring her face, as Azi moved over to the dining table. She turned to Kajima in desperation and asked in a whisper.

"Is there another one?"

Kajima could only shake his head side to side. He thought to himself.

'Well, this is bad. I'll have to cheer him up tomorrow. Hopefully I can get him two as an apology next week.'

"Go get seated Shizu, I'll bring the food over." Said Kajima.

Nodding, Shizu got up and sat next to Azi and attempted to cheer him up. She placed her hand on his disheveled hair and began stroking it with as much apologetic compassion as she could. She hoped to convey how sorry she was for taking something of his, but it was ineffective as Azi kept his slump posture with his head in his arms on the table.

Moving around, Kajima set the table with food, plates, and utensils. As he was moving over the last of the food over, he then grab an ornate glass bottle of dragon's liquor and told Azi.

"Not to worry Azi, I know the owner of the pastry shop. I'm sure I can get you your desert again."

This got Azi to raise his head a bit as he looked at Kajima and asked with teary eyes.

"When?"

"About a week and this time, I'll get you two."

Azi's ears perked up at the mention of two, but still felt a bit sad that he would have to wait an extra 7 days for his dessert. Sighing, Azi righted his posture in his chair and picked up his wooden chopsticks.

He began to grab some of the slices of roasted meat and dumpling from the dining table and began piling them onto his plate with a somewhat deary expression. Kajima and Shizu did the same but with concerned expressions.

The dinner continued in awkward silence as the only noise that could be heard was the chewing of food and click-clacking of utensil. Shizu thought to break the silence but hesitated as she knew that she was the main cause of the current situation.

When the dinner was halfway through, Kajima poured a cup of the dragon's liquor into a small clay shot cup and handed it to Azi with a smile.

"Here, this should help."

Looking up from his plate of food, Azi saw the amber liquid in the clay shot cup. He remembered how the amber drink was sweet in flavor so to help fulfill his sweet tooth's cravings he accepted.

Accepting the proffered alcohol with a nod, Azi down the shot of dragon's liquor in one gulp. The sweetness of the alcohol was overwhelming his taste buds bit Azi did not grimace as it was a welcome sensation to bite back at the bitterness he felt.

He knew he was being childish, but that bittersweet dessert was something he was looking forward to as it helped him remind himself of the better times of his forgotten past.

Throughout the last half of the meal, Azi had alone drank shot after shot of alcohol until the glass bottle was almost half empty. Kajima did not speak up to stop Azi as he knew that if he did, it might set Azi off into an emotional tirade.

To his surprising relief, Azi had unexpectedly fallen asleep at the table rather than becoming overly excited or rowdy from the alcohol which was unlike him from the event that took place two weeks prior. After laughing a bit at the unexpected turn of events, Kajima instructed Shizu.

"Shizu, can you get Azi to bed. While today was supposed to be when you could not sleep in the same bed as him, you can do so today as an exception. But be sure use nurse and treat him well as an apology."

Shizu petted Azi's sleeping head and nodded her head.

"Yes, I understand, just please don't tease me about this Uncle Kajima."

In response, Kajima chuckled and stated matter of factly on her current situation.

"I think Azi's teasing will be more than enough for my satisfaction."

Taking a bit of mental damage from Kajima's implication, she begrudgingly lifted Azi from his chair and carried him in a princess carry to his room.

Kajima thought to himself.

'Shizu's going to have to really pay Azi back for this. I'm sure he will forgive Shizu, but I think from now on I should be more wary of Shizu's appetite.'

This thought got a chuckle out of Kajima as he cleaned up the dining table.