Hit by a double whammy, Hiratsuka Shizuka collapsed to the ground with no regard for her image.
No~
Feeling her pain, Natsuki even wanted to find her a copy of "A Cut Plum" (a famous Chinese song about heartbreak) to listen to.
“Big sister, are you hungry~~”
Just then, a voice calling "Big sister" pulled her out of her self-pity. Hiratsuka Shizuka looked up to see a cute little girl standing before her. It was the siomai vendor's sister.
An angelic voice rang out in Hiratsuka Shizuka's ears.
“Big sister, are you hungry? Here's a siomai for you.”
The little girl's voice was sweet. She thought Hiratsuka Shizuka had collapsed from hunger, as she understood the feeling of an empty stomach all too well. Besides, she recognized this big sister, who had helped her tie her bow yesterday. She couldn't let her go hungry.
“Little sister, I'm alright. This is your breakfast, right? What will you eat if you give it to me?”
“We had breakfast at home,” the little girl said with a cheerful smile, patting her round little belly.
“This siomai is a gift from a beautiful big sister. I even made it myself.”
Sunlight rose behind the little girl, and for a moment, Hiratsuka Shizuka thought she saw an angel.
“Then let's each have half, okay!”
Hiratsuka Shizuka smiled and picked up the siomai to feed the little girl first.
The little girl thought for a moment and nodded, “Okay~ Big sister eats too~~”
The two of them began to eat the siomai together.
The little girl's eyes lit up with the first bite, her brother’s food was always delicious.
A happy smile spread across her face. The most important thing was that this was the first time she had shared her food with someone else, and it felt even better than eating it herself.
“It's so good~”
Hiratsuka Shizuka finished the remaining siomai in one bite.
The siomai’s outer skin was thin and chewy, with a full and flavorful filling.
With one bite, the savory filling and the texture of the glutinous rice intermingled in her mouth, the rich aroma and delicious taste blossomed on her taste buds, like a symphony of flavors playing on her palate.
Even though it was just glutinous rice siomai with a small amount of meat filling, the taste was salty, fragrant, and smooth, not a bit inferior to the golden ratio siomai.
Instead, they had their own unique deliciousness.
The siomai had been sitting out for a while, so it wasn't as hot anymore, but it still felt warm and cozy after eating.
Most importantly, it was from the cute angel little sister. Delicious food plus kindness, a double healing, Hiratsuka Shizuka felt like she'd been transported from hell to heaven in an instant.
Hiratsuka Shizuka squatted in front of the little girl and finished the half siomai.
She savored the aftertaste, then
Hiratsuka Shizuka pulled out a tissue and wiped the little girl’s mouth. “Little sister, big sister’s name is Hiratsuka Shizuka, what’s your name?”
“Big sister, I’m called Binchōtan~ I work here with my brother.”
The little girl tilted her head obediently, letting Hiratsuka Shizuka fuss over her. She loved the feeling of her big sister wiping her mouth.
“Hahaha, working already, you're such a great little girl.”
“Yeah yeah, big sister, I can work hard. Lots of people and brother praise me.”
“Binchōtan, your shoes are really cute today. Don't wear them to play outside from now on, okay?”
“Okay okay, my brother bought them for me yesterday. They are so warm.”
The two of them talked happily, connecting with their shared cuteness, until Natsuki called the little girl back.
“Tan-tan, I'm going home~”
“Okay, brother. Big sister, we are going home now. Goodbye, big sister.”
On the way home, the little girl was giggling, happier than she had been yesterday.
She had never had this experience before. Sharing food with others was even more enjoyable than eating it herself. This must be why her brother set up his stall and sold food. I'll be a chef and set up a stall like my brother when I grow up.
#@#
Time quickly passed to noon,
The trio of the Service Club met again in the activity room.
But while the two girls enjoyed their bento lunches and siomai, Hiratsuka Shizuka could only sadly munch on a sandwich and coffee.
“Teacher, why are you late today? Didn't you get any siomai from the boss?”
“I'm telling you, the siomai today was so good! The boss made two new flavors. They were so delicious.”
Yui’s voice was full of excitement, and she had a lingering look of satisfaction after finishing her words.
Hiratsuka Shizuka smiled lightly. Who said I didn't get any siomai? I bet mine was the most delicious.
“The glutinous rice flavor, I know. I had some too.”
“By the way, did you guys see the boss's sister today? What do you think, she's cute, right?” She winked and looked at them.
Yui nodded in agreement, “The little sister was indeed cute and very well-behaved. She even helped her brother set up the tables and chairs. I wanted to help but she didn't let me.”
“Haha, I told you. You don't know, the little sister has a very special name, called.....”
Yukino spoke up calmly, “Binchōtan, we know.”
“Ah, really?”
“We saw the little sister this morning, she was so cute, we couldn’t help but tease her a bit. Now we are friends. We even added her brother's LINE and made plans to go buy a dog to surprise her after school.”
“She likes dogs, huh? Wait for me after class, I'm going too.”
“Huh?” Yui looked at her questioningly. Wasn't the teacher afraid of small animals?
Hiratsuka Shizuka said resolutely, “How can a teacher be at ease when such a cute student and socialite go shopping together? Of course I'm going too.”
“Cut it out, Teacher just wants to play with the little sister,” Yukino couldn’t help but be sarcastic. “You're so old, you have time for little sisters, why don't you try to date the boss, Summer? Then we'd have endless siomai.”
“......” Hiratsuka Shizuka was stunned for a moment, it didn't seem like a bad idea.