Three Dangos

As Izumi Kotomi left the school building, she happened to see Megumi Kato walking towards her.

"It seems like I left the library at just the right time. Did you draw anything today in the art club, Izumi-san?" Megumi Kato asked with a smile after approaching Izumi Kotomi.

"Not today. I ended up chatting with the president of the art club, and before I knew it, the time had flown by. By the time we finished talking, the bell signaling the end of club activities had already rung," Izumi Kotomi replied as she walked out of the school with Megumi Kato.

"Oh? Who's the president of the art club? Is it a boy or a girl? What did you two talk about?"

"Are you really that curious, Kato-san?"

"Yes, very curious," Megumi Kato answered without a hint of hesitation, as if that was her genuine thought. Then, she turned to Izumi Kotomi and chuckled softly. "I'm just a bit curious about what you and the art club president talked about."

Hearing Megumi Kato's response, Izumi Kotomi then shared the details of her conversation with Naegi Hibiki, which was mainly about the Tokyo University National Youth Painting Award. Even if Megumi Kato hadn't asked, Izumi Kotomi would have told her anyway.

"The Tokyo University National Youth Painting Award? I've heard of that before. It's a painting award co-hosted by Tokyo University and Kyoto University, specifically for students. It's said that winning the award comes with a 200,000 yen prize and a guaranteed spot at university. Are you planning to participate, Izumi-san?"

"Yes, because opportunities to secure a guaranteed spot at university don't come by often. If I miss this one, there's a good chance I won't have another opportunity like this throughout high school."

Izumi Kotomi shared her thoughts. She hadn't considered the possibility of securing a guaranteed spot at university before, because she hadn't had such an opportunity until now. With this chance available, she wasn't going to let it slip by.

"Every year, many talented art students, especially high school students, apply for the Tokyo University National Youth Painting Award. After all, the chance to secure a spot at a prestigious university is very tempting for any student. If you want to win, Izumi-san, you'll have to work really hard," Megumi Kato said encouragingly.

"Of course, I know that. But I won't back down just because there are many competitors. No matter the outcome, if I don't participate, then there's no chance of any result at all. That's how I see it, which is why I chose to sign up for the award."

"Then I'll definitely be cheering for you in my heart, Izumi-san!" Megumi Kato shook her clenched fists up and down, cheering on Izumi Kotomi.

As they reached an intersection, Izumi Kotomi suddenly remembered that she had planned to visit the Dango Cake Shop in the morning.

"Oh right, Kato-san, I want to take a small detour to the Dango Cake Shop to buy some cakes. Would you like to come with me?"

"Of course, I'll go."

"It won't take too much of your time, will it?"

"I'm free every day," Megumi Kato replied with a slight smile. She then gently tugged on Izumi Kotomi's sleeve and said, "The light's green. Let's hurry to the Dango Cake Shop."

Because the Dango Cake Shop was a bit out of the way, it took them an extra ten minutes to get there. When they finally arrived at the shop's entrance, they saw Yui Yuigahama, who had changed into her shop uniform and was standing at the cash register, counting money and putting it into the cash box.

"Yuigahama-san," Izumi Kotomi greeted her.

Hearing Izumi Kotomi's voice, Yui Yuigahama looked up and smiled happily. "Izumi-san, Kato-san, welcome! Did you two just get back from school?"

Yui Yuigahama had already been home for almost an hour, while Izumi Kotomi and Megumi Kato were still wearing their Sobu High School uniforms, which made Yui Yuigahama curiously ask.

"Izumi-san stays at school for an extra hour every day after school to participate in art club activities. I think it's a bit boring to walk home alone, so I also spend an hour in the school library after school doing homework, waiting for Izumi-san's club activities to end," Megumi Kato explained.

"Do you and Izumi-san live close to each other?"

"Not only close, but it's also on the way," Izumi Kotomi said as she was selecting cakes.

"But does Izumi-san like to draw? That's something my mom enjoys too. When my mom has some time off, she likes to draw as well. The shop's logo was personally designed by my mom," Yui Yuigahama said, pointing to the two dangos on her bakery apron.

"These two dangos are so cute," Izumi Kotomi said, a bit surprised that Yuigahama's mother could draw. But the cute dangos quickly captured Izumi Kotomi's attention.

Seeing the two dangos, Izumi Kotomi couldn't help but recall one of her favorite songs from her previous life, "Dango Daikazoku."

"Huh? Did you also mistake them, Izumi-san?" Yui Yuigahama couldn't help but laugh after hearing Izumi Kotomi's comment.

"Mistake?" Izumi Kotomi asked, puzzled by Yui Yuigahama's words.

"Hahaha, before, the shop's logo was often mistaken for two dangos, but actually, it's not just two dangos; it's three," Yui Yuigahama explained while pointing to the top of the light pink dango.

Izumi Kotomi squatted down and looked closely, finally realizing that there was a small orange dango on top of the light pink dango.

There weren't just two dangos; there were three.

"There are actually three dangos! I hadn't noticed before," Megumi Kato said in surprise when she saw it.

"It's understandable. The large orange dango represents my mom, the light pink dango represents me, and the tiny orange dango represents my sister. When my mom was drawing it, she was focused on drawing the dangos as she envisioned them, without considering the size. That's why the third dango looks so tiny. My sister Yuka has complained about it quite a bit," Yui Yuigahama said with a laugh, as if the mention of the third dango reminded her of her sister.

"Yui, the egg tarts are ready. Place them in the number two cabinet. We're also running low on paper bags for the baguettes, so grab some more from the storage... Oh? Kato-san, welcome! And who is this cute girl with white hair?"

At that moment, Yui Yuigahama's mother came out from the kitchen. Seeing Izumi Kotomi, she asked with great interest.

"Mom, this is also a friend from my class, Izumi Kotomi."

"Izumi Kotomi. Just hearing the name makes me imagine the sound of the koto resonating over a blue ocean. What a beautiful name, Izumi-san," Yui Yuigahama's mother said with a smile.

"You're too kind, Auntie. My sister bought some of your Baumkuchen before, and it was so delicious that I asked her which cake shop made such a delicious cake. When I found out today that this shop is called Dango Cake Shop and that it's run by Yuigahama-san's family, I came over right away to buy another piece of Baumkuchen and a chiffon cake."

"It's the greatest joy for a pastry chef when someone enjoys their cakes. I've heard from Yui that you don't like chocolate, right? Today's chiffon cake comes in several flavors besides chocolate, like fruit and matcha," Yui Yuigahama's mother said, her face naturally lighting up with a bright smile.

For a moment, Izumi Kotomi found herself stunned, her heart beating a little faster.

She wanted to shout out: "Auntie, I like you!"