{Eating Hot Pot Together 2}

“Atsushi-kun, happy birthday!”

“Thank you!”

After we toasted with barley tea instead of beer, Miyu and I quickly began to enjoy the hot pot.

The pot was filled with tightly packed napa cabbage and pork belly, steaming and swirling with white vapor as it simmered to perfection.

I enjoyed it with plenty of grated daikon and chopped green onions mixed into the ponzu sauce. Since she was still recovering, Miyu had it without any condiments.

“It’s delicious!”

The moment she took a bite of the translucent, thoroughly cooked napa cabbage, she pressed her cheeks in delight.

“I’m so glad… it’s wonderful to be able to eat the hot pot deliciously again…”

I imagined that Miyu would be deeply moved by anything she ate right now. Even such a simple hot pot seemed to genuinely make her happy.

That said, the napa cabbage and pork belly hot pot, while simple, was indeed tasty. The cabbage was so tender it seemed to melt in my mouth, and the pork belly remained juicy no matter how long it was cooked. The seasonings paired well with just about anything, and adding sesame oil was also an option. In winter, I believed that simmering or steaming these two ingredients was far tastier than preparing more complicated dishes.

“I will never forget the taste of tonight’s hot pot.”

Seeing Miyu say such a thing with a serious expression made me laugh.

“That’s a bit over the top… but I’m glad it suited your taste.”

“Yup!”

It seemed her appetite had returned more than I expected. I felt relieved seeing her actively using her chopsticks.

While we ate, she started to talk a lot, almost as if to make up for the silence of the past few days.

“When should we properly celebrate your birthday, Atsushi-kun?”

“Huh, today is enough. Eating hot pot together is fun!”

“No way, we have to celebrate properly! How about soon?”

“Let’s do it once you’re feeling better. It’s not like we can eat out for a while, right?”

“How about Christmas then?”

“Hot pot on Christmas? … Well, that’s not a bad idea.”

Honestly, I hadn’t even imagined it, but there’s no culture of eating turkey, after all. It would probably be colder around Christmas than it is now, and eating hot pot to warm up could be quite nice.

“And besides, I couldn’t prepare a present.”

Miyu continued with a regretful look.

“So I thought I’d combine the budgets for your birthday and Christmas into one amazing present.”

“You don’t need to worry about that much.”

I laughed again.

Then, I started to think about what to get Miyu for Christmas. I had given her earrings for my birthday, and getting her another accessory felt a bit uncreative. Since it was winter, something warm might be a good idea.

And then it hit me; I suddenly remembered something we had talked about a while ago.

“Wait? But didn’t I say that just having a hot pot for my birthday was enough… and that I didn’t need a present?”

At least that’s what I thought I had said, and she should have been satisfied with that.

She should have been, but upon being pointed out, Miyu looked a bit flustered.

“Ah… well, actually, I was thinking of secretly preparing something…”

“But I said it was fine, right?”

“Y-yes… because it feels lonely to have nothing, and I wanted to surprise you, Atsushi-kun.”

“But you just told me now.”

“Ugh…”

Miyu looked down, clearly feeling guilty.

But then she quickly lifted her head and stared at me intently.

“Was that not okay…?”

“It’s not a problem; I’m happy.”

I shook my head and responded with a smile to her earnest gaze.

“But don’t overdo it. For today, I already received the best present.”

“Eh? From whom?”

“From you getting better. That’s the best gift of all.”

After saying that, I felt embarrassed at how cheesy it sounded.

While it was my honest feeling and the truth, saying it out loud felt trite and overly sentimental.

Yet, regardless of my awkwardness, Miyu finally relaxed her slightly fuller cheeks and smiled.

“Thank you, Atsushi-kun.”

Her bright smile made me genuinely relieved.

It might be a cheesy expression, but—truly, this turned out to be the best birthday ever.