Stone World's Chef

Chapter 3; New Glasses

Jyūoku yawned. The Ginrou boy showed up again, smelling like tears. They had a productive day of foraging. Mugwort, wild radishes, wild chervil, raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, wild garlic, wild leeks, matsutake, fiddlehead ferns, and shimeji mushrooms. Lotus, mint, and butterbur still evaded her.

Jyūoku - "I don't mean to be rude, but how long are we staying out here? I'm freezing my ass off. I want to see my Sen-chan."

She was starting to get pissed.

Gen - "Apologies dear Jyūoku-chan. Ginrou-chan will carry the deer back to the village."

Ginrou - "What?! Why me?!"

Gen - "Because our lovely Jyūoku-chan can't navigate through the dark, even with my help. Kinrou-chan will have to carry her."

Ginrou - "Oh yeah, I forgot she had the fuzzy eye sickness. Don't worry Jyūoku! Senku can make you glasses, like he did for Suika and Kinrou!"

Jyūoku was swept off her feet suddenly. She panicked and held onto her bag tightly.

Gen - "It's okay, don't panic Jyūoku-chan. We're just going back to the village."

Jyūoku laid her head in the crook of Kinrou's neck. She was more tired than she thought.

<~>

Senku - "Onee-chan! Where's that old man?"

Nine year old Jyūoku was in the kitchen preparing to make ramen for dinner. Even at eight years old she was a better cook than her father, Tall too, at five foot three inches. Senku was the opposite, smaller than most of his age group at two foot three inches. Jyūoku loved their height difference and it only made her baby him further. Senku didn't mind as long as their father didn't try to do the same thing. Jyūoku was his favorite so she got special treatment and while he loved his father dearly, he would never get the same privilege.

Jyūoku - "He went to the store, Sen-chan. I needed some miso paste and some shiitake to finish dinner."

Senku - "I like teriyaki shiitake."

Jyūoku put the lid back on her pot and lifted her three year old baby brother on her hip.

Jyūoku - "Did you get into my candy drawer again?"

Senku averted his eyes.

Senku - "No..."

Jyūoku - "Then why is there chocolate all over your tiny cheeks?"

Senku - "What?!"

Senku rubbed at his face to try and hide the chocolate, but only smeared it more. Jyūoku laughed and sat Senku on the counter near the sink. A wet rag was gently rubbed over his face to clean up the melted chocolate.

Senku - "Onee-chan, I want grilled onions with my ramen today."

Jyūoku - "I thought you didn't like onions~"

Senku - "Hmph, I like Onee-chan's cooking so I will like Onee-chan's grilled onions!"

Jyūoku - "Okay, sweet boy."

Senku jumped off the counter and ran to the fridge and started trying to pull the fridge open. Jyūoku crept up behind him and picked him up from behind while tickling his sides. Senku screeched and tried to squirm away from his big sister's merciless tickling. She eventually did have mercy and lifted him to sit on her shoulders. She took an onion and two cherry tomatoes from the fridge.