The Silver Screen Couple and a Touch of Ketchup
Episode 3: The Smell of Dumplings and the Bus Trip
"Well then, what about that company bus trip back when we worked at the same office?"
Shigeo raised his voice a notch higher, determined to redeem his dignity.
"Remember the bus ride heading to Atami? You looked so incredibly nervous sitting next to me, so I acted like a perfect gentleman, speaking softly to help you relax."
"In that very moment, you must have fallen head over heels for my sophisticated charm."
Tracing her finger along a faded travel itinerary pasted in the album, Shizu fired back instantly.
"A perfect gentleman? Gentlemen do not eat garlic dumplings for breakfast!"
"You didn't speak softly to help me relax. You barged onto the bus with literally one minute to spare, drenched in sweat!"
"Then you dumped your heavy bags and slammed yourself down into the only empty seat left—which happened to be right next to mine!"
"On top of that, the smell of the dumplings you had just eaten was overwhelming. For the entire trip, I could think of nothing else but clawing that window open!"
Shigeo blinked blankly, cupping his hand over his hearing aid.
"Eh? What's that? The dumplings tasted great?"
"I said the smell! In those days, tourist buses drove on unpaved gravel roads, so it rattled and shook terribly!"
"Every time the bus bumped, the aroma of garlic dumplings rushed straight toward my face. I felt more dead than alive!"
Shizu gestured with both hands, mimicking the struggle of opening an old-fashioned bus window.
"Desperate, I tried to open the window, but those old analog bus windows were so heavy they wouldn't budge an inch."
"As I was huffing and puffing, pulling at the metal frame with a flushed face, you looked at me and said:"
"'Shizu-san, are you getting all hot and bothered just from being this close to me?'"
"Honestly, I was so dumbfounded my jaw nearly hit the floor!"
Shigeo chuckled, rubbing his chest playfully.
"Ah, did I say that? I suppose I was just excited, feeling like a schoolboy on a field trip."
"I was only trying my best to get closer to you. But you know, seeing you huffing and puffing with red cheeks was actually very endearing."
"That redness was pure heat exhaustion and dumpling fumes! Your imagination is far too vivid!"
Shizu sipped her tea with an exasperated sigh, yet her eyes wrinkled with deep nostalgia.
"But still..."
"Even though you were in such a frantic rush and practically late, I noticed the collar of your jacket was pressed perfectly flat, with not a single wrinkle."
"It was so comical, but at the same time, it made me think, 'He really went through all the trouble to dress up so neatly for me, in his own clumsy way.' It was actually a little sweet."
Shigeo nodded repeatedly in immense satisfaction.
"Exactly. A man must always keep his appearance first-class."
"Yes, yes. And your dumpling smell was certainly first-class, too."
Over the warm kotatsu, their laughter blended softly, bringing the rattling vibrations of that old Showa bus back to life in the quiet peace of the Reiwa era.
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