Karasuno's Mangers: Little Ukai and The Runaway

4: She Survived on Chicken Nuggets and Fries

Mirae could hear her grandmother speaking to her mother. She tried to focus on the sound of the batter lapping in the mixing bowl, but her ears had fixated on the distinct voices.

"Two teaspoons," she muttered, reading over the recipe. She measured out the sugar and added it to the mixture. Just then, her grandmother entered the kitchen.

"Morning Grandma."

"Good morning," she smiled. Mirae stopped the mixer and waited for her grandmother to check the texture of the cake mix.

"It's perfect." The wrinkles by her eyes deepened as she smiled. "But it is missing one ingredient."

Mirae hesitated. "I followed the recipe and measured everything. What's the extra ingredient? Won't it ruin the texture or the cooking time?"

Her grandmother reached for the spices cabinet and retrieved a small bottle of dried zest. "It's a mix of lemon and orange," she explained, "We add a small amount but this extra step makes the dessert so much more enjoyable and it adds a personal touch."

She added two pinches and folded it into the batter. Once done, she emptied it into a pan and placed it into the oven.

"Thirty-five minutes, right?"

Her grandmother nodded. Once they had set the timer, they moved to the kitchen table and sat down.

"Your mother called."

Mirae poured two cups of tea. "She's doing okay?"

"She's fine. She asked to speak to you, but I told her you were at a club activity."

"I do leave in a few minutes," Mirae mumbled, thanking her grandmother for the small white lie. "I'm not ready to talk to her."

"I know." Her grandmother wrapped her hands around the tea-cup and sighed. "What she did was selfish. You can take all the time you need."

Mirae drank the ginger tea, blinking back tears. "Thank you for letting me move in."

"We're family. Your mother and father might not believe that anymore but that doesn't change our bond. Family is important," her grandmother looked up, "Say, have you talked to Rina?"

Mirae looked at her phone where the unread message was sitting in her inbox. "No."

"It was cruel of them to separate you two and when you get older, you will disagree with their excuses. You can ignore your mother, but don't ignore her, okay?" Sensing her unease, Grandma Ando changed the topic. "How are you liking your new school?"

"It's fine. I don't like the attention."

Her Grandma muttered a small prayer and blew it towards her. "There," she smiled, "the superstitious evil eye will not hurt you."

Mirae blushed. She finished her cup of tea and then grabbed her bag. "I'll be home late. The club runs until the evening." She bid her grandmother bye and walked out of the house.

When Coach Ukai told Emiko that the boys had volleyball practice at six in the morning, she nearly fainted onto her grandmother.

"Don't be so dramatic."

"I should have been Tree number 2," she muttered in skepticism. "I will not come to school that early, Uncle Keishin. It takes fifteen minutes to get to school and my class starts at 9. If I was a crazy person then yes, I would wake up for morning practice."

"You're calling me a crazy person, aren't you?" he frowned.

"You and everyone else on that team. Grand-mama save me!"