Tsumugi Tsukioka/Warm Winter's Taste

Home-Made Mulled Wine

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2

Izumi	Tasuku-san and Tsumugi-san, which play are you going to watch on the weekend?
Tasuku	I plan to go watch the show called “Under the Bright Red Apple Tree” that’s playing in the neighbouring town.
Izumi	Ah, I was interested in that one too.
	Please let me know your impression when you see it!
Tasuku	Yeah, sure thing.
	What are you going to go watch, Tsumugi?
Tsumugi	I wanted to watch the play called “The Present from the Sea”—.
	*ring, ring*
	Huh? It’s from grandma.
	Excuse me, I’m going to step out for a bit.
	Hello, why the call this time?
Tsumugi’s grandmother	“Sorry for calling so suddenly. Actually, Zabi-chan is listless and not feeling well…"
Tsumugi	Ehh, Zabi is!?
Tsumugi’s grandmother	“That’s right. So, I was wondering if you could come by to see him tomorrow.”
Tsumugi	Sure, I understand. I’ll go home tomorrow.
	See you then…
	*hangs up*
Tasuku	What’s wrong, your face is pale.
	Did something happen with Zabi?
Tsumugi	Yeah… Apparently, his condition doesn’t look very good.
	They want me to go see him.
Izumi	(That reminds me, Tsumugi-san said before that Zabi is his grandfather’s dog…)
	You’re worried, right?
Tsumugi	Yes…
Tasuku	Oi, are you ok?
Tsumugi	…Yeah, more or less.
Tasuku	You don’t look like you’re alright.
Izumi	I’m worried too so I’d like to go with you but I’m helping out another Theatre troupe tomorrow…
Tsumugi	Ah, no! I’m fine going by myself.
	Sorry for making you worry.
Tasuku	…Then I’ll go with you.
	Since I’m worried about Zabi too.
Tsumugi	Tasuku… Thanks.
	*ding dong*
Tsumugi’s grandmother	Welcome home, Tsumu-chan.
	Oh my, you’re with Taa-chan too? Welcome.
Zabi	Woof woof!
Tsumugi	Ehh?
Tasuku	Zabi looks fine, huh?
Tsumugi	Are you ok, Zabi?
Zabi	Woof!
Tsumugi’s grandmother	He apparently just had an upset stomach and then recovered completely in the morning.
	I’m sorry for troubling you.
Tsumugi	Was that what happened!?
Tasuku	Well that's great he’s feeling better now.
Tsumugi	Yeah, I’m relieved.
Tasuku	Zabi, if you’re feeling better now, wanna play some soccer again?
Zabi	Woof woof!
Tasuku	Haha, you want to play, huh?
	—You still have the ball, right, Tsumugi?
Tsumugi	Yeah, I think it’s in the same spot as usual but…
Tasuku	Then I’ll go get it.
	Wait for me, Zabi.
Tsumugi’s grandmother	I’ll brew some tea too.
Tsumugi	Yeah, thank you.
	…Zabi, are you ok playing soccer even though you’re recovering?
Zabi	Woof!
Tsumugi	I see, that’s great then.
Tasuku	Let’s go, Zabi!
	There!
	*kicks ball*
Tsumugi	(I was worried about him since he just got sick and he’s getting old too…)
Zabi	Woof woof!
Tsumugi	(But I guess it’s alright since Zabi looks like he’s having fun.)
Tsumugi’s grandmother	How does Zabi-chan’s condition look?
Tsumugi	There’s no change.
	He’s having fun playing soccer with Tasuku.
Tsumugi’s grandmother	He’s happy to play with Taa-chan for the first time in a while, huh?
	He really wasn’t eating well so I was worried, but I’m glad he’s feeling better now.
Tsumugi	That’s true. I’m relieved too.
	More importantly, grandma, you’re rubbing your arms—aren’t you cold…?
	We’re going to play with Zabi for a little longer so you should head inside.
Tsumugi’s grandmother	Yes, I’ll do that.
	You’re not cold, Tsumu-chan?
Tsumugi	I’m fine.
	Not just Zabi, be careful about your health too, grandma.
Tsumugi’s grandmother	You're right, I’ll be careful.
	—The tea is ready so please come inside soon as well, you two.
Tsumugi	Yeah, got it.
	…
	We’ll get going then.
Tasuku	Sorry for intruding.
Tsumugi’s grandmother	Come again, you two.
	…Ah, I didn’t have any snacks today.
	Even though I always give them to you, sorry about that.
Tsumugi	Ahaha, no worries.
Tsumugi’s grandmother	Tsumu-chan and Taa-chan, stay well, both of you.
Tasuku	You too, grandma.
Tsumugi	Then, until next time.

Izumi	Welcome back, you two!
	How was Zabi?
Tsumugi	He’s recovered completely.
	Apparently, it looked like he just had an upset stomach.
Tasuku	He was feeling well enough to play soccer, so there’s no need to worry.
Izumi	I’m glad he’s feeling better!
Tsumugi	However…
Izumi	What’s wrong?
Tsumugi	I’m a little worried about my grandmother…
	Even though she was pretty bundled up, she seemed awfully cold.
Tasuku	Ahh, come to think of it, she was rubbing her arms the whole time.
Izumi	It’s been really cold these days so you’re worried, right?
Tsumugi	Yes. I wish there was something I could do for my grandmother, but…
Izumi	In that case, how about making mulled wine?
	Your body warms up a lot when you add spices to it.
Tasuku	Mulled wine, huh?
	Seasonally, it might be perfect.
Izumi	I drank some mulled wine at the Christmas market in the neighbouring city, and thanks to that, my body warmed right up even though I was outside.
Tsumugi	It’s good that you were warm even when you were outside.
	Ah, but I wonder if I’ll be able to make it…
Izumi	Guy-san knows the recipe so I think he’d teach you if you ask him.
Tasuku	That reminds me, he was testing out making mulled wine to add to his shop.
Tsumugi	Oh, really?
	Alright then, I’ll try asking Guy-san.
Izumi	Since you’re going out of your way, maybe I should learn too.
Tsumugi	Then how about we head to where Guy-san is together?
Guy	I’ll be teaching you how to make mulled wine now.
	Making it non-alcoholic is fine, right?
Tsumugi	Yes, please go ahead.
Izumi	We’re ready to learn!
Guy	Then first, let’s start by choosing the spices and fruits to put into it.
	With this, it’s finished.
Izumi	That was easier than I thought.
Tsumugi	This way, I think I’ll be able to make it any time for my grandmother.
	Thank you very much.
Guy	That’s great then.
	Do you want to try drinking a little?
Izumi	I wanna try!
Tsumugi	I’ll have some too.
	…It’s really delicious.
	It feels like I’m warming up from the core of my body.
Izumi	It’s non-alcoholic, plus we added the spices in moderation so it’s easy so drink, right?
Guy	We made a lot, so how about you take the rest back to Tsukioka’s home?
	You can just reheat it to drink it, and the wine will keep for about one week.
Tsumugi	Then I’ll take your word for it and bring it over right away tomorrow.
Izumi	I’d like to meet your grandmother for the first time in a while, so is it alright if I go with you too?
Tsumugi	Yes, please do.
	I’m sure she'll be happy too.
Izumi	The wind is cold today, huh?
Tsumugi	You’re right. Shall we drink some mulled wine with alcohol in it when we get home?
Izumi	It’s even colder today and the mulled wine tastes really good, so I think we’ll drink even more.
Tsumugi	I understand what you mean.
	Everyone else might drink some too so let’s make a lot.
	*ding dong*
Tsumugi’s grandmother	Yeees.
	—My, what’s this?
Tsumugi	We made mulled wine for you, grandma, so we brought it over.
	Director came with me today too.
Izumi	Good afternoon.
Tsumugi’s grandmother	Good afternoon, I’m happy you came by again.
	By the way, mulled wine is?
Tsumugi	It’s made by adding things like spices to wine and heating it up, and it really warms your body up so try drinking it.
Izumi	It’s non-alcoholic so I think it’s easy to drink, and you can also drink it by simply reheating it, so please do.
Tsumugi’s grandmother	Is that so? Thank you, you two.
	Since you’re here, would you like to come in?
Tsumugi	Oh, no. We just came here to hand this over, so we’ll be going back now.
Tsumugi’s grandmother	Oh, really? That’s too bad.
	Ah, right. Can you wait a moment?
Tsumugi	Sure, no problem.
Tsumugi’s grandmother	Yes, here.
	The same snack as usual just arrived earlier.
	Please eat them if you’d like.
	This here is Taa-chan’s share.
Izumi	Thank you very much.
Tsumugi	Thanks as always, grandma.
Tsumugi’s grandmother	You two, please come visit again, alright?
Izumi	Yes!
Tsumugi	Yeah, I got it.
	Then, we’ll be off.
	These are fortune cookies, but they’ve always been mysteriously accurate.
	Director, why don’t we eat one right now?
Izumi	Thank you very much.
	Alright, I’ll have one then.
Tsumugi	Here you go.
	I guess I’ll choose this one.
Izumi	Since we’re both eating, why don’t we open them together?
Tsumugi	Yeah, sounds good.
	Let’s do that.
CHOICE 1: I can’t to see what’s written. [+] Izumi I can’t wait to see what’s written. Tsumugi This kind of thing takes you back to your childhood and it’s a bit exciting, right? Izumi What’s more, it usually hits the mark, right? Tsumugi That’s right. There’s something like a word of advice written inside, but it’s accurate a lot of the time… So I really try to keep these cookies’ advice in mind. Izumi It’s that accurate, huh? That makes me all the more excited to open it! Tsumugi Ahaha, I’m glad Director’s having fun too.
CHOICE 2: I hope I get a good one! [+] Izumi If possible, I hope I get a good one! Like “Great Fortune” or something… Tsumugi Ah, what’s written inside the cookie is more like a specific word of advice. Izumi Oh, is that how it is? Then I’m looking forward to opening it even more! Tsumugi If the advice inside Director’s cookie doesn't turn out to be very good, you can switch with mine. Well, that's what I say but that doesn’t mean I’ll get anything good… Izumi Tsumugi-san, thank you very much. But it’s fine if we don’t switch! Tsumugi Oh, really? Izumi Yeah! You said it’s really accurate, so I think I’ll cherish the advice that came to me.
Tsumugi	Ok, shall we open them?
	One, two…
	*opens*
	“Be careful not to overdrink”…?
Izumi	Eh, they’re the same!?
Tsumugi	It looks like it. Even though were just talking about drinking mulled wine when we got home…
Izumi	Advice that sounds like it was listening to our conversation…
	What are the chances, huh?
	If we drink too much we might cause trouble for those around us again, or something bad might happen…
Tsumugi	In that case, we really have to be careful not to overdrink…
Izumi	Yeah, let's watch out for each other...

Anna