Across the stone bridge, the smell of frying oil drifted from the eaves of the fried-food shop.
Kopo sat on the embankment stones, staring fixedly in that one direction. It was the evening of the last day of the spring holidays, and an easy breeze came drifting from Dragon God’s Lake, stirring the new buds of the weeping cherry. The smell of oil pushed in like waves, tugging at his nose.
“Kopo. You’ve been staring that way for thirty minutes straight.”
Mocchi, carrying a load, stopped as he passed by.
“…I was thinking strategically.”
“You call doing the math on croquette prices in your head ‘strategy’?”
Accurate. Kopo had no comeback.
“It’s not that I want to lose weight or anything,” he said, plucking at the grass. “But if I eat one every day, I feel like… I don’t know, like someone who’s not got their act together.”
“Who’s watching?”
“…No one.”
“Then let’s go.”
Mocchi didn’t set his load down; he simply started walking toward the bridge. No reasons, no conditions attached. Just those three words — “let’s go” — and Kopo was already on his feet.
They lined up in front of the fried-food shop and each received two, fresh from the fryer. With the sound of the frying still ringing in his ears, Kopo took a bite. Hot, soft, the sweetness of the potato spreading across his tongue for a while.
“Good.”
“Told you.”
On the dusk -colored stone bridge, the smell of frying oil lingered faintly. Holding the other half of his croquette, Kopo felt, just a little, like he’d grown taller.
Margin note: That night, Kopo pinned a note reading “No Diet Declaration” to his bedroom wall. The next morning it had fallen to the floor. As for why it came unstuck, he has his suspicions .
【Today’s Motif】
- Croquette Day (May 6th): Established by Nichirei, from the wordplay “ko(5) ro(6) kke” (croquette). A day celebrating the everyday happiness of something freshly fried.
- International No Diet Day (May 6th): An international observance promoting body positivity and questioning diet culture. A day to declare : “today, it’s fine to just be yourself.”
- The last day of Golden Week 2026: A substitute holiday for Children’s Day. The evening where the end of the holidays meets the start of ordinary life.
This is an English translation of “揚げたての誓い”, part of Tales of Amencho Town (蛙鳴町奇譚).
