Back in the kitchen, Miyu laid out the ingredients: the katsuobushi tin, the shiso leaves, a bundle of fresh spring onions, a slab of pork belly that Okaasan had once saved for a special occasion, and a jar of miso that smelled of fermented soy and distant rain.

Possible interpretations and uses

: Derived from the verb itadaku , it literally refers to receiving something from a superior, historically accompanied by raising the gift above one's head.

One evening, as the sky blushed pink and orange, Miyu discovered a folded piece of parchment tucked inside the drawer of the old pantry. It was a handwritten recipe, the ink slightly faded, the characters elegant yet hurried: The last line read, “When you are ready, eat with the gratitude of your mother.”