Chương 56: Continuously, The World Messes with Him (2)
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The ride to Tenkaippin was a quiet affair. Yukino was not a naturally talkative person and Shizuka-chan seemed to notice that I was busy with my thoughts. I had caught her trying to strike up a conversation a couple of times only to clamp her mouth shut. You shouldn't have sat shotgun if you didn't know what to say. You could have nagged Yukino, you know. It was quite endearing seeing her behave that way, so I let her be.
We arrived at the place not long after, ending Shizuka-chan's silent suffering. The two females only got out of the car after I did. Locking the car, I walked to the ramen shop's entrance, joined by Yukino and Shizuka-chan on my sides. Upon entering the shop, we were assaulted by the smell of ramen. Yukino scrunched up her nose in dissatisfaction, contrasting with Shizuka-chan's ecstatic look.
I would have reacted the same way Shizuka-chan did if the shrimp's words weren't still ringing in my ears. Saying that I was ready to face the consequences of living as a Vampire was easier than doing it. Thinking about holding Komachi's wrinkled hand as she breathed her last breath made my heart ache. I felt like a hypocrite for telling the shrimp to move on even though I couldn't stomach an imaginary situation.
"Are you not going to order, Hikigaya?"
Shizuka-chan's question brought me out of my thoughts. "Sure…" I responded lamely. "I will have Ton-Toro-ramen."
"I will have the same too," Yukino stated.
I looked at her and quirked an eyebrow. "It has quite a strong taste for a beginner. I suggest you order Ajitama-ramen or Miso-ramen which gives you a friendlier taste." Yukino blushed, probably embarrassed that I called out her cluelessness. "I will share my ramen with you later if you still want to have a taste," I said reassuringly. Against my expectation, she blushed even deeper. What do you want, Yukinoshita Yukino?
Turning my gaze to Shizuka-chan, I asked, "What are you going to order?"
"Tenkaippin Ramen, of course!" she declared proudly.
"You could find that in any other chains outside Chiba," I pointed out. "Quite a waste in my opinion."
"That's where you got it wrong, Hikigaya. Kyoto is the birthplace of Tenkaippin. Even though you can find Tenkaippin-ramen in every chain of Tenkaippin, the one cooked by the original will be different. Think about it! What made Tenkaippin famous in the very first place? That is right! It is—"
"Excuse me, we would like to order!"
"Don't interrupt me, brat!"
Shizuka-chan glared at me with a balled-up fist. She was about to hit me when the waitress came to our table. Shizuka-chan instantly calmed down, happy with merely scoffing at me. I told the waitress our order and she quickly jolted it down. She left like a phantom, heading to the counter to tell the chef our order.
Silence descended upon our table as we waited for our order to come. The noise from the surroundings was the only thing keeping the atmosphere from getting awkward. Tonight was just not the time. I was still more interested in my thoughts. On the other hand, Yukino was not a talkative person and Shizuka-chan was oddly considerate.
After some time, Shizuka-chan cleared her throat. "Anyway, I am hearing that you are currently handling a request. How is it going?"
"It's going quite well," Yukino corrected.
"Is it going to be a success?"
"Only time will tell," Yukino answered with a faraway look, causing Shizuka-chan to cringe.
"How are you going to solve the other request? It is a troublesome one."
"We are not."
Shizuka-chan blinked owlishly, surprised by Yukino's firm answer.
"That request is taken care of. We have given her a way to handle her situation and it is up to her to solve it," I explained. "Our motto is 'Teach a man to fish' and not 'Feed a man a fish,' remember?"
"I see…"
"What do you think will be the correct answer, Sensei?" Yukino asked.
Shizuka-chan hummed to herself before answering. "It is quite complicated. I get your reasoning for telling her to be honest, but you forgot to consider her feelings. What if her friend group crumbles and she is blamed for that? How do you think she will react?"
"When that time comes, we will gladly take her in. If she cries over that fake and fragile relationship, then I think we should never help her," I answered firmly, causing Shizuka-chan to frown lightly.
Before Shizuka-chan opened her mouth, the waitress came bringing our order. "I am sorry for the wait. Here are your Ton-Toro-ramen, Ajitama-ramen, and Tenkaippin-ramen." She put down the bowls and then exclaimed, "Please, enjoy the food!"
Shizuka-chan watched the waitress leave before quirking an eyebrow at me. "What if she accepts the confession just to keep her friend group together? Do you know how much of a suffering it will be for her?"
"People have their own definition of happiness. If she thinks that keeping her fake clique intact is worth hurting herself, we don't have a say in it," I replied remorselessly before slurping my ramen.
Shizuka-chan looked like she wanted something to say but kept it to herself as the ramen was too tempting to ignore. She clicked her tongue in distaste before indulging herself in her ramen. I turned to the side and was in time to see Yukino scrunch up her nose. Even Ajitama-ramen was too 'violent' for her taste. I should have told her to order Miso-ramen instead.
It took Yukino five minutes to get used to the ramen taste. A proud smile crept up my face as she began enjoying her ramen. Another soul was brought to the ramen pantheon. Halfway through, I offered her my bowl. She had been eyeing it a few times, so I figured she must be genuinely curious about how it tasted. She shyly took my bowl, spoon, and chopsticks before indulging herself in my Ton-Toro-ramen.
Yukinoshita Yukino-san, you could have used your spoon and chopsticks, you know.
I was not sure if she noticed my gaze as she seemed so out of it, but I could see her blush. That means she realized what she was doing. At least, she had the decency to feel embarrassed for what she did. I decided to do the same and snatched her bowl along with everything inside. My action startled her. She stopped slurping my ramen and watched as I relished her ramen.
I was about to smirk smugly when I noticed the blush on her cheeks. I was confused, genuinely. She even avoided my gaze, further bewildering me. What do you want, Yukinoshita Yukino? In the end, I shook my head and finished Yukino's ramen. She didn't mind it as she was content with finishing mine.
Shizuka-chan had also finished her ramen. She looked at Yukino and me alternatingly before snorting at me in disgust. I blinked my eyes owlishly in bemusement. Shizuka-chan noticed it and then coughed in embarrassment. The blush on her cheeks supported the gesture that she was sorry for what she had done.
"Looking at it retrospectively; if you want to play neutral, you shouldn't have helped any of the two," Shizuka-chan said after drinking her water. Her glass made a thud as it touched the table. "Catering to one of them while condemning the other seems a bit unfair to me. They have contradicting interests but none of them is wrong, after all."
"…that is a blunder on our side, indeed. We will do our best to prevent ourselves from creating trouble in the future," Yukino said remorsefully.
"I am not scolding you. You don't have to apologize." Shizuka-chan waved her hand dismissively. "I am just looking out for you guys. Don't be afraid of causing trouble. As long as you clean up after the trouble you cause, it will be fine. When you can't, well, I will be there to help you guys crawl out of hellhole. I hope that it won't come to that, though." She giggled as she lifted her glass.
As she drank her water, I remarked, "If you show this side more often, I won't even question myself for falling for you."
Pfft!
Water gushed out of Shizuka-chan's mouth as if it came out of a fire hydrant. Thankfully, I had a ridiculous reflex, so I easily dodged the offending water.
"W-What the heck are you saying, idiot!?" she murmured indignantly.
"I was merely pointing out a quality that might entice men to marry you," I replied calmly.
"You didn't have to say it like that!"
"Like what?"
"Grrr…"
Ignoring the Shizuka tigress, I picked up the bill and brought it to the cashier. I would have winced at the amount of money I had to spend if I was still jobless, but now I felt like I didn't spend enough. I had chided myself for having such a thought, but it was hard to keep it at bay. I had more money than I needed.
Returning to the table, I asked the girls if they were ready to leave. Upon their confirmation, I led them outside. Some curious punks were surrounding my car, but they wisely scurried away when I came up to it. I was glad to know that Kyoto punks were not as obnoxious as the ones in Chiba. I would hate to beat up punks on a school trip.
We got into the car and made ourselves comfortable in our respective seats. Shizuka-chan sat shotgun again but didn't try to strike up a conversation. It seemed she had said enough. Coincidentally, I was also no longer overthinking.
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Honorary Mention:
Venerable Immortal Bowzr
Venerable Immortal JayJonnaJamison
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