Bright lights pierced through the night, erasing the boundary between day and darkness. The city buzzed with crowds and laughter, neon lights reflecting off moving cars and chatter filling the air like steam off boiling water.
"Thank you for visiting, please take care. This is our young master's card—please be sure to accept it."
"You're too kind, Miss Sakura. Please extend my thanks to Mr. Minamoto."
It was nighttime. Shirou and the members of the Zhou family were bidding farewell to the Tokyo yakuza group, led by Yabuki Sakura. With their goodbyes said, the yakuza turned coolly and walked off. Passersby watching the tattooed men in black fled to the sides, assuming some kind of debt-collecting operation was about to unfold.
The Zhou family returned to their hotel to prepare for the journey back to the Divine Land, while Shirou declined a car and chose to take the JR line back to Yokohama. He still had to meet up with Nono and the others, who were wandering around the city.
What he didn't know was that two separate groups were currently speculating wildly about his "true identity"...
If he had known, he would've muttered to himself, "You guys really have too much time on your hands..."
Earlier that afternoon, after Minamoto left, Shirou had gone along with the rest of the schedule arranged by his secretary, Yabuki Sakura.
At one point, Sakura had told him that if he felt uncomfortable, they could cancel the rest of the outing—this was, after all, meant as a casual social exchange. But Shirou figured, "If Minamoto's footing the bill, why not enjoy it?"
And so, he got a real taste of the extravagant life of a Tokyo elite.
He toured the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, then watched a derby at the Tokyo Racecourse, where a horse called "King of Hawaii" set a new record. Finally, he attended a performance of Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees at the Kabukiza Theater in Ginza.
Although he wasn't familiar with kabuki actors, he noticed posters of stars like Ichikawa Ebizō and Bando Tamasaburō, all unfamiliar names to him. Combined with other events, his day was a cultural bombardment—by the end of it, he almost felt like he was becoming one of those proud "Tokyo people" who look down on outsiders.
But when the evening breeze hit, reality returned. Shirou was still a Yokohama guy. Hungry and tired, he looked for a simple place to eat.
While walking through a quieter backstreet, he came upon a ramen cart. It was the kind that resembled street food stalls back in the Divine Land—simple, efficient, and cheap.
He called Nono and Xia Mi: "Hey, I'm grabbing some ramen near the University of Tokyo's back gate. Quiet place, not many people. Just look for the ramen cart."
Both girls said they'd come over—Nono was tutoring Melusine, while Xia Mi was still reading at the library and starving.
Shirou sighed. "Seriously, this place is just okay. Why are they all so eager?"
"Five bowls of soy sauce ramen please, with green onion, chashu, soft-boiled egg, and pork back fat. More friends are coming later."
The ramen chef, an old man with white hair, a black towel tied around his forehead, and a TV playing on the cart, turned it off and got to work.
Shirou caught a glimpse of the screen—was that an AV? And a shelf stacked with adult DVDs? On top was one featuring Maria Ozawa.
Pervert chef confirmed.
The chef, apparently called Master Koshi, mistook Shirou for a student from Tokyo University and asked, "Aren't you worried about curfew at your dorm?"
"I'm not a student—just visiting Tokyo to hang with friends. What about you, Master?"
"Just a guy who didn't want to inherit the family fortune. Been making ramen for decades now."
So... rich guy dropout turned ramen chef?
Shirou grinned but kept quiet about the AVs. "Actually, all five bowls are for me."
"You what? You don't even look like a big eater!"
Soon enough, piping hot ramen arrived, and Shirou began devouring it like a machine. Just as he finished bowl four, a bright, bouncing figure appeared beside him.
Xia Mi.
"Whoooa, Shirou-senpai started without me? That's cold! Ramen Master, I'll have one tonkotsu!"
Master Koshi turned to prep her order—only to freeze when he saw her face. A beauty like that? Was this kid dating a goddess?
"You've got game, kid. Pulling a girl like that? Respect."
Shirou almost choked. "Don't say weird stuff, Master!"
Then Xia Mi began teasing him, playing up the idea that Shirou had asked her out while Nono wasn't around.
Nono arrived just in time to hear this—with Melusine in tow.
Her smile froze.
Xia Mi cheerfully continued the ruse: "Senpai confessed to me just now! You thought he liked fiery girls like Nono-senpai, but it turns out he prefers cute, cuddly kouhais!"
Nono looked stunned.
"Don't listen to her, she's just joking!" Shirou said, trying to salvage the situation.
"I'm fine, really," Nono replied quietly, poking at her noodles.
Like hell you're fine...
Melusine, meanwhile, tried to make sense of it all by comparing it to love triangles in books. "Oh! Lancelot, Guinevere, and Arthur! Triangle relationships are the most stable geometric form!"
Thanks, Melusine.
Master Koshi kept silent, smiling faintly as he stirred the broth. He was enjoying the drama.
"Young people are lucky," he thought. "Getting three girls together like this… the kid's got ambition."
The awkward silence grew until Shirou gave up trying to finish his last bowl.
"Xia Mi, maybe don't joke like that next time. You really upset Nono."
"Okay okay, my bad," Xia Mi said, sticking out her tongue in apology. "Didn't think she'd take it so hard."
Then Master Koshi chimed in with some unexpected wisdom:
"Confessing your feelings isn't shameful. That's how you grow up. Don't let fear of embarrassment keep you from being with the one you love."
He went on to talk about growing older, looking out the window of your office tower, and wondering why you let happiness slip by because you were too afraid to say something.
The girls stared, absorbing the words.
"You're right, Master Koshi!" Nono suddenly declared. "I won't hesitate anymore!"
"Me too!" Xia Mi added, eyes glinting mischievously. "Shirou-senpai, you better treasure a cute kouhai like me!"
"Cut it out already!"
"I get it too!" Melusine beamed, giving Shirou a "three" sign with her fingers.
What? What does that even mean?
And Master Koshi, the quiet ramen sage, simply smiled.
(End of Chapter)
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