It was nearly noon by the time Yuto and Megumi emerged from the large shopping mall.
Megumi had finished buying her clothes, though Yuto had spent the entire morning accompanying her from one store to another.
No matter how delicate a girl appeared, she seemed to possess endless stamina when shopping.
Megumi had not asked to stop and rest even once while choosing her clothes.
The moment they left the mall, however, exhaustion finally showed on her face.
Once her desire to shop had been satisfied and the excitement faded, all the fatigue it had been hiding rushed back at once.
"Let's get something to eat."
Yuto noticed how tired she looked and made the suggestion before she could say anything.
"Mm."
Megumi agreed, and they found a ramen shop in a nearby alley.
The place was not particularly large, roughly the same size as Yuto's restaurant before its expansion.
Most restaurants in Tokyo were around that size.
Space was far too expensive for anything larger unless the owner had a great deal of money.
There were no other customers inside when they entered.
A wind chime above the door rang softly, and a moment later, the owner emerged from the kitchen.
Both Yuto and Megumi looked up in surprise.
The man was enormous.
He stood at least two meters tall and had the muscular build of a giant.
Even the normally loose uniform of a ramen chef seemed tight around his broad shoulders and arms.
"Welcome. Would the two of you like some ramen?"
His voice was remarkably deep, and the serious tone made him sound almost intimidating.
Yuto looked up at his face.
It was stern and rugged, with lines that spoke of years of hardship and hard work.
"Yes. Two bowls of ramen, please."
Yuto and Megumi sat at the counter.
Like Yuto's restaurant, the shop used an izakaya-style layout, with customers eating directly in front of the kitchen.
"All right. Please wait."
The owner gave a short nod and returned to work.
While the ramen was being prepared, Yuto looked around the shop.
It was exceptionally clean. Even the corners most people would never notice had been carefully swept and wiped.
The decorations were simple and practical, matching the owner's stern personality perfectly.
A framed wedding photograph hung on one wall.
The owner wore a stiff, awkward smile in the picture, while the woman beside him looked absolutely delighted.
His name was printed beneath the photograph.
Uozumi Jun.
"Ishiko, turn the sign around," Uozumi called toward the back. "Once I finish these two bowls, we're closing for a while."
A cheerful voice answered from beyond the rear door, and a petite woman soon appeared.
She was clearly Uozumi's wife, though she looked considerably younger than him.
She was not breathtakingly beautiful, but she radiated warmth energy.
Yuto was slightly surprised by Uozumi's words.
It was lunchtime, which should have been the busiest part of the day, yet he was planning to close the shop.
After turning the sign to Closed, Ishiko stepped behind the counter.
She apparently handled the customers while her husband cooked.
Noticing Yuto's confusion, she covered her mouth and laughed softly.
"There's no need to look so surprised. The final of the National High School Basketball Championship is today. Jun loves basketball more than anything, so he's going to watch the game with some old friends."
Yuto nodded in understanding.
He had never played basketball himself, but he knew how captivating the sport could be.
There had to be a reason so many people were obsessed with it.
He glanced toward Uozumi in the kitchen.
With that height and build, the man looked as though he had been born to play basketball.
...
A short while later, Uozumi brought out their ramen.
The portions were extremely generous, and both the noodles and broth looked excellent.
Yuto quietly nodded in approval.
As a chef himself, he could immediately recognize the skill behind it.
"Please enjoy."
After setting down their bowls, Uozumi turned toward his wife.
"I'll be leaving for the game with Sendoh and the others soon. Clean the shop while I'm gone."
"Yes, yes, I know," Ishiko replied with a helpless wave. "Why are you nagging me today? Do you really need to remind me of something like that? You're usually the one I have to keep reminding, and now you're trying to lecture me~"
Embarrassment immediately appeared on Uozumi's face.
He might have been enormous, but in front of his wife, his imposing presence quickly disappeared.
"Ahem. You talk too much."
He coughed and turned his head away.
If the conversation continued, she would only embarrass him further.
A mischievous smile appeared on Ishiko's lips.
Even after years of marriage, she still enjoyed teasing her oversized, foolish husband.
She simply could not help herself.
She loved him.
Uozumi walked over to the telephone and dialed a number.
Not long after the call connected, his expression changed from surprise to fury.
"Hey, Sendoh! What do you mean you suddenly can't come?!"
"Sorry, sorry. I can't help it. I'm leaving the country soon, and everything has become a huge hassle."
"You haven't changed at all since high school! You're still just as lazy and unreliable!"
"Ahahaha! It's fine. I'll watch the game from the airport."
"Are you serious? It isn't every day Shohoku and Ryonan meet in the national tournament!"
"Then make sure you cheer properly for Ryonan, Uozumi! If you see Sakuragi, say hello for me. Oh, and give Coach my regards too."
"Of course I will! I didn't need you to tell me that!"
The man on the other end sounded cheerful and completely relaxed.
Uozumi slammed down the receiver, then called two more people.
Each conversation only made his expression worse.
"Captain! My supervisor suddenly forced me to work overtime today! I'm really sorry!"
"Uekusa..."
...
"Ah, sorry, Uozumi. My wife absolutely refuses to let me go today."
"IKEGAMI!"
Uozumi roared, but the call had already ended.
He slammed one hand against the counter in frustration.
With his enormous build and furious expression, he looked like a giant ape on the verge of going berserk.
"Even if you're angry, don't hit the counter," Ishiko scolded as she approached him. "We still have customers."
Uozumi did not argue with his wife, though his expression remained restless and irritated.
"Every last one of them is unreliable! We agreed to meet and go together, and now none of them are coming. What a useless bunch!"
His complaints gradually weakened, and he finally let out a long sigh.
Time had tied every one of them down with different responsibilities.
The fiery youth they had once shared had ended long ago.
Now he was simply the owner of a ramen shop.
Seeing him fall silent, Ishiko sighed and gently stroked his arm.
Compared with his massive body, she looked almost like a child beside him, yet her touch gradually calmed him.
"It's all right. There will be other chances. Since they can't go, I'll come with you."
Uozumi remained quiet for a moment.
Then he released another sigh and wrapped one arm around his wife.
Perhaps meeting her had been the greatest blessing of his entire life.
"Young man, do the two of you enjoy basketball?"
He suddenly turned toward Yuto and Megumi.
Both of them paused.
"I bought two extra tickets," Uozumi continued. "If my friends aren't coming, they'll only go to waste. You can have them if you're interested. No charge."
Yuto and Megumi exchanged glances.
Had they just won some kind of lottery?
"Kamisaka-kun, should we go?"
Megumi looked at him with quiet interest.
She did not play basketball either, but the words national championship final were enough to make the event sound exciting.
"If we go, what about the movie?"
"Hmm... Let me check the time. The movie is in the afternoon..."
While Megumi looked at the schedule on her phone, Uozumi quickly added, "The game should last around an hour and ten minutes. Since it's the final, there won't be another match afterward."
"In that case, the movie starts at two-thirty. We'll have enough time."
Megumi lowered her phone.
"Then let's watch the game."
Since it did not interfere with their plans, Yuto saw no reason to refuse.
His purpose today was to accompany Megumi and spend time with her.
Watching a basketball game together suited that purpose just as well as anything else.
"Good. Then these are yours."
Uozumi took two tickets from the pocket of a jacket hanging on the wall and handed them to Yuto.
"How much does each ticket cost?"
Yuto still wanted to pay for it.
Accepting free tickets from someone he had only just met made him slightly uncomfortable.
"There's no need. I said they were free, so they're free."
Uozumi's voice was deep and firm.
There was no polite refusal in his expression. He genuinely had no intention of accepting money.
"In that case, thank you very much."
Yuto gave him a small nod.
He seemed to be remarkably lucky today.
A ramen-shop owner he had only just met had given him two tickets to the national basketball championship final.
No one would believe such a story if he told them.
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