By the time training ended, the sky had already turned orange-red.
Shin-chan put away his wooden sword, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and turned to look at Kakashi.
"Silver-Haired Mister is out on a mission again, right? So what are you doing for dinner? Cooking for yourself?"
Kakashi's movements paused for a moment, but he didn't answer.
"Come eat at my house," Shin-chan suggested.
"No need."
"Why not?"
"Too much trouble."
Shin-chan blinked. "What's troublesome about eating? You just sit down, open your mouth, chew, and swallow. I do it every day. It's not troublesome at all."
Kakashi fell silent.
"And maybe we're having fried shrimp tonight," Shin-chan added.
Kakashi still said nothing.
Shin-chan waited two seconds, saw he still wasn't reacting, and tried a different angle. "And you fought for a long time just now. Aren't you hungry?"
"I'm fine."
Shin-chan leaned in and raised an eyebrow. "Your stomach growled."
Kakashi instinctively glanced down at his own stomach.
"Come on, come on." Shin-chan started pushing him forward.
Kakashi sighed. "Fine. I'll go."
The two of them headed toward the Nohara house along the street.
When they passed a side alley, Shin-chan suddenly stopped.
"Huh?"
Kakashi followed his gaze.
There was someone standing in the alley.
A teenage boy, wearing a white cook's uniform, standing with his head lowered against the wall. His hands hung limp at his sides, fingers still dusted with flour. He looked like all the strength had been drained out of him.
The setting sun lit up his face, and in that light, you could see the emptiness in his eyes.
Shin-chan tilted his head and looked at him for two seconds.
"That guy... looks really sad."
Kakashi said nothing.
Shin-chan walked up to the boy and tilted his head back to look at him.
"What's wrong?"
The boy jumped at the sudden voice, looked down, and saw a child in red standing there.
"Nothing."
Shin-chan stared at him for two seconds.
"You're lying."
The boy got stuck.
Shin-chan pointed at his face. "Here, here, and here. It all says, 'I'm really sad.'"
The boy's expression froze. Looking at the child in front of him, he suddenly didn't know what to say.
After two seconds of silence, he slowly slid down the wall and crouched on the ground, holding his head.
"The things I make... just don't taste good at all." His voice was dull and heavy. "My master says I have no talent and that I'll never be able to make food people actually like."
Shin-chan crouched down in front of him and rested his chin in his hands, watching him.
"What do you make?"
"Ramen," the boy said. "The broth always feels like it's missing something, the noodles are always overcooked, and the chashu always turns out too tough..."
The more he talked, the more discouraged he sounded, until his head sank even lower.
"I've practiced for so, so long, but I still can't get it right."
Shin-chan listened carefully.
After hearing it all, he tilted his head and thought for a moment.
"Then do you like making ramen?"
The boy froze.
"I do."
Shin-chan nodded, then stood up. He looked like he wanted to pat the boy's shoulder, but since he couldn't quite reach, he settled for patting his arm instead.
"Then keep making it. My mom's cooking also turns out bad a lot. Sometimes it's too salty, sometimes too bland. But she makes food every day, and the more she keeps doing it, the better it gets."
Then he thought for a second and added, "Though she still burns stuff a lot even now."
The corner of the boy's mouth twitched a little.
Shin-chan went on. "And even if it doesn't taste good, Dad and I still eat all of it. Because my mom made it."
Then he looked at the boy seriously and said,
"Someone's definitely going to eat your ramen too."
The boy looked at the child in front of him.
The sunset behind him had painted his outline in gold.
"What's your name?" the boy asked suddenly, smiling.
"Nohara Shinnosuke." Shin-chan gave him a thumbs-up. "I'm five years old."
"My name is Teuchi." The boy turned to look at the closed restaurant. "Don't worry. I'm not giving up."
"Good luck!" Shin-chan waved at him.
Teuchi was about to leave when he suddenly thought of something and stopped again. "Are you two hungry?"
"Yes!" Shin-chan's eyes lit up instantly.
Teuchi smiled. "Then I'll make something for you. My master says it's not very good, though."
He pushed open the shop door and went inside.
The place wasn't big. Just a few tables and chairs, but it was neat and clean.
Teuchi tied on an apron and got to work.
Shin-chan sat in a chair, his short legs swinging back and forth.
Kakashi sat beside him, quietly looking around the little shop.
After a while, two bowls of ramen were set in front of them.
The broth was clear, the noodles neatly arranged, with slices of chashu, half a soft-boiled egg, sheets of nori, and chopped scallions on top.
"Give it a try," Teuchi said, looking at them nervously.
Shin-chan picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a mouthful of noodles, and slurped them into his mouth.
Teuchi watched him anxiously.
Shin-chan chewed, swallowed, and then his eyes lit up.
"It's good!"
Teuchi froze.
"Really?"
"Yeah." Shin-chan grabbed another bite. "It's better than what Misae makes."
Kakashi also picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.
Teuchi immediately turned to him, tense again.
Kakashi swallowed, then set his chopsticks down.
"The broth is decent, but the firmness of the noodles could be adjusted a little more. Right now they're slightly over. The chashu isn't seasoned deeply enough either. It should marinate longer."
He took another bite, then continued, "But overall, it's not bad."
Teuchi stared blankly at this five-year-old boy.
That critique... was way too professional.
Shin-chan was eating at full speed, talking with noodles still in his mouth. "When you open your own shop, I'm going to be the first customer!"
Teuchi smiled and nodded. "Alright. First bowl's free for you."
"Really?"
"Really."
Shin-chan's eyes lit up like light bulbs. "Can I bring friends too?"
"Sure."
"A whole bunch of friends?"
"Sure."
"Then can I—"
"Alright, alright." Teuchi laughed and cut him off. "Finish your noodles first. They won't taste as good once they get cold."
Shin-chan lowered his head and kept eating.
Kakashi finished his bowl too and set down his chopsticks.
"Thanks for the meal."
Teuchi nodded, but his eyes fell on Shin-chan.
The little boy was holding the bowl in both hands and drinking the last of the broth clean, then set it down, rubbed his belly, and broke into a bright grin.
"When you eat something delicious, it makes you happy, right?" Shin-chan patted his stomach. "I'm really happy right now."
Teuchi froze.
Happy?
Looking at the child in front of him, he suddenly remembered something his master once said—that cooking was supposed to make people feel happiness.
But he'd spent all his time obsessing over broth, noodles, and chashu, and had completely forgotten that.
After resting for a bit, Shin-chan jumped down from the chair and said to Kakashi, "Come on. If we don't head back soon, Misae's going to worry."
Teuchi stood at the shop door, watching that little red figure disappear at the end of the alley.
Ramen that makes people happy...
He turned and looked at the empty tables and chairs inside the shop, and suddenly a thought came to him.
Someday, he was going to open a shop of his own.
And make a bowl of ramen that could make people feel happy.
~~~
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