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A fresh, warm scent, wafted around the coffee table in Killer King’s apartment, surrounding Haruhi, Yuta and Momotaro as they watched Yuzuki, entranced by his precise movements. With a bamboo whisk in hand, he gently flicked his wrist, quickly pulling it through the opaque green liquid in the small bowl.
In a matter of seconds, a light foam formed on top of the liquid, and Yuzuki removed the whisk, gently resting it on a small dish to his side. He picked up the small bowl, and passed it to his right, where Momotaro was sitting.
“Thank you Yuzu, it looks perfect. I’ll have to get you to teach me how to prepare this someday.” Momotaro took the bowl from Yuzuki with a small, gracious smile, and brought it to his lips.
“Me next, me next!!” Haruhi excitedly bounced up and down, putting his hand up as if he were to be picked out of a large crowd.
“Alright Haru, calm down, I’ll get started” He smiled fondly at his brother.
As Yuzuki was scooping more Matcha powder into the next bowl, he looked across from him at Yuta.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t like some Matcha tea too Ashu-kun?”
“Nnn, Matcha’s too bitter, I don’t really like the flavour of it” Yuta grimaced.
“You just haven’t had Matcha tea prepared by my dear Yuzuki! It’s the best Matcha tea I’ve ever had in my life!!”
“I have to agree, I’ve never knew Matcha could taste this sweet” Momotaro lowered his bowl from his face and smiled at Yuzuki.
“Thank you Onzai-san, though I have to admit, I feel like that has more to do with the quality of the Matcha powder than my own skills.”
“Not true!!” Haruhi shouted.
“How you gently pour the water in like ‘shi~ shi~’ and you scoop the powder in like ‘ta ta ta’ and the way your wrist goes ‘fwush fwush fwush’ are all important to how the flavour comes out!!” Haruhi rambled on as he made wild, exaggerated gestures somewhat resembling how Yuzuki had prepared the tea.
“Haruhi, I barely understood what you just said, but I think you’re right.” Momotaro turned toward Yuta.
“You should at least try some, Ashu, you might be surprised”
“Yeah! And if you don’t like it, I’ll just have the rest of yours! I couldn’t possibly waste a single drop of something Yuzuki so skilfully prepared” Haruhi chimed in.
Yuta hummed in thought as he made his decision.
“Hmmm, well, I guess if Haru and Momochin recommend it so much…”
“Yessss!! You’re gonna love it Yuta-kun!”
While Haruhi continued to excitedly ramble on about the flavours of the tea to Yuta, Momotaro occasionally humming and nodding along in agreement, Yuzuki quickly prepared three more small bowls, passing two of them to Yuta and Haruhi, and then lifting his own to his lips to take a sip.
Everyone quietly stared at Yuta over the tops of their bowls, waiting for his verdict as he gently swirled the liquid around, staring at it like it would bite him, before finally taking a tentative sip himself.
“Oh!”
“Oh?” Everyone leaned in with anticipation as Yuta took a second, more enthusiastic gulp of the green, foamy liquid.
“It’s sweet! It’s delicious!!” As Yuta quickly gulped down more of the tea, Yuzuki let out a small relieved sigh, and Momotaro smiled at Yuta’s lively reaction.
"I told you you'd love it! Yuzuki's like a magician!" Haruhi’s smile glowed at the compliment to his brother’s work.
"Haru, it's not magic, it just depends on how you prepare it, and the quality of the products you use" Yuzuki attempted to deflect the compliment.
"Yeah, but that's your magic! The way you prepare it is just as skilful as the best wizard around! More than, even!!" Haruhi insisted.
Yuzuki smiled appreciatively at his brother, then continued to drink his tea. After a short silence during which everyone enjoyed the last of their respective servings, Yuta put down his bowl and piped up.
"So I have a question. What makes Matcha tea any different from soup?”
The other three froze in shock at the odd inquiry. Since no one immediately answered his question, Yuta elaborated.
“Couldn't you just call it Matcha soup and it'd still technically be right? Like, it’s just a flavour with water added to it right? What makes that different from the soup you have Ramen in?"
Momotaro was the first to come out of his stupor.
"Ashu, tea and soup are completely different. One is a beverage and the other is food."
Yuta continued.
"Or Miso soup! Isn’t that just Miso paste and water? How is that any different than Yuzu adding water to the Matcha powder?"
"I don't think that’s how it wo-"
Haruhi slams his palms on the table in front of him, interrupting Momotaro’s objection, and rattling the bowls and tea making equipment.
"Oh my god, Yuta you're right! how have I never noticed before?! Matcha tea is even traditionally served in a bowl!!"
"hmm, I have to agree, they are quite similar."
Momotaro sighed exasperatedly.
"Yuzu, not you too. Hold on, the two are actually very different. First of all Ashu, Miso soup is actually made with stock, not wa-”
This time, Yuta interrupts Momotaro.
“Okay but stock is basically flavoured water anyway”
“W-well...I suppose that’s correct, but that...still doesn’t mean that tea is a foo-”
“Ah, Ochazuke” Momotaro, having once again been interrupted, looked toward his interrupter, Yuzuki this time. Haruhi had crawled over to his brother’s side of the table to lean over and look at Yuzuki’s phone.
“You’re right Yuzuki! Look Onzai-kun, it a green tea soup!!” Haruhi takes the phone from Yuzuki’s grasp and shoves it in Momotaro’s face. Blinking for a second at the sudden close proximity, Momotaro leaned back and took the phone from Haruhi.
“Ehhhh, I want to see, I want to see!! Me too!!!” Yuta bounded over to Momotaro’s side, nearly knocking him over where he sat.
“Careful Ashu” Momotaro says, quickly recovering from the shock of almost being tackled to the floor.
“Hehe, sorry.”
Momotaro briefly skimmed over the recipe; rice, salmon, nori, soy sauce and...green tea.
“See! I told you there was no difference! Ochazuke proves that tea is soup!!” Yuta stated proudly.
“I think the tea being combined with the other ingredients is what makes it soup, not just the tea by itself”
“But soup is a liquid right? If you took the tea out of this dish, would it still be a liquid?”
Haruhi avidly nodded along with Yuta’s point, while Yuzuki made a contemplative sound.
“N-no...” Momotaro hesitantly answered.
“So you could say, the tea is what makes this soup, soup! Therefore, tea is soup! I rest my case!” Yuta struck his fist on the table, mimicking a gavel and Yuzuki and Haruhi gently applauded the finality of his proclamation in wonder.
“Well, I have no arguments left, Ashu. So i suppose...you’re correct.” Momotaro appeared taken aback by his own conclusion.
At this point, the four boys heard the front door unlocking, and turned their attention towards the hallway behind Momotaro in anticipation of seeing who the voices entering the apartment belonged to.
“No, i couldn’t possibly intrude.” Tsubasa insisted from the still open door as Miroku and Akane moved further into the apartment. Miroku gently smiled back at her.
“At least come in for some tea, you’ve worked hard today.”
“Yeah, you deserve a short break!” Akane insisted. Tsubasa sighed in resignation and closed the door behind her, walking over to Miroku and Akane with a smile.
“I suppose I still have some time before I need to head over to the office.”
“Welcome back!” Haruhi smiled at the three as they came into sight from the hallway.
“Tsubasa-chan~!!” Yuta sing-songed in greeting.
“Oh what good timing, Yuzuki has already been making tea.” Miroku said as he spotted the tea making equipment on the table.
“Soup” Yuzuki deadpanned quietly.
“S-sorry?” Miroku threw him an inquisitive look, not sure if he’d heard him correctly.
“It’s soup!” Haruhi happily chimed in.
“But...that’s clearly Matcha tea…” Miroku’s face began to cloud with confusion.
“It’s soup!” Yuta reiterated in the same tone as Haruhi. Akane stepped forward, squinting at him.
“Wh-”
“Onzai-san, is this some ridiculous prank they’re trying to pull?” Miroku asked before Akane could even start his question.
“No, we’ve simply all come to the undeniable conclusion that tea is in fact soup” Momotaro stated calmly.
“That’s…”
“Yuta, Harupyon...is this your doing?” Akane threw them an accusing look as Yuta’s grin widened.
“What are you talking about Akanechin? You heard Momochin, it’s a conclusion we all came to together.”
“And this isn’t a prank, it’s the truth!” Haruhi huffed, crossing his arms.
With his face now buried in his hands, Akane sighed and shook his head. Tsubasa in the meantime, had taken it upon herself to go sit down next to Momotaro at the coffee table.
“I would love some soup Yuzuki-kun.”
Akane and Miroku’s jaws dropped, frozen in place where they stood.
“Tsubasa don’t encourage them!!” Akane whined. Tsubasa turned her head to face him and Miroku, completely seriously.
“Don’t you two ever go online? Tea being soup is an opinion that’s been quickly gaining popularity lately. Although, I’d perhaps argue that it’s more like stock…” She trailed off contemplatively.
“Oh, you might be right there Tsubasa-san. Since stock is just flavoured water after all. Isn’t that right Ashu?” Momotaro’s eyes twinkled proudly, promptly looking at Yuta.
“Tsubasa-chan, you’re a genius!!” He cried out.
“Mm, I think you’re right Tsubasa-san, but maybe that’s more-so the case for teas that you steep?” Yuzuki suggested.
“Ooh, Yuzuki’s right! With Matcha tea, you mix the Matcha powder into the water, but with steeped teas, you remove the tea leaves after they flavour the water, making it stock!”
Momotaro, nodded along in approval of Haruhi’s explanation, while Akane made a distressed noise, still standing in the middle of the hallway.
“This is ridiculous! Tea is a drink! It’s not, soup, it’s not stock! It’s a drink!! It’s flavoured water!!!”
“Yeah, and stock is flavoured water too!” Yuta responded.
“Oh, so is soup a food or a drink?” Haruhi posed the next point of discussion.
Akane let out another distressed noise as the five continued to debate the topic, an incredulous look painting his face. He opened his mouth to argue further, when Miroku put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head at him.
“They’re too far gone, I’m sure this will just die down on its own in a couple of days.”
“But Miroku they’re so wro-” Akane stops and sighs when Miroku gives him a pointed look.
“You’re right, these things always happen when we let Yuta and Harupyon hang out for too long. Want to hit the gym while we wait for the worst of it to blow over?”
Miroku made an affirmative noise as he and Akane picked up the gym bags they kept by the door. They walked out of the apartment and quickly shut the door behind them, but not quickly enough to escape someone’s exclamation of
“Water is Hydrogen and Oxygen soup!!”
Akane’s eyebrow twitched, but Miroku pulled him towards the elevator before he could launch himself back inside toward the discourse.