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Even though Reiji was fresh from his adventure trip with Masato, that itch for the unknown wasn’t quite scratched yet. Sure, he got to explore a cave, find some treasure, and make it out alive to tell the tale, but the fire of discovery was lit in his heart! He couldn’t simply ignore the tugs on his heartstrings, that would be like ignoring one of his base instincts! Like hunger or sleep!
Setting off looking for trouble, Reiji walked where his feet led him. He got a sniff of something happening in the kitchen so naturally, he had to investigate. “And what’s cooking in here?” Poking his head through the door, he perked up. It looked like he caught two of his juniors in the middle of preparing something and one of them was his adventuring protégé, no less! Now he just had to investigate!
It was said protégé who turned first, acknowledging Reiji’s appearance. “Kotobuki-senpai!” Already clad in his kitchen attire, the full body apron Masato wore never failed to induce a smile on anyone who saw him. He held his hands pointedly away from his body and Reiji saw something drip off his fingertips. “What brings you here today?”
“Oh, did you maybe,” before Reiji could answer, Natsuki entered into the conversation, “hear that we were going to be making snacks today?” His hands were clasped behind his back, hidden from view behind a soft pink apron. Really, Reiji thought, the sight of either of them could make a person do a double take.
But snacks, huh? A peek around their bodies to the ingredients laid out gave Reiji a hint at what they were making. Rice, seaweed, various other mixtures in bowls; it was all too obvious to Reiji. This food was a staple in quick lunches, something Reiji would know a thing or two about. “Who’s requesting snacks?” Whoever it was, they were going to get a good spread. Brown eyes spied tuna mayo and pickled plums ready to be surrounded by a warm, welcoming ball of rice.
A towel was picked up by Masato to wipe his hands. He gestured with a freshly dried finger to the different prepared fillings for the onigiri. “Ittoki wanted tuna and Jinguji was the cod roe.” More bowls were shown to Reiji and he got the sense that Masato was going overboard again. “I made the salmon and plum as extras. If I’m not mistaken…” Hesitation over the bonito flakes bowl made Natsuki come to his rescue.
“That’s Syo-chan’s!” Picking up the bowl and cradling it, the blond lit up with energy. “I’m going to make his. I’ll pack them with lots of love!” Natsuki stretched out his vowels to really get his enthusiasm across. It made Reiji smile. If nothing else, the onigiri made by Natsuki were sure to stand out.
If it was him making these, there would be some unconventional ingredients for sure. “You guys got the basics covered, for sure.” But where was the fun in that? Where was the adventure? “But where are your imaginations?” Reiji got a twin pair of eyes blinking at him, ready for the next lines in his speech. “Why not make some adventurous onigiri? Like chicken karaage or shrimp tempura?”
His suggestion was well received, for the most part. Masato recalled their past project together, the survival picnic adventure, and that earned him a bingo from Reiji. But Natsuki frowned, looking down at his bowl of bonito flakes and asked if he should add a special ingredient in. He hadn’t planned on it but maybe… Both Reiji and Masato talked over each other to reassure Natsuki that no, his onigiri will be just fine without adding anything extra. Yes, they were absolutely sure about that.
“But…” A troubled look crossed Natsuki’s face. “A surprise filling sounds fun. It would be like a special prize.” It may have been that Reiji was currently knee deep in his adventuring phase but he could see a ring of truth in those words. They hid a brilliant idea and he was going to bring it to light.
“You know, you’re absolutely right.” His sudden declaration caused Masato to stare at him while Natsuki lightened. “I think Nattsun’s onto something here.” If Reiji wasn’t the one to have that lightbulb moment himself, he certainly would be the one to organize, patent, and distribute it. “Now listen up, boys, what does onigiri remind you of?” He was aiming for something specific, an integral part of treasure hunting.
Reiji waited for that eye-opening moment to catch on. He waited in motion, with a bounce in his step and with lips quivering in excitement. It took Masato a few seconds, fingers curled under his chin, before he got it. The twinkle was unmistakable, face elating when the idea came to him. It left Natsuki caught between the two, head comically swivelling back and forth.
Never one to leave a man out, Reiji looped the blond into his plan by grabbing a stiff sheet of seaweed. “Now here’s what we’re going to do…”
As it turned out, all that was needed was a little creative vision and smartly placed pieces of seaweed. Reiji offered to roll up his sleeves and pitch in to the onigiri making train but was refused with a smile. It was a surprise, he had to admit, but he was assured by his juniors that they could handle it. Still, seeing as he was the conductor behind this plan, he stuck around to see it through.
A certain fondness was building up in his chest as he watched Masato plate their exclusive onigiri delicately, his watchful eye ensured that no grain would be out of place. In a different corner of the kitchen, water poured out of the sink’s tap as Natsuki washed any leftover salt off his hands. With his feet swinging under him from where he sat, there was quite literally nothing for Reiji to do. The dishes were already cleaned and the requested onigiri had already been arranged on a plate of their own.
The tap was shut off. “How did they turn out?” Natsuki tacked on a gasp of amazement at the end when he took in the final product. There were still a couple left to be added, Masato was working as quickly as he could, but the specialized onigiri stood out from the rest.
Their shape, for one thing, made them unique. They lacked the familiar triangle orientation that onigiri were famous for. Instead, they looked like rectangular boxes. There were strips of seaweed were stuck on all cardinal directions, making them look like little presents. They also lacked any sort of identifier for what filling was inside them, that was left out on purpose. Reiji had already snapped a shot of one to post on his social media with an abundance of emojis. Look what his adorable juniors made! Onigiri treasure chests!
“I believe they turned out well.” Setting the last one on the plate, Masato examined his work. “I hope everyone will enjoy a bit of a surprise.” His content expression was mirrored by Reiji, who was basking in the aura of hard work. All he had done was give his juniors a nudge in the right direction, they had accomplished this by themselves. Sure, it may only be onigiri now, but it was enough to set the stage.
And what a glittering stage that was. It blinded him at times.
“You guys did well.” His beloved juniors were all grown up, praise was due where it was due. At his compliment, both Masato and Natsuki accepted it graciously with smiles and thanks. It made Reiji’s heart swell, knowing that he was looking at the next generation that would come after him. His age was only adding up these days and there was soon to come a time when he would be expected to step aside. The smile was close to slipping off his face.
“Yo.” A new voice brought a new mood, heads turned to where it came from. There stood Ranmaru, hands in his pockets. Just like with Reiji, the first to offer a polite greeting was Masato. It was echoed by Natsuki and that left Reiji to throw his own spin on it with forced animation.
“Ran-ran! What brings you here?” His holler rang out louder than it needed to, making Ranmaru cringe. The rocker shot him a look that didn’t faze the brunet at all. He’d been around Ranmaru long enough to know it didn’t mean anything.
Stalking forward, Ranmaru nodded towards the plate of the onigiri. “Food.” While that wasn’t surprising, Ranmaru thinking with his stomach, how he had found out about the onigiri in the first place was.
Slamming his palms down in front of him, Reiji jumped to his feet. “You check my posts, Ran-ran?” It was either the loud clattering of the chair getting abruptly shoved backwards or Reiji’s overly enthusiastic response that got another flinch out of Ranmaru. A biting remark was sent Reiji’s way.
“Shaddup, you’re too loud.” Taking a hand out of his pocket, it was directed at the overflowing plate of special onigiri. “Can I take one?” Barely waiting for approval, Ranmaru picked up one of the rectangular onigiri and squinted at it. “Tastes just like a normal one, ya?” He took a bite before anyone could answer and commented on the flavour. “Anyone else gunna eat? There isn’t any point in me eating alone.”
At that prompting, Natsuki took his onigiri first followed by Masato. The only one who didn’t make a move was Reiji, who had sat back down by now. The onigiri treasure chests were a cute idea but adventures were for younger folk, weren’t they? While he wasn’t willing to give up his stage yet, taking that first step back here would make it easier. Before Ranmaru was even finished his first, he was reaching for another and Reiji had the tack of the teasing remark on the tip of his tongue.
It was lost when the snack was held out in his direction.
It was done without any words; the action spoke volumes. It made Reiji blink slowly, looking up to meet a warm heterochromia. He was sure his emotions were plain on his face but he didn’t care about that. Accepting the offering, the thought crossed his mind that maybe he wasn’t ready to give up that thirst for adventure after all. There were still people who needed him to lead the way.
“Maybe,” getting overly emotional, tears glistened in the corners of Reiji’s crinkled eyes, “maybe the real treasure was the friends we made along the way.”
“No.” Ranmaru interjected plainly, hand already reaching for another onigiri for himself this time, “it’s definitely the food.”