Work Text:
Irasshaimase!
Welcome to Tokyo's finest ramen-ya!
Ok, it’s probably not the finest. The finest in Juuban maybe. The finest ramen shop in Juuban open after midnight.
Fine. We can argue about that new place that just opened in the north end afterwards, let's just say, for now, that this is the finest ramen shop in Juuban open past 2am ok? Well now, that doesn’t sound very impressive when you put it that way - stings the pride a bit - but that's ok. I don't mind. What I can tell you though, without any hesitation, is that this is the ramen shop with the finest customers in Tokyo. In the world maybe!
No really! I’m not exaggerating!
Seriously! The sailor senshi eat here! Right here! It's not every ramen shop in the city that can claim they have honest-to-goodness superheroes as regulars now is it?
Now, now, I know some of you might not believe they are real. You think they are just urban legends, but let me tell you. You’re wrong. Those of us who’ve lived here long enough - we all have stories of how they saved us, or someone we loved from...things that I’d rather not talk about right now. Just know that many of us are here and alive because of those “urban legends”. That's a fact. No if-ands-or-buts about it.
So, you want to know what they are like in person? What can I say? They’re pretty private people. Makes sense, given the circumstances. Superheroes and secret identities and all that - but a good bowl of noodles can be more revealing than you think!
I mean, let’s start with Sailor Moon. We have to, right? She is their leader.
I love that girl. Whatever you put in front of her, she just dives right in. She loves it all. The others joke and laugh at her for her terrible manners, but they do so with smiles on their faces. Her joy and passion for life are very sincere. It may be somewhat sentimental to say, but she makes me feel special. Like I am worthwhile. Ok, maybe it’s not so dramatic as that, I know I make some good ramen, but to see my ramen bring such enjoyment to someone who has seen and done so much for all of us? Well, I feel pretty great about my life too. It keeps me going even when I think there are easier ways to make a living. Ramen is hard work, and I’m not getting any younger you know. Heck, it isn't even just “she’s a superhero and she likes my food”. Just seeing ANYONE like my food that much is a wonderful feeling. This is why I do what I do. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Oh! Sorry! Enough about me! Let’s talk about Sailor Mars next!
Now Sailor Mars. There’s a cool customer - very gruff and short tempered at first glance. There’s more to her than that, you believe me. She might seem haughty and know-it-all at first, but you can see there's more to her than that if you spend some time watching. It just takes her a little while to relax. She seems to be very cool and focused, watching out for the others, until she judges that it’s safe to let her guard down. I don’t take any offense and don’t take it personally. I trust she has her reasons for being like that, afterall, she’s the Senshi, not me. She’s got a job to do, I suspect, that I know nothing about. Besides, she always warms up eventually. I always get a laugh when she and Sailor Moon argue, and they argue about everything. Sometimes, it’s about Sailor Moon’s eating habits and how much of a mess she’s making. Other times, it’s about how slow or careless she was during their last monster fight and such. It may sound harsh from the outside, but you can tell it comes from a place of love - especially the ones about their battles. These girls mean alot to each other.
I’ll be honest, for the longest time, I wasn’t sure if Sailor Mars even liked ramen - I’m still not sure really - but she always finishes her bowl, and her napkin is neatly folded next to her chopsticks when I go to clean up. Actions speak louder than words, so I choose to think that she does like my ramen afterall! That’s good enough for me! For the record, her order is a spicy miso ramen. She's a bit of a serious chili-head! I think it suits her well.
Ok! Sailor Venus next! She is a fun one! She loves being the center of attention, and really, I think she was born for it. She’s got charisma to spare. Sailor Venus is often playing with the radio or occasionally pretending that my ramen shop is a karaoke bar. She is a very good singer actually! There was one night, however, where she seemed a little quiet. She was sitting a little apart from the others - they were giving her her space I suppose. I didn’t want to intrude, but I couldn’t bear to just ignore her either. I asked her if there was anything she’d like to eat. Any request at all, on or off the menu. She asked for a curry udon, and a basket of fried fish and potato fries.
The curry udon was easy. I have that on my regular menu, but the fish and fries were an odd request at a ramen shop. Luckily, I did have some monkfish defrosted that I was saving for my hotpot dinner tomorrow and a few potatoes to boot. I happily fried them both up - a heavy English style beer batter, not a light Japanese tempura one as she requested - and served them to Sailor Venus. I’m not sure if that was quite what she was looking for, but hopefully, it made her smile. That girl has a brilliant smile.
Anyways. Sailor Mercury!
Sailor Mercury, now she never asks for anything, but someone, Sailor Jupiter I think, told me that she likes sandwiches. I don’t normally have bread in the restaurant, but I do have rice, and that’s the next best thing. I make onigiri for her instead. It’s kind of similar right? Kind of small, easy to eat, can put whatever inside. Same difference. Anyways, Sailor Mercury seems to like them just fine. For a girl that small, she can really put ‘em away.
Lately, the Sailor Senshi have been showing up at the restaurant more and more. Almost once a week now. It makes me worried to see them so often. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love having them over, but if these girls need to be out in the middle of the night so often, that can’t be good for them or the city. I can’t help but wonder what’s going on out there? What are the things that go bump in the night that they are keeping us safe from?
I really do hope that the Senshi are taking good care of themselves. Something Sailor Mercury does regularly just stuck me in a different way the other night. You see, she likes to study when she gets here. I have a little side table with good lighting that’s reserved just for her. She often pulls out a textbook from who knows where and then gets right to work. The others always groan that they shouldn’t be expected to study after saving the city (yet again), but Mercury persists. Typically, Mercury herself laughs, and is easily convinced to put her books away after a short time and join her fellow comrades in arms. Recently though, the books have been more frequent, and the groaning less. All of them are studying now, all the time. My humble ramen shop looks like a colourful midnight library when the Senshi are in.
I didn’t think much of it until all of a sudden, it hit me: high school entrance exams are right around the corner! The famous Sailor Senshi were just kids. They were kids studying to get into highschool. They shouldn’t be out here at 2am. They should be at home, in bed, safe and getting ready for school the next day.
They are just regular kids. They have lives. They have families, and yet so much depends on them. All of us depend on them. It’s so unfair. My heart breaks. There’s so little I can do to help.
Sailor Mercury must have noticed the look on my face. I am not a subtle man I suppose. She pulled me aside and smiled a sad little smile at me. She told me it was alright. It wasn’t easy, but if she had the ability to help someone, then it was obvious for her. She was going to do her best and help. That's just who she was. She thanked me for the onigiri, then went back to her books.
That’s a kid that’s definitely too mature for her age. She’s going to go far in life, I just know it. I wish more people were like her. Ever since I noticed, I've tried to keep some extra sweets on hand for them. If they are anything at all like the other young ones in my life, they have an infinite stomach for sweets.
Can I share a secret with you? Of course I can. You’re still listening to an old man ramble aren’t you? It’s a little guilty secret of mine but if I had to pick a favourite Sailor Senshi, it might be Sailor Jupiter. That’s a girl after my own heart. She a good person. You can just tell!
For her noodle order, the only constant is that she never gets the same thing twice. I think she's determined to eat her way through the menu. She wants to try everything! So far, she's made pretty good progress. Every time I have a new special though, she groans and makes a show of how she must try it now instead of the other dish she had her heart set on. I’ve always offered to just make her both if she’d like, but she always demures. I laugh and tell her that I do it on purpose just and that the simple solution is just for her to come by more often. I honestly wish she would! Whenever I talk with Sailor Jupiter about my food, I am always stuck with inspiration. That girl appreciates food and the work that we as chefs do. I think she must be a pretty great chef herself, and I’ve told her over and over that she's got a job here if she ever wants it. I think she thinks I'm joking. I'm not. I'm not sure she knows how great she really is, or I suppose she must be too busy, what with saving the city and all, to have something like a part time job. It's a shame really. The more I get to know them, all of them, the more inspired I am.
I know it’s not the same thing. I’m no hero. I’m just a simple noodle chef. When the monsters show up, I run inside and hide - but if there’s any small thing I can do to help, anything I can do to lessen their burden, I will.
I do what I can. 5 bowls of noodles, some snacks, and a few cups of tea. It's the least I could do for our heroes who help all of us so selflessly.
Oh! I can hear footsteps on the roof now! Time to grab my apron and fire up the stoves.
Okyakusamadesu!
Thanks for listening!