Work Text:
Shirabe sighed as she got up to examine her work for the umpteenth time.
This was her first kitbash project. Such things, especially for someone who barely had enough time since she was a student to engage in the hobby at all, were time consuming.
So now that she took a few days off and had nothing stopping her from finishing what usually would be worked on in short bursts, she went all in. Something had to be done to create an accurate depiction of Boon-sama, and that person was going to be none other than her.
In the wake of the Boonboomgers very publicized mech fights, it seemed companies wasted little time in capitalizing on it by making toys. There was definitely something to be said about the dubious legality of it all, and her current working theory was that this might have to do with a Hashilien (or other involved parties) plot neither she or the Boonboomgers were entirely privy to yet. If so, then how dare they even consider someone as unique as Boon-sama to be nothing more than a marketable asset?
Sure, she caved and bought one, but that was to illustrate her point to Director Tokoyari since her model was far from complete at the time.
And even though she could easily point out some flaws, and she was certain someone like Hando who knew the ins and outs of machinery would point out even more, she felt proud of what she’d created.
Shirabe sighed as her phone vibrated at the edge of the table. She reached over, and even though she didn’t recognize the number, picked it up and answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Hi, it’s Mira. How've you been doing?"
"I've taken time off. How did you get my personal number?” Shirabe asked.
“Boomer gave it to me."
Right, she did give it to him after the fireworks show. He didn’t even have an Earth number or personal smartphone to reach her though, which on the list of setbacks still was up there as one of the worst. Yet in the end he still took her number, and out of anyone else who could’ve had it passed along from there, Mira was far from the worst choice.
Besides, there must be a reason to jump through all these hurdles to reach her in the first place.
“Why exactly did he do that?"
“I was on my way out from my shift at Curry Shop Gon. Have you been there before?”
“I haven’t.”
“Seriously? The curry’s amazing here, so if you got the time you should stop by."
“Thanks, but I’m sure it won’t be as good as Boon-sama’s. That being said, what does this have to do with you getting my number?”
“Sorry, I got so excited about how everything went today that I skipped some steps!” Mira laughed. “Anyway, he helped me and the owner out a lot with getting the curry to be the best it can be.”
“Is that so?”
“Mhm, with a lot of time and feelings put into every batch of curry, the restaurant’s busier than ever. I used to go there a lot as a kid so seeing everything go well after helping out instead of getting shut down for good makes me so happy."
“Awww, I can’t believe I missed all that…” Shirabe groaned before clearing her throat. “I mean, I’m glad that everything went smoothly."
“We did take down a curry restaurant run by the Hasshilliens too.”
“I’m assuming that resulted in another fight?”
“Yeah, a lot happened but we took the Automonster down just fine.”
Shirabe laughed. “As expected.”
"Boomer also wanted me to pass along that he hopes you're doing well and that you'll come by the base again soon too."
"Yes, everything's been alright. Got a lot of rest."
"That's great!" Shirabe then heard the rustling of a plastic bag, the breeze from outside hitting the speaker, and Shifuto’s footsteps as she walked. “But anyway, I called because I wanted to ask if you’d like me to drop off some of the last batch of curry I got at your place?
“Sure,” Shirabe said, texting the address to her apartment to Shifuto.
“This isn’t too far from where I’m at so I should be there iiiiin..."
“If it’s out of the way then don’t-”
“No, no, no, no, it’s really not! You’re super close by on the route I take home so I’ll be there soon.”
Given how it’s simply a fact that Shifuto Mira was an open book, Shirabe didn’t press any further questions before saying goodbye.
Ten minutes later, Shifuto knocked on the door.
Shirabe opened it to find her smiling as she held the bag out for her. “Here's your piping hot delivery!"
“Thank you," Shirabe said, taking the bag.
Shifuto gasped. “Wait, is that a Boomer toy back there?"
Shirabe’s face flushed as she realized the door was wide open enough to get a good look at most of the main room. The tragedy of living in a small apartment was that there was little left to hide… messes and possibly finished but definitely still a work in progress model included.
“Y-yes, but if you're talking about the one on the table, I made that."
“Can I come in for a bit to take a look at it? Please?"
“Okay. It’s still quite messy in here though.,” Shirabe said, stepping aside to let Shifuto in.
Shifuto took off her shoes before navigating around plastic and cardboard debris until she reached the low table where the replica model of Boon-sama stood. The one Shirabe bought much earlier perched on a shelf alongside other finished model kits and figures of all kinds of robots at the corner, and Shifuto gave a look at it all.
Meanwhile, Shirabe walked the short distance to the kitchen counter and took out the takeout box of curry. Even without opening it, a familiarly comforting yet distinctly different scent wafted through.
“There’s so many details on all these...” Shifuto said. "Especially the second Boomer. You just finished making it, right?"
"I did." Shirabe made her way next to Shifuto. It felt weird having someone other than herself stare at what she made. However, this was an inevitability that came with making something meant to be seen. Watching Shifuto look at it with a smile was a good enough indicator that Shirabe did something right at least.
“How long did it take to make?” Shifuto asked as she rose back up to her feet.
“A month, though I mostly worked on it over the past few days I had off. I have a lot of spare model kit parts from when I was in university that I never got around to using for anything, so I put a lot of that, some extra things I got from some hobby and crafts shops, and a lot of sanding and painting to create the perfect replica of Boon-sama. There’s absolutely a lot I can do to improve upon the current version here like adding more details and maybe making parts to make it look like all the different forms of Boonboomger Robo since I know for a fact that none of the companies making toys got all of them yet or done to the standard it should be but I don’t really know if all of this was a bad idea and if I could do it at my level and I really really really want to show it to him someday so-” Shirabe took in a deep breath, expecting Shifuto to divert the conversation elsewhere.
Instead, Shifuto nodded. “You should go for it! If this is what you got so far then you’ll probably do an amazing job.”
Shirabe sighed. “I’ll try to find the time for it. With my current assignment though, I highly doubt I will, even though I really want to try making Wing Boonboomger Robo..."
“Yeah…” Shifuto yawned, “Work does take up a lot of time, and the ISA's not that great about balancing it out, huh?"
"I don't know. At least the part where I'm with you, Boon-sama, and the rest of the Boonboomgers had been far from a waste of it,” Shirabe said. "But I digress, did you want anything to eat or drink, Shifuto?"
“First of all, you can just call me Mira. Second, I was about to go since you seemed busy but, hm…”
Shirabe walked back to the box of curry. “There’s way more here than I can finish on my own."
And that’s how they ended up sitting face to face at the (mostly) cleared off table, each with a bowl of curry ready to be eaten.
“Thank you for the food!”
The flavour was vibrantly filled with feelings that it could be a flavour of its own.
In between bites, they kept talking.
“-so when I worked at that festival a few weeks ago, something really weird happened that I can’t stop thinking about… on top of everything else anyway,” said Mira..
“What happened?” Shirabe asked.
“My shift was almost over and three people came to order. One minute I was about to hand them their takoyaki, the next all of it was just gone, and no one saw anything!”
“How is that even possible?”
“I don’t know! There was change just left on the table down to the last yen for three orders of takoyaki but none of the people that ordered it left that money there."
“And neither you nor the others working at the stand reported this to the police?”
“The boss did, but last I checked, they’re at a dead end.. it’s not like it was a normal robbery.”
“I don’t think this would even fall under the definition of a robbery."
“Jou said the same thing, so I guess it’ll stay a mystery.” Mira looked over at the window as her smile shrank. ‘Hope whoever took it liked it enough to be worth a whole heist plan."
Shirabe hummed as she took another bite.
It made her feel so light, so loved, and so happy that she smiled and giggled while savouring every last bite. Alas, that blissful period came to an end.
Mira put her shoes back on and stood by the door ready to go.
“Thank you for bringing the curry over. It was really delicious."
“Of course! Glad it got you smiling like that earlier.”
“Smiling how exactly?”
“Your eyes were sparkling!”
“I didn’t notice any of that.”
“It’s easy to pick up when working at small restaurants,” said Mira. "Cooking takes a lot of time but the smiles people give are always worth it in the end."
Shirabe laughed. "Sounds like something Boon-sama would say."
"He did."
“I see…”
“Alright, hope you enjoy the rest of your time off Shirabe! Let's try hanging out outside of work again soon!"
“Perhaps when you decide to take time off yourself.”
Mira smiled. “Yeah, I'll try!"
Shirabe smiled back.
Mira was almost fully out the door when she stopped to turn back, still smiling. "If anything happens between you and the ISA when you get back, I promise we'll all try to be there to help."
Shirabe let go of her grip on the doorknob. "I know."
Once Mira left, Shirabe closed the door and looked around at the state of her apartment.
As much as she’d prefer for this task to be done with quickly, she knew that like every enjoyable thing, cleaning the messes up needed the proper amount of time too.
So with a sigh, Shirabe got to work. She wasn't exactly looking forward to having to face the world and its many unknown factors head on again tomorrow, but tonight she tried enjoying the high of warm fuzzy feelings.