Chapter Text
It's your average day in Inaba… The sun is golden and the puffy clouds are high and mighty. Our dear Tohru Adachi is slacking off at Junes, per usual. And our president Tanaka... oh ho ho... he is just buying groceries like a normie. But he doesn't want people to know he is a normie, so of course, he has to wear that expensive suit. Hopefully he doesn't get swarmed for his appearance in stores like Junes… but Junes is cool, so I guess Tanaka is kind of swaggy?...
But anywho, let's get down to business!!
Tanaka slouches over his shopping cart. This is the only time he would be able to spend any money. Of course, his ramen stock at home is abundant. So what does he do? Fill the shopping cart with MORE ramen, of course! He is only in Inaba for a while, but hey, no harm with having all the ramen in the world!
Sooo… He goes to the ramen aisle… do you feel the suspense yet?
But of course, Adachi is also looking for some ramen! He couldn't find a decent chick to dine with, so it’s a one-guy date with a cup of noodles.
Or so he thought.
Tanaka and Adachi reach for the same ramen cup…
Tanaka looks at Adachi…
Adachi looks at Tanaka…
And the warmth of their hands meet.
Tanaka’s hands quickly ditch the cup of ramen. “Oh, uh..."
“Oh! Er-” Adachi immediately pulled his hand away.
They both turn to face each other… Tanaka’s face was beet red. Adachi tries to salvage the… awkwardness.
“My apologies. Uh, it's the last one. Are you sure you don't want it?”
Tanaka gazes at his cart full of ramen. “I think I'll be good for a while.”
Adachi tilts his head, peering at what's behind Tanaka.
Then he sees the shopping cart. That's… definitely a lot of ramen!
“Care to share some? I'm pretty sure you took a whole aisle's worth of ramen.” Adachi fixes his easy signature smile. “Hey… have I seen you somewhere? You're that TV star, right?”
Tanaka's face flushes. “Might be. I only hoard this much since I don't like being trampled over in public. You know how people get…”
“Ahhh… okay…” Adachi attempts to look innocently at the lights, the floor, the shelves… but not Tanaka. His eyes land on Tanaka’s polished shoes. “Junes has it all, doesn't it?”
Pathetic attempt at small talk.
Tanaka's ears were hearing but not listening; instead, his gaze raked over Adachi’s clothes… It's that damn tie…
He makes eye contact with Adachi.
“Fix your tie.”
Adachi's eyebrows shot up. “Eh?”
“Fix your tie.” Tanaka deadpans, eyes narrowing. Adachi looks down at himself… His tie looks great! But Tanaka dearest seems to think otherwise.
“C’mon! It's my sense of style. You remind me of my boss…” Adachi's eyes cross into thought. Tanaka just thinks he's a dope.
“He's right for that. What are you supposed to be anyway?”
“Uh, about that… yeah, detective Tohru at your service…” Adachi gives a lazy salute. “So you're a TV star, huh?”
Tanaka nods. Adachi snickers. A TV star in a place like Junes… some food for thought… (pun intended)
“For someone of your caliber, I would be expecting you to dine with the rich and famous.” Adachi says casually… You don't just say that to a celebrity!
“I don't have time for that. If you're a detective, I would expect you to stand up and dress…” he glances up and down. “Better.”
“For real? Man… eh, just take the noodles. You clearly need it more than me…” Adachi pauses. “Even with all that.” Adachi gestures a hand to Tanaka’s cart. “Have some fancy noodles, like at the diners!”
Tanaka smooths the non existent wrinkles in his gray suit. “Instant noodles does the job. And I don't like spending money.”
“Hmm… you're a TV star… don’t you have all the money in Japan? Alright, why not go to that ramen place? Uh… what was it…” Adachi’s face scrunches in thought. “Aiya?”
Tanaka cocks an eyebrow.
“Aiya? What business would I have there?”
“I dunno, good ramen?” Adachi kicks the ground, shoving his hand in his suit jacket pockets. “I like instant noodles, but everyone deserves a treat every once in a while.”
“Mhm…” Tanaka thinks for a moment. “When I'm not busy buying groceries or running a business, I'll consider it. Hey, why are you here anyway?”
“Oh, uh… I’m hiding from my boss as always.” Adachi's eyes drop further at the mere mention of Dojima. “See ya around? Maybe at Aiya? Or you know… we can go now.”
Tanaka's breath hitches. “Now? Don't you have a job to do?”
“Eh… it can wait. I can help you unload your uh… big pile of ramen in return. How does that sound?”
Tanaka's eyes narrow.
"Who's paying?”
“Oooooshhh… uhhh… you can pay 3 quarters of the bill?”
Tanaka shakes his head. “What kind of man do you take me for?”
Adachi smiles warmly. “Haha… fine. Split?”
Tanaka glances side to side, then back to Adachi
“...I suppose so.”
And then they forget the one ramen cup.
The ramen cup that will start it all.