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It was a seemingly simple series of events that put Kohei and Tsumugi on the boat to the Kagawa prefecture. She had overheard someone talking about their favorite place to eat udon, and she parroted it back to Yagi when he picked her up from school. He innocently mentioned that Kagawa was known as the “Udon Prefecture”, setting off her food stimulated imagination.
“Ud-on, ud-on!” she chanted as he came to get her. Yagi only shrugged, explaining what had transpired, and the next thing Kohei remembered was booking tickets for next summer.
Tsumugi was as excited as expected on the boat ride, tuckering herself out before they got there They disembarked with her sleeping peacefully on his back. As he walked away from the port, he Kohei flipped through his guidebook, looking for well-known udon shops.
“Tawara Udon...” he read. It seemed to have the most positive reviews and recommendations, with the added bonus of not being too far to walk from here, “Tsumugi,” he said gently, kneeling to slide her off his shoulders, “We’re here.”
“Udon?” she asked, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
He shook his head, “We’re going to go get some. Come on, hold my hand, I know where to head first.”
She grabbed his hand joyfully, revitalized by the prospect of delicious udon. The local residents seemed friendly, many cooing at how adorable Tsumugi was. Her small ego inflated and Kohei knew he was going to have to deal with a prideful Tsumugi later, but the smile on her face was worth it.
Finally, they came upon Tawara Udon, though the appearance was...shabbier than expected.
“Well, it’s more about the food than the appearance,” he said, mostly to himself because Tsumugi was already running towards it.
Her little feet got her there surprisingly fast, so she waited by the door, rocking on her heels and chanting, “Udon! Yummy yummy udon!”
Kohei finally caught up, reaching for her hand again, “Tsumugi, relax-”
“Excuse me?”
Kohei turned to greet the voice, finding a man about his age.
“Is this Tawara Udon?”
He scratched the back of his head, looking anywhere but at Kohei, “It was, but it’s unfortunately closed now...”
“I see...” he could feel the disappointment radiating off off Tsumugi, who gripped his hand tightly, “The guidebook must be outdated.”
“Ah, you’re not the first person to get confused by that. The restaurant closed down with the passing of my father.”
“You didn’t take over?”
He looked sheepish again, “Ah, no. I’ve only come back recently.”
Kohei nodded, then bowed slightly, “I’m sorry for bothering you like this.”
He shook his hands, “No, no it’s alright!”
Their mutual apologizes were cut short by a cry of “Souta!” and the patter of little feet. A toddler was now hiding behind the man’s leg.
Kohei smiled, “Your son?”
“The child of a friend. I’m watching him indefinitely.”
The boy peeked out, catching Tsumugi’s eye. She waved at him and he came out a little.
The man kneeled, “Come on, say hi and introduce yourself.”
“Hewwo,” he said softly.
“Come on, what your name?”
“P-Poco.”
“I’m Tsumugi!” she announced proudly, hands on her hips, “We came for some yummy udon!”
Poco perked up before she even finished saying the word, “Udon! Udon!”
Both adults smiled at the young ones’ antics. Kohei pushed his glasses up and held out his hand, “I’m Inazuka Kohei.”
The man shook the extended hand, “I’m Tawara Souta. I can direct you to some open udon places if you’d like.”
“It’d be appreciated,” Kohei began, but then looked at Poco and Tsumugi, who were now holding hands and gleefully listing off their favorite foods, “I think Tsumugi would prefer to stay with Poco for the moment, though.”
Souta laughed, “I doubt Poco minds. It’s good for him to be with other kids every once in awhile.”
“RIght?”
The fathers shared a laugh, turning their attention back to the children, “No udon, but I could make something else for lunch? Me and Poco were just about to eat.”
“Ah, we can help if you’d like. Me and Tsumugi have been pretty exploratory in the kitchen lately.”
“If you don’t mind?”
Neither man really understood why, but they came into a sort of friendship easily, like they could sense a kindred spirit in one another. Maybe it was them feeding off how quickly Poco and Tsumugi bonded. They went into the house, Tsumugi and Poco bounding ahead of them.
While the adults cooked, the children both proudly displayed their respective Gao Gao-chan and Gali Gali-san plushies.
“...Gali Gali-san goes wherever Magi-girl goes!”
“Gao Gao-chan!” Poco said, his vocabulary more limited, “Is an awien!”
“Alien?”
Poco thought for a moment then copied her, “Alien!”
Souta turned to look back into the living room at their loud laughter, “They sure get along!” he said as he chopped, “Poco’s usually pretty shy.”
Kohei laughed, “It’s hard to be shy with Tsumugi. She’s a little whirlwind wherever she goes.”
“Poco’s the same way once he gets to used to people. It’s hard to be sad when he’s around.”
More laughter from the other room.
Kohei smiled, both sad and happy at once, “I understand why some people don’t want kids, I really do, but if I didn’t have Tsumugi I really don’t know what I’d do. She keeps me going.”
“They really change your life, eh?” Souta smiled as he moved onto the next thing to cut, “Poco isn’t mine, but I’m seriously considering adopting him. He’s given me a sense of...purpose?”
“Kids can do that for some people.”
When the food was done, the made their way back into the sitting room, finding Tsumugi and Poco still deep in conversation (well, Tsumugi was prattling on and Poco was listening with rapt attention).
“Food’s done,” Kohei called, and they scrambled to the table eagerly. “Itadakimasu!” Tsumugi said, slapping her palms together. Poco copied her, though he butchered the word.
“Delicious!” Tsumugi said, mouth full. “Swallow first, Tsumugi,” Kohei chided.
She nodded, swallowing, “This is almost as good as what we make with Kotori-chan!”
“Kotori-chan?”
“Ah,” Kohei smiled, “I’m a teacher and she’s a student at my school. She helps me cook for Tsumugi when we both have time.”
“Goodness” Souta said, “You’re lucky, huh? I have to cook for this little guy by myself, and man, can he eat.”
“Their stomachs are limitless, huh?” They both laughed, watching the children eat with vigor. Once they finished their meal, they got up to play around. It seemed to be a crossover between Gao Gao-chan and Magi-Girl. While they played pretend, Souta decided to ask Kohei for parenting tips.
“That’s how you get her to nap?”
“She works well with positive reinforcement. Punishment is best saved for extreme cases.”
Souta nodded, looking at Kohei with a look that said “Please teach me!”
I’m a teacher even during my vacation, eh?
“Why didn’t you take over you father’s restaurant?” Kohei asked once the children tired themselves out and plopped down for a nap.
Souta sighed, “When I was young, it just didn’t call to me. My father never really taught me the craft either, so it just wasn’t something I did. I left for Tokyo when I turned twenty and rarely came back.”
“I see, I see. Wait, you don’t even know how to make udon?”
He shook his head, “Me, Poco, and a young cowork--- friend once tried to follow my father’s recipe, but it tasted more like salty mochi than udon.”
A lightbulb went off in Kohei’s mind, and he turned to eye to Tsumugi, who was sleeping peacefully, “I have a way to repay you for letting us into your house.”
“Are you sure about this Kohei-san?”
Kohei nodded, tying the apron behind his back. Tsumugi gave Souta a thumbs up, “Me and Daddy make delicious food all the time! He even asked Kotori-chan’s Mommy for a help!”
“Kotori’s mother owns a local restaurant,” he explained, picking up the recipe sheet, “So we’re not just amateurs. Well, we are, but we have professional help.”
Souta nodded in appreciation, “This is perfect. I remember all my dad’s motions but little else, so we might be able to get somewhere.”
His prediction seemed to ring true, as the dough and other components came together much faster and more efficiently than when they did this with Hiroshi. Finally, they had the large dough ball, and Poco jumped in to explain his favorite part.
“One , two, udon, udon!” he chanted, stomping. His fellowe child, Tsumugi, understood instantly, clapping, “We get to step on the dough!?”
“Yes,” Souta said with a laugh, placing it on the ground, “You wrap it in plastic and then do what Poco’s doing on top.”
She hopped on immediately and was soon joined by Poco. He got tired quickly and Tsumugi soon followed. Souta stepped up, but Kohei held a hand out to stop him.
“I’d like to try.”
“Go ahead.”
When the dough was probably kneaded (and Tsumugi had sufficiently giggled at her father) they finished the process. Souta didn’t say it outloud, but working with their two new friends brought back memories of him sitting and watching his father work when he was a boy.
When it was all said and down, they sat at a table that used to house customers and dug in.
“This is good!” Souta cried, “It’s just like the old man’s...”
“Udon! Good good!” Poco said, tugging on Souta’s sleeve, “Souta, good!”
He smiled, “You’re right!”
Koehi and Tsumugi were less vocal about their appreciation, more focused on slurping up the noodles.
“Now that we know how to make it, we should invite Nakajimi, Sis, Hiroshi, Manabe-san and her family, and maybe even Sae-san sometime”
“Nakaji! Rin! Hii-kun! Sai!” Poco repeated before shoving another spoonful in his mouth.
“I see your father’s udon really was beloved by many.”
“We were in that guidebook, weren’t we?” Souta said with once dormant pride.
Kohei smiled, wiping Tsumugi’s mouth, “For good reason. This is very good udon,” he turned to look out the window and saw that it was getting dark, “Oh, it’s getting dark...we should be getting to our hotel.”
“Do we have to go?” Tsumugi said petulantly.
“Daddy paid in advance, so yes. But if it’s alright, maybe we could come again tomorrow?”
Poco nodded and Souta laughed, “I think he just answered for me. We can show you around next time.”
When the time came to part, Poco waved broadly, holding on to Souta’s pant leg, “Mugi, bye bye!”
“Bye bye Poco!” she called back, holding fast to Kohei’s hand. The adults gave a smaller wave, before Kohei and Tsumugi walked away.
The moment they were out of sight, tears prickled Souta’s eyes. He hadn’t had udon that tastes exactly like his father’s in nearly ten years, and he’d be lying if it didn’t bring back memories.
“Souta?” Poco asked in concern.
“I’m fine. Aren’t you glad you made friend with Tsumugi-chan?”
“Mugi!”
Kohei and Tsumugi came into their lives over rather simple circumstances, but today was a day they’d surely never forget.•