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Ryuji let out a long dejected sigh as he walked down the street, dragging his feet with every step. He knew he wasn't gonna do well on the exams but damn, he didn't expect to do that bad… He wasn't sure if he felt more embarrassed or annoyed at himself but he definitely didn't feel great, that's for sure.
He'd really hoped to hang out with someone to take his mind off of his crushing defeat against the terror known as exams but nope. Ren had already made plans with another friend of his, Ann had a modeling gig, Makoto was busy with the student council, and Yusuke… God knows what Yusuke was up to but Ryuji couldn't get ahold of him. So here he was, roaming the streets looking for something to do… Wait, actually…
Where was he right now?
He lifted his head and scanned the area after realising that he'd just been walking for ages without paying attention to where he was going. Ah crap… He'd never been in this area before.
A worried grimace spread across his face as he debated what to do. Should he just head back the way he came? Should he look around for any street signs? Should he look it up on his phone? An annoyed grunt left his mouth as he looked around again. Just great, another mistake to add to the list of reasons that proved he was an idiot, what next? Was he gonna- Hm?
Ryuji stopped and stared at a building that had caught his interest. There was a ramen joint he hadn't heard of?! He glanced up at the sign above the entrance.
"'Ashouken'… huh?" He read it aloud to himself. Well… if he was in the area… he might as well give the place a try… Besides! He needed a pick-me-up after this hellish week of exams! He earned this!
With a newfound pep in his step, Ryuji entered the restaurant.
"Welcome!" Two cheerful voices called out the moment he stepped through the doorway.
Looking around, Ryuji noticed that only three people were in the restaurant: two people behind the counter, and one old man at one of the tables… Either he got lucky and managed to snag a seat at a really good place while it was quiet… or he was about to eat the worst ramen he's ever tasted… He hoped for his sake it was the first option.
"Well, hello there, new face! Never seen you around before!" The adult man behind the counter remarked with a friendly smile. He glanced down at Ryuji's blazer. "A Shujin student, eh? We don't get a lot of Shujin kids around here, it's a fair way away…"
"Uh, yeah, I was just kinda wanderin' around… and then I was here. But I love ramen so I figured I'd stop in." Ryuji awkwardly explained.
The adult man laughed loudly. "Well, then it must be your lucky day! We're glad to have ya! C'mon, sit down wherever ya like!"
"Okay, thanks." Ryuji bowed slightly before walking over to the counter and taking a seat on one of the stools. First impressions were pretty good… The service was very friendly, and now that he was paying attention, something smelled absolutely delicious!
As the man with black hair went to speak again, his phone buzzed from his pocket. He quickly took it out and checked his messages.
"Ah… Shun, I'm gonna have to head out real quick, would you be okay to watch the shop by yourself for… 40 minutes tops?" He asked, sliding his phone back into his pocket.
The teenager with blue hair who looked to be about the same age as Ryuji tilted his head quizzically. "I mean, sure, but why?"
"Sagami-san threw out his back and can't make his delivery here so I'm gonna have to go pick it up from his store."
"Oh, damn… I hope he's okay…"
"He's been taken to the hospital so he should be fine. You're absolutely sure you'll be fine by yourself?"
Shun flashed a confident smile. "Sure thing! You get going already, just leave the store to me!"
The adult man sighed in relief as he grabbed his jacket and walked towards the door. "You're a lifesaver, Shun! See you in a bit!"
And with that, he was gone.
Ryuji sat there, slightly stunned. Uh… Okay… Well, that was unavoidable since their produce guy couldn't deliver any ingredients but still… How was he gonna get any food now? The only person behind the counter was a trainee…
The old man sat a few tables away chuckled knowingly. "No need to look so nervous, young man! He may not look it but our Shun-chan's a talented cook. You're in good hands."
Shun shot him an accusatory glare, his cheeks a little pink. "Whaddya mean 'he may not look it'?!"
The old man laughed again, amused by Shun's bashful aggression. "I mean a highschooler isn't going to expect another highschooler to be at near professional level."
Shun awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "Okay, fine, I guess that makes sense…"
After noticing that Ryuji hadn't said anything in a while, Shun realised that he'd been so distracted by Masa leaving that he forgot to serve him anything.
"Ah crap, sorry! Here's a menu and a glass of water. Lemme know when something catches your eye." He hurriedly placed the two items down in front of the blond.
"Thanks, man." Ryuji politely replied as he picked up the menu. He took a few gulps of water while he read, not realising how thirsty he was from his walk until there was a drink in front of him. After skimming through the menu, he figured it was best to just stick to the basics when trying a new place for the first time.
"I'll have a medium…" As he spoke, his stomach growled loudly. "… Actually, could I have a large bowl of tonkotsu ramen?"
Shun grinned, throwing a small towel over his shoulder as he got to work. "Comin' right up!"
To be completely honest, Ryuji had never really thought about the process of making ramen before. But seeing someone his own age working in a ramen shop had intrigued him so he watched the whole process.
It was mesmerizing.
The amount of time management required was insane. The guy was hopping from station to station and taking care of each part with expert timing.
And every action he took was so bold and confident; he clearly knew exactly what he was doing.
The way he carefully sliced the pork with such care, making sure each slice wasn't too thin or too thick.
The way he pulled the eggs out of the boil and immediately into some ice water before focusing his attention on the broth, and then coming back and cutting them open to reveal a beautiful, perfectly soft boiled yolk.
The way he chopped up the scallions with those crazy speeds you only see TV chefs do.
And then the way he assembled the entire bowl with such love and care that it looked like a work of art…
Ryuji had never realised how much work went into making a good bowl of ramen. He was still staring with wide eyes when Shun proudly placed the bowl in front of him.
"Here ya go! Enjoy your meal! I'll getcha some more water."
"Thanks!" Ryuji replied as he eagerly picked up his chopsticks and spoon while Shun carried away his glass to refill it. Ryuji decided to follow the recommended method for trying new ramen and try the broth first.
He submerged his spoon into the bowl, filling it to the brim with soup, and then carefully lifted it up to his mouth. He gingerly blew on it a few times to cool it down a little bit before finally taking a sip.
…
Oh… Wow, this was delicious…! But… in a very specific type of way… What was it…? Hmmm… Homely?
Yeah, that was it! It had a really comforting flavour, like a home cooked meal!
Composing himself, Ryuji moved onto the noodles. Fishing out a handful with his chopsticks and catching any dripping soup with his spoon, he placed the noodles in his mouth and eagerly slurped them up.
Again, incredible! The noodles weren't too tough and chewy but they weren't mushy and falling apart either. They hit that balance dead-on!
Ahh crap… What should he do? He'd already sworn loyalty to his favourite joint… He'd never expected to find such fierce competition! He carried on trying every aspect only to get blown away by how good it was!
"So, how ya liking it?" Asked Shun as he wiped down the counter.
"Itsh amazshing!" Ryuji gasped out through a mouthful of food.
Shun laughed heartily. "Ha! Glad to hear it!"
The old man laughed as well as he pushed himself out of his seat. "Haha! I told you our Shun-chan's got a real talent! Well, anyway, the payment's on the table as usual, Shun-chan. Take care!"
"Thanks… You need a hand there, Kunugi-san?" Shun asked as he watched the old man stiffly take a few steps.
"No, no, I'm fine… I've just been sat still for too long, give me a minute. Oh! By the way, I'll be in tomorrow as well." The old man reassured him before remembering something.
"Oh yeah? I thought we were your once-a-week treat? Something special happen?"
"Yes, my daughter's coming to visit with my grandchildren so we'll all be coming here for lunch!"
Shun smiled brightly and crossed his arms. "Oh, that's great! I'll be sure to let Masa-san know! You're always gushing about your family so we've gotten pretty curious."
"Haha, well, you'll be able to meet them tomorrow. Oh! But one of my grandsons does have a bell pepper allergy… Would you be able to work around that?"
"Bell pepper… Yeah, sure thing! We've got plenty of recipes without bell peppers and we can easily remove paprika if we need to."
"That's perfect. Thank you so much, Shun-chan. Well then, I'll see you tomorrow. And tell Masa-kun that I said thank you for the meal when he gets back."
"Will do! Take care, Kunugi-san! See you tomorrow!"
With that the old man left, waving goodbye with a serene smile until the door closed behind him. Silence fell over the restaurant as the two teenagers were now the only people in the building. Ryuji felt… pretty awkward.
"So, uh… It usually this quiet here?" He asked in an attempt to start conversation.
"Hm?" Shun glanced over as he headed over to the table Kunugi was sat at to clean and collect the payment. "I mean… Kinda but not really? It does get pretty quiet at this time but it's not usually this quiet. We're mostly busy at lunch and dinner times."
Ryuji thoughtfully chewed his food. That made sense he supposed. "Any idea why it's so quiet today?"
"Eh… Probably exams. All the students that usually come here to grab a bite to eat after school are probably too drained so they just head straight home." Shun muttered as he wiped the table.
"Ugh… Don't talk to me about exams…" Ryuji groaned, flopping his head against the counter.
Shun let out a half hearted chuckle. "Ahaha… You too, huh? These ones were… pretty brutal, right?"
Ryuji lifted his head slightly. Did… Did he have a new brother-in-arms?!
"R-Right?! I swear half of those questions made no sense!"
Shun seemed to be feeling the same way as Ryuji. "Exactly! How can we answer anything if they word it badly?! Get to point, dammit!"
"Exactly! Ha! See, I'm not stupid… The exams were just… unfair!" Ryuji laughed, trying his best to convince himself that was the case.
"Y-Yeah! I just have high standards to compare myself to since I'm friends with our student council president… I'm not stupid, she's just way too smart." Shun also tried to convince himself that he was fine.
"You too?! I'm friends with our student council prez too! It is insane how smart she is… Like how the hell does her brain keep all that info in there?!"
"Right?! How do their brains not run out of storage?!"
"Seriously, I can only remember so much!"
The two boys half heartedly laughed with each other before letting out defeated sighs.
"God, I really ate shit in these exams…" Ryuji muttered dejectedly.
"Same… It's why I came straight here after school… I feel way more as ease here." Shun sighed as he returned to his position behind the counter.
"Yeah? You a regular here before or somethin'?" Asked Ryuji before placing one of the eggs into his mouth and chewing thoroughly.
"Yeah, something like that. And you? You said you were just kinda wanderin' around and came here. What's that about?"
Ryuji awkwardly chuckled. "Honestly I was moping about how bad I did in my exams. All my friends were busy so I just sorta walked around, not really paying attention to where I was going, and then I realised I had no clue where I was. Then I noticed this place and thought I could really go for some ramen right now and yeah."
Shun nodded understandingly. "Sooo, bad day, got lost and then wanted some comfort food?"
"Basically, yeah."
The two teenage boys laughed quietly while Ryuji continued his delicious meal, still in disbelief that someone his age made such a professional grade bowl of ramen.
"Hey, so, how'd you end up working at a place like this? Ramen joints ain't exactly the first place that comes to mind when you think about part time jobs…" The blond asked, genuinely curious how someone his age could become such a great cook that the owner of a restaurant could wholeheartedly trust them to watch the place by themself.
"I mean… I love ramen." Was Shun's blunt response.
"Well, yeah, obviously, but there's gotta be more to that, right?" Ryuji scoffed, amused by Shun's simplicity. Something about his single minded approach to ramen reminded him of Yusuke's attitude towards art.
Shun crossed his arms and tilted his head as he gave it some more thought. "I mean… it's kinda personal but I guess it's kinda like… Ramen is comforting to me so I wanna give that comfort to others?"
Ryuji nodded slowly, not quite getting it. Shun noticed this and tried again.
"Okay, so… My mum works a lot and she tends to work pretty late too. When I was a kid, one of the owners of this place noticed me hanging around and gave me dinner. After that, I started coming here every night and eventually I wanted to learn how to make ramen too. So I was always either eating, cooking and just talking with the guys here… I guess it's like… They took care of me whenever my mum couldn't."
"So, they're like a second family to you?" Asked Ryuji. Now that part he could understand since that's exactly how he felt about the Phantom Thieves.
"Yeah, exactly. I guess it's like… like…" Shun huffed as he struggled to put it into words. He glanced back at the kitchen for inspiration. "It's basically like… Their ramen gave me somewhere to feel safe and welcome? And now making food is how I show people I care about them. So I make food with the owners 'cause I love being around them. I make food for friends because I love seeing how happy it makes them… and I love this community so I wanna keep 'em well fed."
Silence fell over the two again as Shun's speech sank in. The blue haired boy quickly became embarrassed, flushing a bright red as he rubbed the back of his neck. "O-Or whatever! I dunno! I'm not really sure how to describe it!"
Ryuji stared at him with awestruck eyes. Thinking about it, Ryuji had seen something like this before: with Ren and Sojiro, always making food for people needing a little pick-me-up. If anything, Sojiro teaching Ren how to make curry was how the two of them bonded. Not to mention, the Phantom Thieves usually had a special meal together to celebrate their victories… Food really did bring people together, huh?
"You're amazing, dude."
Shun's cheeks grew hotter at the sudden praise. "H-Huh?! Where's this coming from?!"
"Nah, just, finding a way to show people you care that's specifically your way… That's really cool." Ryuji sincerely replied, dipping his spoon into the broth again with a newfound appreciation for the dish.
"W-Well, what about you? You've got a comfort food too, right?!"
Ryuji glanced to the side as he thought about it, still happily eating his ramen as he pondered the question. He hummed quietly as a memory hit him. A memory of him in the kitchen with his mother as a child, standing on a stool and watching his mother carefully.
"Yeah… I guess if I had a comfort food… It'd be gyoza."
Shun smiled. "See? Told you! What's so special about gyoza to you?"
Ryuji looked down at the counter. "I mean… I don't wanna go too into it but… I had a really sorry excuse for an old man. And whenever there were really bad days and then he'd leave for a while, my mum would make gyoza to cheer us up."
Shun's eyes widened in surprise as he was able to piece together what the blond was suggesting from his vague story. He chose to focus on the positives in the story, since that was what the blond was clearly more interested in.
"That sounds pretty great. I mean, half the fun of having gyoza is making them, right?"
"Right! I remember my mum would always say that my kid hands were the perfect portion size so she'd always have me hold the wrappers, then she'd scoop in the filling and I'd close my hand and fold the dumplings up. Then she'd make sure they were sealed and then cook them." Ryuji chuckled softly as he recounted those memories.
"Yeah, it's the teamwork that made it fun. How'd you cook 'em?"
"Eh, it depended on what we wanted that day. My favourite's always been pan fried but mum likes 'em steamed the best."
"Ooh, both of those are great. You ever had deep friend gyoza? Ugh, it's so good!"
"Oh hell yeah, I love it! Although that's the one we have the least… Mum says it's healthier to keep it as an occasional treat."
"Ah, yeah… I hear ya."
"Come to think of it, when was the last time we had gyoza…?" Ryuji mumbled to himself. Thinking about it, the last time his mother made gyoza for him was… last year. After that whole mess with Kamoshida… He supposed it was a good thing that they hadn't eaten it in a while, considering it was what she made to cheer the two of them up. In a way, he supposed that meant things were going well for them right now. Still though, it would be nice to have them again…
Actually… His mum had been working overtime a lot lately… What if he surprised her by making some gyoza?!
He excitedly pulled out his phone and began looking up the ingredients. Although, a certain important detail occurred to him as he was scrolling: He'd never made gyoza before. Whenever he got involved as a kid, his mum had already made the dough and the filling…
"How the hell do you make gyoza…?" He mumbles to himself.
"Hm?" Shun reacted, thinking Ryuji was talking to him. "What's up?"
"O-Oh! It's nothin'! Don't worry about it!" Ryuji frantically waved his hand to dismiss him.
Shun, however, leaned over to take a peek at Ryuji's phone. "Oh, are you gonna make some gyoza? Hell yeah, man, sounds delicious."
Ryuji blushed slightly. "I mean… I was thinking of making some gyoza for my mum but… then I kinda remembered I dunno how the hell to do that…"
Shun stared at Ryuji before smiling brightly. So he wanted to show how much he cared with food too? He could get behind that! Hell, he'd give him a hand!
"You want me to teach how to make them? We've got some extra ingredients we could use." He offered, pointing at the kitchen behind him.
"Huh?!" Ryuji reacted wildly, genuinely unable to tell if this guy was being serious or just joking. After staring at him long enough, he realised he was serious. "A-Are you sure? Ain't you kinda gotta run this place?"
Shun shrugged. "Eh, dinner rush won't be for another few hours yet and Masa-san will be back soon. So you wanna give it a try?"
Ryuji sat there a little stunned, unable to piece together how he went from failing his exams to being taught how to make gyoza by a really cool stranger that somehow felt kinda familiar to him. But y'know what? He figured he might as well go with the flow.
"W-Well, okay, man, if you're offering!"
"Awesome! I'll prep everything we need."
"Oh! But, uh, you mind if I finish my ramen first?"
"Haha! Not at all! Glad to see you're enjoying it!"