Inside the ramen shop, in a quiet corner.
"Try it, Yukino. This place is top-tier." Yū split apart her chopsticks and stirred her noodles.
In her current state, she could only eat because the boy had lent her some of his power to maintain her form.
Yukino looked at the glossy, oil-slicked broth, hesitated for a moment, then finally picked up a pair of disposable chopsticks and started mixing her own noodles.
Natsuo sat beside the two of them. He glanced up at the small security camera in the corner of the shop, then looked away. The feed went blank.
Picking up some noodles with his chopsticks, he looked across the street through the window.
Hiratsuka Shizuka was still fighting. Seven or eight guys were already down on the ground. Thirteen were still standing.
With the kind of strength that could send a person flying several meters with one punch, it wouldn't be long before all those delinquents were on the ground.
"How can she be… so strong…" Yukino watched as another body went airborne, momentarily forgetting to bring her noodles to her mouth.
She thought of the Aikido passed down in her family. But Aikido was mostly about defense and counterattacks, techniques to throw and restrain opponents. That woman was just knocking people out with a single punch.
"My family's in the yakuza," Yū explained simply. "You can't be in that business without being able to fight."
Natsuo turned to look at her, noodles hanging from her mouth, and frowned. "I thought you were a teacher."
"I am," Yū said, swallowing her noodles before reaching for another bite. "But my parents weren't. My old man was the head of the Chiba yakuza."
Yukino looked surprised. "Hiratsuka-san is from that Hiratsuka family?"
Yū reached over and ruffled her hair. "That's right. But I never wanted much to do with that side of things. These days, my older brothers run it."
Yukino stiffened slightly. She wasn't used to being treated that way.
Natsuo glanced at them, then looked down and continued eating his own noodles.
Daughter of a big family. Daughter of a big family. And here I am, just some ordinary poor kid. There's a wall between us.
He thought of Eru instead. She came from a farming family. Her family's peaches should be ready soon. He'd probably get some in a few days.
The melons and watermelons were probably close to harvest too.
Chewing on a piece of chashu, Natsuo let his mind wander.
"Left hook! Yeah! Ooh, use a side kick! Nice!"
Natsuo swallowed his chashu and looked at the ghost beside him, who was clenching her fist like she was watching a sports game. "You can be louder, you know."
Yū lowered her hand and turned to him, patting his back with a lively expression. "Don't be so gloomy about life. A young man's shoulders should be carrying spring breezes and blooming flowers."
Natsuo put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I'm not a young man yet. And your daughter's way too energetic. Did you teach her that?"
"Nope. That wasn't me." Yū fell quiet for a moment, then picked up her ramen bowl and drank the broth.
Natsuo watched her drink like someone downing a drink, his eyes shifting slightly, but he didn't say anything.
He turned back to the 'battlefield' across the street. The girl was standing alone. Aside from the onlookers, everyone else had already been knocked flat by her fists.
She rubbed her wrists and started walking their way.
Oh. Here comes the kidnapper.
Through the window, their eyes met.
Shizuka paused for a moment, then grinned and hurried into the shop.
"Boss! Large tonkotsu ramen!"
By the time she'd placed her order, she was already standing right in front of him.
Looking down at the quietly composed child, she grinned and reached out to ruffle his hair.
He dodged.
Shizuka shifted her footing and tried again.
Her foot slipped, and she landed flat on the floor with a thud.
Huh?
Shizuka blinked, confused. Since when was my balance this bad?
Natsuo watched her sitting on the floor, and beside her, the ghost circling with clear amusement. Then his eyes caught something else, and his expression turned strange.
A pair of safety shorts printed with Jotaro Kujo. What kind of bizarre taste was that? Was this girl even human?
"Oh, Yamanashi-kun is peeking at senpai's underwear." Yukino had come to stand beside him, nodding knowingly.
"That's called safety shorts. And," Natsuo met the gaze of the girl sitting on the floor without a hint of shame, "I wasn't peeking. I was looking openly."
Shizuka smoothed out her skirt, stood up, brushed herself off, and didn't look at him. She just sighed as she took the ramen bowl from the owner. "Only eight years old and already a pervert. You're going to end up in jail when you grow up."
Natsuo scoffed. "Eighteen years old and already trying to kidnap people. I'd say you're the one headed for jail."
Shizuka sat down on a stool, stirring her ramen with irritation. "I was trying to take you home with me. It was a kind gesture."
Natsuo nodded. "Yeah, sure. Lure the kid home, then do whatever. If anyone asks, just say you're disciplining them. Classic movie plot."
"Do whatever?" Shizuka chewed on some noodles, tilted her head to look at him for a couple of seconds, and seemed to actually consider it.
Natsuo took a step back. "You're actually thinking about it."
She coughed. "No, I wasn't." But she kept looking at him, thoughtful. "I just feel like an eight-year-old living alone is kind of sketchy. Seriously, why not come stay with me? My place is nice."
"No thanks." Natsuo looked to the side. "Let's go."
He was looking at Yū, standing nearby.
Yū glanced at her daughter, who was slurping down noodles, then clutched her stomach with a pained expression. "Oof… my stomach hurts."
Natsuo's expression didn't change. She was a ghost. She didn't have a stomach.
Yukino scanned the room and spoke up. "I'm a little tired."
"Who asked you?" Natsuo waved a hand, his dismissal completely natural.
Yukino gritted her teeth and stepped forward.
'Today, I'm making him experience Aikido firsthand.'
"Hm? You heading home? Let's walk together." Shizuka had already finished her ramen. She set the bowl down with a satisfied burp.
She stood up, glanced at the boy, and shrugged. "My family has some business with the Chitanda family in Kamiyama. I've got a meeting to discuss."
Without waiting for his reaction, she leaned down toward the other person. "Come to think of it, you're the Yukinoshita family's second daughter, aren't you?"
Yukino met her gaze and replied seriously. "Yes. I'm Yukinoshita Yukino."
Yū lowered her hand from her stomach and smiled.
Natsuo couldn't be bothered with any of them. He walked toward the shop's exit.
…
"I'll stop here. I'm not cooking for an extra person."
Natsuo stopped in front of the train station entrance.
Shizuka scratched her head, a bit exasperated. "You're so serious for a little kid."
Without asking Yukino's permission, she reached out and pinched her cheek with a grin. "See you next time, Yukino. I'm heading home."
She turned and walked off, her stride decisive and carefree.
Natsuo glanced at her retreating back, then resumed walking toward the station.
Yū watched her daughter leave, smiling, as she followed him.
Yukino looked at the departing figure, then at the boy heading into the station, and frowned slightly.
Yū turned back and took her hand, leading her forward. "Shizuka was worried, so she wanted to walk Natsuo home. Once he got to the station, there wasn't much to worry about anymore, so Natsuo told her to leave."
Yukino understood, then immediately fell silent, struck by the wordless understanding between them.
What was this? An unspoken connection? Or simply each of them reading the other's intentions? Or was this just what normal interaction between people looked like?
Yū let go of her hand, passed straight through the ticket gate without paying it any mind, then turned back and smiled. "That's just how Shizuka is. She's always been kind to a fault."
"Kind? You mean the person who just got into a brawl with twenty delinquents after school?" Natsuo clapped his hands twice, his face expressionless. "Real charitable of her."
Yukino swiped her card and passed through the gate, thinking for a moment before offering her own take. "Hiratsuka-senpai doesn't strike me as someone who acts without reason. I'm sure she had her reasons."
"Maybe." Natsuo didn't commit either way. He just looked at her as she passed through, raising an eyebrow. "Yukinoshita-san, why are you still here?"
Yukino walked past him, her bag over her shoulder. "Hiratsuka-san invited me to see the countryside."