The boy who had grown up eating tasteless Soldier Pills in an Anbu basement finally experienced an emotion called "attachment."
He lowered his head and slurped down mouthful after mouthful of noodles, swallowing that faint ache along with the piping-hot broth.
"Is it good?" Kenji leaned over the counter, watching them with a grin. "My dad simmered this broth for ten hours.
"My chakra can only sense the springiness of dough right now, but I believe that one day, I'll make ramen this delicious too!"
"It's delicious," Lu answered indistinctly, struggling to pick up noodles with his right hand. "Carbohydrates enter the bloodstream and convert into glucose very quickly.
"My brain is finally getting a normal blood supply again."
Emi ate until her face was covered in sweat, drinking every last drop of broth. "The calcium ion concentration in this soup is very high. It'll be a tremendous help in healing my fractured bone."
Kenji rolled his eyes. "Does everyone in Team Chisen have to make even compliments about someone's cooking impossible to understand?"
Fifteen minutes later.
Three ramen bowls larger than their faces were stacked neatly together, without so much as a sliver of scallion left inside.
The three of them slumped against their chair backs, their faces flushed with utter satisfaction.
"Your digestive systems are operating at full capacity. Large amounts of blood are concentrated in your stomachs, reducing the blood supply to your brains." Chisen stood and took several banknotes from his pocket, tucking them beneath a bowl. "You'll feel extremely sleepy now.
"This is a normal physiological protective mechanism."
Chisen picked up his walking stick and went to the door.
"Go home and sleep.
"Get a full twelve hours.
"Muscles repair themselves three times faster during deep sleep than while you're awake."
Chisen lifted the curtain,