A Little Gathering

Before he knew it, it was Saturday evening, and a long line had formed outside the new Ichiraku Ramen in West Rukongai.

Strings of lanterns hung beneath the wooden sign, their warm yellow light filled with the charred aroma of charcoal grilling and the sweet, savory scent of sauce. It was the distinctive aroma of the new dish, yakitori.

Before Wang Xun even reached the entrance, he heard several diners nearby chattering excitedly.

"Have you seen it? Ever since this new Ichiraku Ramen in West Rukongai introduced yakitori, there's been a huge line every day."

"No kidding. I ate there last week, and that sauce was fucking incredible. They've also started some kind of delivery service lately. The delivery guy actually rides a wild boar, and he's crazy fast!"

"Rides a wild boar? Seriously? Is he even human...?"

"Tsk, I saw it with my own eyes. A huge, muscular boar with a spiky-haired kid riding on its back, running like the wind..."

Wang Xun stood nearby and listened for a while, finding it rather amusing.

It seemed the delivery business he had arranged for Ganju was going pretty well.

When Wang Xun arrived, he saw Ganju standing at the entrance with several of his underlings.

They wore dark green clothes that allowed them to move freely, with the words "Ichiraku Ramen" printed on the back, and were deftly packing up delivery orders.

The muscular wild boar named Bonnie lay grunting nearby, with two rows of specially made insulated boxes secured to her sides.

"Ganju."

Wang Xun called out to him.

Ganju looked up, and his face broke into a smile the moment he saw Wang Xun.

"Oh! Big Brother Wang Xun, you're here!"

He turned and shouted into the shop, "Uncle, Big Brother Wang Xun's here!"

"Hey, young master Wang Xun, come on in. The two from the Shiba Clan are already inside."

"Mm, thanks for your hard work. By the way, Ganju, take a break when you can and come eat with us."

"Sure thing, bro. I'll be right there after I finish delivering these orders."

The new shop's decor was much more refined than the old one's.

The tables and chairs were natural wood, and menu illustrations in the style of ukiyo-e hung on the walls. The shop was already packed with customers, and nearly every table had ordered yakitori.

At a long table in the innermost part of the shop, Kaien Shiba was waving at him.

Kūkaku sat beside Kaien, and her eyes lit up as soon as she saw Wang Xun come in.

Wang Xun walked over and sat down across from Kaien.

Seeing this, Kūkaku raised an eyebrow.

Her gaze moved back and forth between Wang Xun and Kaien before she patted Kaien on the shoulder.

"Bro, switch seats with me."

Kaien: ?

Kaien couldn't really be bothered to move and smacked his lips.

"Why switch? Why don't you just sit across from us instead?"

Kūkaku scratched her head, a slightly bashful smile on her face.

"I guess I could, but I don't want to sit across from Ganju. He'd make me too sick to eat."

Kaien pinched the bridge of his nose, his head aching.

"He's your own little brother."

"That's exactly why he's so annoying. Come on, switch with me, big brother~"

"Fine, fine. Come on."

"Hee-hee."

Unable to resist Kūkaku, Kaien finally got up as she grinned at him.

Kūkaku sat down across from Wang Xun, her eyes shining with delight as she looked at him.

She knew that Wang Xun and Kaien had been training together in private lately.

But the two of them never passed directly by the Shiba Clan's place, so Kūkaku hadn't spoken to Wang Xun in a long time.

Now that she was finally seeing Wang Xun again, Kūkaku felt her heart beating a little faster.

"It's been a long time, Wang Xun."

"Yeah, it has, Kūkaku."

Looking at Kūkaku's lively face, Wang Xun felt considerably more at ease himself.

"Business is really good here."

Kaien remarked as he poured barley tea for Wang Xun and Kūkaku.

"Ganju said the place was almost full as soon as evening service started."

"Thanks to the yakitori," Wang Xun said with a smile. "After I suggested the dish, Uncle Ichiraku spent months working out the sauce recipe."

A flicker of admiration passed through Kaien's eyes.

"That's amazing, senior. I heard Ichiraku started out as a tiny shop. I never imagined it would grow this big."

"It certainly hasn't been easy. But your family's fireworks business is doing very well too. I'll come to you for a custom order of fireworks for the shop's next anniversary celebration."

"Just say the word, senior. I've put Kūkaku in charge of everything in that area now. When the time comes, you can see what she can do."

As they spoke, Ganju came over carrying a large tray piled high with freshly grilled skewers. The charred aroma of charcoal-grilled meat mingled with the sweet and savory scent of sauce, washing over them.

"Come on, come on, try some!"

Ganju set down the tray, then pulled several small jars from his waist pouch as if by magic.

"This is chili powder, this is shichimi, and this is sansho salt. I mixed them all myself!"

Kaien looked at his brother in surprise. "You can do that too?"

Ganju scratched his head and gave an embarrassed smile.

"I learned it in the kitchen. Uncle Ichiraku says I have a talent for cooking."

Looking at his brother, Kaien was quite surprised.

A month ago, Ganju had still been a wild kid who spent all day doing nothing but riding a boar around.

Now he not only had a steady job, but had also matured quite a bit.

"Good work, Ganju," Kaien said, patting him on the shoulder. "But don't let it go to your head. Keep working hard. Senior Wang Xun gave you an opportunity, so don't let him down."

"I know." Ganju nodded vigorously. "Now I get up early every morning and plan delivery routes with Bonnie. When things aren't busy, I help out in the shop, and sometimes I learn things in the kitchen too."

"Uncle Ichiraku said that when they open another shop, he might talk it over with Big Brother Wang Xun and make me the manager."

Listening to Ganju's animated account, Kaien was genuinely a little stunned.

He wanted to say something, but suddenly didn't know how to begin.

In the end, Kaien smiled with relief.

"However busy you get, don't wear yourself out."

"I'm not tired. It's a lot of fun."

Ganju lowered his voice and leaned close to his brother's ear.

"Bro, I'm going to earn quite a bit this month. I'm planning to buy my sister a new headband and get you some nice clothes. I'll save the rest for when I need it someday."

Kaien froze.

Looking at his brother's profile, no longer so childlike, he suddenly realized that the little brother who had always loved causing trouble and needed him to worry about him constantly had grown up.

"Hey, the meat's going to get cold if you don't eat it!"

Ganju had already turned away, grabbing two skewers of yakitori and pressing them into Kaien's hands.

"Eat up, bro. You looked completely worn out a while back, so eat plenty and build your strength back up today."

Kaien took the steaming skewers and bit into one.

The meat was crisp on the outside and tender inside. The sweetness of the sauce brought out the flavor of the chicken perfectly, and the aroma of charcoal spread through his mouth.

The delicious taste turned into a feeling of pure happiness that melted into his heart.

"Delicious."

He said it from the bottom of his heart.

After a couple of bites, Kaien suddenly remembered his sister and Wang Xun beside him.

He looked back and found that the two had moved close together at some point and were staring at him and Ganju, whispering about something.

"Look, Wang Xun, my brother's getting sentimental today."

"He really is. You know, Kaien does look quite a bit like an old father."

"Right? Big brother raised Ganju all by himself. He must be so proud and relieved now."

"It really hasn't been easy, Kaien. Now you've finally made it through."

Watching the two gossip about him behind his back, Kaien felt a few black lines appear on his forehead.

Tight. His fists were getting tight.

Normally, Kūkaku would definitely have gotten a smack on the head.

But today... forget it. He was happy today.

With that thought, he raised his wine cup high, a smile as bright and cheerful as the sun spreading across his face.

Laughter and cheerful chatter filled the surroundings, making for an exceptionally lively atmosphere.

"Come on, cheers!"