Set ten years after the events that took place in Moon over the Castle, which I swear, am still writing the follow-up chapters! Though I couldn't let this piece go to waste when i had the idea pop up. Though a word of warning, this particular one shot does not contain any plot movement whatsoever. It all about atmosphere and feeling. With that said, I hope you enjoy this, and I hope you will forgive me for my constant delays. Chefselecta Out.
Brand New Days
The bartender shot a concerned glance at his only patron, silently staring at his half empty glass of bourbon...
Or was it something else?
A Suntory perhaps? He was sure he broke open one sometime today.
Though after closer inspection, plus that half-empty bottle of coke that was just taking up space on his counter, he knew something was up.
"Who the heck drinks a seven hundred yen cola in a bar? " Thought the bartender.
Regardless of his customer's poison of choice, he was too nice a person to simply let one man 'drown' his sorrows in his bar. Slowly, he made his way to the end of his wood counter, grabbing a bottle of single Malt; to break the ice so to speak.
"Normally I'll save this for the old regulars, but I think you will find this much better company then your cola sir." Said the bartender as he poured him a single glass. The man looked up and showed him a small smile in gratitude.
"Thanks..." mumbled the man as he scanned the bartender's shirt for some sort of identification.
The bartender smiled at the man's not so discreet attempt at a name.
"Ryu Sasakura, pleasure. And yourself? " Ryu said as he extended his hand to the man.
The man shot a raised eyebrow at Ryu, but stifled a slight chuckle before he shook his hand in return.
"Well my co-workers call me Shisho-san, so I guess you can call me that too" the man joked.
Ryu sweatdroped at the odd request...but it was better than just referring him as Sir. He has heard worst throughout his career though.
"I'm guessing you work in a library then?" Ryu said light-heartedly.
The man shook his head, "Not really...I just like books, and the name stuck."
Ryu grinned slightly as he continued to polish his glasses while the man took small sips of his whisky, closing his eyes to fully appreciate the robust flavour of the single malt. He smiled slightly to himself as he slowly taps his fingers to the beat of the calming jazz tune that was playing in the background, both men appreciating the comfortable silence between them.
As the man finish his glass of whisky, Ryu came back, ready to pour him another.
"Are you from around here Shisho-san? Or are you just visiting? " Ryu asked as he prepared another glass for the man.
The man smiled at the friendly bartender at his attempts of genuine friendly conversations, something he sorely missed having over the years.
"I used to live here a long time ago, before I moved away. I'm just here to catch up with some old acquaintances before I get back to work" the man said as he thanked Ryu for his second glass of whisky.
CLING
A loud bell rang as the door opened.
Ryu turned his attention to the front door, welcoming the new arrivals.
"Welcome back ladies... The usual? " Ryu asked. Seeing regulars in his bar always made his day a little better.
Motoko, Kitsune, and Shinobu smiled and nodded in acknowledgement at the bubbly bartender as they made their way to their favourite table. Ryu, being the bartender that he is, begins preparing their normal order before they even finish settling down at their tables, a Midori Sour for Shinobu, a shot of Japanese Shochu with a twist of lemon for Motoko and warm sake for Kitsune.
"Enjoy ladies." Ryu said as he served the drinks to the girls. Kitsune, being the woman that SHE is, immediately poured herself a cup of sake, gleefully anticipating the warm liquor.
"Ryu, honey, what WILL we do without you!" Kitsune blurted as she poured herself another cup...and another...and yet another cup, while her remaining drinking partners could only nervously smile at Ryu for their friend's behaviour.
Ryu gave the ladies a sincere smile and discreetly whispered to Motoko to keep an eye on Kitsune's drinking. Shinobu and Motoko could only look down in embarrassment whilst Kitsune continue her barrage of sake steadily.
As hours past by in the bar, more and more regulars came by to fill the seats. Some brought friends, others made new ones, though no one sat next to Shisho-san, who was still on his second glass of whisky. Ryu was about to go back to his corner to attempt some small talk but was suddenly cut off by the sound of clinking glasses.
"MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!" slurred Kitsune loudly. The whole bar quickly became silent, all curious as to what Kitsune was about to announce.
"I would like to propose a toast to my very good fr...Frys...pal! Motoko! For her first published novel and for Shinobu-chan here officially graduating!" Kitsune slurred as she raised her umpteenth cup of sake in the air.
The whole bar erupted in cheers,claps and whistles, as did Ryu. At the corner of his eye, he saw the lone drinker slowly lift his glass in cheer. Thinking nothing of it, he went back to his duties, mixing and preparing drinks for his thirsty clientele.
"It's a shame the rest couldn't make it today Kitsune-san, what with Su busy at her internship, and Haruka-san is back home watching over Sarah for Seta-san while he's away." Shinobu sighed. It was a long time since the whole dorm got together and just talked, though ironically enough they all stay together.
Motoko nodded in sad acknowledgement. "Naru-san and Mutsumi-san couldn't make it as well, though it is understandable. It's almost exam time and I'm sure those two are busy with the new students at the prep school."Motoko added.
Kitsune grinned as she heard her two housemates lament the absence of the rest of their merry "family".
"Well... I'm sure they would have been here if they could, girls." Kitsune said as she tried to stifle a laugh.
The loud chime of the bell rang as the door flew wide open.
CLING
"HEY-AS!"
Two figures rushed thru the doors as the other, much older three calmly walked to their table with wide grins on their faces.
Motoko and Shinobu were shocked as they were met with a crushing hugs from Su and Sarah whilst Naru and Mutsumi high fived Kitsune for a job well done. After everything was a little bit more settled, Haruka explained to the dumbfounded girls what happened.
" Naru and Mutsumi here had their kouhai to cover them at school today and Koala finished work earlier so we all thought of just joining you guys...Didn't you get my text Kitsune?" Haruka explained while trying to hide the growing smile on her normally stoic face.
Kitsune playfully rubbed her head in mock forgetfulness.
"Knew I forgot something! " Kitsune said teasingly.
"No duh right? Can't believe a scatterbrain like you actually writes for our newspaper" Sarah chided light-heartedly.
The whole table broke into fits of laughter as each of the ladies joked, kid and talked their way through the evening.
Once the drink orders cooled downed for a bit, Ryu went back to the corner of his bar, eager to make the most of the lonely drinker's time here.
"Would you like another glass Shisho-san? " Ryu asked as he tried to make small talk.
The man smiled at the bartender, nodding his head in acknowledgement.
"Just one more will do, I really have to get going soon." The man said as he patiently watch Ryu pour him his last drink of the night.
The man thanked Ryu and finished his last glass of fine scotch. He then paid for the drinks and was about to make his way to the door but was abruptly stopped by Ryu.
"Shisho-san..." Ryu said suddenly.
The man looked at Ryu warm smile as he turned back to the bar counter.
"Is the door easier to open now then it was when you first stepped it? Ryu asked cryptically.
The man took few long seconds to look over the table where the Hinata girls were sitting, all full of smiles and laughter. He smiled to himself as he saw how genuinely happy all the girls were.
"Yea, it kinda is..." said the man as he pushed the door out and walked into the cold darkness of the night.
The End
Epilogue
As the man made his way out of the warm bar and into the cold night, he noticed a slight vibration coming out of his cell phone, indicating an incoming call. The man flipped opens his cell and answered the call as he continued to walk into the darkness.
"Keitaro speaking..."
Writers note: Shisho means Librarian in Japanese, and the character of Ryu Sasakura was taken from the manga Bartender, a must read if you ask me. And If you were wondering, the song that was playing in the bar background is Also Sprach Brooks by Shoji Meguro.