We're picking up right where we left off, fam. More of the cast in this chapter and finally some food happens XD

Instead of having me get in the way of the workers setting up to open shop, Haruichi offers to finish delivering the package and invites me to have a seat at the bar. "It's just through the last door on the right and at the end. I'll come by in a minute." He says right before disappearing to what I assume is the kitchen.

Now, I understand that he spends most of his evenings here and could probably give a tour of the place blindfolded, but I've only been here once and can barely see in here. The lights are pretty dim and a few distracted people are rushing through the hall around me. It can't be all that hard to follow his instructions, though, can it? I swerve around someone and step out of the door, eyes starting to adjust. The lights out here are gold lanterns hanging from the ceiling, casting a soft glow over the tables and chairs. A section of booths to the side have their own lanterns with candles inside on the edge of the tables. Someone in all black is rushing around to light them all, and it looks funny the way they're scurrying from table to table. When I pass by a chair with dark red cushions, I run my hand along the leather. It's surprising how smooth it is! The booths don't feel like the same material. They feel softer, like velvet. I don't think we have anything velvety on the farm. When I reach the bar, I notice the stools have the same red leather as the chairs. "Hmm." I kinda wish they were velvety. "Weird." I scan behind the counter, not seeing Haruichi but lighting up at the sight of another familiar face. "Monster!" My shout startles Furuya, and he almost bumps his head on the counter from his crouching position. "What're you doing back there?"

He stands up, tossing a white rag over his shoulder. "Stocking glasses. You didn't say you were visiting. Not to me, anyway." Furuya swipes the rag over the counter, but it looks clean to me.

"I'm on business! Our delivery guy has the day off, so I came instead."

"You've never done that before."

I shake my head, sitting up straighter. "Yeah, it's my first one. Maybe the last one, too." Ever since I've known Furuya, he's always let others do the talking. I thought he was ignoring me and stuff when we first met, but then I realized that's just how he is. When he raises an eyebrow, I know it means he wants me to explain something. "How does everyone drive around here? The streets are so confusing!"

"Walking makes it easier."

That's kind of a good point. "Well, the sidewalks are crowded, too! People don't even stop to say hello or nothing." They didn't even stop to help give me directions. Strangers just made faces and probably wished harm on me.

"Some are busy." Furuya shrugs. "And some…maybe they're quiet."

There's really nothing wrong with a person keeping to themselves, I guess. It wouldn't kill them to smile in passing, I don't think. "But how do you breathe? The air feels weird in my lungs every time I come here."

"You get used to it."

"Do you get used to all the noise and lights and things happening all around you at once, too?"

For a minute, he pauses his unnecessary cleaning to stare at me. He doesn't say or do anything aside from look me in the eye. "Not yet." He finally replies. His seriousness somehow strikes me as funny, maybe 'cause I didn't expect him to put so much thought into his response. Furuya smiles when I laugh, even though a stranger would probably think his face was neutral.

"By the way, do you have a lot of studying and crap this weekend?"

"No. I had an exam this week so I have time to relax and not look at textbooks for a while."

"You study so much, you probably got the highest score!" I swear, he's probably memorized some of his books by now. Furuya shrugs, but I know he's being modest. "Come on, tell me! You aced it, right?"

"Ninety percent."

That's pretty damn close to perfect! "I knew it! You should drive down to my place so we can go fishing, then, since you're not busy."

Haruichi walks in from the kitchen, papers in hand. He slides them across the counter my direction. "Work stuff for you, Eijun." Work stuff? I only need to glance at the papers before realizing it's a receipt and stuff from the delivery. Boring. "Have you talked Furuya to sleep yet?"

"I'm awake." Furuya assures him.

I roll my eyes, folding the papers small enough to fit in my back pocket. "My conversations are not boring! I was saying you two need to visit me for a fishing trip."

"It has been a while." Haruichi taps his chin. "When were you thinking?"

"This weekend. You don't have plans, do you?"

He shakes his head no. "Not really. I mean, I do have chores, but that can wait. It's not like the laundry will take care of itself."

Furuya hums. "That'd be cool if it did."

He says that out loud, and I laugh more than I mean to, amused at the thought of self-cleaning clothes. The other two only snicker, probably laughing more at me than what Furuya said. Some one clears their throat, taking my attention to the other end of the bar. "Sounds like you're having a lot of fun over there for being on the clock." The bartender says, walking over. "Little Kominato, we need you ready." He says to Haruichi. "We need you in the kitchen." He says to Furuya.

Haruichi nods and gives me a quick wave. "I'll text you later if I don't see you."

Furuya just sighs. "See you Friday." He heads through the door.

The stranger fixes his eyes on me with a frown. "So who are you, distracting my employees?"

"Are you the boss?" I wonder. He seems pretty bossy, so maybe, but he looks around my age. He commands so much respect, I almost don't notice he's kind of short. "How tall are you?"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?!" He slings a coaster at me, hitting my shoulder.

"Stop!" To be fair, I didn't mean to say that out loud. "I mean you look young to be the boss! You are, right? In charge?" I don't remember Haruichi or Furuya saying anything about having a strict boss. They don't talk much about work, though, sticking to more interesting topics like animals and weather and food.

"I'm the bar manager, Kuramochi Youichi." He rolls his sleeves up, still scanning me with his eyes. "Now, who are you, bringing obnoxiousness to my bar?"

I'd be lying if I said his eyes aren't scaring me right now. He also threw a coaster at me, so I'm feeling a little threatened. "Sawamura Eijun. I'm a friend of Haruichi and Furuya." I think that reassures him somehow. He seems to relax a bit, no longer crossing his arms. "I was making a delivery, but I wanted to rest before driving back home."

"You're not from around here, right?"

That seems to be obvious to everyone in this city. "Right."

"Well, if you're staying here, you'll need to order something." Kuramochi seems to notice my confusion, rolling his eyes. "You can't just sit there all night for free! Are you that dumb?"

"I've never been here before!" I have to remind him. "Besides, there isn't even a menu or anything." Kuramochi stares at me a moment before another coaster comes flying at my head. "Stop doing that! Your aim's too good!"

He doesn't exactly listen, throwing a rag that gets stuck on my hat. "This is a bar! What do you think we have? And do you realize you're indoors? Stop yelling."

So bossy! I drop the damp cloth on the counter. "Can I start with water? How much is that?"

"For real?" Kuramochi laughs. Then he stops when I don't join him. "You are for real!"

Why is it so hard to believe I'm serious? "Not everyone goes to bars all the time!"

His smirk somehow seems less scary than it did before. "Alright, alright. I'll fix you something." He grabs a glass and fills it with ice and other things. It looks like soda, but I'm not sure what those bottles have in them. When Kuramochi tosses a coaster this time, it slides across the counter right in front of me. He sets the glass on it, dropping a cherry on top. "There. Nothing expensive."

I sniff the drink, unsure if I'll even like it. "Does this have alcohol? I still have to drive home."

"No, moron! It's sparkling water with lime and cherry. Just drink it." Kuramochi rolls his eyes and walks over to another customer a few seats away from me.

"Fancy water." I mumble before taking a sip. It's good, so I guess this guy can't be all bad. He smirks at other customers, laughing that laugh of his a couple times. Those people are probably regulars, people he has a feel for and can interact easily with. It's like that at the market, too. I rarely see a new face, remembering details about the ones who stop by every week or few days. When I do get a stranger at my stand, I like to learn about them, so maybe Kuramochi would like to learn about me, too. I wave him back over. "Kuramochi!"

"Remember when I said we're indoors and you don't need to yell?"

"I like this drink! I like limes more than lemons, and I don't know how you guessed that, but you're good at making drinks!" I really mean that, too. I've never had such a fancy water.

He shrugs. "Been doing it a while."

"Like for years?"

Kuramochi nods, tidying something up behind the counter. "Yeah, a few. Started out as a temporary thing, but I have a knack for it and now I'm a manager. You know how it goes."

"Nope." I accidentally knock my lime wedge into the cup. "I've only had one job."

"Delivery boy?"

Luckily that was only for today. "No, I work on my family's farm! Making the delivery was a last-minute thing. I'd hate to do that for a living!"

Kuramochi raises an eyebrow, interested, I think. "You're a farmer?" I hum, too busy drinking. "So you really aren't from around here. Isn't that a boring life, though? It seems like every day would be the exact same and you'd never get to sleep in." He laughs.

"No way! Every day is different." Today, for example, was entirely new to me.

"Really?"

"Yes! I never know what might need fixing or what might be waiting in the field. I thought I saw a weed the other day, and that would've thrown my whole harvesting schedule off. It's never boring to me!" So maybe I do get up at the same time every day without sleeping in, but that's not a bad thing. I haven't gotten tired of it yet, and it's been my life since I can remember. "I wouldn't give up my job for anything." The water must be pretty lonely in my belly 'cause a loud growl from my stomach demands my attention. I know Kuramochi heard it, too, since he's laughing now.

"Not even dinner?" He jokes as he hands me a laminated paper. "Order something. Food's not bad here."

The menu is pretty straightforward, but those numbers can't really be prices. "Is everything really this expensive?"

Once again, Kuramochi rolls his eyes to go along with the face he makes. "You're making it really hard to not constantly call you stupid."

Alright, I get it. "Surprise me, then. There's pretty much nothing I won't eat."

"Outstanding." He scribbles on a tiny paper and heads to the kitchen where he's keeping my friends. Haruichi keeps walking through that door now and then, trays of food in hand. Sometimes he'll pick up some drinks from the bar and take them out, too. He doesn't complain about it but I know he'd rather be behind the bar like he used to be. Furuya, on the other hand, doesn't mind his busboy job a whole lot. He's just working his way through university so he can get his dream job after graduation. I think it's brave for him to reach for such a goal, but he's working hard and paying his dues! "Be back in a minute." Kuramochi says in passing. I nod, wishing one of my friends would walk by again. If they lived closer to the farm, we wouldn't go so long without hanging out. One of the last times they came by, we camped out at the edge of town, down the river from my place. Haruichi kept thinking he heard something outside, but every time I jumped out of the tent to check, I saw nothing. Maybe I scared it off, or maybe he was hearing Furuya snoring. I mean, he did sleep through the entire night, even with us talking.

The next time Kuramochi stops by, he has a plate of food in hand. It smells so good! I don't even know what it is and I'm excited to eat it. I don't think it's all from how hungry I am, either. "What is it?" I stare at the plate, even after he sets it down in front of me.

"Pork skewers. Never had them before?"

All three skewers sit on the plate next to a puddle of what I'm guessing is a dipping sauce. One of them looks different, and holding it up reveals that they're mushrooms. "So this one has mushroom, and the other two are pork." What happened to all the produce I just delivered? Not a single bit of it is on this plate. "But I just gave you guys potatoes and beans and eggs, and even onions. Where are all those?"

"Well, most of that goes in the tempura, but that's not what you have."

Tempura?! "You're telling me all the fresh ingredients I brought you get fried?!" I can't believe it! He laughs, but if there's a joke, I missed it. "Kuramochi, that is not funny. Do you have any idea how hard we work for those crops, just to have them fried in crumbs?" Such a waste.

"Relax, it's only bar food. Don't take it so seriously! You haven't even tasted it yet." He pushes the plate towards me before walking over to someone else.

Only bar food. Maybe it doesn't need to be anything special, or all that decent. They could've at least put something green on the plate to pretend it's sorta healthy, or to distract from the grease under the skewers. I'm not expecting much when I bite into the slice of meat. When it hits my tongue, though, I can't believe the flavors are real. I assumed the sauce was for decoration, but it only makes the food better! I'm not used to sweet and spicy and savory at the same time. "Damn, that's good." I wave at Kuramochi again. "Kuramochi, this is even better than the drink you made me!"

He glares, walking over. "How kind of you."

"That's a good thing! It means the food here is even more amazing than amazing!" I shake the glass at him while chewing on the cherry. "Can I get another? And more food, but not the same dish?"

"Sure." Kuramochi gets to work on my refill. "You want me to tell him anything?"

"Who?"

"Chef." This time, he adds two cherries in the glass. "I can tell him you didn't hate his food, or whatever, if you want." He shrugs and takes another note on the small order form.

That's not at all what I said! "Don't tell him that! You can say that I think the food is incredible, and that it's making me want to keep eating until I can't. But I would like it if he could find better ways to use fresh produce. It really is a shame to put everything in a fryer. Does he even know about how much is lost when broccoli's deep fried? It should be a crime!"

Kuramochi crosses his arms, coaster in hand at the ready. "I'm not saying all of that. And you do realize you're going to eat the tempura next, right?"

Well, I am hungry. And he does have good aim and something to throw in his hand. "Got it."

"I bet you do." He laughs on his way to the kitchen to put in my new order. Like last time, he tends to the others at the bar with something like a smile. The person he's chatting up right now looked exhausted a moment ago, but Kuramochi told a joke and now he looks pretty lively. Earlier, he put a smile on a small group's faces in only a minute when they'd walked in complaining about the weather. I can't tell if it's the alcohol they're probably drinking or Kuramochi's personality, but everyone seems to be in a good mood once they've been at the bar a moment. There's another bartender on the far end, but he doesn't converse at length with people or tell jokes. He does fancy things with bottles and shakers, pouring drinks right in front of their eyes without much of a smile. While I know who he is, it's been some time since I've seen him. His pink hair is all I need to be able to recognize him, though. "It'll be a sec." Kuramochi tells me.

I gesture for him to move closer. "That's Haruichi's brother, right?"

"Yeah, Ryousuke. Don't tell me you're his friend, too."

Ignoring his smirk, I watch the older Kominato brother do another fancy move with a clear bottle. "No, but what's he doing all that stuff for? You didn't do anything like that, and I've never seen Haruichi do it, either. He used to practice his bartending on me all the time, too."

"Is that why he knows so many drinks?" Kuramochi laughs. "Figures! Well, Ryou likes to show off. He's all about impressing people."

But not all of them want to look impressive? "So why don't you do that kinda stuff?"

"Are you always this nosy?" There's probably no good way to answer that, so I just stare at him until he answers. "I don't know. I just like making drinks." That makes sense to me. When you really enjoy something, you don't always need to show it off. I mean, you can, but the need to isn't always there. I nod and pluck one of the cherries from the tangled mass of ice. The sweetness is almost too sugary, but I like it. Before I can ask Kuramochi about these cherries, the kitchen door opens again. The face is a familiar one, but instead of seeing one of my friends walk over, I see the rude guy from the parking lot take his time crossing the floor with that stupid smirk growing at each step. Kuramochi turns to see what I'm looking at, rolling his eyes. "About time, chef."

"Mochi, you know art can't be rushed." He slides the plate over to me, leaning on the counter. "Normally I don't make an appearance at every compliment on my work, but I had to come see who my number one fan was. Didn't expect it to be you, country boy."

I almost choke on the cherry, forgetting it's just hanging out in my mouth. I tug the stem out and chomp on it, nearly biting my tongue. "Like I knew you worked here! If I did, I never would've gotten any food."

"Why else would I use the employee entrance?"

Kuramochi frowns, pointing at the other man. "You know Miyuki?"

"No! He cut me off in the parking lot earlier and was a total jerk about it!"

The Miyuki guy adjusts the bandana that keeps his hair away. "To be fair, I wasn't the one in the wrong place. That was you."

"You shouldn't've even been there! If you were responsible and on time, y—"

"Says the guy who was also late."

"Says the asshole!"

Neither of us gets another word in, getting a slap to the back of our heads instead. "Yo, dumbasses." Kuramochi hisses. "Public place, remember? Quit acting stupid."

Miyuki fixes his glasses, askew from the hit. "Good thing you have the strength of a child." He dodges another hit with a laugh, avoiding Kuramochi to lean over to me again. The bartender sneaks away to talk with Ryousuke at the other end of the bar. Miyuki taps the counter with the hand not supporting his head. "Let's say, for argument's sake, that we were both assholes out there. That puts us on even ground. Now, let's consider the fact that I've made you not one, but two, plates of food. One of which, I hear, you consumed like a savage. That would mean that you are now the asshole since I've done you a kindness or two, wouldn't it?"

His logic is confusing and I don't like it. I'm not a bad person, but now I do seem like one…somehow. Maybe if I pay him another compliment, he'll shut up and go back to work. Or at the very least, leave me alone. "I already said I like the food!"

"Not to me." He shakes his head. "I also heard you don't appreciate my treatment of a vegetable or two. How dare you."

Stupid Kuramochi told him that? I sigh, annoyed and still hungry. "If I eat this and don't hate it, will you go away?" The items on the plate have all been coated and fried. What's left of them is a warm shell of what they used to be, drizzled in a sticky sauce, ready to be eaten. Miyuki steps back, hands behind him, with the vaguest shrug I've ever seen. "You're the worst!" I pick up something that might be sweet potato and take a bite. In a weird way, I hate how delicious it is. I want to spit it out and be angry that the vegetables I picked and tended to could end up with their nutrients overshadowed by fat, but it's warm and soft and flavorful. Damn my empty stomach! "You've ruined its vitamins! And all you did was make it fatty and salty when it shouldn't be."

Miyuki doesn't say anything. He stands there, blinking at me, for what must be hours. "What do you know about cooking, country boy?"

"My name is Sawamura Eijun, and I know a lot of things! I know you've made this sweet potato unhealthy, and I know that has to be true of these other vegetables, too. Do you know how bad oil is? For your heart? And all the salt, too?" I think my argument would be stronger if I could put my fork down. "Why does all your food have to be unhealthy? You should show how good these foods can be on their own!"

Instead of silence, I get a scoff. "You seem to be cleaning that plate pretty quickly for being so opposed to tempura."

"I happen to be very hungry!"

He taps his chin, smirk returning. "Could that mean that perhaps you liked it?"

Didn't he hear what I said? "I told you, I'm hungry. I'd probably eat anything you cooked up just to get some food down."

"Asking for seconds shows you're hungry. Licking the plate? Well…" Miyuki points at the clean dish. "I think you liked it." Why didn't I wait for him to leave before wiping it clean? "Just because you pick potatoes for a living doesn't mean you know anything about cooking them."

He doesn't even know me, though! I have a lot of potato knowledge. "But I do! You don't know."

This doesn't amuse him. He shoots me a bored look, leaning on the counter again. "I know what people around here want to eat, and I know my way around a kitchen. I also know that you aren't a trained cook. Maybe stick to giving advice on what you actually know."

"I am! Frying isn't real cooking, and you damaged those vegetables."

"But wasn't it good?"

There isn't a damn thing I can say to that, and he knows it. Apparently he doesn't care to fight fair, and I don't care about feeding his massive ego. "Shut up, Miyuki! Don't you have work to do around here? Quit being annoying." I wave him away, willing him to disappear. He laughs but doesn't vanish. "Why're you still here?"

The bastard grins and takes a step backwards, avoiding everything behind him on his way to the kitchen. "Don't be upset, Sawamura. It's okay to be wrong sometimes."

"Bastard!" I shout after he escapes. This earns me a balled up dishcloth to the side of my head, courtesy of Kuramochi. This comes with an order to shut my mouth or no more maraschino cherries in my sodas. The man knows how to bargain.

Fox Fact: I've lived in a very agricultural area most of my life, so I've been around farming and the like for years hahha Does it show? XD ANYWAY the next chapter takes place a couple days after this one. Come back next week to read it!