Home by the Ocean
003: Mother
Now Kurokiba Ryo has been known for many things. Having lived in a harsh port town in Denmark, he's faced rash sailors, hungry and aggressive after mauling tons of fishes to their boats. He grew up in a dog-eat-dog world and he was no wuss to succumb being the prey. So he learned how to fight the dangerous everyday life like a war through the power of his cooking.
Like his fellow rivals, he too, grew up in the kitchen and he had come to harness and hone those skills until he overpowered the chef he's worked with and can even make the most brutal sailor kneel before his tiny feet with just a bite from his seafood cuisine.
His cooking grew to a dangerous curve of orgasmic flavor and along with it, became like a madman once he wore that infamous bandana of his. But no matter how aggressive he has become, he never gets into trouble.
So… how come he feels like a teenage boy trapped in a yakuza house?
Kurokiba Ryo shifted on the pillow he's kneeling on. A few minutes ago, he was attacked by savage villagers and was thrown in a truck used for delivering fish and the next thing he knew, he's sitting in a very traditional Japanese room, telling him to wait here and they even threatened to skin him alive if he dared escape.
The raven-head was still rambling his thoughts at this sudden turn of events, his head snapped up when the sliding door before him opened.
"I'm sorry to make you wait long, Megumi is alright now. I brought some tea" said the midnight-haired woman who kneeled at the pillow before him as she handed him his tea. Ryo would've made a damn remark but he bit his tongue after seeing the great difference despite the striking similarities.
"Thanks" he said in his lazy tone and nearly caught himself there. Now Ryo may have had a bad reputation but years of staying with the Nakiri family taught him to show respect to his elders, at least to those who deserved it. And this woman before him was letting off a vibe non-fearful but something different. The same vibe that the country bumpkin emits, just exclude the clumsiness.
"I will have to apologize for the townspeople. I heard how they treated you and that was awful. Megumi is pretty famous in our town and they haven't seen her for a long time. Please understand the way they have reacted"
He nearly coughed out his tea when the woman bowed before him in apology.
"N-no, it's alright. I understand"
The woman smiled up at him "Thank you very much. Oh! How rude of me; my name is Tadokoro Mizuki. I am Megumi's mother"
"I'm Kurokiba Ryo" he bowed in polite. Megumi's mother huh? You can't deny that. The bumpkin is the spitting image of her mother, except that her hair is darker and her eyes are dark instead of gold.
"I understand that you are one of her classmates. Thank you for taking care of my daughter; she can be quite a handful"
"Yeah well she can be a bit… clumsy"
Megumi's mother giggled "Yes she is. She got that from her father" taking a sip from her tea, she continued "So, Ryo, not to sound rude but I would like to know why you've come here. I'm grateful that you accompanied my daughter all the way out here, it's just that she didn't mention that she was bringing home a friend"
'Friend…' that word sounds very weird to his taste "Well it wasn't really my intention to come along…"
Knowing Kurokiba Ryo, he was not one to make up such silly stories. He relayed to Megumi's mother the whole story, about how he ended up in the wrong train until the whole incident not too long ago.
"I see" she nodded her head "But are you sure? You could at least call this Miss Alice and tell her where you are. She could be worried"
"Thank you Mrs. Tadokoro but I really wanted to take a break. If I call Miss, she would drag me back and do whatever she wants again. I would like to take a breather after everything about school and stuff. At least this one summer"
"Well, if you really insist then I guess I have no choice" she smiled back "You are free to stay here for as long as you want Ryo. There's nothing much in this town but I hope you'll enjoy your stay here. Don't worry, I'll tell the others that it's all a misunderstanding" she stood up and motioned him by the door "Come along dear, I'll show you where you'll be staying"
Ryo stood to his feet and followed along Mizuki. He could feel relieved now; it was a good thing that Megumi's mother was not like the villagers who jumped to conclusions. She's very kind and understanding just like the mothers he heard… heh, mothers… he stopped thinking about those the moment the world shoved it in his face to fight.
As they walked, Ryo could notice a few people walking around with traditional attires, greeting Megumi's mother from time to time. That's when he learned that he's at an inn. The whole structure is modest and clearly leaves a traditional Japanese culture; it'll be perfect for tourists. It's not that big nor that small; it was enough to fit fifty rooms and is capable to house large groups of people and host large gatherings. Megumi's mother told him that this inn used to only house twelve rooms* but ever since Megumi learned to cut the goosefish at a young age, she inspired a lot of people and since she entered Tootsuki, a lot more people looked up to her and even made their business expand. It even has its own bathhouse and hot springs.
The inn is called Shōkeien Ryokan.
Mizuki led him into a simple room but it was big enough for him to laze around plus a perfect view of the beach over the horizon. She told him that she'll let him stay in this private room since he's Megumi's friend and their guest. She was even kind enough to tell him that it was close to the kitchen if he ever felt like cooking and near the corridor that connects to their house in case he has any problems, he could come to her or to Megumi through there.
Ryo was at a loss for words, they're not even that rich and she hasn't known him very long- heck he isn't really friends with her daughter, she couldn't stop shaking just being near him! Not even his long years of staying with the Nakiri did he had this much hospitality.
He's not shy about it; he's just not used to it.
Speechless despite himself, he could only express his gratitude with a deep bow and a simple thank you.
Afterwards, Ryo was left to his own in his room and decided to unpack. Once he was done, he checked the clock and noticed that is was already 10:30pm. He honestly didn't expect that they would provide him food and since a recipe was already formulating in his brain, he decided to head over to the kitchen.
Tadokoro Megumi woke up and noticed that she's back in her old room. At first, bewildered, but then she sighed in contentment at the feeling of being back home. Everything was just as she left it- looks like her mother did that for her.
She stretched her tired limbs and after noticing her luggage at one corner of her room, she decided to unpack.
Inhaling deeply the warmth of her old room, she took one last look at the picture frame she held before kissing the her family picture "I'm home, papa"
~0~
As Megumi rushed down to find and greet her mother, she couldn't help but notice a large gathering of crowd to the door of the kitchen. She hurried over to take a peek at what the commotion is about but unfortunately for her, she was too small compared to the grown staff members of her mother's inn.
"U-uhmm, e-e-excuse me" she even tried jumping. A female staff member noticed her and greeted
"Oh Megumi! You're here, are you feeling better now?" she asked the golden-eyed and Megumi nodded in response.
"Yes, thank you for your concern. I feel great" she tried to look again "Uhmm, w-what's going on in there? Is there some kind of trouble?"
"Trouble? I doubt it, there's this young lad who just waltzed inside the kitchen saying he wanted to make lunch for himself then started cooking"
Just then, an exploding wave of fragrance came through them like a bomb and everyone felt like they're on high. Megumi, curious and entranced at the appetizing flavor, scooted her way through; where her daze instantly snapped.
She honestly thought that it was all a dream- or a nightmare (?) when she woke up in her room. But boy oh boy was she wrong. She couldn't believe her eyes and her mouth felt like they've been glued together.
Kurokiba Ryo was right there in her kitchen, flipping up the pan as he mixed the friend rice, vegetables, and meat all around it while wearing her kitten apron around his waist like it was nothing.
Wait a minute, he's wearing her apron?!
Before she knew it, Ryo was done placing the fried chicken in place. Apparently, he didn't make just one dish. As if the dishes were sparkling and glowing, everyone around the room clapped their hands together and by the looks of it, that's just when he realized that he had an audience.
His bored eyes trailed down to the meek, sleeping beauty before him "Had a nice sleep snow white?" he greeted, paying no heed to the other spectators.
"Y-yes" Megumi nodded, still uncertain how to interact with him. Gathering up her courage, walked closer beside him to examine the dishes he prepared. She wanted to ask him what he's doing, but as if he read her mind, she beat him to it.
"It's almost lunch and I'm getting hungry. I'm still tired after everything so I'll only make some of the basics. I made a few changes though"
"Y-you're not going to eat all of this, are you?"
"Of course not. I told you I made a few changes. Thought I'd try it out with the others" he looked away for a moment but eventually looked back. "Want to try some?"
"O-oh! Sure! I-I'll be delighted"
Ryo tched and handed her a spoon. He only prepared five dishes but it's very hard to choose. Megumi is shifted her eyes from one dish to another, each emitting a sweet smell that continues to overpower the other, as if the dishes are fighting for her attention. She finally decided to try the Curry rice and her heart thrummed in her chest. The alluring smell was like a temptation but once she took the bite, it transformed into an eruption of spices; perfectly blended together, a beautiful tango between sweet and spicy.
Megumi was in a trance.
"I-It's delicious!" she exclaimed
"Of course it is" he rolled his eyes. Of course it'll be delicious. It wasn't much anyway, he was playing around with the dishes anyway and her mother did give him permission to use the kitchen.
He saw her look at him expectantly and he waved his hand saying 'go ahead'; she smiled brightly at him and he watched her eat the rest of the curry rice from the corner of his eye. Unbeknownst and against his will, there was a tug playing at the corner of his lips.
He only snapped when he realized that there were others around. Most had their eyes glued to his other dishes and some even looked at Megumi with envy. Well, as a chef, he couldn't let all these… experimental dishes of his go to waste.
"You can all try some too if you want"
With that, the entire kitchen was flooded with the staff of the inn and they all had that sweet satisfaction in their faces, saying they never tasted anything like it.
He was grateful, not for them saying how delicious it is, but at least his food satisfied these people. Good thing he made plenty. He was grateful because they were too entranced to bombard him with questions on how he did it.
At least he could eat his lunch in peace. And among the five dishes he made; Curry rice, Eki bento, Kaiseki bento, Makunouchi bento, and Ramen; he chose to eat the Curry rice.
He ate in silence at one corner of the room as he silently watched a certain girl with braided hair and shining eyes as she shoved that spoon in her delicate mouth, smiling every time she does.
She may look a lot like her mother, but he can't help admit that her smile is brighter than hers.
*according to manga, the inn does only house 12 rooms but I think that was too small for me so let's do some fan magic, shall we?
Sorry for the delay, I've been sick for the last couple of days and I had to focus on college.
Also, I don't know much about Japanese food so please understand~! Bear with me please! I'll settle for those over-reactions of this anime/manga. That I can do.
That's chapter 3! Thanks for the support so far!
Ciao~!
