"Welcome!" The ramen chef greeted Iori and Kiki as they entered the ramen shop and sat at the bar. He grinned at them and asked, "The usual?"

Kiki nodded vigorously and bounced in her stool, "Yup, yup, yup!"

The chef chuckled to himself and placed glasses of water in front of them, "It's always a joy to see you so excited, Miss." He turned to Iori and winked, "You could learn a thing or two from her."

"Hmph," Iori scoffed and sipped his water.

"Yeah, Sensei," Kiki teased. "Even your student could teach you some things."

Iori flicked her forehead, "Don't push it."

The chef snickered and turned around to start cooking the pair's meal. He called out from over his shoulder, "Speaking of which, I'm curious. What are you two up to at this time of night every week? The little miss always seems to be drenched in sweat every time you stop by."

Kiki pumped a fist in the air, "Mr. Yagami's training me to get into KOF!"

"KOF?" The chef mused while slicing some pork. The thought for a moment, then nodded, "Ah, that's right, that martial arts tournament on TV last year." He continued as he chopped a bunch of leeks, "I remember watching a few matches with my kids. My son was a huge fan of that Kusanagi boy. And my daughter-" he glanced at Iori. "Oh! I thought I recognized you from somewhere!" The chef laughed and put the ingredients into the boiling pot, "Yes, yes, my daughter took a liking to you, Yagami." He shook his head and snorted, "Says she's gonna be Mrs. Yagami one day!"

Iori frowned, "Hmph." Kiki giggled and swung her legs under her stool.

"Too bad for her, but looks like I'll have to tell her she's got some competition," the chef commented as he shot a look at Kiki.

She cocked her head at him, "Hm?" Iori rolled his eyes.

The chef dumped the ramen into two bowls and served them, "One for the miss, and one for Yagami." He bowed to both of them, "Enjoy!"

"Thanks for the food!" they replied in unison. The pair broke their chopsticks and ate.

After finishing their food, Iori left their payment on the counter and walked towards the exit. Kiki followed suit, not before giving a small bow to the chef, "Thanks again for the food, sir. See you next week!"

The chef waved goodbye, "Until next time!"

The bright yellow lights of the street lamps beamed down on the sidewalk and illuminated the darkened streets.

Kiki gestured with quick motions as she told Iori about various things she had done in the early mornings for the past week while he snoozed away at home, "So, then Shingo's all like 'I'll get you for sure this time, Cruz!' and he just comes at me like 'whoosh!'" She shot her arm out for emphasis. "Seriously, he always wants a fight at the most inconvenient times. I just wanna grab a rice ball and go home, dammit!" Shaking her head, Kiki sighed, "Like, doesn't he have anything better to do? The kid's still in high school. He should be studying or something."

"Quite a handful," Iori commented.

Kiki let out a wry laugh, "You can say that again. If I didn't tell him I was your student, do you think we could've been friends?"

"He'd figure it out eventually. So, no, nothing would change."

She shrugged, "I guess you're right."

As they neared the apartment complex, Iori stopped in his tracks. Kiki halted as well and cocked an eyebrow at him, "Mr. Yagami? What's up?" He slipped into the alleyway up ahead and nodded over to her, signalling her to follow him. Iori took light steps as he went further into the alley and Kiki did the same. A few feet of the way in, Iori put his hand out, and Kiki peeked from behind him, trying to see what they're stopping for. Iori put a finger to his lips, crouched down, and extended his hand. Kiki crouched as well and gave Iori a curious look. It was at that moment, a rustle came from under a collapsed cardboard box. Kiki's eyes widened and she let out a squeal when she saw what emerged. A small white kitten tiptoed towards Iori and nuzzled against his outstretched hand.

Kiki inched closer and whispered, "Can I pet it?"

Iori kept his eyes on the kitten, "Do as you please. Just don't make sudden movements. She gets startled easily."

Kiki nodded and slowly brought a hand to the kitten. It looked curiously at the new hand approaching it. Sniffing Kiki's fingers, the kitten nuzzled up to Kiki's palm. Its soft fur brushed against Kiki's fingertips, and Kiki couldn't help but let out another happy squeak. The kitten meowed in reply. A bright smile shone on Kiki's face, "Meow!" The kitten let out another tiny meow. "Meow meow!" Kiki said back.

"What a thrilling conversation," Iori remarked sarcastically.

"Meow meow!"

Iori stood up and began to walk out of the alleyway, "Come on. You're gonna actually turn into a cat at this rate."

Kiki pouted, "Aw, okay." Before chasing after Iori, she turned back and waved at the kitten, "Bye, little guy. Mr. Yagami and I will be back soon!" The kitten mewed and retreated to its box.

Kiki caught up to Iori and walked by his side, "That kitten really likes you."

"Yeah, I guess," Iori said with a shrug. He glanced at Kiki, "Cats, in general, like me for some reason. Don't really get it."

She bowed her head as if deep in thought, "I mean, animals tend to like people who they think are nice." Showing him a smile, she added, "Maybe they know you're a nice person, Mr. Yagami."

"Ridiculous," he grumbled. He started to pick up his pace, "Hurry up. It's getting dark and I'm tired."

With a nod, Kiki matched his stride and walked alongside him.