Onigiri Miya.
This must be Miya's family shop, you think to yourself. The shop was still under construction and a paper was taped to the window scrawled with the words "coming soon." You admire the row of traditional storefronts, the surrounding businesses were definitely owned by older generations. From what you gathered about Miya, he loved to be flashy. If it were up to him, he'd relocate Onigiri Miya to a bustling and modern shopping center. Probably next to a popular American chain like Starbucks, but not next to something tacky like a McDonald's.
Perhaps his brother had different values.
Through the glass window, the sight of two men yanking each other by the hair and thrashing against the tables, interrupts your assessment.
"B-Bokuto!" You sputter, pointing at the brawl inside the store.
"Huh?" He lazily turns around after waving the cab driver goodbye, but doesn't react the way you expect. Instead of being surprised, he thrusts his chest out and lets out a hearty laugh, "That's the Miya twins for you."
You perk at the word twins. This was a surprise to you since Miya only mentioned a brother, not specifically a twin. Bokuto holds the door for you, ignoring the closed sign hanging on the front. The twins' yelling, once muffled by closed doors, were now clear as a bell.
"Samu ya dimwit!" Roars the Miya you know, his accent more prominent than usual. He topples on top of the employee wearing a cap.
"Admit it, Tsumu! Yer never gonna change cus yer a stupid pig!" The man's hat falls off when he wrestles his way on Atsumu, revealing ashy hair and identical face. He had the same deep lines under his eyes that only appeared on Atsumu's angry face (which you saw often, considering that Atsumu gets upset over the smallest things).
"Hey hey hey!" Bokuto quips, "Sam-sam~ Tsum-tsum~ Can I get a grilled beef rice ball-"
"Hey hey hey ya dumbass!" chided the twins, suddenly redirecting their frustration onto the innocent. They glared at him, eyes fueled with rage from their disagreement. "The sign says closed! Can't ya read?"
Considering the Miya you know gets worked up over small details, you begin to wonder if what they were arguing about was truly worth brawling over. The Miya you know prides himself as headstrong and confident, and strives for perfection in each practice. You glance at Atsumu's brother and assume they aren't true polar opposites in personality, judging from their shared expressions.
His brother catches a glimpse of you standing behind Bokuto, no doubt using the ace like a shield. "Who are ya?"
Miya looks surprised to see you here, considering how busy you are. He gets up to apologize for the scene and properly introduces you to his brother, who rolled his eyes.
"Tsumu, if yer ass keeps buggin' me before my grand opening, Imma lock ya out in the damn cold," Osamu snorted. He had no obligation to provide friendly customer service yet.
"Ah, I'm sorry for interrupting Miya-san," you apologized. You realize your mistake when both men raise a brow. Will you have to address them as Miya-san One and Miya-san Two?
"Ya hafta- You have to call me Atsumu, like I insisted before," He paused to regain composure and tone down his accent. In your first meeting, Atsumu rolled his eyes when you persisted in being respectful and addressed him by last name.
"Now you can call me Miya," Osamu nodded at you, his slanted mouth unrelenting. He was still annoyed by the unexpected guests. Osamu's gaze shifted to Atsumu, who rubbed his neck tiredly. Perhaps other people might feel guilt, but he didn't regret chastising Atsumu's whiny ass one bit. Atsumu had the habit of wandering into Osamu's shop to complain about a new serve that wasn't going right. Samu would admit (but not out loud) he did start the brawl first with the words, 'Yer such a dumbass. Go ahead- Crash and burn. Ruin yer career with that weak serve. See if I care.'
For that reason, Osamu begrudgingly puts his hat on and heads into the kitchen to prepare dishes for his rude guests. He dared not look back to see Bokuto's excited grin and his brother's triumphant smirk.
While Bokuto and Atsumu chat about a Russian player's unique serve, you glance around the small restaurant space. The greying walls were in need of a fresh coat of paint and the scent of cleaning supplies still lingered in the air. You take note of the tables and chairs, stacked away in the corner. No decorations, no frills, no atmosphere.
But once the alluring smell of grilled beef wafts throughout the store, it gently corrects your thoughts.
No atmosphere, yet.
You watch the shadows of strangers pass by outside and tune out of Bokuto's and Atsumu's argument over the best rice ball fillings. Though it was a hidden secret for now, the business showed a lot of promise. Onigiri Miya practically had free marketing too, with Atsumu's reputation gaining traction. When you first started the job, nobody knew the Jackals. But thanks to your tireless efforts, one by one, more members were started to get recognized in public.
"Grilled beef rice balls," Osamu announced, setting down a plate of the most delicious looking onigiri. The glistening meat poked out of the top. He had practically overstuffed the rice ball with filling, and Bokuto was all the more thankful for it.
"Minced tuna and spring onion rice balls," said Osamu, setting down another platter with his other hand. From the way Atsumu's eyes glistened, this was probably his favorite dish.
Everyone took a warm rice ball and inhaled the overpowering aroma. It smelled like home, and you could imagine your mom welcoming you with open arms.
But the spell was broken when you took the first bite.
"Wow, Miya-san! It tastes…." You couldn't finish your sentence because you tried not to spit it out. The rice was so mushy and sticky, the texture was peanut butter.
The nori was barely holding the filling together. You all foolishly thought that Osamu had overstuffed the rice balls when in reality, the filling was oozing out in a goopy mess. The way the rice slowly sunk onto the table gave you shivers. Last time you checked, rice was not a liquid.
Bokuto chewed his food thoroughly, his mouth smacking loudly.
"Hey hey!... This is really good, Sam-Sam!"
Liar. He didn't say the last "hey!" Everyone could see the pain in his eyes. His mind was at war with his body, its natural defense mechanism triggered to delay swallowing poison for as long as possible.
The sound of Atsumu gagging reminded you of middle-aged men hocking a loogie. Thankfully, he was the only one capable of being honest.
"Dammit Samu! What the hell did ya do to the rice?"
Osamu grimaced.
"It's the first rice of the new year. Kita dropped it off before yer whiny ass came."
"Well ya ruined his efforts and turned everything ta shit!" said Atsumu, practically sandpapering his tongue off with the napkin, "Yer such a dumbass. If ya serve this to any paying customer, it's gonna ruin yer career."
"First rice of the new year?" You cocked your head to the side, "Did you use too much water?"
"I used the same amount of water as usual, excuse you." He narrowed his eyes defensively.
"Ah Miya-san, let me clarify- you need to use less water to cook newly harvested rice," You explained, "Newly harvested rice has more moisture than grocery store rice, so they must be cooked differently."
The slanted frown did not budge from Osamu's face, but you could see the gears clicking in his head. He ran back into the kitchen without another word to start cooking a new batch.
"Yeah! What she said! Yer a dumbass, Samu!" Atsumu barked, with no clue or understanding of what you said.
"Hey hey hey! That's our manager!" Bokuto announced proudly, "She got everything the Jackals asked for! Patience, foresight and random facts."
Osamu ran back out and Atsumu scrambled to his feet in a fighting position, ready to throw down again. To his surprise, his twin didn't bother retorting back.
"What's the ratio of rice to water?" Osamu motioned you to come over, ignoring his brother. You get up from your chair and head into the back with him.
Atsumu and Bokuto were surprised as they watched you go behind the front counter and into the kitchen area that was strictly forbidden to everyone else. Osamu even posted a sticky note at the cash register: Absolutely NO Entry to Tsu-kebe & Baka-to.
"Ah, I saw this in a documentary and this chef said he used…." You begin to explain in detail about the cooking process and see how attentive Osamu became. He stood up straighter and asked troubleshooting questions.
"Oh, I like that documentary series but I didn't watch that episode. Normally, I use a 1:1 ratio for store rice but lately I've been experimenting with…"
Osamu spoke passionately about cooking and how much he loved to play with flavors. As you listen about the hours he dedicated to food and his restaurant, it reminded you of your team who also cared about tiny details. The small steps to perfection were just as important as milestones.
"It makes me happy that you took my advice," You chimed as you helped him spread the freshly cooked rice into a bamboo basket, "I'm glad I can help."
Osamu laughed and he patted the rice against the basket to cool it down, "It sounds dumb, but I'm thankful you were here to save the rice. Cooking proper rice might not seem like a big deal, but it's important to me."
"Not at all!" You said, trying not to focus on his cute laugh. It was unexpectedly soft, and much kinder than Atsumu's evil chortles, "Rice is the foundation."
When you turn around to look for the salt, Osamu grinned at your words. Finally, someone who gets it.
"Hey, didja see that documentary episode with that elderly lady in Jakarta who makes sticky rice cakes?"
"That one was my favorite!"
"Right? I wanna be that skilled one day."
Sometimes Bokuto was a little slow on the uptake or as Akaashi says, Bokuto wasn't fast enough on the uptake. But when he heard Osamu gently laugh for the first time and Atsumu's growing smirk, it didn't take long to put two and two together.
You'd never admit it, but Bokuto noticed you always look tired. Not because you have bags under your eyes or you dragged yourself from one destination to the other (with the exception of the zoo), but because you dedicated so much of yourself to others. Some days, he catches a glimpse of you truly enjoying yourself; when you admire his "way of the ace" speeches, when Hinata takes goofy pictures with school kids flocking to meet Ninja Shoyo, and even when you ask for recipes from Adriah Tomas, the Black Jackals' middle blocker from Spain.
You were always jumping from one appointment to another, diligently crossing off the to-do list, meeting project goals.
But life is about those moments where you enjoy yourself. And especially, this moment.
In the little cramped kitchen of Onigiri Miya. you looked effortlessly happy in your private world with Miya Osamu (with absolutely NO Entry to Tsu-kebe & Baka-to).
"Hey hey hey," whispered Atsumu, eyebrows wagging as he glanced back and forth from the kitchen.
"Hey hey hey!" Bokuto whispered back a little too loudly, prompting Atsumu to hush him.
"Shaddap! Do you have any other setting besides zero and 120?"
"All or nothing! That's the way of the-"
"Gotcha, that's the way of the ace, yadda yadda," Atsumu sighed.
"Like Akaashi says, don't underestimate January! You can catch viruses, the flu, a crush-"
"What was that?" You asked, mind still occupied with the perfect fluffy rice from Onigiri Miya. That was definitely one of the most delicious meals you had to date.
"A cold." Bokuto sputters. From the passenger seat in the cab, Atsumu turns around to give him a thumbs up as if to say, nice save.
"You're right Bokuto, I'll be careful not to underestimate January," You answered, not thinking much of the random advice and focused on replying to Kuroo's emails.
Bokuto hums in agreement and leans forward to stretch, careful not to hit the driver's seat. Sitting diagonally from Atsumu, Bokuto catches his iconic mischievous smirk, lit up as the car passes a streetlight. He didn't need to see Atsumu's face to see the gears in his head churning, plotting.
Bokuto grinned, having a vague idea of what was on his mind.
Whatever Atsumu was planning, Bokuto wanted to be a part of it too.