Chapter 18
A few days later, Suiryu came by as promised. Today, he was taking Eso, Tanso and Junpei to look at guitars. Junpei was rather excited, he always wanted to learn how to play one. Yet money was tight and he lived in an apartment. Suiryu took him to a music store in the heart of Tokyo. Junpei peered about with wide eyes and fascination. Tanso appeared to have something catch his eye as well. "Welcome, what can we do for you?" the sales associate asked Suiryu.
"Not me, my bros, looking to play. That one there wants to learn how to play guitar, the other two don't know yet." He said bluntly.
"What about you? You looking to play? I see you more behind a guitar than that guy… no offence."
Suiryu paused as he glared at him oddly. "You looking to make a sale, or are you looking to go through a wall right now? I maybe buying for them, but don't brush off my bros!" he scolded.
"Look man, I am just being up front here…"
"Suiryu," Junpei called, he could hell he was boiling at this point, the glowing red eyes were a giveaway. "Let's just go," he said innocently. "It's obvious he doesn't want us to buy from here, so, let's go elsewhere."
"Hey wait!"
"Good idea, Bros!" he called. Eso and Tanso were already at the door. They walked out without even looking at anything.
Suiryu on the other hand looked he was about to erupt. "Who the fuck does that little fucker thing he is!?" he demanded.
"Whoa, easy, it's bound to happen. But that's the best way to stick it to them, just leave," Junpei explained.
"I rather put him through a wall…"
They went to another music store, this time the service was a lot better. The salesman and woman were tattooed covered teenagers, but they didn't overlook anyone. Suiryu explained he was buying but not playing. Instantly they focus shifted to the brothers. "Okay, so who is looking to play what?" the young girl asked.
"Guitar for me," Junpei explained.
"Ooo, have you seen the new Gibsons we got in?" She instantly led him to the guitar section. There were acoustic, but he was looking for the heavy, rocking guitar! One instantly caught his eye though. It was ice blue, good neck and slender body. "Ooo, nice eye, that one is my favorite too, try it out!" She took it off the wall and placed it around his shoulders. "Let it rip!"
Problem was, he never played before.
Yet, he tried to think of some songs he knew with a simple tune. His hands suddenly began to work on their own. He started to play. Not good at first, but then, he envisioned the song he was trying to play and began to get better… and better… until he was playing as if he had been doing so all his life!
When he stopped, she stared at him with amazement. "Whoa, dude, how long have you been rehearsing?!" she asked with great fascination.
He blushed a little. "Would… you believe it's my first time?" he asked.
Her mouth hung open.
She was about to speak when suddenly, the shop filled with the sound of a powerful drum. It was a mess at first but then… fell into harmony and then… a righteous beat! Curiosity got the both of them as they peered over to see Tanso just going at it on the drums. He began to do a whole solo before he finally stopped. Yet, that grin on his face said it all.
He loved it.
Eso was toying with some of the instruments, but came to the bass. He played that messy at first but then, began to get the hang of it. "Whoa, seriously, NONE of you have played before?" Suiryu asked with a smirk.
It only made the two salespeople freeze.
The sale was fast and went through easily. "So, when do you want us to drop it off?"
"Oh, we'll walk out with it." Suiryu said. "Just set it up and I'll take it from there."
They appeared confused but did as they were told. They got a new drum kit from the back. Eso's bass, a few amps and cords, Junpei opted to hold on to his guitar. When everything was assembled. Suiryu placed his hand on the boxes and then… pushed it down into a dark void in the ground! Instantly they vanished.
He smiled and turned to the two who were dumbfounded. He snapped his fingers in front of their eyes, expelling odd curse energy before they appeared to have awakened from it all. "Thank you for your time today, you have been a great help." Suiryu said and they left without incident!
"How the hell…" Junpei began to ask.
"Ah, in due time, for now. I want to get you three home and start practicing. I wanna see how good you guys can get!"
#
It was strange.
The moment they returned home. Junpei took out his guitar and toyed with it. However there was something strange going on. Any song he could think of, if he knew the beat well enough, he could play it instantly. How? He didn't know. But each time he challenged himself from country music, techno, metal or alternative, he could play it all without much of a problem.
Eso and Tanso were the same way, they hear a song once, they know what cords to play, what drum to beat. It as like having instant talent! "This is fun!" Eso said aloud. "But I should get back to my cooking…"
Tanso wanted to patrol the forest again.
Junpei nodded but decided to take the opportunity to help Eso. "Since we can play well, how about we try pickling stuff?" he asked. "It's funny, I wrote a list a while ago on what to pickle and it vanished…"
Eso agreed as they went to the kitchen, yet, the moment they arrived, there were ingrediance on the table, waiting for them. "Suiryu?" Eso wondered aloud.
"How could he? He's not here all the time, and I just wrote that list yesterday…" There was a strange and yet familiar curse signature in the air. Someone has come and gone here a few times, but has done no harm… although some of the leftovers are missing.
Either way, it was everything they needed.
"Let's test this out first, let's see… Ooo they got them!"
"Got what?" Eso asked.
He took out a small bag of oranges. "These, are going to help us curb your ability. I know once you have rotted something there's no turning it back, so, let's see how well we can control the process and attempt to get it to a very basic form. Ready?"
Eso smiled and nodded.
For most of the afternoon, they did tests with the oranges. The first one that came to Eso's hand turned to black mush instantly. "Okay, is your ability on right now?"
"Yes, usually."
"Then let try and make it less… rotted."
They went through a whole bag of oranges alone, yet each and every time they tried, the orange turned to black goo. It wasn't going very well. Junpei however was detured and kept taking and making notes. He timed how fast something turned to goo, then, he saw how quickly the changed occurred in the fruit. "Okay, we're on our second bag of oranges now… How about this. Just touch it on the table top." He suggested.
He agreed.
Another few hours would pass, yet the results were nearly the same. "I don't quite understand why you want to change the technique…" Eso began to explain. "Granted, we can make good food as you said, but…"
"Hear me out on this… let me see if I can try." He took an orange out himself and merely touched it a little. From where his finger poked at the fruit, did it start to mold. Before rot spread and over took it.
"Hmm…."
"Little brother?"
"I think the problem is direct contact…" He began to think it over once more. "Perhaps…" he turned and began to go through the kitchen cabinates. He found an old fermentor in one of the cupboards and brought it out. "Let's try something else… Eso, ever heard of Kimchi?"
"Kimchi? I know of it, that spicy cabbage stuff right?"
"Right, this stuff is great and it's a common condiment in Korea, another land. But it can be made here too, but it's a long, delicate process. But I think we can make it in no time. Our problem with fermenting the food is that we have been making direct contact with it. When we touch it our power tends to do it's thing. However, if it's done in a container like this and we use the technique this way, maybe it will water down a little more. You and I have both seen how far it can go, as well, we are able to slow it down and use minimal rot. If this works, then we will have a means of making different foods."
He began to prepare the cabbage, salting and allowing it to sit in a brine, when done he washed it off, spread in some chili paste and other seasonings before placing it into the fermentor. Once finished he turned to Eso and nodded. "Just touch it once, one finger and let's see how it goes."
Eso nodded as he did what was asked. He touched the side of the container once and waited.
Junpei could already hear it fizzle.
"What's that sound?" Eso asked.
"It's the process happening, you can hear it right? It's the gas building up within the food. This is the process it goes through."
They waited merely ten minutes.
When he opened the jar again, the whole thing unleashed a powerful and yet tasty smell. Eso was even stunned to it. "This…"
"Kimchi…" Junpei said proudly.
He took a taste. Instantly the spicy punctured his nose, the flavor danced over his tongue.
It was amazing.
"Hey, what's this?" Suddenly, a massive arm reached over. Sho took a good handful for himself before eating it then and there. Yet, he appeared rather surprised by it. "MMM! What is this!?"
"Pickled, spicy cabbage called kimchi. Isn't it good? Eso just made this."
"WE just made this," Eso corrected. But the wheels in his head were turning now. "We can make more of this, and other products…"
"I think I know how to can products…" Junpei said offhandedly.
"We better find a lot of jars, I'm inspired now!" Eso announced.
