Toriko: Namu's Buffet.
Chapter 23
"At the Bar"
It was evening, but the smells of countless Ingredients in the countless kitchens of Gourmet Town still filled the streets.
"We're almost there." Namu said, a few feet ahead of Tsubaki.
"Ugh. Okay." Tsubaki groaned, her head still aching from her fall in the Setsuno Dining Hall two nights before.
"I warned you about the Drink in my grandparents Full Course, didn't I?"
"Namu, if you keep saying that, I'm gonna chop off your pompadour with my knife." Tsubaki said, pulling her curve-bladed knife from its sheeth.
"Don't even joke about that, Tsubaki!" Namu shouted, covering his hair with his hands. "How could I be considered a member of the family if I don't have the hairstyle?"
"Wait, do all the male members of your family have pompadours?" Tsubaki asked, confused about the traditions of her Combo partner's family.
"Most of them." Namu replied simply.
"What a buncha weirdos." Tsubaki thought to herself, as she and Namu continued walking.
"This is it." Namu said, pointing to a rustic looking building. "Heavy Lodge. A lot of Bishokuya come here looking for work, or news on Ingredients."
Namu and Tsubaki walked through the front doors of the bar. The place was loud, with lots of Bishokuya hollering, drinking, and eating.
Suddenly, all the patrons looked towards Tsubaki.
"Uh, hi?" Tsubaki greeted the patrons with kindness, but was uncomfortable on the inside.
"Hey Namu, who's the hottie?" asked one of the patrons.
"Yeah, where'd ya find such a babe?" asked another.
The Bishokuya made their way towards Tsubaki, invading her personal space.
"Hey baby, you should ditch this greaser and get with a real man." said a large, obese man with poor hygeine.
Suddenly, a thinner man in a suit kicked the obese man in the head.
"Ignore that oaf, my dear. You and I should be together." said the thin man as he pulled a rose from his jacket pocket.
"Hey, she's mine, numbnuts!" yelled another patron.
"ALL OF YOU MORONS, SHUT UP!" Tsubaki yelled as loud as she could. "I am not some piece of meat you can claim! Now the next person that gets within five feet of me is getting their nuts turned into sashimi, got it?!"
At that outburst, all the patrons went back to their seats.
Namu and Tsubaki made their way to the bar and sat down.
"Oi, Namu!" said the man behind the counter. "Haven't seen you in a while."
"Sorry about that Morijii. I've been busy."
"And who's this?" Morijii asked, looking towards Tsubaki.
"My name's Tsubaki. I'm Namu's Combo partner."
"Is that so? You know who his grandparents are, right? Namu was raised by them, and probably ate Setsuno's cooking everyday. If he chose you as his partner, you must be a really good cook." Morijii smiled.
Tsubaki blushed. She wasn't used to being complimented on her cooking. She's recieved many compliments on her looks, but for someone to see her worth as a chef was uncommon.
"Wait," Tsubaki suddenly realized something. "Namu, you were raised by your grandparents?"
"Yep. I guess I never told you that. My bad." Namu smiled as he took another swig of beer.
"What about your parents?"
"Well, shortly after my mom got pregnant with me, my dad tried going to Gourmet World. He didn't make it back, and my mom died giving birth to me."
"I'm so sorry." Tsubaki said, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"It's not your fault. You never even met them." Namu said, looking into his empty beer mug, pondering what his parents might have been like.
Just then, two more people entered the bar. Namu and Tsubaki both turned around to see Toriko and Komatsu.
"EVEN TORIKO's WEARING A POMPADOUR NOW?!" Tsubaki thought, on the verge of going into shock. "WHAT KINDA TOWN IS THIS?!"
End of Chapter.
Author's Note: Hey guys. Hope you like this one better than the last one. IDK why, but I was feeling pretty blegh creatively yesterday.
Also, the thin guy in the suit was inspired by Sanji from One Piece, but I'm sure y'all already knew that :P
Until next time. JA NE!