Work Text:
Iinuma just got off work after being yelled at by his boss for turning in work late. He was exhausted but he was also happy at the same time. There was a restaurant that he was planning to check out after looking up places to eat. It’s called The Treasure Eatery and it has pretty high ratings. He speedwalked his way to the eatery.
He opened the door and got a contrast of the chilly and dark outside to a warm and cozy place that smelled absolutely wonderful. People were chatting and laughing, the vibe here was truly wonderful, as soon as he stepped in he knew he would visit this place again. He walked up to one of the stools that surrounded a counter. It was pretty empty there except for a singular guy who also seemed to just get off work.
He paid no mind to the guy and sat next to him. Normally he would try to avoid people but this guy doesn’t seem like he’ll bother him and he was way too excited to try the food to care.
“Hello sir!”The friendly chef welcomed him, she was behind the countersmiling widely at him. “What would you like today?” She said clasping her hands together happily. “What would you recommend?” Iinuma asked, he knew what they served there, he spent the whole night looking this place up. But there were so many good looking options he had no clue what to choose.
The business man beside him chimed in ,”You should get the rice balls here there really good.”. He talked in a blank voice as he focused on his food ,”do you want me to order for you, I come here everyday.”. He looks up at Iinuma and off his food. “I would appreciate that, thank you sir.”, Iinuma said just as blanky as him but in reality he is very happy and an expert is going to help him.
Larry turned to the chef ,”grilled rice balls, medium, extra crispy, fir blast style, and a lemon.”It sounds like he’s ordered this thousands of times before. “Coming right up!” The chef said happily then went into the back before coming back out. “Your order will be here soon.” she assured him before attending to another customer.
This is the first time Iinuma has ever wanted to really talk to someone but before he can strike up a conversation the man speaks first. “My name is Larry,” he says calmly “Mine is Iinuma, thank you for ordering my food for me.”.
“You're welcome, you seem like you appreciate food as much as I do so I was happy to do it.” He takes a bite of his order which seems to be the same order he gave to Iinuma. “Then I’m very excited to try it.” Iinuma said very monotone to him.
Even though they both looked bored and spoke like they were ready for the talking to stop inside they were extremely ecstatic to talk to someone with the same mindset and interests. “There’s a lot of good food here but I think that order is the best one they have even if it takes a bit to prepare.” Larry said calmly, taking another bite of his food.
“But if for some reason you don’t like it I’ll pay for you since it’s my fault.” He says after swallowing his bite. “Thank you, but there’s not been a food I didn’t like so I doubt that’ll happen.” Iinuma said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Same here.” Larry responded before taking another bite of his food.
Soon Iinuma’s food shows up and it looks delicious. It smells like lemon and looks perfectly toasted. Iinuma’s mouth is watering when the food is placed in front of him. Larry’s food looked good even when half of it was eaten up but now that he has the whole plate…
He picks the lemon off of one of the three rice balls and squeezes it on top of one. The lemon juices flow through the rice soaking into it. He picks it up with his chopsticks and carefully takes a bite.
Larry was right, this is amazing!
It’s the best rice ball he’s ever tasted, he can feel his face heat up which it normally does after tasting something delicious. He chows down like a man who hasn’t been fed in days. The salty and savory mix perfectly together to make something irresistible. He tries to take it slow to savor the taste but it’s just too good! He quickly gobbles it all down.
Taking a big gulp of water after to swish out the rice that got stuck in his throat since he ate so fast. “I’ll take it if you like it.” Larry said with a tiny bit of pride in his voice. Iinuma jolted slightly, he completely forgot that Larry was there but he was happy he was. “That was the best rice ball I’ve ever had.” Iinuma says a bit of shock in his voice.
Larry nods, agreeing with him ,”When I found that combo of foods I almost wanted to climb a mountain.”. Iinuma lets out a small smile in Larry’s direction and talks more calmly now that he’s ate “ thank you so much for showing me this, I appreciate it alot.”. “Of course, anything for a fellow food connoisseur, just do me a favor and not tell anybody. If this place were to get packed with customers I don’t know what I’d do.”. Larry says, shaking of the thought of not being able to eat here.
“You can trust me with this secret, Larry” Iinuma says, he’d be more than happy to keep that recipe a secret for him. Larrry and Iinuma pay their bill and start walking home. Seems like their way home is similar but neither of them has a problem with it. They share numbers with their new friend on their way home. “I’d really like to hang out with you again Iinuma, it was fun.” Larry stops walking at a corner. This is where their path home splits into different directions. “Me as well, hopefully I can show you a good place to eat.”. Iiunma says with a bit of hope in his voice, “I’d be happy to, the next time our schedules match up let’s meet and eat together again.” Larry smiles calmly and departs home waving at Iinuma.
“I’ll see you later, have a good night.” “you too, I’ll see you later.” Iinuma waves before heading back to his own apartment. He felt really happy as he walked home, and he noticed he walked home a bit quicker than his normal pace.