Vampire and His Pleasant Companions: Volume 3 - Extra

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Love and Ramen

The ramen shop was a small place, with just seven counter seats and three tables in the back. When they entered, only one seat at the counter was available. Muroi wondered if they should wait outside, but his senior, Tsuno, said, "Let's ask the staff and wait a bit. It'll open up soon..." Just as he was speaking, two businessmen in suits stood up from one of the tables. They gave a small nod of thanks to the departing customers, bought their meal tickets, and sat at the now-empty table.

"Those guys in suits, it was kind of them to free up the table for us. I feel a little bad, though. Still, I'm grateful," Tsuno said, placing his phone on the table and hanging his commuter bag on a hook in the wall. It was the same ugly bag he always used—worn out and shapeless, with peeling synthetic leather, and some kind of faded logo on the front. Muroi had noticed it ever since they started their training at the Old Memorial Center. He suspected it wasn't a brand-name item but rather a cheap artist's merch. Since Tsuno was his senior and clearly liked the bag, Muroi never said anything. But every time he saw it, the thought That's so tacky would flash through his mind.

“This place is known for its light, chicken-broth ramen,” Tsuno explained, though the aroma that filled the shop had already given it away. Muroi preferred tonkotsu ramen but didn't dislike chicken broth either. When it came to food, as long as it was delicious, he was fine with anything.

“Yeah, it smells like it,” Muroi replied. Tsuno smiled, narrowing his eyes in satisfaction. It occurred to Muroi that this might be the first time the two of them had gone out to eat together. He'd gone out for meals with their supervisor, Takatsuka, many times. Thinking about Takatsuka made his chest twinge a little.

When Muroi first met Takatsuka, as his training supervisor, he had been almost suspicious of how perfect his features were—so much so that Muroi wondered if he'd had plastic surgery. With a face like that, why isn't he a celebrity? Why is he an embalmer? Muroi had wondered. But as he got to know him, he realized Takatsuka wasn't the type to care about plastic surgery. He was cool, indifferent to his good looks, and occasionally a bit clumsy in an endearing way. Muroi had always been into pretty faces, so it didn't take long for him to fall for Takatsuka.

Takatsuka had no visible signs of a girlfriend, so Muroi began to hope he might be gay. He started making advances, but Takatsuka didn't respond at all. Even after learning Takatsuka had a foreign boyfriend, Muroi couldn't give up. When Muroi had a heated argument with his father over his late mother's embalming, Takatsuka had dealt with his father's harsh words with such sincerity. After seeing that side of him, Muroi wanted him even more.

But Muroi was younger, still just a student in mortuary school. He wasn't even part of the working world yet. His training would end in a year, and he'd have to find a job. His classmates mostly came from families who ran funeral homes and would return to their hometowns after graduation. Muroi was different. He'd gone to university and decided to attend mortuary school after being inspired by a manga about embalming he'd read in middle school. Although he gave up on that dream once, thinking it wasn't practical, he ended up pursuing it after all.

Tsuno's phone chimed, and the name “Akane” appeared on the screen. Muroi saw it from across the table. “Ah, sorry, give me a moment,” Tsuno said, typing a quick reply before setting his phone down again.

“Is that your girlfriend?” Muroi asked, more out of curiosity than anything else. Tsuno had once mentioned his fondness for gravure idols, so Muroi hadn't imagined there'd be a real woman in the picture. He wondered what a girlfriend would think about Tsuno's odd fashion sense, like that bag of his.

“No, she's my sister. I'm heading back to our family home next week, so we're sorting out some details.”

Muroi had heard that Tsuno's sister managed a talent agency that specialized in foreign models. It sounded glamorous, but Tsuno himself was pretty low-key. Muroi couldn't help but wonder if Tsuno ever used his sister's connections to try to meet his favorite idols. If it were him, he definitely would.

“Here you go,” said an older lady, her head wrapped in a bandana, as she set down their bowls of ramen. The rich aroma of soy-based chicken broth and thick slices of chashu made Muroi swallow in anticipation. He hadn't been to this shop before, but the ramen looked delicious. Just one glance at the bowl told him this place was a winner.

He took his first sip of the broth. It was light, yet packed with umami—a simple flavor, but that was its strength. The noodles were thin and straight, a perfect match for the broth. But the star was the chashu—thick, tender, and perfectly complemented by the light broth. This place was definitely going on his list of favorite ramen spots. Despite his doubts about Tsuno's taste in food (given his fashion choices), this ramen scored high.

Both of them slurped their ramen in silence, too absorbed in the deliciousness to talk. The ramen was so good that Muroi wondered if they offered extra portions of noodles here —this was good enough to warrant seconds. He looked up, and across the table, Tsuno was happily eating, his glasses off, probably to avoid them fogging up from the steam. It was the first time Muroi had seen him without glasses, and he realized Tsuno actually had a well-balanced face. He'd never noticed before, likely because Akira's striking looks always overshadowed everyone around him. If Tsuno put a bit more effort into his hairstyle, he could look pretty good.

Just then, Tsuno glanced up, and their eyes met. There was something different about his face without the glasses, and it made Muroi's heart stir for a moment.

“I'm thinking of ordering some rice,” Tsuno said.

“I'll go for extra noodles,” Muroi replied.

“You can just buy the ticket for it over there,” Tsuno pointed out.

After purchasing their tickets, they soon received the rice and extra noodles. As Muroi dug in, it struck him—Tsuno's family also ran a funeral business. He remembered hearing that Tsuno had been working at the center while his family built an embalming facility. It had always made Muroi feel a little envious, knowing Tsuno had a solid future lined up.

“Tsuno-san, where’s your family home again?” Muroi asked.

“Yokohama, a bit on the outskirts,” Tsuno replied.

Yokohama, Muroi thought. Not too far from Tokyo. And with an embalming facility on the way, it seemed like a prime opportunity. Even though Muroi knew there wasn't much hope for progress with Akira, being near Tsuno wasn't such a bad alternative.

Old Memorial Center, where Muroi was training, had a history of issues and rarely accepted trainees as embalmers, except for rare cases like Tsuno. Yokohama was close enough… maybe this was a chance.

“Your family's building an embalming facility, right? When’s it supposed to be done?”

Tsuno waved his spoon. “Probably around February next year. I can't stay at the center forever, after all.”

“That's impressive. I mean, building a whole embalming facility just for you.”

Tsuno shook his head. “Nah, it’s not just for me. My dad sees a growing need for embalming in the Tokyo area. There's a high population, and even the Old Memorial Center sometimes has too many bodies waiting for embalming. I'll be the only embalmer there at first, but we hope to expand. Ideally, we'd have a setup like Takatsuka-san and Koyanagi, with two embalmers working together.”

An opportunity seemed to open right in front of Muroi's eyes.

“That's awesome… Um, sorry if this sounds forward, but… do you think your family could hire me?”

Tsuno tilted his head. “Huh?”

“I mean, do you already have someone in mind for that second embalmer position?” Muroi asked cautiously.

“No, not yet…”

Tsuno seemed a bit taken aback, but Muroi felt that if he appealed to Tsuno's emotions, he might have a shot. He lowered his eyes, trying to look a bit forlorn.

“My family doesn't run a funeral business, and I don't have any connections, so I've been worried about where I'll work after school. You know how there are almost no job listings for embalmers. Most people just get hired as funeral home staff. But… I really want to focus on embalming. Even if it's not right away, if there's a chance at your place…”

He waited, but there was no immediate response. Sneaking a glance at Tsuno's face, Muroi saw that he was still mulling it over.

“I know I'm still a student, and probably not much to rely on…”

“It's not that,” Tsuno said, finally breaking the silence. “But if you came to work at our place aiming to be an embalmer, you'd probably start out as a regular staff ceremony member. We don’t know yet how much demand there will be for embalming.”

“I'd be fine with that. I could do regular staff work, and when there’s embalming to do, I’d switch over.”

“If that's okay with you, then sure,” Tsuno agreed.

Muroi's heart leaps at the easy answer.

“If you've graduated from a mortuary school, you should have the basic skills down. And if you can do embalming, I'd feel more comfortable knowing I have someone I can rely on. Even if something happens to me, knowing you're there would be reassuring.”

Muroi had just landed a job at an embalming facility near Tokyo. He had no connections, no guarantees, and now, an opportunity had practically fallen into his lap.

“I’m really happy!” Muroi blurted out, then immediately felt a surge of anxiety. “But… are you sure? You won’t change your mind halfway through, will you?”

Tsuno laughed. “Don't worry about that. We take on a few new graduates every year. I’m heading home next week, so I’ll talk to my dad then.”

“Thank you! I really appreciate it,” Muroi said, bowing his head.

As more customers started to fill the restaurant, they paid and left. Both of them were stuffed with the extra rice and noodles. Though they were headed in different directions, they shared the same train line, so they decided to walk one station over.

Outside, a breeze had picked up, more than just cool—it was starting to feel a bit cold. Autumn had fully set in.

It was good that Muroi had secured a job, but once he started working, Tsuno would technically be his boss—or rather, his coworker. It was almost the same situation as now. However, since the place was family-run, if something went wrong, Muroi would be the one who had to quit. He'd have to be careful and navigate things smoothly to avoid any friction.

Tsuno, by nature, was calm and a bit shy. As long as Muroi could keep his own frustrations in check, they'd get along fine. Still, there were so many times when Muroi watched Tsuno work and thought, “If you did it this way, it'd be better.” Honestly, Tsuno wasn't that skilled with his hands. Muroi knew he could do a better job… but being skilled isn't everything. What mattered more was how much you could tune into the voices of the deceased and the emotions of their grieving families. Muroi had learned that in the last six months of practical training, more than in all his classroom studies.

The embalmers he had worked with—Takatsuka, Koyanagi, and Tsuno—were all kind people. Muroi didn't think he was as gentle with others as they were.

Tsuno's phone chimed again. “Hang on a sec,” Tsuno said, stopping in his tracks and pulling out his phone. The screen showed a social media post with a picture of a girl with her eyes closed. She seemed to be outside, and there was a slender hand holding a makeup brush prominently featured in the shot. The caption read, “make up!!” Judging from the angle, it looked like someone else had taken the picture while a makeup artist did the work.

“Is Haruna-chan filming a shoot right now?” Tsuno muttered to himself. His favorite gravure idol, huh... Muroi couldn't help but feel indifferent, but something about the slender, elegant fingers in the picture caught his eye. They were beautiful. And those nails… where had he seen them before?

“Huh?”

Muroi leaned closer to Tsuno's phone.

“Muroi, too close,” Tsuno said, snapping him out of it. Muroi realized his face was practically right next to Tsuno's.

“Can I take a closer look at that?” Muroi asked.

Though he looked at a bit puzzled, Tsuno handed over his phone. Muroi zoomed in on the picture, studying the hand carefully.

“…Dude, your face is creepy. What did Haruna-chan ever do to you?” Tsuno joked.

But Muroi was sure of it. It had to be.

“Hey, isn’t that hand Takatsuka-san’s?” Muroi asked.

Tsuno blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

“This is the right hand, right? The nail shape is the same, and there's a tiny mole on the tip of the index finger, just like Takatsuka-san's,” Muroi said, showing him the zoomed-in image.

Tsuno chuckled awkwardly. “I don't know about moles on Takatsuka-san's fingers...”

“Come on, Takatsuka-san doing makeup for a gravure idol? That's impossible. Must be someone else.”

“Well, yeah, that's probably true, but…”

Then it hit Muroi—both Haruna-chan and Takatsuka were in the US right now. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility…

That's right. Takatsuka was on a trip to America with his gorgeous boyfriend. Thinking about Takatsuka, living his perfect life with his handsome partner, made Muroi feel utterly pointless, stuck in his one-sided crush. Was he reaching too high? But what was so wrong with wanting what he wanted? People are free to want what they desire, aren't they? …No, this was bad. He could feel himself sinking into that gloomy mood again.

He handed Tsuno his phone back, and Tsuno sighed heavily, muttering, “Seriously…”

“Muroi, let's hit up the convenience store.”

“What for?”

“I want some coffee. My treat,” Tsuno said, giving Muroi a light pat on the back. Muroi wondered if Tsuno somehow knew about his feelings for Takatsuka. It bugged him, but he pushed the thought away. It didn't really matter.

As they sipped coffee and chatted about the ramen they'd just eaten, Muroi's mood started to lift. By the time they left ways at the station, they'd made plans to get tonkotsu ramen next time.

On the train ride home, standing by the doors, Muroi thought about it again. Maybe that hand really was Takatsuka's. Realistically, though, identifying someone by the mole on their finger was just… creepy. Tsuno probably thought he was some obsessive weirdo. …No, that didn't seem to be the case. It felt more like Tsuno was trying to cheer him up. After all, he did buy him coffee.

Would it have been easier if he liked someone like Tsuno? There was no point in dwelling on “what ifs” now. Tsuno and Muroi would be working together for a long time, so it wouldn't hurt to stay on good terms.

Honestly, Muroi was a little bit looking forward to their next tonkotsu ramen outing.

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