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It was late at night.
The men's hot spring was completely empty, leaving Blake to enjoy it all by himself. On the other side of the bamboo fence separating the women's bath, he could faintly hear a few girls chatting and laughing.
He didn't try to strike up a conversation through the fence. After soaking quietly on his own, he got out and headed back to his room.
He checked the doors and windows to make sure everything was locked, then lay in bed and idly scrolled through his phone before finally getting ready to sleep.
Just as drowsiness started to settle in, his phone suddenly buzzed softly by his pillow.
He turned over, picked it up, and saw a message from Yanami:
"Coo, coo, coo…"
Blake: "…"
What kind of message was that in the middle of the night?
Was she… about to bail on something?
"Coo, coo, coo…"
"Coo, coo, coo…"
Seeing that he'd read the messages, Anna Yanami sent a few more "coos" before finally getting to the point:
"Blake, you're not asleep yet, right?"
Blake: "Already asleep."
Anna Yanami: "Liar. You just replied."
Blake: "I was asleep. I was dreaming I'd arrived in Pigeon Town, surrounded by cooing pigeons. I was just about to grab a bucket and run away, then you woke me up."
Anna Yanami: "I'm very sorry. I'll treat you to something to eat as compensation, okay?"
Blake: "…"
"After getting back from the hot spring, I was planning to play on my phone for a bit before sleeping," Yanami complained, clenching her small fist in frustration. "But my friend is the worst! She sent me food videos, and now my stomach won't stop growling!"
That giant bowl of ramen from earlier—already digested?
So she really does have a bottomless stomach…
Blake twitched his lips slightly. "So that 'coo coo coo' was your stomach."
Anna Yanami: "Please, I'm starving. I can't sleep like this."
Blake sighed helplessly and got up to get dressed. "Fine. Let's go see if we can find something to eat."
Anna Yanami: "Meet at the inn entrance. Wait for me!"
"…"
It was already past eleven. Letting her go out alone this late didn't sit right, so going together was the only option.
Blake stepped out of his room and waited quietly at the inn entrance.
Before long, a hand tapped his shoulder, followed by a bright, cheerful voice by his ear:
"Blake, I'm here!"
He turned his head.
Her smile bloomed in the night like a begonia flower, vivid and radiant, and before he knew it, his mood had lifted along with it.
"Let's go," Blake said, heading out. "There's a convenience store at the corner. Let's see if there's anything to eat."
"Mm-hmm!"
Yanami walked behind him with her hands clasped behind her back, her steps light as she chattered away.
"Being hungry is the worst. When I was little, my dad even tricked me into thinking a mud wall was chocolate…"
"Good thing you came with me, Blake. If I had to go alone, I'd be too scared to leave. I'd just lie there clutching my stomach until morning."
"Come to think of it, today feels kind of magical. I was just planning to mooch a meal at your place and head home afterward, but somehow we ended up at Mount Takao… and now we're out together this late, looking for food. It feels like something I'll remember forever."
Blake glanced at her. "So asking me to review your work was just an excuse to freeload a meal?"
"Ehehe~" Yanami stuck out her pink tongue and tilted her head up at the sky, playing dumb. "Don't sweat the small stuff."
Blake's gaze drifted downward to her flat, smooth stomach. "So are you actually hungry, or did you just want an excuse to go for a walk?"
"Of course I'm hungry!" Yanami puffed out her chest proudly. "If you don't believe me, go ahead and touch it. My stomach's already gone flat."
"Not happening."
"Just once, come on. Don't be shy."
Isn't that something a guy is supposed to say?
Chatting all the way, the two quickly crossed the quiet, empty streets and arrived at the convenience store on the corner.
"Welcome…"
The tired voice of a part-time clerk greeted them.
The store was open 24 hours, but no one ever thinks about how rough the night shift is.
They browsed around, but all the ready-to-eat bento boxes were sold out. In the end, cup noodles were their only option.
"Feels like it's been forever since I had cup noodles…" Yanami looked up at him. "Want some?"
Blake had been about to say he wasn't hungry, but since they were already here, leaving without eating felt like a waste.
"I'll take a seafood Cup Noodles. And a sausage."
"Make that two sausages!" Yanami's eyes lit up. "I want one too!"
"…"
They brought their noodles and sausages to the register, paid, then sat down at one of the small tables. The store had free hot water, so eating there made sense.
Soon, the noodles were ready, and a rich aroma filled the air.
Yanami leaned over the table, her face full of anticipation, like a puppy waiting to be fed.
"Blake, can I eat yet?"
"One more minute."
"Eh… a minute feels so long…"
"Wipe the drool before you talk."
"…"
After a little while, Blake finally announced:
"You can eat now."
Clap.
Yanami immediately pressed her hands together, her expression unusually solemn.
"Time to eat!"
She lifted the lid, and the smell grew even stronger. Even Blake felt his appetite stir.
Honestly, cup noodles might taste average, but they smell incredible.
Blake picked up his chopsticks and started eating. He had the seafood flavor, while Yanami chose the spicy tomato one—its surface glistening red with oil, looking especially tempting.
"Mmm~"
After slurping a mouthful, Yanami's eyes curved into crescents.
"Spicy tomato is the best in the world! So good!"
"Yeah, it's pretty good," Blake agreed.
It really had been a while. Once in a while, cup noodles hit the spot.
They both ate quickly, and before long, their cups were empty.
"Phew…"
Yanami let out a satisfied breath and looked up at him.
"I just remembered something I read. Life is made up of countless coincidences. In other words, the fact that we're eating cup noodles together this late at night… maybe it's fate."
"'Fate' sounds a bit over the top," Blake said, setting down his chopsticks and taking a sip of water. "Let's head back."
"Wait!" Yanami hurriedly called out. "Let me drink the soup first."
A moment later, her distressed voice suddenly rang out:
"H-help, help—!"
Blake put down his phone and looked at her. "What's wrong?"
"My eye…" The gluttonous girl covered one eye with her hand, her voice pitiful. "When I wiped my eye just now, I got some soup on my fingers and it went into my eye… it hurts so bad! I'm going blind!"
"....."