I am a writer in Tokyo

In fact, Boss Ito did not expect that the two of them would not come today.

After going through a huge setback, the tavern seemed to have a feeling of surviving a disaster and being blessed in the future. If you don't go there to reserve a seat in the past few days, you probably won't be able to squeeze in.

There was a parking space right in front of the oden shop. Oshima Kazuya looked at the phone on the door and called it. After getting permission to park, he parked the car.

The rain was still falling, and fireworks that looked like gods were blooming were scattered all over the road. The door of the oden shop was pushed open from the outside, and the wind blew in a lot of rain and, of course, moisture.

Under the attack of this cold air, the smoke in the house became thicker.

"welcome."

It was a very standard conversation, except that it wasn't shouted out by the waiter next to me.

Just like Mr. Ito's tavern, there were no waiters pouring water or anything like that, but it seemed like there was no one behind the counter either.

"Who was talking just now?" After closing the door, Oshima Kazuya leaned over and whispered in Koma's ear.

The sound also rang out when he entered the door. He didn't feel anything at the time, but when he thought about it carefully, he always felt that the sound had a thorny taste, the kind that pricked people.

Ju looked around. There was no one in the shop. There were only two large pots on the counter, bubbling and steaming.

Oshima Kazuya confirmed again and found that there was indeed no one in the room, and there was no talking creature like a parrot.

The two men's backs stood up, and Ju was a little puzzled: "Didn't I just call to ask if the parking space here is available?"

"Have you read some strange articles or TV dramas?" Oshima Kazuya suddenly answered the question irrelevantly. Koma knew what he was talking about. Before he could answer, Oshima Kazuya continued, "Answering the phone is not something that only talented people can do."

"You can help yourself to whatever you want to eat."

The voice came out again, and then a person came out of the small compartment in front.

The small compartment was too small and hidden at the innermost part of the counter. There was no light there, so even if you looked closely you couldn't see any outline.

It’s good that they are human. I’m afraid they have encountered some strange urban legends or something like that.

The shop owner was an old man, wearing a very clean but slightly worn uniform, with a fan stuck at the back of his neck. He walked unsteadily, and it seemed as if the wind outside would blow his hands off.

He glanced at the two people standing on the other side of the bar with his cloudy eyes, and then pointed at the two pots: "I've gotten older recently and don't have much strength, so when there are not many customers, I usually rest there." After he said that, he pointed to the compartment behind him.

Oshima Kazuya glanced at Koma and thought, forget it. Even if he didn't go to Ito's house at this time, it would be the same to just find a random restaurant outside to eat.

Koma did not look into Oshima Kazuya's eyes. Instead, after choosing his seat, he looked up at the boss.

“Is it all here?”

"Yes, one pot is spicy, and the other is not spicy."

"Then I want non-spicy ones, two servings of daikon, one lucky bag, one chikuwa, and fish tofu. Please give me one egg, thank you." Ju suddenly thought of something else: "I also forgot about konjac shreds, please give me two servings of those too."

"Freshly ground wasabi or wasabi in strips?"

"Wasabi, I prefer the original taste."

"Ok."

"Thank you."

"Thank you."

Oshima Kazuya was a little at a loss. He really wanted to know how Koma got over the shock he had just experienced. The change in his emotions was not quick, it even felt a little abrupt.

Then he felt a chill on his back, and the old man's gaze shifted to him. Although he didn't say anything, he knew he was asking him what he wanted to eat.

Oshima Kazuya was silent for a moment. If someone outside the door called him at this time, he might have responded quickly, but unfortunately Koma had already eaten.

"Well... then give me two servings of chikuwa. If you have kelp, please give me one portion as well. I also want fish cakes and one portion of radish." Oshima Kazuya looked at the ingredients in the pot and always felt that they were a bit tasteless. He has always been a person who loves to eat.

Kazuya Oshima always wanted to say something while eating, but looking at the atmosphere on the scene, he felt that nothing he said would be inappropriate. After hesitating for a while, he began to prepare to eat.

Just as I put the bamboo wheel into my mouth, I heard Kitajima Koma start to ask, "Has this place been open for a long time?"

Ok?
You weren't like this before.

The scene at Ito Tavern was echoing in Kazuya Oshima's mind.

He was chatting very enthusiastically, and then the topic came to Kitajima Koma. Oshima Kazuya asked Kitajima Koma excitedly, and then threw a piece of rice cake into his mouth.

"Don't talk while eating and don't talk while sleeping." Kitajima Koma threw out a sentence, causing Oshima Kazuya to fall silent for a moment.

But now, he...

"Yes, it has been open for sixty years."

Sixty years.

Oshima Kazuya calculated and found that he was older than himself.

"It's difficult to run a store alone now." Ju said again.

Kazuya Oshima suddenly felt that this guy was not as taciturn as he had imagined. Normally, he always sounded like he wanted to choke people when he spoke, but now he seemed much more normal.

He raised his head and looked at the old man behind the counter again, then turned back to look at Ju, and suddenly understood something.

“So I plan to close the store after a while.”

"Have you ever considered having someone take over this business?"

"A career." The old man suddenly laughed after hearing this. His voice sounded like a bellows with a hole in it. He waved his fan and said, "It's not really a career, but no one is willing to take it over. The children are eager to go to the big city."

“This is Tokyo.”

"This is not the place. That tall tower under construction is Tokyo." The old man did not agree with Ju's point of view.

The two of them fell silent for a moment, and then Ju let out a breath: "In fact, I think food is also very important. Aren't cities built on food?"

The old man paused for a moment, then gave Ju two large roots and said, "It's a pity, Oden is not that difficult to cook."

"In a sense, it is indeed a difficult thing, at least for people in Kansai," said Koma.

Oshima Kazuya had a look of horror on his face.

The old man paused for a moment, then burst into laughter and gave two more konjac cubes to Ju. (End of this chapter)