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____________________________________ The restaurants Shōji door slides open, allowing for cold air to blow through the Noren. Mizu and (Y/N) walk into the restaurant and walk to a table in the corner.
"Ringo! Ugh. Customers. Big hats." The pair hear the restaurant owner say to the chef. A moment later a man with stubs where his hands should be sits at the table with Mizu and (Y/N). "Welcome, Sir, Ma'am. I'll bring you two some tea. It's not good tea, but it's hot, and you're frozen, and I'll bring you a rag because when I'm frozen, my snot drips." As Ringo rambles Mizu wipes his nose with his pointer finger. "Then a nice big soba. We make the best soba. Honest! Bad tea, great soba! Okay?" Ringo says waiting for a response, after a moment (Y/N) nudges Mizu's to get him to respond. Ringo looks at Mizu with an expectant smile and receives a nod of acknowledgment in return.
Ringo stands up and hums as he walks away with his tray. As Ringo walks a man in a yellow Yukata with red stripes and two girls extends his legs to stop Ringo. "Stumpy! More noodles, fast." The man barks, making Ringo walk back to the kitchen with his head hung low. "Finish your bowls. I paid your father's good money for you. The brothels will pay me even more once you get some curve on, you skinny country nothings. Eat!" The man says, pulling one of the girls closer to him before pushing her away.
After a few minutes Ringo comes back out, carrying four bowls of soba on his tray. Once he reaches Mizu's and (Y/N)'s table he sets two bowls of soba in front of them and sits with them at the table. Mizu picks up his bowl first and sniffs it, waiting a minute before scarfing down his soba. (Y/N) soon does the same, letting out a satisfied sigh as she finishes. "It's good, right?" Ringo asks with a small smile, in response he gets a small nod from (Y/N) and Mizu places his bowl down onto the table. Ringo breathes in and out deeply before he stands up once more and begins to hum again.
Ringo walks to the table the man and women are sitting at. "Finally. Eat up, girls. Eat it all!" The man says as he pulls the girl closer to him again, the girl slaps his hand away making him hit the tray and the bowl of soba fall from the tray and spill onto the man.
The man stands up and quickly slaps Ringo. "What are you? A dog?" The man asks angrily as the restaurant owner comes out of the kitchen. "You let a dog serve food!" The man yells at the restaurant owner before turning back to Ringo. "Forgive my son." The restaurant owner says with a nervous laugh. "Can't go a day without breaking dishes." The owner says as he looks at Ringo angrily. "Ringo, clean him!" The owner orders. "I'm sorry." Ringo says apologetically before trying to walk away but slipping on the spilt noodles and spilling the last bowl of soba on the man. "Sorry. Sorry." Ringo says as he puts the fallen bowls back onto the tray, the man taking out a pistol and pointing it at Ringo making all the customers gasp and getting the attention of (Y/N) and Mizu. "I should put down this lame dog." The man says with confidence as he continues pointing his gun at Ringo. "I'm not a dog." Ringo says with a small frown. "Did you just bark?" The man chuckles as he points the gun closer to Ringo. "Do you know who I am?" The man asks. "I am Hachiman the Flesh-Trader. No one messes with Hachi!" Hachiman says before a loud screeching noise interrupts the tense scene, the screeching coming from
Mizu pushing the table away from him. Mizu stands and walks in front of Ringo, blocking him from the gun. "Hmm. Impressive. I've never seen a gun like it." Mizu says as he steps closer to Hachi. "Front loading, not a Japanese pistol." Mizu says observingly before tapping the barrel of the gun. "A European design, isn't it?" Mizu asks, making Hachi point the gun at Mizu's face. As this occurs some of the customers walk out of the restaurant.
"That would make it illegal." Hachi says with a smile as he pulls his gun away. "Hachiman the Flesh-Trader. Of course, I've heard of you." As Mizu says this (Y/N) stands up and readjusts her Kasa. "Never leaves a village without buying one of its daughters." Mizu says, making Hachi look towards the girls he was sitting with.
"You must have important friends to own a weapon like that." Mizu says, stepping closer to Hachi. "Why do you know so much about Hachi?" Hachiman asks. "Maybe I've been following you. The famous Hachi with the famous gun." Mizu says with a small chuckle. "I'd love a gun like that. You can tell me who sold it to you." Mizu states simply. "Hmm. Fuck off." Hachiman says before wiping his nose with his hand and sitting down, starting to eat his soba again. "You will tell who sold you that gun." Mizu says with a slightly authoritative tone, beginning to unsheathe his sword.
Hachi quickly grabs his gun and stands up, pointing it at Mizu once again. "You put my bullet against your blade?" Hachiman asks angrily. "You don't deserve my blade. You don't even deserve this blade." Mizu says before grabbing a knife from the table behind him, as he grabs the knife Hachi pulls the trigger but Mizu dodges the bullet. Mizu swings the knife, blood splatters the ground before two fingers and the barrel of Hachiman's gun fall onto the table below him. After a moment Hachi screams and groans out of pain as his fingers bleed.
Mizu pulls Hachi back and pins him to the table. "Take the gun if you want it! Take it!" Hachi says desperately, Mizu soon takes out his knife and points it at Hachi. "No!" Hachi pleads before Mizu brings the knife down right next to Hachi's head and onto his gun, effectively destroying the rest of Hachi's gun. "It's a filthy gun from a filthy place. I don't want it." Mizu says with a scowl before standing up and dragging Hachiman up with him. "I wanna know who sold it to you. Tell me now." Mizu says angrily, determined to get answers from Hachiman. "Heiji Shindo! I bought it from Heiji Shindo!" Hachi whimpers out. "Heiji Shindo.. where is Heiji Shindo." Mizu says, trying to get more answers from Hachi. "I don't know! I swear!" Hachi says desperately. Mizu pulls down his orange colored shade making Ringo gasp and Hachiman have a disgusted expression.
Mizu pushes Hachi down to the ground and signals to (Y/N) that it's time for them to leave. (Y/N) and Mizu are walking out when Hachiman stands back up and speaks again. "You dead-eyed, half-blooded demon bastard. You look like an onyrō!" Hachiman exclaims. Mizu quickly unsheathes his sword and in one fluid motion turns around and cuts off two more of Hachi's fingers before turning back around and walking out of the Restaurant with (Y/N). The pained screams and wails of Hachiman following them as they exit.
