(NEW ICHIRAKU RAMEN) CHAPTER EIGHT

Hinata had expected the day to be busy.

Instead, New Ichiraku Ramen did not have its usual late morning and early afternoon rush. The shop was not empty by any means, but the customers came and went at an easy pace. A few lingered at the counter, savoring their meals in quiet contentment, while others passed the time scrolling through their phones as they waited for their takeaway. Nothing demanded immediate attention, and after everything that had happened the night before, Hinata found that she did not mind the lull at all.

She moved easily behind the counter, wiping down surfaces and exchanging conversation with those who seemed inclined to talk, while Naruto worked in the kitchen, humming under his breath as he prepared ingredients and checked the simmering broth. There was a sense of normalcy to it all that felt almost rare.

The fight against the cursed spirits itself had not taken much out of her. They had been dangerous, certainly, but not beyond what she and Naruto had faced countless times before. It was everything that came afterward that lingered on her thoughts.

The explanation.

At the time, she had believed she understood what had happened, that the woman she had rescued had always possessed the ability to see cursed spirits. Now, with the benefit of what Gojo had explained and what Nagi Yoshino herself had shared later, Hinata knew better. The woman had not been able to see them before that night. The overwhelming fear she had experienced, the sudden brush with death, had forced her senses open, granting her sight into a world she had never asked for and could never truly ignore again.

It was, in its own way, a forced awakening.

Hinata found the idea deeply unsettling. That something born from fear and despair and other negative emotions could condemn someone to a hidden world that was never meant for them. It felt cruel in a way she could not quite articulate, like a burden placed upon someone who had never consented to carry it.

Still, Nagi had been safe. Shaken and exhausted by the ordeal, but alive. And perhaps more importantly, she had been clear minded enough to understand the danger of remaining in a place like Kawasaki City. Whether she could see cursed spirits now or not was almost beside the point. She knew they existed, and the damning truth was that she had no way to protect herself from them.

And more importantly, she had a son to think about. That alone had made her decision inevitable.

Hinata’s thoughts softened when she remembered who that son was.

Junpei.

The realization had caught her off guard, even then. The boy who had cried in their shop days ago had turned out to be Nagi’s child. The world truly was small in ways that never failed to surprise her.

And as if determined to reinforce that truth, Hinata glanced up just in time to see two familiar figures come into view at the far end of the street. Nagi Yoshino walked beside her son, a small bag slung over her shoulder, Junpei keeping close to her side. Her hand rested lightly on his shoulder as they approached the shop, and though Junpei still walked with his head slightly lowered, there was something different about him now. Something steadier, more resolved, as though he had finally found his footing.

Hinata straightened, a flicker of confusion passing through her before she smoothed the front of her apron and offered them a gentle smile. She raised one hand in greeting while subtly signaling toward the kitchen, where Naruto was washing his hands after finishing a batch of broth.

By the time Naruto joined her, drying his hands on a towel, Nagi and Junpei had reached the counter. His expression shifted from mild curiosity to open surprise the moment he recognized them.

“Welcome,” Hinata said warmly. “I did not expect to see you again so soon.”

Nagi returned her smile, slightly weary but undoubtedly sincere. “We did not want to leave without saying thank you.”

With those words, everything fell into place, and any lingering concern Hinata might have felt vanished at once.

They explained simply, but clearly. After the events of the previous night, Nagi had sat down with her son and told him what had happened, or at least as much as she could bring herself to explain. She spoke of the creatures that had nearly taken her life, of the danger she had been in without ever realizing it, and of the woman who had intervened when she could not defend herself.

In turn, Junpei had finally spoken of everything he had been carrying alone. He told his mother about the bullying he had endured, about the isolation and resentment that had followed him for so long, and about his encounter with the strange, human-like cursed spirit who had called himself Mahito.

That had been the final push.

Nagi’s voice remained calm as she explained her decision, but Hinata could hear the steel beneath it. They were leaving immediately. A fresh start, somewhere far away from Tokyo entirely, felt like the only sensible choice. They were heading to the airport within the hour.

But they could not bring themselves to leave without saying goodbye.

Hinata listened quietly, her hands clasped together as warmth spread through her chest. Beside her, Naruto nodded along, his usual exuberance tempered by an unusual seriousness that spoke to how deeply he was taking their words.

When they finished speaking, a brief silence followed, and Nagi and Junpei seemed to take it as their cue to leave. Before they could turn away, however, Naruto stepped forward, his smile bright but gentle as he spoke.

“Hey,” he said. “You remember what I told you before?”

Junpei looked at him, a little surprised, then nodded slowly. “You offered to heal my scars.”

“Yes.”

The offer was simple, sincere, and entirely without pressure.

For a moment, Hinata truly believed the boy would accept.

Instead, Junpei shook his head, his fingers curling lightly at his side.

“I hate them,” he admitted quietly. “They’re ugly. They remind me of things I don’t want to remember.”

Naruto waited, his expression patient.

“But,” Junpei continued, lifting his head at last to meet their gaze, “they’re also proof. Proof of what I have endured, and proof that I am still standing. Proof that my past does not get to decide who I will become.”

He hesitated, then added more softly, but no less firmly, “I don’t want to erase them anymore.”

For a brief moment, Naruto looked genuinely taken aback.

Then his expression softened, and he nodded as if Junpei had given him exactly the answer he had hoped for. “Yeah,” he said simply. “I get that.”

Junpei bowed awkwardly, gratitude plain on his face. “Thank you,” he said. “Both of you. Especially you,” he added, turning toward Hinata.

She returned the gesture with a gentle incline of her head. “Take care of each other,” she said, her voice sincere.

Nagi and Junpei nodded before turning away then, stepping back onto the street and walking toward whatever awaited them next, until they disappeared from sight.

Hinata watched them go for a long moment before turning back toward her husband.

Naruto was still smiling, that quiet, satisfied smile that spoke of something deeper than words and reminded her, all at once, of every reason she loved him.

She stepped closer and leaned gently into his side, resting her head against his shoulder, her own smile mirroring his.

She truly didn't mind the lull of the day at all.