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Zoffy stared at the sea of humans he was surrounded by in the crowded city of Tokyo, gazing at nowhere in particular as he sat down on a miraculously empty bench. An old man was seated next to him, reading the papers.
His gaze shifted up to a giant clock.
Where is he? He should have been here ten minutes ago.
Zoffy lifted his left wrist to double-check the time on his watch, the initials ‘GS’ shone brightly on the pearl white dial, and the silver hour markers were just as stunning. It was a gift given to him by Mother after he had sought her advice on human attire.
Make it 11 minutes now.
Where is he? Then again, it’s hardly surprising that his brother is tardy. As far as he was aware, a kaiju hadn’t shown up, so what could possibly distract him this time?
It was then a particularly strong, aromatic smell piqued his interest. He had no idea what it was, but he could tell it was coming from the row of small and narrow shops just a few feet away.
Zoffy got to his feet and looked around. If Taro wasn’t going to show up anytime soon, he might as well do a bit of exploring on his own.
He followed the scent and came to a stop in front of a small and cosy shop. The walls were decorated with various pictures of coffee beans. The middle-aged owner behind the counter flashed him a kind smile.
“I’m guessing that the smell of coffee brought you here?”
Zoffy’s eyes lit up. Ace had mentioned it to him several times before. He recalled him talking about how it was a popular type of beverage.
“Would you like to order something?” the owner added, looking up at the simple menu hanging from the ceiling.
The Ultra looked up and scanned through each drink carefully.
Black
Espresso
Latte
Cappuccino
…
He was spoiled for choice and had no idea what each of those menu items offered. His best option was to just let the owner since he would know better.
“What would you recommend?”
The owner’s face morphed into that of genuine confusion. “Have you never had coffee before?”
The smell was now just too tempting to resist. “No, this would be my first time trying it.”
The owner chuckled before looking up at the menu to figure out what suited his customer best. He stared at Zoffy, and looked at him up and down. “You work as a lawyer, don’t you?” he asked, confident he was right until he saw Zoffy look down at his own attire. “Executive at a company would be my second guess,” he said.
“Not quite.”
Judging by his answer, he was close enough. Doesn’t talk much, dresses in his Sunday best on a boring Wednesday and has a hard stare. “I would recommend you get a black coffee.”
Zoffy nodded. “Fair enough.”
The Ultra silently watched as the owner began preparing the drink, swiftly going over to the other half of the shop after he had made the payment.
No more than five minutes later, his order was ready and the human happily handed the hot cup of coffee to him. The Ultra extended his left hand before he paused for a second and then carefully took the drink with his right.
“Are you ok?”
“I’m fine,” he said before quickly thanking the owner and exiting the shop. Zoffy switched the cup to his left hand and sighed. His arm still hadn’t fully recovered after the horrible fight with Tyrant. Mother had told him it would take longer than usual due to how severe it was.
The Ultra returned to the bench and sat down, noting the absence of the elderly man who was sitting next to him earlier. He stared at his drink, the smell teasing him. He couldn’t quite figure out why he was allured by it. It was just a beverage.
Zoffy took a look at the coffee for a second longer before he carefully took a sip, pausing as his brain processed the bitter taste.
What. Is. This…
There was only one thing on his mind at that moment and it was to do with the taste.
For a moment, the dull pain that was resonating from his right arm disappeared.
For a moment, the disappointment he felt at being defeated by Tyrant was forgotten.
All his mind focused on was the drink.
He pulled the cup away and stared at the steam coming out, realising that he had been missing out on such a delicacy.
It didn’t take long for him to finish the coffee, and it then led him straight back into the shop, ordering another. The owner, while surprised at first, was more than happy to oblige.
As Zoffy sat back down on the bench to enjoy his second round of the beverage, he sensed Taro’s presence, or rather his light field. It seems that he’s finally here.
He lifted his left wrist to check the time, all while taking a long sip of coffee. An hour late.
While Zoffy had never met his brother’s human host, he was well aware of what he looked like, so when said human walked past him, he knew Taro had finally shown up.
“Where is he? We’re supposed to meet here, right?” Taro said to himself, looking around as he was blissfully unaware that his big brother was just a few feet away from him.
His gaze then landed on Zoffy, staring at him intently, trying to be sure that the person he was looking at was indeed his brother’s human form and not some random stranger. “Nii-san?”
Zoffy nodded and got to his feet just as his brother grinned.
“Nii-san!” Taro exclaimed, rushing over to him and then stopping in his tracks once he realised the attire he was wearing. “Why are you dressed like that?”
Zoffy glanced at the clothes he wore, confused. He was sure that this was just a typical attire people in Japan wore. “Am I not dressed properly?”
Taro cracked another grin. “It’s not that, it’s just that you look like a lawyer!” he stated. “Which suits you, I guess.”
What does that even mean?
“Anyway, now that you’re here-”
“Now that you are here,” Zoffy corrected, taking another sip from the cup.
Taro sheepishly scratched the back of his head. “Sorry, big bro,” he apologized. “I had to help Saori with the groceries and then take Kenichi to the library for his school assignment.”
It didn’t matter now anyway. Zoffy nodded. “Right.”
“So why don’t we head over to the izakaya now?” Taro suggested before noticing the confusion that washed over his brother’s face. “It’s a place where we can drink and eat!”
Zoffy recalled the last time Taro had invited him and the rest of the brothers to a barbeque by the seaside and he had to unfortunately skip the party as he was busy patrolling the solar system.
“I would have set up another cookout, but I didn’t have time to buy all the ingredients.”
“It’s fine, Taro,” Zoffy said. “I am fine to go along with whatever you have planned.”
Taro beamed and then wrapped an arm around his big brother’s shoulders. “Great! It’s this way!”
His eyes then trailed down and he saw the cup of coffee.
“I see that you’ve already taken a liking to that.”
Zoffy shrugged as he didn’t want to appear too excited about it. “It’s good – I suppose that Ace was right.”
Taro then started dragging his big brother down the street. “Then you’re going to love what we’ll eat!”
As much as he was still angry at himself for allowing Tyrant to escape and getting injured in the process, his brother’s enthusiasm was far too infectious. Zoffy couldn’t help but smile as Taro rambled on about the sort of food they were going to consume. Perhaps Mother and Father had been right.
--
Zoffy’s expectation of an izakaya was that it had a similar setting to a restaurant, a place where it wasn’t too crowded, a setting where it wasn’t too loud nor too quiet.
So of course he would get the opposite of that.
Here he was, sitting opposite his brother, mouth slightly agape as he watched Taro devour his second bowl of rice in less than thirty seconds, all while people were coming and going.
“Don’t be shy, nii-san,” Taro said as he reached for a skewered chicken. “We can order more.”
Zoffy’s gaze shifted to the plate of food in front of him and then to his, what he assumed, suspicious drink. His hopes of consuming the coffee he had earlier in the day had been dashed when it was revealed that the eatery only offered one, and just one type of beverage.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to drink this,” he remarked, lifting the bottle.
“We’re off duty today, nii-san,” Taro reminded, as he stuffed more food into his mouth.
While his brother may have a point, Zoffy would prefer to not be caught off guard should a kaiju suddenly appear. Anything could happen at any moment.
“Didn’t Mum say that Ace nii-san and Jack nii-san will help if, and that’s with a big if, something does happen?”
Zoffy gazed at the bottle. His brother seems to be having the time of his life, so one drink shouldn’t hurt. He reached for the drink with his left hand and Taro’s smile dropped slightly.
He had been told that his big brother had had his arm broken during the fight with Tyrant, and it seemed like it hadn’t healed completely. “Does it still hurt?” he asked.
Zoffy instantly set down the bottle and shifted his attention to Taro.
“Mum said you broke your arm.”
“I’ll live,” he sighed, the frustration now returning to him and he avoided eye contact.
“It’s a good thing that the cruise ship was close by.”
The Commander paused and then looked up. “What do you mean?”
Taro blinked. “Didn’t anyone tell you that there was a tourist spaceship passing by? One of the guests saw you and Tyrant and told the captain to send out a distress signal.”
As far as he could remember, he didn’t see anything cruise ships loitering about. “What ship?”
Taro shrugged, reaching for the grilled beef slices. “I think Mum said it was from Tribul.”
That would mean that he hadn’t been successful in sending an Ultra Sign at all. What’s even more puzzling is the fact that a Tribulian ship was the one that saved his life. “Tribul?”
“I know we don’t have the best relationship with them, but that was what Mum told me.”
Zoffy leaned back against the wooden chair. “Did Mother say who it was?”
Taro shook his head. “Nope,” he replied, eyes now locked in on a fresh plate of tempura. “Did she not mention this to you at all?”
He would have surely been aware of it by now if she had. “Of course she didn’t – I wouldn’t be asking you otherwise.”
Taro then pushed the plate of meat to his big brother. “Cheer up, nii-san!” he said and then smirked. “If you don’t eat or drink, I’ll tell Mum and Dad!”
“Resorting to blackmail, have you?”
Taro grinned. “They specifically said you needed to take a break.”
Zoffy pinched the bridge of his nose. Let’s just get this over with. The sooner he makes everyone happy, the sooner he can resume duty. “Fine.”
He snatched the chopsticks from the table and then took a good chunk of meat from the grill.
“Seems like I’m not the only one with a good appetite,” Taro murmured, receiving a glare from Zoffy. “How is it?”
The Commander wasn’t one to complain, especially when it came to something as simple as Earth food, though he had to admit to himself it tasted good. “Edible.”
As he began to enjoy the feast, his mind couldn’t help but wander back to coffee. “Is coffee widely available or is it only procurable from specific locations?”
Taro paused and then lowered the rice bowl. “Have you taken a liking to coffee, nii-san?”
“I am simply curious.”
As much as he was tempted to tease his big brother, he decided to spare him for now. “You can find them anywhere, but the taste might vary from shop to shop.”
Zoffy made a mental note to stop by the coffee shop he went to earlier before leaving Earth.
“But I see that you haven’t tried the even better drink, yet.”
The Commander’s eyes shifted to the bottle. He had heard about this particular drink from the rest. Ace had specifically told him that it was a beverage best consumed with others. The only issue he had with it was the fact that there was a possibility he could end up inebriated.
It was only a bottle.
He took a sip and a part of him instantly regretted it because it tasted sweet, but also bitter.
“How is it?”
“I still prefer coffee,” he stated.
Taro scratched the back of his head. It seems like Ace nii-san was right about their big brother not taking a liking to it.
“Nonetheless, I appreciate you taking me here to try some of Earth’s delicacies.”
The two brothers then resumed eating their meals, for the most part in silence. Taro knew that despite his cold demeanour, Zoffy was at least at ease and that had to count for something.
Once all plates were cleared of any food, Taro got to his feet to pay. He walked to the cashier and as he took some cash out of his pocket, he heard something hitting something. He looked over his shoulder and grimaced.
Zoffy had passed out, face planted into the wooden table.
“Nii-san!” he gasped, rushing over to his big brother and shaking his shoulder. “Oi!”
He leaned closer and to his relief, he could still hear him breathing.
Did he… did he pass out because…
Taro’s eyes slowly moved to the empty bottle. Well, this is going to make for an interesting story.
--
“How am I going to explain this to them,” Taro muttered under his breath as he inserted the key into the lock, all while struggling to keep his big brother balanced.
It was funny that it took only one bottle for his brother to throw in the towel, but then again, this was his first time consuming the drink, so maybe he wasn’t just used to it, or maybe he had a low tolerance. Either way, Ace nii-san is going to love this.
Once he heard the lock click, Taro opened the door and carefully, he helped his brother, who was still inebriated, inside. He had one arm draped over his shoulders so that it was easier to drag him.
“Kotaro, you’re finally back-” Saori greeted as she entered the living room before pausing.
Taro flashed her a smile. “Long story short, this is my brother and I’m sure you can tell he’s dru-”
“Kotaro! I finished the assignment-” Kenichi said, running into the living room before stopping dead in his tracks. “Who’s he?”
“This is my big brother,” Taro explained as he dragged Zoffy to his bedroom.
“You’ve never mentioned you had any siblings before,” Saori commented.
“Yeah, is he ok?” Kenichi added before helping Kotaro by opening the door.
Having walked all the way from the izakaya, he could feel exhaustion catching up to him. “He’s just tired – thank you, Kenichi.”
Kenichi, ever the sharp observant, noted Kotaro and his brother’s lack of resemblance. “They don’t really look alike.”
“But being good-looking certainly runs in the family,” Saori murmured.