The taxi stopped with a jerk making the duo bump into the seats in front of them.

The driver who had pretended they didn't exist this whole ride, turned around to say something in japanese that James deciphered to be words of encouragement based off of Yumiko's reaction. She paid the fare and got off holding James' hand.

"I guess I should have paid for it." he said.

"No, it's fine. You can pay for lunch." she replied with a forced smile.

Awkward silence ensued.

"I'm sorry about that, sometimes I can't control my emotions. I cry at the slightest things. I even cry if I see an injured caterpillar." she explained, continuing to hold his hand.

"It's okay. That's not a bad thing, don't be sorry for that. And thank you." He said tightening his grip on her hand.

"Thank you for what?"

"For understanding me. For feeling my pain. Even though we only met a while ago. You showed me the most compassion in my life. Thank you for that."

They both stood silently in the middle of the sidewalk, flustered, waiting for the other to say something to cut the awkward tension in the air.

"Should we get going? My stomach is rumbling." Yumiko said finally.

"Yeah...yeah let's go."

They both let go of each other's hands and James walked behind her to the ramen museum.

It was a short walk before they reached.

'SHINYOKOHAMA RAMEN MUSEUM' read out above the entrance in tall golden english letters.

"Thankfully there's not much of a crowd at the entrance. I'll get the tickets." Yumiko said and went to the counter to pay for tickets. She then beckoned James. She gave the tickets to the man at the entrance, he scanned both and gave it back to her.

James breathed in the fresh air-conditioned air. He couldn't remember the last time he had gone to a mall, let alone a ramen museum.

"Come here." said Yumiko excitedly as she locked her arm with his and dragged him to a wall that displayed the menus of several restaurants present there.

"Here." she said pointing at a menu in the middle of the wall "Select what you want to eat from here. This is my favorite restaurant here. It's cozy and not many people go there."

"If people don't go there doesn't it mean that the food isn't good?"

"No! The food is the best there! But the owner is a bit of a grump. That's why they don't get many customers. One time he beat up a guy just because he was being too loud. So just don't do anything annoying in general."

"Okay...I'll keep that in mind but I have no idea what to get because I don't know any of these. I didn't know ramen had so much variety."

She chuckled and leaned on him playfully.

"In that case I'll order any two and we can share. The proportions there are quite big so I don't think we'll need side dishes."

"Yeah, okay, sounds good." he nodded going along with everything she says.

"Alright let's go to the main floor." Yumiko said as she pulled him by his arm towards the stairs leading underground.

"Wait shouldn't we explore this floor first? I think I saw a miniature race track on the other side."

"We can do that after we finish eating! I'm so hungry I could eat a baby alive!"

"You'd be doing the baby a favor." he whispered to himself.

She pulled his arm harder and guided him down the stairs. The walls were covered with mold and the stairs stained black. James couldn't identify if they were real or they were put there intentionally.

They walked down two flights of stairs arm in arm dodging other visitors that were leaving the premises.

They reached the main floor. They stood above a tiny plaza enclosed by antique buildings. The ceiling impersonated the sky, the orange lights in the corners of the ceiling made it look like it was evening. James for a moment thought it was real. People walked down more stairs in front of them and lined up in front of the buildings whose lower floors cosplayed as ramen restaurants and stands. The plaza was crowded and bustling with hungry people. Locals and tourists alike sat on benches in the middle of the plaza slurping ramen and kids gnawed on some sort of candy. Vloggers walked around the crowded plaza showcasing the different restaurants.

James looked around in awe. He had never seen such a sight even on the internet. The floors above the restaurants were decorated to look like it was inhabited by people. Fake laundry hung out on the balconies and plants grew on the walls. The buildings looked worn down. He wondered again if they were made to look like it.

"Cool isn't it? This place was built to replicate the streets in 1958." Yumiko said looking up at him almost camouflaging among everyone else there.

"Not just cool, this is amazing! I could live right here forever. Do you think I can get a job here?"

He was feeling exhilarated. He imagined opening his own ramen shop in this very square.

"Well probably not because only experienced professionals work here. But who knows? You can ask around after we finish eating." she informed.

"Anyways come here." She pulled him to the side and guided him behind the fake building into an alley filled with people. It was narrow and on each side of it were several doors and widows that lit up from inside. Some parts of the walls were made of wood and had torn old posters on them. At the bends of the alley were gift shops. Vending machines full of coffee cans were scattered along the whole length.

They went past a place that had four dark blue banners with a japanese letter on each. James peeped inside to see a half naked man changing his clothes.

"Woah! Is this a public bath? The sento thing?" he asked yumiko as she kept pulling him away from there.

"Yes it is. Why? You want to take a bath?" she asked sarcastically.

"I'm really shy I don't think I can bathe with strangers. But I do want to take a look inside."

"If you don't go in naked then you'll be considered a pervert." she smirked.

His gaze now fell on a vending machine that had images of different ramen on it. People had lined up next to it too.

"They have a vending machine for ramen too?" he asked curiously.

"That's not a vending machine. It's sort of like a ticket counter. You have to pay and get tickets for the ramen that you want. You use the ticket at the stands down there instead of paying them. But where we are going we don't need that, so just walk faster you giant!" she said increasing her pace and weaving through the mob of people.

They went past several restaurants that were jam-packed with customers. The air smelled sweet, he was getting hungrier.

Yumiko halted before a rusted metal door. James crashed into her as he was distracted by the fake sky.

"Watch where you're walking BFG, you could've killed me." she teased him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry I thought I saw a hairy head floating in the sky there."

"You're so silly and cute." she giggled. "Well, we're finally here. Why don't you do the honors?"

Shyly he grabbed the rusted handle and opened the door. It made a loud creeking noise that echoed everywhere. He looked around to apologize to anybody who was offended by the noise but no one was in sight. Everyone seemed to have vanished in thin air.

His nose was hit by a pungent smell coming from inside. He tread carefully inside trying to look out the short tempered chef. The restaurant was like any typical ramen place he had seen on the internet. Four tables were arranged in the middle of the room. Wooden stools were kept with equal spaces in-between in front of an open kitchen that was draped by red banners.

"Hello wanderer! Welcome to The Irori. What would you like to order?" a short pudgy figure screeched from the beside him.

It startled James. He let out a yelp and took cover behind Yumiko. Using her as a shield, he looked over her head to find the source of the voice.

"James it's fine! It's just Tofu. He works here." she said bumping fists with Tofu and taking a seat nearest to her leaving James out in the open and vulnerable.

"I'm sorry for the scare. You're the first new customer we've had in a while so I got a little excited. Come take a seat." Tofu said as he pulled a chair across Yumiko.

James sat down staring at the dwarf scrutinizing him. His legs barely fit under the table, he had to tuck his legs under his chair. He put his bag on the chair next to him.

"You're speaking english? Or am I imagining all this?" he questioned the dwarf.

"You tend to pick up a couple of new languages when you've lived as long as I have."

"What?"

"Tofu, we'll have one Sapporo ramen and one Okinawa Soba. Make it quick!" Yumiko interrupted and drummed the table with her fingers showing urgency.

"We haven't prepared anything since we didn't expect any customers so it'll take some time." he said and disappeared behind a curtain.

"What's the deal with that guy?" James whispered to Yumiko but failing to be discreet.

"I know what your thinking. He's a little too friendly. Also he's actually 34, though he looks like a 13 year old. So don't go around calling him a kid, he hates that."

"I'll keep that in mind too."

"Fun fact, he's worked with Kamado, the owner and chef here, for the longest without being burned alive."

"You mean fired? That's a good pun."

She laughed. "Yeah sure, it's a pun."

James could sense a hint of sacrasm in her tone. But decided to forget it.

"Which floor do they let you make your own ramen cup and draw on it and stuff?" he asked breaking the silence.

"Oh that isn't here. It's in a different museum. It's called the Cup Noodles Museum. It was just a 10 mins walk from my cafe. I didn't know you wanted to go there. Sorry."

"Oh no it's alright! I don't mind this one either. It's really beautiful. Thank you for bringing me here."

"We can go there next time surely." she promised him interlocking her pinky finger with his.

"Yuki." A raucous voice came from behind Yumiko. A tall sturdy man with long hair that was tied in a low ponytail stood behind her glaring menacingly at James. His sleeves were folded up to his shoulders putting his tattoos on display. "Looks like you brought me some human meat."

"He's not yours Kamado." she said jokingly.

James was panic stricken, he didn't know what to do or say. The man terrified him mostly because of what Yumiko had told about him.

"Calm down boy I'm not going to eat you. You're not for me as she says." he said taking a seat next to James. "And Yuki can you please show me some respect."

His presence was intimidating. More so his tattoos that stared back at James.

"Where did you come from?" he asked James giving him a side eye, his arms folded across his chest.

James stuttered. "I'm from U.S..., just like Yumiko."

"Why are you here?"

"I...I ran away from my home-"

"No. I meant, why are you here in my restaurant?"

James felt a trickle in his pants. Kamado's eyes never moved away from him.

"I'm...here to eat?" he managed to get out.

"Kamado stop! Stop scaring your only customer in months!" Yumiko came to James' rescue.

"I don't need any customers besides I'm just asking him some questions. I was curious. He looks kind of fishy. And stop calling me by my name. Show me some respect I'm The Sanbo Kojin after all and I'm thousands of years older than you!" He yelled at her. She just rolled her eyes at him. James was marveled at how brave Yumiko was.

Kamado got up and walked to the curtains where the dwarf man had disappeared and stopped. He gave James another glare and said something in japanese to Yumiko. She replied in japanese.

"I like your scar." he told James in English before he disappeared behind the curtains.

James sighed heavily. He had never felt so nervous and scared in his life. It was worse than the time when he was almost caught with drugs on him by the principal.

"Now what's the deal with him?! What did he say just now?" he whispered in a high pitched voice.

"I told you he's a grump. Just bear with him for a while. That's the price you pay for good food. And he was just asking if we ordered." she said and held his hand comforting him.

"Why did he call you Yuki?" he questioned further.

"It's a funny story actually. When I first came to this restaurant with a friend he mistook me for someone he once knew. He actually started crying after looking at me. I guess I look his dead girlfriend or wife or someone important. He doesn't talk much about his past but he told me her name was Yuki. He kept calling me that since then and I didn't bother to correct him."

"That's just creepy." he said feeling disgusted and a little jealous.

"Come on, he's not like that. He's really kind, he's kind of like a father figure to me here. A father figure who rarely meets me." she laughed.

"I don't like him." he whispered to himself and got up shakily. "I need to go to the washroom."

"Go through the curtains and it's on the right." she directed.

He hesitantly went through the curtains keeping a watchful eye for the angry chef and the sneaky short man. The corridor was poorly lit and dingy. It smelt of smoke and burnt wood. On the left side was a door that seemed to lead to the kitchen. He walked further inside in the corridor to a door on the right that had a sign depicting a man on a toilet. He opened the door and shut himself inside. It was a rather big washroom. It was spacious enough to lie down comfortably. It had a sink to the right and a shiny white toilet opposite to it. Cleaning supplies were thrown in a heap in one corner. He finished his business on the toilet and washed his hands.

He thought that the restaurant was peculiar. Something about the restaurant bothered him. He took a quick peek outside to scan for any hostiles. He closed the door again and searched the name of the restaurant on his phone just to realize that he doesn't have any wifi or a sim card. He felt stupid. He got out of the washroom ashamed, wiping his wet hands on his pants.

He sighed. It was a tiring day, no a tiring month, no a tiring life for him. These were the times when he missed his bestfriend.

His stomach rumbled begging for food.

As he started to make his way back he heard a low groan. At first he thought it was just his stomach but he heard chains clanking along with the groans this time coming from behind him in the far end of the corridor.

He turned quickly to face the source of the sound. His hands up in front of him ready to be unleashed if needed to.

More clanking noises.

He squinted trying to get a better image. A shadow moved about groaning.

He decided it was best to walk away and live another day but his curiosity got the better of him. Instead of walking backward he walked forward to the source. He turned on the flashlight in his phone to get a better look. He already regretted it.