The First Trip (Part 1)

Kinjo grabbed the strap of his sling bag as he took in the sight of his family's store. The familiar store sign, the stripped blue-painted walls, and the sparkling windows made him feel a bit reluctant to leave the place he called home. The trip would only be for a few weeks, yet it would feel like an eternity considering he had returned here at the end of each day for the past three years.

"Remember to be careful. No wandering off without your… sensei. And don't use up all your money on souvenirs," his mother warned from the entrance of the store. "However, I wouldn't mind if you got me some nice perfume or bath salts."

"'Course mom." His father left on an urgent trip to the Land of Tea the night before while his sister had already departed for the Academy. Hence, his mother was the only one to see him off while his youngest siblings were sleeping upstairs.

"Now, give me a big hug before you go."

She embraced him and kissed the top of his head before grabbing his arms and lowering herself to his height. His mother wasn't very tall but was still heads above him. Her amber eyes shone through her long light brown hair as she smiled warmly. "Return home safely, Kin. Once you get back, I'll cook you all your favorite foods."

"Even chicken?" Kinjo asked jokingly.

"Even that. Now go on; you don't want to be late."

As he trudged away, Kinjo looked back to see his mother waving at him with a wet glint in her eyes. He grinned reassuringly and waved his entire right arm as he stepped forth to the southern village entrance. He jumped onto a nearby rooftop and dashed to his destination.

He arrived a few minutes later to see Hayama and Shin waiting for him. His sensei was dressed in his usual jonin vest and navy blue pants, his void black eyes glancing at the walls. Shin's outfit was a simple brown shirt, grey jacket, and tan shorts. Kinjo landed next to them smoothly and dusted off his sandals as he looked at them. "Am I late?"

"A few minutes early, actually. The clients won't arrive for some time, so don't fret." Hayama said. "Besides, Izumi isn't even here yet."

"Knowing Izumi, she'll be a bit late. She likes to cut things close," Kinjo replied.

Shin munched on some melon bread on toast as he sat on the ground and leaned on his comically large bag. "Oh well, more time for me to snack and read."

The jonin frowned as Shin started skimming through a novel. "Shin, I saw you go through an entire bag of bread already and your pack hasn't shrunk. How many snacks do you have in there?"

"... Can I choose not to answer?"

"Oh for the Sage's sake. It better not slow you down, and I expect you to drop it if we get into a fight. If it does slow you down, I will burn the entire bag."

"Yah, I know."

"Remember, you'll have to carry that to Yugakure."

"I need this much for that trip, and then I'll restock when we get there!"

Kinjo held in a muffled laugh as his large friend ate while Hayama loomed over him while letting out an exasperated sigh. The sigh grew even louder as Shin's emerald green eyes went ablaze after reading a page from his book. "Now that's a fight scene! Haha!"

"... You'll have plenty of fight scenes yourself as a shinobi. No need to imagine them through a book."

"It's not the same, sensei," Shin remarked.

"I dunno, I think our genin test was a pretty good fight, somewhat," Kinjo said.

"But that didn't have the action, the drama, the stakes!"

"We literally launched fireballs and tossed giant logs with our shinobi career on the line."

"Still!"

This time, it was Kinjo's turn to sigh as he rolled his eyes and peeked at Shin's novel. Hayama crossed his arms disapprovingly but waited silently for the last member of their team to arrive.

After fifteen minutes, Izumi arrived, panting heavily and saluting the jonin. "I made it!"

"... Ten minutes late," Hayama answered. "Since it's our first mission, I'll overlook it for today. However, in the future, I expect you to be several minutes early for all our team meetings before a mission. That is the bare minimum I expect from all of you, understood?"

"You said it would be like a field trip," Izumi pointed out.

"Yes. A field trip for shinobi, not for Academy students that can barely throw a kunai. All of you are proud shinobi of Konoha, and I expect you to act as such. Behaving immaturely or being laid back during training is one thing; doing so in front of clients and civilians is another. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir!" the genin shouted out automatically. At times, Hayama spoke and acted like a drill sergeant, provoking them to act like soldiers rather than students. They were soldiers, but for the most part, it felt as though they weren't.

With their first mission looming over their heads, Kinjo finally felt a tightness in his chest and tingling in his limbs. This was it, this was what he had trained for.

"Kinjo," Hayama barked. "What is Formation A?"

"It's a staggered column formation, sensei. Two members of the team on each side, with one section leading and the other section trailing."

"Izumi, why is this the primary formation for escort missions?"

"Because it allows us to have at least two team members to engage the enemy regardless of what direction they attack us from, sensei!"

"Good. Shin, how do we respond if we are attacked from the rear?"

"We enter Formation C, a vee formation, with the rearmost members of the sections engaging the enemy while the frontmost members cover the remaining two hundred and seventy degrees. This way, we are not ambushed from another direction while dealing with the known enemy!"

"Good. At least you remembered everything you learned and practiced. Now, let's wait and look like professionals for our clients. Remember, they need to be reassured of our abilities and discipline. Otherwise, they will not hire help from Konoha in the future."

The three remained silent and checked their gear as their clients rolled through the streets with wagons and horses. A tall, middle-aged woman with blond hair and purple eyes strutted up to Hayama and bowed her head. "It's been a while."

"How are you doing, Katsumi?" Hayama greeted.

"Fine. I was surprised you decided to accept my request for an escort. The last time you did was years ago."

Hayama waved at the three genin, who all bowed to Katsumi respectfully. "I've been assigned to a new younger team. Hokage-sama believes I'm getting too old for high-stake missions"

"I see," Katsumi eyed the team apprehensively and nodded. "How is your previous team doing?"

"Doing well. Kurenai and Raido are chunin, and Asuma is even a jonin now."

Kinjo stared at his sensei. "You trained Asuma?"

"Years ago." Hayama waved him off and continued his chat with their client. "He's even better than me at using Wind chakra for his blades now. It seems like only yesterday that they were just children. Asuma was the most arrogant of the bunch, always speaking bluntly and claiming he would be better than his father.."

"And now he's a jonin," Katsumi chuckled.

"Time flies."

"Well, there's still plenty of time to continue…"

The grey-haired jonin coughed, and Kinjo noted a slight blush at the edges of his cheeks. "Anyways… kids, this is Katsumi. She's the head of a merchant group and our patron today."

Katsumi smiled. "Nice to meet you three. If Hayama is giving you a hard time, let me know. I'll make sure to scold him on your behalf."

"Don't babysit them for me, Katsumi," Hayama grumbled. "I'm trying to instill discipline, and you're treating them like… kids."

"Oh, I'm sure they're deadly despite their size; they're your students, after all."

"Right, so. Formation A, steady pace. The sooner we get to Yugakure, the better. However, we're not in a terrible rush, so we'll practice maintaining formation and the like during our trip. Remember, above all else, you must protect the cargo and the lives of our patrons. Understood?"

"Yes, sensei!" Team Five answered.

"You weren't as loud as you were in your younger years. I think your old age is catching up to you. You're fifty, after all," Katsumi teased.

"And this is why I haven't taken up any escort missions in years," Hayama sighed. "Let's get moving before my poor aging body aches from standing up for hours."

The merchants hopped onto the back of the wagons as the convoy moved forward. Team Five remained on the ground, walking beside their clients in formation. As they left the confines of the village, Kinjo noticed that the wagons were not filled with valuable goods or such. Instead, the wagons were piled with boxes containing scrolls and weapons, with each box labeled 'Haga Merchant Corps.' "Are those sealing scrolls?"

"Kinjo, do not ask our patrons what they're transporting. Confidentiality is an important aspect of our work," Hayama reprimanded. He was manning the rearmost position of the formation, scanning the environment with a watchful eye.

"It's fine, Hayama. Almost everyone knows what our company transports." Katsumi turned to Kinjo from her seat. Kinjo was in the left section with the jonin and was between Izumi and Shin, who were on the right side. "The sealing scrolls contain grain, fruits, and other products."

"Huh, I never thought of carrying food that way. My family runs a grocery store, and we don't have anything like that."

"Ordinary sealing scrolls can't prevent food from spoiling for reasons I do not know. On the other hand, stasis sealing scrolls can; thus they are much more expensive. Which is why only shipping companies or rich clients like shinobi villages and the Daimyos have the money to buy them and use them in large quantities. There are only a select few fuinjutsu masters in the world that can produce them, so the demand is high, but the supply is low. Especially after the Uzumaki Clan was scattered from Uzu."

"Interesting. I did know there were different types of sealing scrolls, like ninjutsu sealing and seals that eject objects at different speeds. I've been working on mastering the very basic sealing seal."

Katsumi's eyes sparkled. "You're interested in fuinjutsu? Good. That's a valuable skill to have. If you figure out the secret behind stasis sealing scrolls in the future, let me know and I'll buy as many as I can."

"Enough chit-chat, Kinjo. Eyes on your surroundings." Hayama shouted.

"Yes, sensei," Kinjo answered. He glanced at the thick forests beside the large main road and kept one hand rested on the handle of his gunbai. The sun was high in the sky, yet there weren't any shadows nearby as there was a flat, empty border between the trees and the main road.

After an hour of walking, they passed by a small group of merchants with wagons, seemingly returning from the northeastern parts of the Land of Fire or Hot Springs. Katsumi briefly hopped off and chatted with a man in the group. It was then that Kinjo noticed a team of Leaf shinobi escorting the group, including a familiar face. A girl with shoulder-length black hair and sharp hazel eyes stood a head taller than him.

"Yo, Chiaki," Kinjo greeted.

His former Nara schoolmate blinked for a few moments before pointing at him. "It's you!"

"I am me, yes."

"I thought you would stay back at the Academy for another three years."

Kinjo shrugged. "Felt like a good time to graduate and learn more from a jonin instructor."

"Well, I already have a year of experience as a genin. This is our team's twenty-first mission," Chiaki responded with her nose upturned. "We're even taking the chunin exams this year!"

"Best of luck to you then," Kinjo recalled that Itachi would also be taking the chunin exams within a few months and prayed that Chiaki would not be misfortune enough to face him.

Chiaki blinked at his response and growled. "Are you always this boring and laid back?"

"Is there something wrong with being a bit laid back?"

"You're on a mission!"

"And you're chatting with me while you're on a mission too."

"Chiaki! Let's go, we're leaving. You can talk to your friend back at the village!" Chiaki's jonin instructor ordered.

The pair looked around and noticed their respective groups were about to move. The Nara frowned at Kinjo before swishing her hair and following her team. "He's not my friend."

"Good luck with your chunin exams."

"... Thanks."

"If you run into Uchiha Itachi during the exams, run."

"On second thought, never mind."

As Kinjo rejoined his convoy, Katsumi laughed and teased him. "Is that your girlfriend?"

"Nope. Just a girl I knew back from the Academy. I beat her once during an exam, and she's been pissed at me since then," Kinjo answered, keeping his eyes fixed on his surroundings.

"Ah, so enemies to friends, to perhaps something more… ?'

"Please don't even joke about that."

"I'm just kidding. Youth, such a wonderful time that flies by quickly. Enjoy it while you can."

Kinjo choked back a cough as he redirected the conversation. "So… what does the Land of Hot Springs produce?"

"The Land of Hot Springs mainly produces potatoes and mineral water, but not much else. Since Konoha and Yugakure are allied, the Land of Fire receives priority in trade, in exchange, the Land of Hot Springs receives a discount from anything they buy from us."

"Who did the Hot Springs trade with before?"

"They traded with some of the minor nations nearby, along with the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. Now? Mostly just from the Land of Fire. We sell grain, fruits, tea, weapons, and hosts of other things in exchange for potatoes and mineral water."

"I see." Mercantilism and economic imperialism. Kinjo wasn't too surprised; it made sense that the Land of Fire and Konoha would attempt to expand and increase their economic power. The richer the Land of Fire was, the more funding and missions Konoha would receive. Not to mention, the Daimyo was the ruler of a vast country, and what sort of ruler didn't like more money?

It also made the Land of Hot Springs dependent on the Land of Fire and, in turn, made it much more unlikely for it to backstab its primary trading partner and ally.

They traveled for a few more hours with little interruption, with the only disturbance being a brief exchange between Hakumi and a farmer trying to sell his wagon of rice. After a few minutes of haggling, the head of the merchant group pointedly refused, and the man trudged away with a scowl. As the sun set in the sky, the convoy slowed down and entered a small village in the middle of nowhere.

It was a sleepy little settlement with only a few houses and a number of inns and stables guarded by a few Leaf shinobi. Judging from the number of wagons, horses, and people, Kinjo guessed it was similar to a rest area in his old world. He had half-expected to camp within the forest, but this suited him just fine.

"We'll be staying here for the night," Hayama announced to his team as the merchants led their horses to a nearby stable and secured their wagons. "Tomorrow, we'll mix up our formation and have Kinjo lead from the rear. We'll also work on rotating positions while moving, so rest up and be ready."

"Isn't the strongest person supposed to watch from the rear?" Izumi wondered.

"Yes. However, you must practice taking up every position in a formation. After you become chunin, you will work with various types of shinobi. Thus, you must ensure you understand and know how to fulfill any position demanded of you. Izumi, you will be leading from the rear the day after tomorrow. Shin, the day after that."

The team was separated into two different rooms, which Hayama warned was a luxury they would most likely never enjoy again. Before Kinjo could walk into a room with Shin and his jonin, Izumi grabbed him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going with the guys?"

"Nope, you can just stay in the room with me!"

"... Did your mom teach you the difference between boys and girls yet?"

"Yep!"

"So… I go with the guys, yeah?"

"Don't care! We'll be in separate futons anyways. I've always wanted to do a sleepover!"

Kinjo face palmed as he looked over to his sensei for support. Hayama walked up to Izumi and scolded her. "Izumi. We're on a mission. You can do sleepovers back at the village, alright?"

"Yes, sensei," she answered as she hung her head.

The boys walked into their designated room and looked around. The room was small and cramped, with barely enough space for three futons and a small coffee table with cushions. A window sat right across the entrance, providing a clear view of the rest of the settlement.

One of the walls had a tiny closet for storing clothes and bags, prompting them to throw their bags into it. Only Shin's bag bounced back.

"Your bag is still too big, Shin," Hayama said. "Toss some snacks out."

"Then what will I eat?" Shin's voice wavered at Hayama's suggestion.

"The food at the inn?"

"... Is it good?"

"This inn has some good rice bowls with toppings and quite a lot of barbeque options since there's a large ranch nearby."

"... Meat!" Shin cheered as he raced to the door.

Hayama grabbed him before he could go further and pointed to the bag. "If you dump some of the snacks, I will cover half of the cost of your dinner."

"Why not all of it, sensei?" Kinjo inquired.

"I know very well how much an Akimichi can eat. The last time I ate dinner with an Akimichi and paid the bills…." Hayama grimaced.

Shin stared at the jonin with widened eyes and slackened jaws. "You're… making me choose between my snacks and dinner?"

"Yes. I expect you to make a choice right now."

Kinjo's knee suddenly buckled as the ground resonated and trembled as if the earth was threatening to swallow him. He looked at Shin, whose light green eyes were gleaming unnaturally. His fists grew larger with each passing second, which prompted Kinjo to lean back toward the window. The air was palpable, and Kinjo swore he saw waves of anger emitting from his friend's large back.

The Akimichi shouted as he expanded his chest and rattled the room. "I won't let anyone force me to choose between foods, I will eat all good food without wasting them!"

Hayama smirked. "Akimichi Shinsuke, if you break anything within the inn, the repair costs will be deducted from your mission pay. Which means you'll have less money for food in the future."

"I have lots of food at home but need food here right now!"

"There's a simple solution to the situation," Kinjo interjected, planting his feet on the floor with chakra. "Have Shin eat his snacks and then eat dinner so his bag and dinner bill shrinks."

Suddenly, the tremors slowed to a complete halt as Shin shrunk and grabbed his bag. "You're a genius, Kinjo! I'm going to eat as much as I can today!"

"... The point of this was to discipline him in his eating habits," Hayama whispered as he pulled Kinjo aside. He sighed as Shin shoveled a stack of melon bread into his mouth and gulped it down with water. "If he doesn't learn to control his urges now, he'll be a liability in every mission."

"I thought he would blow up our room."

"I would've knocked him out long before that could happen. I also need to discipline Izumi on her more immature habits while we are out in public…"

"What about me?"

The jonin clapped his back. "Other than talking too much to our client, you're fine. Make sure you're not distracted while we're moving. Talking is fine, but ignoring your duties to talk is not. I expect you to help me when I'm trying to control the other two."

"Yes, sensei."

"Good. Now help me drag Shin off his bag."

+++++

Kinjo woke up the next morning feeling numbness in his left arm and heavy breathing on his neck. He turned to see Shin had rolled onto him, flattening his arm in the process. To his right by the window, Hayama was fast asleep and sleeping like a log in a sleeve. It was still dark outside; the clear sky shined with countless stars and a half-moon.

After gently shaking off Shin and hopping to his feet, Kinjo grabbed the weights in his bag and slipped them on after changing into his jumpsuit. His black wristwatch, a shabby yet reliable thing with a dull wooden cover, reported it was four-thirty in the morning.

The usual time for his morning routine.

He snuck out of the room through the window and landed on the large courtyard in front of the inn. A pair of Konoha chunin were roving around the settlement, and one of them waved at Kinjo as he jogged to a nearby tree. He stretched for a few minutes before loosening his posture and striking the trunk repeatedly.

Five hundred punches and five hundred kicks with each limb. Every attack was calculated to match the form Gai had drilled into his head. Low kicks followed through with high kicks. Jabs continued with a series of uppercuts and side hooks to overwhelm the defenses. His weights made him feel as though he was fighting underwater, but his strikes were still fast enough to look like blurs to the ordinary eye.

Each hit resonated with a dull thud on the rough bark and shook the tree free of leaves. The small dent grew wider with every hit as if his limbs were baseball bats instead of masses of bones and flesh.

Having variety in his taijutsu would be useful in the future, as it would make him unpredictable and allow him to utilize his speed and strength to their utmost potential. However, Gai's form and training would be more than enough until then. As Bruce Lee once said, 'I fear not the man who practiced ten thousand kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick ten thousand times.'

It took half an hour to complete his reps. After he finished his last kick, he felt beads of sweat trickling through his entire body and soreness in his neck and joints. He shook his legs and puffed out his chest as he took in a deep breath before dropping onto the ground to do some push-ups. Kinjo carefully balanced his head as he dipped to the ground with each push.

"... Four hundred, four hundred and one, four hundred and two."

A few minutes later, Kinjo was finished with another part of his morning routine and leaned against the tree trunk with his head slumped. Six hundred push-ups with weights were impressive, but he was still leagues behind physical monsters like Gai.

He tried to invite Shin and Izumi to join him in his training regimen, but both flatly declined. Izumi wanted to spend her time and effort on other aspects of her shinobi skills, such as ninjutsu, kenjutsu, and her Sharingan, while Shin collapsed at the thought of having to run three hundred kilometers for warm-up.

Kinjo didn't blame them; Gai's training was intense and wasn't for everyone. The only reason he pulled through was because he knew he needed strength for what was to come. And even then, the load added to his limbs and head almost made him doubt his choice.

Without the weights, he knew he could easily do double the reps, but his new method of training added a new heavy layer and strained him to his limits. Instead of feeling winded like usual, he was panting and massaging his chest and triceps.

There were three more exercises left for his morning training. No matter how sore or tired he was, he needed to finish.

He walked up the tree and breathed in the cool morning air as he hung upside down on a tree branch with his legs. He rolled himself up with only his abs and lowered himself all the way down.

"Nice outfit."

Kinjo spat out a breath as he turned to his left and saw Hayama standing perpendicular to the tree, his feet firmly planted on the trunk. He hung upside down for a second to gather his composure and continued his reps. "Thank you? Weren't you asleep?"

"No. You jumping out the window woke me up immediately. Damn the wars for making me jolt up at the smallest changes in the air," the jonin said.

"I apologize."

"No need. I got plenty of sleep, and I'm enjoying the morning air," Hayam took an exaggerated breath and exhaled. "Do you do this every day?"

"Every day without fail, yep."

"Your routine is impressive; there aren't too many kids your age willing to dedicate themselves to training like this. What motivates you?"

"I need to become stronger to achieve my goals."

"What sort of goals?"

"Helping people, and protecting those close to me."

Hayama nodded. "Admirable goals. They're plain, but if they motivate you to go this far, then maybe I should force Shin and Izumi to set serious goals themselves…"

"What about you, sensei?" Kinjo asked.

"Me? An old fart like me only has one goal in life: to live long enough to retire. I already have enough money saved to buy a nice big ranch nearby here. I'll enjoy some good barbeque and steaks while lazing around. Maybe get married if I can find someone…"

"Like our client?"

"Ha! Good one. As amusing as that sounds, Katsumi is already married. Even if we did marry somehow, she would be the death of me. I've been trained to 'handle' enemy shinobi, not a feisty woman."

"She seemed nice."

"Trust me, you'll see what I mean once you grow up. There's a major difference between a client's public face and private face," Hayama assured.

Kinjo suppressed a laugh. "Sure, sure."

"I'm serious. Do not get entangled in the hair of a brash and loud woman. They will haunt you for the rest of your life."

After finishing his inverted situps, Kinjo pulled himself onto the tree branch and sat for a few moments to see the sun rising in the distance. Hayama joined him and patted his right shoulder. "Got anything else you have to do?"

"Three hundred pull-ups, and then two hundred and fifty squats. After that, I'm done for the morning."

The jonin whistled. "If this training doesn't help you overpower every other genin out there, I don't know what will. Keep up the good work, and make sure you're ready to head out in an hour. I might be willing to wait for you, but I bet Katsumi and the sun won't be."

"'Course sensei."

Thirty minutes later, he was dragging himself through the hallways and into the washroom shared by the men on his room's floor. As he rinsed himself down and changed into his usual attire, Shin whizzed in and bumped into him. "Woah!"

Kinjo grasped his arm before he slipped onto the floor and steadied him, lifting the large Akimichi with only a slight tug. "You ok?"

Shin widened his eyes as he peered down at him. He was double Kinjo's height and several times his weight, yet he was moved without much effort. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. You should be more careful, Shin. You could've knocked yourself out."

"I'm already late! I need to wash up so I can go eat!" Shin boomed. "If I wash myself fast enough, I'll be able to have a whole thirty minutes for breakfast!"

"Breakfast does sound good right now."

"It's the most important meal of the day, along with brunch, lunch, an afternoon snack, and dinner."

"Shin, you just listed every meal."

"Nah. There's also the morning snack, the pre-lunch…"

"Pre-lunch?"

"Not as important as lunch, but it's a good way to prepare yourself for it."

"... My stomach is aching now."

"A good breakfast will help your stomach then," Shin brushed his teeth and splashed his face with water in record time. "Let's go!"

The pair walked from the washroom to the dining hall, a large spacious room filled with a wide variety of people. Most of them were from the Land of Fire due to the prominence of brown-haired and black-haired people in the crowd. Yet, there were some more unique hair colors, such as green, blue, and even purple. Kinjo also noted a few different headbands, such as the ones for Shimogakure, Yugakure, and even Kiri.

"Katsu rice bowl, score!" Shin paid for five bowls and stacked them on his tray while Kinjo ordered a chicken rice bowl for himself. They sat at an empty table in the corner of the dining room and looked around as they ate.

"Shin."

"Mmmph?"

"Why do you want to be a shinobi? No offense, but your mom runs a restaurant, right? Why not just work there or something?"

Shin coughed and choked on his rice, springing Kinjo into action. He handed his friend a glass of water and slapped his back as Shin swallowed a large piece of katsu that was stuck in his throat. Kinjo waited for his friend to regain his bearing before continuing. "Sorry if that was rude."

"Naw, don't worry; I'm not mad at you. I want to explore the world and try every type of cuisine! Imagine the delicious food out there that almost no one knows about. They're just waiting for someone to come and feast on them and maybe spread it everywhere!"

"You can do that as a civilian too."

"But I get paid to travel around, and I get exercise in so I don't gain more weight. My clan techniques require a lot of energy, so being a shinobi lets me get exercise and go around trying new food from elsewhere! Win-win!"

Kinjo patted his friend's arm. "If you find good food somewhere, call me. I'm always down for good food."

"You betcha. I heard Yugakure has really good potato dishes. Potato stew, potato salad, meats, and potatoes…"

"Potato croquette and french fries too, right?"

"What the heck is a 'croquette?' And 'french' fries?"

"Oh… like deep-fried rolls filled with potatoes and thin slices of fried potatoes?"

"Those exist?" Shin dropped his jaw. "Those sound delicious! I definitely need to try them!"

As the dark brown-haired Akimichi rattled off about more potato dishes, Kinjo buried his chin into his hand and pondered on this new revelation.

French fries and burgers were the staple foods of his previous life. Croquette was more niche but certainly delicious and popular. If they didn't exist here… could he start a fast-food business? His father had a network of suppliers, and his mother was a fantastic cook. If he saved up a bit of his mission pay, he could start the ball rolling for a small restaurant.

Could this be a way to enrich himself and his family?

He mentally shelved the idea for now. It was important that he focused on his mission first.

"Wait." Kinjo looked up as Shin's list of potato dishes came to an end. "We forgot about Izumi."

"And sensei…" Shin looked mortified at the thought.

"He's awake. Izumi probably isn't; she's not a morning person."

"I still have two more bowls to finish though!"

Kinjo stood up from his chair and placed his half-full bowl aside. "I got it."

He raced to Izumi's room and rapped on her door with his knuckles. "Izumi! You need to get up! We're going to leave in like ten minutes!"

"..."

"Izumi, sensei said that our lunch for today is salad and nothing else. So if you don't want to starve for the entire day…"

"I'M AWAKE!"

"Easy as pie." Kinjo chuckled.