Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of Games of Body and Soul

That Pesky New Generation

Even though Kiyomi by no means shared the passion for food or gave it any importance in her daily routine, leave alone a more erratic mission routine, she did join Meiko and the monks for their evening meal. She did so merely because she knew that Chestnut Hanasaku would be there and that would be a chance for the woman to tell them her story with this place.

Kiyomi did not really know all too much about Hanasaku. Not for the lack of common activities or time spent together but because the woman rarely, if ever, spoke of herself. Not even because she considered it a secret or anything. She just did not consider it a topic of great interest and easily grew disinterested with it. Something suggested that, given her previous interest in Seishiri the head monk and this temple, would not be the case.

The table was long and rich and all of the monks feasted together on it. There was ample space for Meiko, Kiyomi, Waiso and plenty other visitors if the occasion called for it. The table gleamed with modesty, showing off its nice-smelling and very filling-looking bowls of noodles, rice, wheat and starch, only the blandest stuff. Bread both black rice kind and yellow wheat rested in a vertical position by each bowl of noodles.

Meiko's stares attempted to swallow up this travesty towards her own dietary routines with glares that shined like dying stars. If Meiko's will was given material shape, the girl would have collapsed into a singularity and swallowed up this entire building as well as the world around it and would have felt content because that would have meant that nobody would have had to eat that ode to blandness.

"Suddenly I don't feel all that hungry." Meiko shrugged shortly after sitting down. The blacksmith leaned it towards Kiyomi, "I hope training isn't a massive disappointment as well. I bet those guys are really puny and won't make much of a training too."

Seishiri grinned, watching Meiko's disdain towards the dishes that the trainee monks respectfully dined on. It appeared that there were supposed to be separate sessions of meals with the trainees finishing their modest servings first before leaving the actual monks to feast on their dinner. After the trainees had finished eating, the other trainees working in the kitchen finally brought in the poultry, fish, shellfish and beef servings of noodles. The ones served to the guests even had some eggs in it.

"This is still pretty bland..." Meiko growled after her initial rage was carefully pinched off to a more acceptable simmering flame. "But at least it serves the purpose."

"The trainees are working on spiritual growth and improvement. Their strict vows demand of them to withhold the more intense emotions and stimuli to which category, I am afraid, tasty foods fall into. The ninja monks are expected to defend this temple with their lives against intruders, therefore, those same vows demand of them to eat strong and plenty." Seishiri explained with an accepting and defusing smile on his face.

"So... Did you ever plan on becoming a ninja monk yourself, Hanasaku-sensei?" Kiyomi asked while acting like she was interested at all in the moderate servings of noodles in her bowl and skinless duck.

"If only..." Hanasaku replied, looking at Seishiri. "I came here looking for a home, for a family because a kind man I once met told me that the ninja monks are vowed to be what the universe requires them to be to whoever is seeking for it."

"We gave young Hanasaku a home, for a while. Training and wisdom. She could not have been any farther from ever being considered into the ranks of a trainee, however." Seishiri strictly denied Kiyomi's guess.

"Was she that weak or are you guys just that strong!?" Meiko yelled out, spilling some of the soup in her noodles all over her tracksuit. Whenever surprise overcame the girl, she just acted on it, completely suppressing and forgetting anything else she was doing.