Lost Panzer

6

The two German officer stepped into the restaurant. Inside was empty, for the normal crowd having gone home for the night. The architecture of the wooden building was unique, resembling the traditional Japanese style of wood and canvas. A faint sizzling and loud chopping was heard in the quiet diner. There was a bar, as well as many fine booths. It was like a mix between a commoner's bar and fine dining.

"What is this place?" Karl asked Peter, as they stood around waiting for the waiter.

"Probably just a local thing." Peter shrugged and headed towards the bar. "But, I can recognize a bar from anywhere." He then promptly plopped down on a bar stool and placed some coins down. "One beer, please!" He said to the chef, still idly chopping away at a white carrot. Peter then cheerfully gestured towards the seat next to him. "Come on Karl, I don't know about you, but I certainly can use a drink." Karl laughed and slid into the seat next to him.

"Make that two beers!" Karl said to the chef.

"You two got IDs?" The chef gruffly asked.

Confused, Peter asked, "What is an ID? Why do I need it for a beer?"

"You need to be at least 18 to drink, kid." He said, putting the carrots into the stew. "No ID, no drink."

"Oh for- Why do I need? I am a off-" Peter stumbled out. He let out a defeated sigh. "What food do you serve here then?" Peter asked.

"All kinds. Ramen noodles." Came the short reply. Karl stared intensely at the menu for a few seconds.

"I will have the house noodles." Karl ordered.

"What? What is a noodle? Is it like pasta or something?" Peter inquired Karl, "Never mind, I will have the same."

"Alright, two house noodles coming up." He said with a hint of annoyance. The chef headed back into the kitchen, leaving the two comrades alone.

In a few moments, two hot bowls of steaming ramen noodles were served to the two officers, along with two chopsticks. Peter picked up the strange wooden utensils and attempted to pick up the noodles with them. Karl tried the same, holding them in a fist and twirling the noodles around as if they were spaghetti.

The chef looked almost pained at their apparent lack of chopstick skills and attempted to teach them.

"You have to put your fingers like this." He demonstrated. Karl and Peter followed his instructions to no avail. Failing, to pick up a single noodle in this method. Annoyed, Peter used the two chopsticks like forks and just spooned the noodles into his mouth. Karl observed what Peter was doing and did the same.

"I can't watch this anymore." The chef retreated to the kitchen, away from the foreigners trying to reinvent eating with chopsticks.

"This stuff is delicious!" Karl said with his mouth full of noodles. He slurped the rest of the soup and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Mind your manners." Peter reminded him. He then proceeded devoured his own noodles and cleaned his mouth with a paper napkin.

They paid the Chef and set out to find their dormitories. It was getting quite late now, the sun had set into a beautiful orange horizon, coloring the fluffy clouds with its warm hue. The two walked along the residential district, viewing the strange buildings and walls the made up this quaint neighborhood. Soon, they reached the entrance of the school.

"This must be it." Karl said folding his brochure. They both looked up at the school, its grounds dwarfing the middle school they both studied at. For Peter, this high school was larger than his military academy.

"How does all of this even fit on a carrier?" Peter asked himself. All those city blocks, parks, and finally this school was supposedly just on a single carrier. "How large is this thing?" He had witnessed the German ships at the docks of Hamburg, none of them even came close to this, not even the famous Bismarck.

"We are in the future. We are in the future." Karl repeated again and again. He pinched himself and shook his head. "Come on. Let's go find our dorms."

Pushing past the main gates, they took a short walk onto the school ground, eventually finding the rows and rows of dormitories, lined up like apartments. Looking at the information attached the room key, they found their dorm, and after climbing up several flights of stairs, they had finally reached their level. Leaning on the railings of the walkway, the two admired the breathtaking view of the sunset, the chirping of idle birds, and the faint breeze of winds.

"I really wished I had that bottle of beer right now." Peter commented quietly. He put his head on his arms and stared at the bustling metropolis and greenery ahead.

"Let's see what our dorms are like, Peter." Karl said, breaking Peter out of his trance. Peter nodded and followed Karl to the cheap looking, blue steel doors that led their rooms. Slipping the key into the old lock, Peter opened the door to his dorm. Inside was a small but cozy one room apartment, reminding him of his dorm back in Germany, just without the bunk beds. Karl lingered at the entrance of his.

"See you tomorrow, yeah?" Karl said to Peter. He smiled and bade Karl good night, before entering the dorm. Peter looked around the small apartment, taking off his jacket and hanging it on a nearby coat hanger. There was a small kitchen next to a small bathroom with laundry machines and a bathtub. In the living room, there was a simple bed and a television, which looked sleek and futuristic. Peter rubbed his eyes, for now, he was too exhausted. He would check it out in the morning. Yawning, he slipped into the comfortable bed and awaited the strange new world of tomorrow.