Angel Beats! A Step Closer

Act II Chapter 5: Meaning

"Itadakimasu!" A large number of voices said with politeness and eagerness. The sounds of chopsticks colliding with their assigned bowls appeared, followed by large amounts of slurping and chewing. A couple of the aforementioned voices either squealed or sighed in awe of the flavor of the ramen they specifically chose.

An entire room all to ourselves? Otonashi questioned, energetically diving into his given bowl of ramen. What came next was a flavor explosion as a result of the combination of ingredients. The bowl's ingredients stood the test of time, often being used in many ramen dishes with great reviews and combinations, composed of egg noodles, bamboo shoots, chashu steak, green onion, seaweed, corn, and butter. The whole dish was brought together with the miso soup, each ingredient equally giving its flavor to the soup while at the same time absorbing the flavors of its neighbors. Otonashi's right arm shook, and his eyes opened wide as the taste of noodles and broth entered his mouth, making contact and clinging to his taste buds.

The sweetness of the corn...the fat from the butter...

Pushing his tongue against the roof of his mouth, he wanted to push the galaxy of flavors deeper into his tongue, failing horribly as his natural bodily function of swallowing took over. The flavor disappeared, but the satisfying experience of eating such a savory bowl of ramen at what he would consider a low price puts him in a trance-like state, letting the primitive instincts of his humanity take over. The sounds of talking and eating from those around him were simply blocked off. After slurping away at the egg noodles and quickly complementing that with the other ingredients off to the side, he quickly awakens himself as his extreme hunger and passion began to subside. Less than half of the bowl remained, but he figured with how he chowed down his meal when his mind wasn't in the right place, he may not enjoy the flavor as much as he would.

Taking a deep breath and sacrificing the tasteful moment he had with his food, he leaned back against his chair as the sound of the people around him came back. Taking a look around, he began to observe the others. All of the present battlefront members were all seated together but conjoined with multiple tables. Chatter, eating, glasses clinking. The foolish boy play that the majority of guys did while eating. The casual chatter.

The familiar setting resurfaced memories of the afterlife, playing back a summary of the events relating to his times in the cafeteria like a TV screen. As the memories replayed in his mind, he unknowingly smirked at the thought of it. Life in the afterlife was way easier than his current and previous lives; he had to admit. The afterlife mechanics were straightforward: you can't die, and you can't get sick. The definition of sick can be applied in various ways, like being tired of living in one space or doing the same activities repeatedly. It can also extend to just getting a cold. If one died in the most gruesome way, they would simply piece themselves back together or regenerate. While many human mechanics still existed, all tasks that would be deemed detrimental to someone's health are possible.

If Otonashi had to choose between the real world and the afterlife, the most likely choice for him would be the afterlife. If the concept of not getting sick of it didn't exist in the afterlife, then it would have been the easy choice. Death wasn't that hard to interpret for him: the world simply turned black or whatever blank space it turned to. Though the question of the afterlife existing is to be determined since he and many others have actually gone to it.

A nudge pushed Otonashi out of his thoughts. Looking to his left, he set his eyes upon Hinata, who happily put his arm around Otonashi.

"Yoooo, Otonashi!" Hinata grinned.

"What?"

"Why not tell us a bit more about yourself?!"

"What is there to talk about..."