14: Chapter 13: Accidental Smooth Talking?
14: Chapter 13: Accidental Smooth Talking?
Chapter 13: Accidental Smooth Talking?
By evening, Sean was strolling leisurely through the streets of New Bark Town, hands buried deep in his pockets, Cyndaquil perched on his shoulder, and Gengar floating right alongside him.
Just then, he spotted Lyra walking from the direction of the supermarket, carrying a grocery basket in her hand.
He was just about to go over and greet her when he noticed something off.
Her head was lowered, and her usually tied-up brown hair was currently loose and messy.
She looked completely disheartened, lacking even a single trace of her usual energetic self.
Sean waved a hand in front of Lyra’s face, asking: “Hey!
Lyra, what’s wrong?
You look totally out of it.” Lyra raised her head, speaking listlessly, “Oh, it’s you, Sean…” He pressed further: “What happened?” “Marill is gone…” Marill?
An image of the Aqua Mouse Pokémon that always followed Lyra around like a little blue rubber ball immediately flashed through Sean’s mind.
“When did it disappear?
And where?” “Three days ago…” Lyra’s voice grew even lower.
“Marill was just playing in the yard, but it vanished in the blink of an eye.
And it never goes out to play on its own…” Seeing Lyra so depressed made Sean feel pretty down as well.
He knew exactly what Marill meant to her.
It was a partner given to her by her parents when she was five years old, an existence that had accompanied her for years like family.
He offered plenty of comforting words, but Lyra remained entirely immersed in her own sorrow, not taking any of it in.
Getting a bit anxious, Sean spotted a ramen shop nearby radiating a delicious aroma.
He immediately grabbed her by the wrist and said: “Come on, stop overthinking it.
My treat for ramen!
Once we fill our bellies, we’ll go look for Marill together!” “Huh?
No need, Sean, I…” Lyra was just about to decline.
“Oh, come on, don’t be polite with me!
Boss, four bowls of your signature ramen!” Sean completely ignored Lyra’s refusal, firmly pulling her into the shop and pushing her down into a seat at the counter.
“You got it, coming right up!” The owner flashed an OK sign and got to work.
Sitting at the counter waiting, Lyra still looked thoroughly gloomy.
Sean had Cyndaquil step up to act cute and ordered Gengar to make a hilarious face to cheer her up, but it didn’t seem to do much.
Letting out a helpless sigh, he decided to pull out his ultimate move—corny jokes!
“Hey, Lyra, do you know what a Pikachu is called when it’s sitting down?
Pikachu.
But what is it called when it stands up?” Lyra gave a sluggish shake of her head.
“A Pikameteer!
Because it’s standing at attention, hahahaha!!” [LanLi: A play on the word Musketeer.
Because soldiers stand at attention when on duty, it fits the punchline “Because it’s standing at attention!”] Sean cracked himself up first.
Lyra: “…” She definitely felt a sudden chill from the corny joke.
Sean continued his interrogation: “Then do you know what a Squirtle is called when it’s sitting down?
Squirtle.
But what is it called when it stands up?” Lyra’s thoughts were drawn in just a fraction.
She offered a tentative answer: “A…
Standle?” “Genius!
As expected of Big Sister Lyra!” Truly a teachable student!
Sean immediately threw up a big thumbs-up, showering her with praise without holding back.
Watching his goofy antics, Lyra’s downcast mood actually seemed to ease a little.
“Thank you, Sean.” Right on cue, the owner brought out four steaming, incredibly aromatic bowls of tonkotsu ramen.
The rich, milky white broth base paired with chashu pork, soft-boiled eggs, bamboo shoots, and nori looked absolutely delicious.
“Enjoy your meal~” The heat from the food seemed to further dispel a bit of the sorrow.
Sean, Cyndaquil, and Gengar immediately began inhaling their respective bowls of ramen like hurricanes.
The perfectly balanced savory-sweet broth and bouncy handmade noodles made them squint their eyes in pure satisfaction: “So good!” Lyra, however, looked a bit clumsy beside them.
She was managing to pick up noodles with chopsticks in one hand, while the other had to constantly tuck her draping hair behind her ear.
Since she hadn’t tied her hair up like usual, leaving it completely loose made eating incredibly inconvenient.
If she wasn’t careful, her hair would dip right into the broth.
“Didn’t you bring a hair tie?” Noticing her predicament, Sean spoke up mid-chew.
“No…” After swallowing his noodles, Sean shouted toward the busy ramen boss: “Hey, uncle!
Do you have a hair tie?
Let us borrow one!” Hearing this, the ramen boss stopped what he was doing, his gleaming bald head reflecting the shop lights right into Sean’s face as he said half-annoyedly: “Setting aside the fact that I’m a guy, do I look like someone who owns a hair tie?!” “Uh, haha…
good point.” Sean let out an awkward chuckle.
“Ke-hehe-hehe.
(Looks like a Voltorb.)” Gengar chimed in.
Right then, a sudden stroke of genius hit Sean.
He turned back to the ramen boss and said: “Then please give me a pair of disposable chopsticks.
A new pack!” Though confused, the uncle still pulled a pair from the counter and handed it to Sean.
Taking the disposable chopsticks, Sean ripped open the transparent wrapper.
He walked naturally right behind Lyra, gently gathering her faintly fragrant long hair.
“Uh…
Sean?” Lyra froze slightly, her face flushing red as she lost her composure.
Sean didn’t say a word.
Using movements that were slightly clumsy yet exceptionally gentle, he smoothly twisted Lyra’s hair a few times, shaping it into a secure bun.
Finally, using the disposable chopsticks as a hairpin, he deftly locked it in place.
“There, all set!” Sean looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction.
Confirming there were no issues, he sat back down in his own seat and continued enjoying his ramen.
Astonished, Lyra reached up to touch the bun on her head held together by the chopsticks.
Though simple, it perfectly resolved her struggle with the ramen.
She turned her head around, the flush on her face still visible, and asked in sheer shock: “How…
how do you even know how to do this?!” She found it completely impossible to link the attentive boy who had just gently put her hair up with the usual slacker, troublemaking Sean.
“Oh, that?
Back in the day, whenever my mom went to summer festivals, she loved wearing a yukata and putting her hair up, locking it in place with a pretty hairpin.
I saw it so many times that I just picked it up naturally.” Sean’s tone was incredibly casual, as if this were just a minor, insignificant detail.
The gaze Lyra directed at him gradually softened as she spoke softly: “So that’s why…
Thank you.” A short while later, Sean, Cyndaquil, and Gengar raised their bowls and gulped down every last drop of the rich broth.
With a loud, satisfied “Ah!”, they set their bowls down.
After finishing the steaming ramen, Lyra felt both her body and her heart warm up considerably.
Wiping his mouth with a tissue, Sean spoke up, bursting with drive: “Alright, energy replenished!
Let’s go track down Marill right now!” Hearing this, Lyra quickly waved her hands in refusal, her face displaying a mix of gratitude and embarrassment as she said: “Really, it’s fine, Sean.
Thank you.
I’ve already asked Officer Jenny for help, and I’ve put up missing posters.” Sean also understood that a blind, aimless search by themselves wouldn’t be very efficient.
Furthermore, night was about to fall; if they failed to find it, it would only add to her grief.
Seeing that although Lyra was still worried, she looked light-years better than her initial devastated state, he didn’t insist further.
He replied smoothly: “Oh, I see.
Fair enough.
Since Officer Jenny is on the case, I’m sure there’ll be news very soon.
Don’t worry too much!” “Yeah, thanks for treating me to ramen!” Lyra thanked him once more.
The two separated at the entrance of the ramen shop.
Lyra carried her grocery basket toward home, while Sean remained where he was, gazing up at the sky in deep thought.