Curry Commotion

Leblanc was an obscure, charming, little café tucked away in a narrow alley in Yongen-Jaya. Its owner took pride in maintaining the place at regular hours and serving up the best coffee and curry one could find in Tokyo. Jars and jars of assorted coffee beans lined the shelves in neat rows. Silver kettles held freshly boiled water, ready for coffee making. The coffee machines burbled over individual burners like some kind of caffeine-fueled mini-laboratory. Stacks of white plates had been laid out next to the rice cooker. On the stove was a medium-sized stock pot of curry, always simmering, awaiting the next hungry customer. The tantalizing scent of coffee and curry swirled and mingled in the air, merging together to form that unique aroma of earthy and spicy - reflective of the owner's nature and philosophy behind the café. Leblanc even had a miniature library of old books and magazines free for customers to peruse as well as crossword puzzles for those who wanted to exercise the ol' noggin. A beautiful painting of a mother holding her child wrapped in swaddling cloths, greeted customers at the entrance.
The customer base was largely made up of elderly folk who had time to lounge around for, "fours hours for just a single cup of joe.".

Leblanc was also the ideal place for seven teenagers and one cat to hangout and/or study. Such was the case today when the Phantom Thieves gathered together, taking over four of the booths. Sojiro, who decided this lengthy group study session indicated it was a good time to close up shop, had stepped out to run some errands, promising he would be back shortly.

Textbooks, notebooks, and pencil cases were spread over the table. There were also a couple open bags of potato chips and empty soda cans and coffee cups - leftovers from a recent study break. Futaba hunched over one and nibbled on a chip, one at a time with her chopsticks. Haru took small, ladylike sips of her coffee, savoring the smooth profile and fruity aftertaste. She scratched Morgana behind his ears who lay contentedly in her lap. She giggled quietly to herself when he purred and rolled over for a belly rub.
Makoto walked down the aisle checking on everyone's progress. She had suggested dividing themselves into booths based on subject, after seeing how distracted everyone was being in the same booth. She pointed out the fact that the second years had only a couple days left to study which was not enough time to cover everything. Everyone agreed to give it a try.

She saw Ren tapping his pencil on his notebook, spin it between his fingers, then tap, then spin, and repeat. She strode over and thumped a hand down on his notebook. Ren suddenly found himself under the merciless gaze of the honor student cum team strategist reserved for intimidating belligerent shadows and procrastinating students alike. An impromptu staring contest between tutor and tutee had begun.

She raised one eyebrow.
What are you doing?
He blinked.
What am I doing?
She inclined her head at the pencil in his hand.
Having yourself a little study break?
He rubbed the back of his neck.
Sorta?
Our last study break was more than twenty minutes ago. Now. How far have you gotten with Japanese History?

His eyes flickered nervously towards his notebook as hers narrowed. With one hand, she leafed through his notes. Doodles of the Phantom Thief logo decorated the borders of his history notes. So the rumors of the wannabe Phanboy delinquent transfer student drawing the Phantom Thief logo on the blackboard were only half true.

Admittedly, it was rather fitting given that the lecture was on the Warring States period, specifically the Honnou-ji Incident, but still...
Her eyes rolled over to him in exasperation. His eyebrows raised in alarm and he immediately pointed an accusatory finger at Yusuke who was currently lounging on a bar stool, as it was not exam season for Kosei. Off her look again, he spun his pencil lead-side down on the page and resumed his writing. She continued down the next booth where Ann and Ryuji sat, puzzling over English grammar. After helping Ann explain the trickier prepositions and conjunctions that were likely to appear on the test to Ryuji, she checked on Futaba and Haru. Haru gave Makoto a little wave. She had two cups of coffee in front of her and was jotting down something on her phone. Futaba sat with her knees curled up to her chest, plotting the many ways she could poke Morgana from across the table without moving from her spot. Makoto then returned to her booth seat opposite of Ren. As she settled into her seat, Ren grabbed her history book out of the stack of their textbooks. He opened it to the bookmarked page and handed it to her. She smiled in thanks.

Presently Ann said, "I feel like curry all of a sudden. Anyone else?"
Ryuji clamped his hands over his ears. "Stop! Stop! Stop! You're making me hungry! We're supposed to be studying!"
He slumped over his homework. "It's no good...losing...motivation…must...talk...like...this..."
Makoto looked up from her notes. "I always get the urge to make some right before tests. I like to experiment with the spice blend."
Yusuke put a hand to his chin, as if fondly recalling a long-lost memory. "Curry. My mouth waters just at the sound of it. I've yet to taste it again."
"Forgetful Fox. You just had it a couple days ago. I was the one who brought it out to you." Futaba huffed to herself. Haru raised a petite hand over her mouth and laughed quietly.
Ren's glasses glinted. He suddenly came over to Ryuji and Ann's table and declared, "Let's have a curry contest. Right here in Leblanc. Split off into pairs, Iron Chef style."
Ryuji clapped his hands and pointed at Ren. "That's what I'm talkin' about!"
"I like the way you think! Let's do it tomorrow!" Ann said, bobbing her head up and down enthusiastically.
Makoto came beside Ren. "Wait, making curry takes at least 2 hours. You need to let the curry simmer for at least an hour at minimum to bring out the taste."
"For real?!"
"Yes, that's the nice thing about curry. While it simmers, you can take care of other things. Ah, but you have to remember to come back and stir it every so often so the bottom doesn't burn."
"Aww man, I dunno if I can wait that long."
"Don't you think it'd be nice learn how to make curry for say, dinner?" Ann hooked her arm around Ryuji's shoulders, sweeping her hand out dramatically towards the ceiling. Ryuji followed her hand, as if that allowed him to share in what she envisioned. "Imagine this: your mom comes home after a long day from work. She's greeted by the smell of warm curry and piping hot rice. And then her son greets her with a big smile on his face and food on the table."
It did sound very nice. Then his mom could just put her feet up and relax for once. Or even once or twice a month if he got good at this.
Ryuji scratched his cheek. "Well...okay."
"I don't know much about curry. I'm more accustomed to Hayashi Rice. This will be quite interesting." Haru remarked.
Morgana jumped out of Haru's lap and onto the table. "OOH! And I'll be the commentator!"
Ren nodded. It would be the perfect event to look forward to, right after exams. "So let's have the contest this Saturday. Everyone good?"
"No objections!" said the Phantom Thieves in unison.
Ren held a fist up to Makoto. "I'll be counting on you, Study Partner." he said with a wink.
She tapped it with her own. "Mm-hmm. Likewise."
Ann smiled widely at the sight of Ren and Makoto's camaraderie. She held out a hand towards Ryuji who was also staring at them. "Ryuji!"
"No fair!" he whined. "You two are the ones with the most cooking experience! That means they're obviously gonna win! You gotta switch with me, man!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ann, raising an eyebrow.
"N-nothin'..."
"Should we draw straws? I'm quite confident in my luck." Ren pushed his glasses up causing the glare from the lamps overhead to obscure his eyes.
A chill went down Ryuji's spine and in that moment, he felt like he could sympathize with the Shadows who cowered beneath Joker's glare right before he initiated an All Out Attack. He quickly glanced from Ren who appeared to be emitting an increasingly intimidating aura despite wearing a placid smile, to an indignant Ann who had her cheeks puffed, her arms crossed, and was waiting for a proper answer.
"N-nah. Er, good to be working with ya, Ann." He held up his hand, grinning sheepishly. After a moment, Ann returned his high-five.
Makoto turned to Futaba. "Futaba, what do you want to do?"
Futaba popped up from her seat and raised her hand high. "Me and Inari will also participate!"
"I'd rather be a judg-"
"But the winner will obviously be Sojiro!"
"But he's not even in the contest…" said Ryuji.
Futaba hummed and wagged her finger. "Sojiro wins by default. All y'all are 100 years too early to make curry of his caliber."
"Which makes Sojiro the Iron Chef." exclaimed Haru, clapping her hands together conclusively.
"Ergo, whoever wins earns the right to challenge Boss for the title of the Curry Iron Chef." said Makoto, tapping her fist to her palm.
"What? That's a boring prize." called Ryuji, who was now reclining in his seat. He let his arm do the talking. "Ain't no way we can beat Boss, 'specially on his own turf."
Ren laughed. "Okay, so maybe not Iron Chef exactly but in the spirit of. As for a prize..."
Haru caught his eye and she looked at her empty coffee cups thoughtfully.

Futaba whirled over to where Yusuke sat and tugged on his sleeve. "btdubs Inari, when're you gonna show me around your school?"
"Save me…" he groaned, edging off his seat.
"Don't be like that. It'll be fun!"
"I believe your definition of fun and my mine are on two opposite spectrums."
She pouted and twiddled her thumbs. "Otherwise I'll just have to go by myself…b-but I think I'll be okay. This is just another step towards being outside on my own. Mapless. Guildless. Zero items in my inventory. No party members..."
Yusuke sighed. "Very well. I'd feel responsible if you were to get lost on campus. But you must stay close to me at all times, Futaba. You're rather hard to keep track of."
Her hair antennae swished back and forth or perhaps it was just the air blowing through the vents. "For reals?"
"So that you don't disturb other students while they work. Understand? A majority of these students are on a strict deadline and the projects they work on are their livelihood, so it is vital you do not interrupt them."
She nodded vigorously. Yusuke thought some more. "Not to mention there's a certain maze-like area in the main building that can be rather confusing especially for newcomers. The hallways converge into a spiral that can be difficult to navigate at first; however I find the architect's design quite fascinating. If I ever meet the man who designed our school's building, I should like to shake his hand."
"A maze? Tell me more!"
"Later. I'll be sure to draw a map for you."

"That makes three teams so far." Ann said, tallying off the teams on her fingers.
Morgana nodded then looked over at Haru who was giggling at Yusuke and Futaba's banter. "That just leaves Haru…"
Makoto put a hand on her chin. "It doesn't have to be in pairs. One of the teams can have three people. That way everyone's included and Morgana gets to be commentator."
Haru giggled. "Actually, allow me to be a judge alongside Mona-chan. And in return, you'll all be judges for me."
"For what?" Makoto asked.
"For this." She produced a brown paper bag of coffee beans.
"Your goal is to make the best curry to pair with my coffee. As a small incentive, I'll provide a prize to the winners. I haven't quite decided what it is but I promise it will be something good."
"Just as long as it doesn't contain elephant poop..." said Ren under his breath.
"What was that, Ren-kun?" Haru asked pleasantly.
"Nothing…"
Haru turned to Morgana and held out her hand. "On that note Mona-chan, let's do our best as fellow judges."
Morgana high-fived her palm. "Yeah! I'm looking forward to what you have in store for us."
Ryuji's eyes flashed with excitement. "I dunno what it is but we gotta win this, Ann!"
"That's the spirit!"
Ren nodded. "I'll make sure Boss is okay with us using the kitchen."
"Leave it to me!" said Futaba. "I'm sure Sojiro will be okay with it as long as we clean up."
"And then we'll need to buy the ingredients. I'd prefer not to deplete Leblanc's food inventory for our little contest." Makoto began ticking off ingredients with her fingers. "Let's see, potatoes, onions, carrots, pork or maybe chicken? Beef's kind of expensive. And of course the roux..."
Ren patted Makoto on the shoulder. "About the ingredients. I have an idea. Come with me."
The team strategist noted the gleam in his eyes. Their leader was clearly up to some kind of mischief which meant she was going to have to keep him in line.
She smirked. "Where are you taking me this time?"
Ryuji sat up and hooked his arm over the back of the booth seat. A wide, toothy smile set on his face at the sight of the couple locked in another impromptu staring contest. "What's up? Looks like you two are up to something fun."
Ren simply grinned. "A surprise."