Mala is the spicy and numbing flavour in Chinese cuisine. Mala hotpot, or mala steamboat, is said to have originated from the Sichuan Province in China. While it is not common in Japan currently, the presence of this dish has been widely spread especially in South East Asia.
To be able to enjoy more authentic versions of this in Japan, one must travel to either of the three big Chinatowns located in Yokohama, Nagasaki and Kobe. However, in order to keep the scope of the story to stay within Tokyo, our characters were able to find a small chinese restaurant, tucked away in an alley that most people would think is shady and overlook it.
Inserts stomach growling sound.
Uh, okay let’s begin.
*Wipes drool*
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H I G H S C H O O L G A N G S T A
Episode 02.
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“Hey Shintaro.” Nanako breathes as visible white mist escapes from between her red lips when she exhales.
“Yeah?” Shintaro answers. He too, has steam leaving his mouth whenever he exhales. His cheeks are equally flushed.
“Are you sure about this?” Nanako asks.
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“Absolutely.” Shintaro replies confidently.
Hold on.
The writer didn’t inform me beforehand that there will be such scenes in this episode! Kids, please cover your eyes! Get an adult to read it out loud for you.
On second thoughts, that sounds like a bad idea.
“YOU ARE SURE YOU ORDERED ULTRA SPICY??? Nanako questions.
Shintaro, who is sitting opposite her, replies to her in matching volume, obviously irritated. “Yeah!”
Sitting in between them at the square table is a chubby boy, ignoring all that banter and continues to eat from the big bowl despite his lips having turned swollen. Even his nostrils are flaring from the spice. But that is not stopping him, of course.
Introducing Nanako’s other friend, which makes him Shintaro’s friend as well, Ito Hideki, with screen time most probably the same as Shintaro.
Don’t be quick to judge a book from afar, you must zoom in on the details and look closely. At first glance, one might think Hideki-kun is another pubescent high school kid with acne problems.
But no!
Those are chopped garlic bits and chilli oil stains on his face from eating the mala hotpot. Beneath those food remnants, is actually a smooth and fair complexion. His glowing skin is a great contrast to his jet black hair.
“This is not devil spicy!”
“I know I ordered correctly!”
“Why doesn’t it taste like our usual spice level?”
“I can show you the receipt!”
The bickering ensues even after the trio have left the shop.
“I don’t understand how you can get lost when we always go to the same place.” Shintaro shakes his head in disbelief.
“That’s because we always head there right after school. It’s different if I’m going there from my home.” Nanako argues.
Okay, it’s getting boring. We will end this here now.
The next day…
The trio are running late for school.
At the assembly ground, the discipline master blows into the whistle that he carries 24/7, all day and all night, around his neck. Then he stares sternly at the handful of panicking students in front of him.
“You lot will run five laps around the field as punishment for being late!” He exclaims.
Meanwhile, happening at the same time around some border of the school.
“Let’s go, Piggy.” Nanako whispers.
Hideki looks at his two friends, all fired up with determination. He carefully steps onto the ledge of the short wall and grabs onto the metal fence for support. With a slight kick, he flies into the air and lands safely and softly on the other side, bending on one knee.
He may not look like it but Hideki-kun is the swiftest and most agile out of the three of them. That’s why, as I said earlier, not to judge a book from afar. If you get a close up view of his abdomen, you can see that his protruding belly is the result of the unification of eight packs.