The two men crashed into each other like two monster bears would. Hiroshi exhaled a breath of air through his nose in an almost chuckle when he saw Nishikigi reach out and give a cheeky slap to Zo-Ishi before they met in the tachiai. The slap of their crash echoed through the plain wooden walls of the practice area. They were locked together in the middle of the practice ring, each of them battling trying to get the upper hand in the battle.
“Do you see them Hiroshi?” Kenjiro said softly.
Hiroshi was close enough that he heard the soft-spoken words from the Oyakata. He perked up and looked over at his master with a cocked brow. He went over and bowed towards both of the stable masters. Kaisho seemed to ignore the Kenichi Oyakata, focused on the battle between the two current giants of the sumo world.
“I’m sorry Oyakata, what?” Hiroshi said after he lifted his head from his bow.
“Do you see them?” Kenjiro asked once more. “Their epic battle,” he spoke softly still. His eyes had a glazed over look to them, like he was looking somewhere far off.
Hiroshi looked over and Nishikigi had been able to push Zo-Ishi off and had started to push and shove the larger, more built Yokozuna towards the edge of the dohyo.
“Yes, master. Of course. Nishikigi is showing his great strength,” Hiroshi commented. He turned fully towards the battle now, not wanting to miss a moment of the practice match.
Oyakata Kenjiro nodded his head.
“There is the man that took on the Heavens.
Decided to defend this town of Ryoku against War himself.
Kentaro was the ruffian and wrestler who we all used to scorn.
Now he brings glory to the island of Kokukan as he defends the mortals from War itself.
When Kenichi bore down on these gates, who can stand against him?
None but Kentaro answered the call.
The mortal man stepped from the town wall and declared a challenge.
Who would have thought this mortal could fell Kenichi, War itself?”
The man broke out in song? Hiroshi looked over at his master. In fact, everyone was staring at Kenjiro now. The Oyakata from Ichiman stared with some mix of incredulousness and scorn. The song was an old song the poets and bards used to sing to tell the tale of Kentaro. Kenjiro sang it deeply, full of bass, and the man’s voice had this understated beauty that Hiroshi would not have expected from the large man.
Everyone was broken out of their trance when they heard a large slam. The crowd all turned their heads, remembering there was a match going on and found Nishikigi on his belly on the ground. Zo-Ishi stood over him, offering a hand down to help the man up.
“HA, haha. I told you my man would beat Nishikigi,” Kaiso goaded and gave an elbow to Kenjiro’s arm, shoving him a little.
Kenjiro frowned but nodded his head. With the thud of his Yokozuna hitting the clay seemed to knock the Oyakata from whatever daze he was in. He shook his head, clearing it the rest of the way from whatever he was thinking of, or was seeing. “Yes, yes. I guess dinner is on us. I have a special treat planned along with Auntie Yu,” he said absently.
Hiroshi took a step closer to his master, slightly worried. He leaned in as close as he dared to him. The boy tried to speak low to save face for the Oyakata. He didn’t want to show disrespect, but the way the man suddenly burst out into song. “Master, are you alright? Do you need anything?”
Kenjiro looked over at his junior disciple and blinked. His eyes still showed some of that glassy fog that Hiroshi had seen just before the man sang. After a few more blinks, his strong dark eyes returned and Kenjiro smiled and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“No, no Hiroshi. Thank you,” he said before he looked away and called out to everyone. “Go ahead and clean up, Okami-San Yu and Ezra should just about have lunch ready with the Chens, uh… Well, whatever they’re calling their food cart nowadays.”
Kaisho gave a laugh and nodded his head. “I think I’ve heard them go by about six different names that I can recall,” he said with a shrug before continuing. “I don’t really care what they call themselves with as good as those dumplings are.”
Kenjiro nodded his head and agreed with the other Oyakata. “I love their noodles personally, but I’ve arranged for them to give us lots of their greatest hits.”
Hiroshi had heard their back and forth softly. Once he found out there were dumplings on the menu from apparently renowned chefs, he had headed off to clean himself and change. There was a group of large men taking turns in the bathroom that was just off to the side of the practice area.
The bathroom was a large stoic area that was really almost a sauna. It was a very plain but functional area that was kept warm and moist. In the corner were hot stones you could pour water on, and then there was a large tub that four or five of even the largest rikishi could fit in at a time. Sinks, and little areas with overhead spouts that would rain water down on you to wash after practice. Really, the room was one of Hiroshi’s favorite places in the stable. After a hard day of practice, being able to come in here and relax and wash was excellent.
Not that he rarely could spend very much time in this room since he had so many chores to do. Nishikigi and some of the other higher ranked rikishi were known to spend a few hours after practice in this room before dinner. Even now, on a more relaxed day, with the prospect of delicious food waiting for them, they all rushed to clean themselves. Taking turns under the raining spouts of water and using washcloths and soap to quickly wash the sweat and clay off.
Hiroshi and the other Juniors had to wait till all of their seniors were done in the bathroom until they could go. Once everyone was assembled back upstairs, Kenjiro was waiting with Botan and Ezra standing behind him on either side. They were all in the main room that doubled as the house's dining room. The three were standing in front of the back door of the main room with a knowing grin.
“Some of you may have heard downstairs,” Kenjiro eyed Hiroshi. “But we have a special meal planned for all of you today,” Kenjiro explained. “We brought in Chen's Dumpling Carriage and, of course, we all know how famous Okami Yu is for her cooking. They’ve worked together to feed us lunch today, and we’ll be eating outside.”
As he finished, Ezra opened the door leading into the backyard. Hiroshi frowned. He was in the back of the group standing with Ansei and Huan. He couldn’t see anything. He heard the gasps and calls of cheering though from the bigger men up front and couldn’t wait for them to pile out.
“We’re gonna be eating good”
“Oh man, I can’t wait”
“I heard their ramen is the best in the Empire!”
Were some of the different things Hiroshi heard as people piled out. As guests, the Ichiman stable was the first in the backyard and then the Kenichi stable could go outside. When Hiroshi could finally go out, he gave a small gasp. The usual plain backyard now had long tables setup and some chairs. Standing in the middle of the two long tables was Auntie Yu, who everyone made sure to call by her proper title since there were guests in the house.
The backyard was well manicured, thankfully a job that wasn’t left to the residents who lived in the stable. There was a set crew of workers that apparently Ezra oversaw. They were in charge of manicuring the bits of grass that were surrounded by rock areas and trees in the center of the grassy bits. It reminded Hiroshi of a grass island in the middle of a rock sea. They also had large rocks in the backyard placed in certain locations that would move every so often. This part of the upkeep was overseen by Botan personally. The rocks were placed in very specific formations.
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All Hiroshi knew about it was that it was a cultivator thing. Certain rock placements drew in certain types of aura and energy from the universe. Beyond that, for more intricate knowledge, Hiroshi couldn’t be bothered to learn. He was here to learn sumo after all, not learn how to be a cultivator and how to cultivate aura.
Hiroshi’s favorite place to come outside and rest when he could was a small grassy area across the backyard. Furthest from where the tables were set. It was a smaller patch and had a large old tree that bent and then went up. It almost looked like one of the small bonsai trees the Oyakata kept in his office on his desk.
“Come, come, get seated. Kenichi on the right and Ichimon on the left,” Okami Yu gave directions. She had a pleasant tone to her, but it was strained. It spoke of someone who was trying to be kind to everyone but was going through a rough day and just wanted it over with at this point.
The Oyakatas were moving to the heads of the respective tables as the Okami gave her directions. Their sanyaku wrestlers followed behind and then lower ranked behind them. Everyone went in order of their rank and while only the Oyakatas sat in their chairs, everyone else stood behind their seats and looked towards the head of the tables where their masters waited.
“Thank you Oyakata,” everyone from the Kenichi stable called out in chorus and gave a bow.
“Thank you Oakata Kenjiro,” the Ichimon wrestlers rang out just behind the Kenichi sumotori.
With that finished and since it was a special occasion, there was no waiting for ranks to eat and given permission from Oyakata to begin. Everyone sat at the same time and as soon as they were seated, another woman made an appearance.
This woman was younger, much shorter than Auntie Yu. She was wider than the older stable cook. Not fat by any means, but she had a certain thickness about her without being fat. She wore plain purple and black cultivator robes with a crest on the breast that Hiroshi couldn’t make out until she went past him between the two tables. The crest looked like the styled head of an ox and the round symbols around it with a curved line that went through that curved in the middle. The crest was only part of the otherwise plain robes that stood out, since it was heavily embroidered with golden thread.
She leaned in and whispered something to the Okami-san, who gave a quick curt nod in response. The woman turned her head and looked at all the large sumotori with a wide smile.
“I hope you all enjoy. My husband has worked hard on the food we’ve made,” she said. She sounded pleasant enough and was smiling proudly, looking off to the side of the house a twinkle in her eye.
Hiroshi looked over to where she was looking and he saw something he couldn’t see before. It was just behind the house on a little of the yard that came around the stable. It was a large carriage parked next to the house and had a singular large ox standing next to it.
How is that so big? That single ox pulls that huge carriage?
The carriage had to be two, maybe three lengths of a normal carriage like the one that Ezra drove to bring Hiroshi here and it was probably twice as tall. There was a paneling of the side opened and lifted, making a shady area underneath it. Through the little window, Hiroshi could see a man rushing back and forth. There were three servants who waited underneath the window. Hiroshi recognized them as the grounds people, the ones who took care of the property.
This man was a bit on the fatter side. Not much taller than the woman, if Hiroshi had to guess. He was also bald. From what Hiroshi saw of this man, he wasn’t wearing any sort of robe. Instead, he wore a white double breasted shirt with a collar. Part of the outfit was undone which left a corner that hung so it wasn’t tight around his neck. His frantic arms waved around as he moved before he paused and closed his eyes. Hiroshi saw the man collect himself and breathe in deeply before exhaling. He shook off the moment of panic and then peacefulness before he handed platters to the servants below the window.
“Thank you Mei, we look forward to trying your cooking,” Kenjiro’s voice snapped Hiroshi from where he watched and he looked back at the guest woman.
The woman gave a soft snort. “It’s all my husband's work, I assure you,” she said with a grin and looked at Kenjiro, who nodded his head in acceptance of her words.
The servants were now placing platters in front of the wrestlers seated at the Ichimon table. Mei left the Okami and helped the servants bring platters out. Auntie Yu, however, took this time to move in closer to the Ichimon table and spoke with the wrestlers. Nothing too deep, just general statements of welcome and how she hoped they enjoyed everything they had done.
“I’m glad I’m not the one who had to pay for it,” Kaisho told the Okami with a laugh. Hiroshi saw the other Oyakata look over at Kenjiro, who just rolled his eyes. “Yes, it’s a good thing I raised such a strong Yokozuna. Someone who can’t be beaten by the likeliness of a burning bush,” he continued with another laugh as he patted Zo-Ishi on the man’s large shoulder.
Zo-Ishi, to his credit, just bowed to his master. He didn’t try to pile on with the cajoling like his Oyakata was. Instead, he looked a little embarrassed, and just nodded because it was still his master who spoke and offered praise.
The burning bush jab was a direct jab at Nishikigi. Nishikigi hailed from a large city somewhere in the southwest of the capital. It was a city that had made their fortune and fame by being surrounded by beautiful forests and supplied most of the empire with the wood they needed. Until about a hundred years ago, when there was a massive freak accident of nature. The forests around the city had caught fire, resulting in a tragic disaster that had burned down most of the city. It was now a shell of what it used to be, and Nishikigi was named after this fire. Nishikigi, like Kenjiro, ignored the man’s jabs.
Now Ezra, Mei, and the three groundskeepers brought platters over for the Kenichi table. Hiroshi saw meats of all kinds and the smells of ginger, onion, garlic wafted through the air. He stared at the platter of beef that was coated in what looked to be a dark, rich sauce that smelled like soy. There were also platters of fried rice with bits of seafood mixed in. Finally, they brought two big bowls for each side of the table overfilled with the standard white rice.
Once both tables had all of their platters, the food runners brought individual bowls to each person sat at the tables. It was large bowls of ramen. Hiroshi stared at the bowl of rich looking light brown in front of him. He was practically drooling at the noodles and fixings inside the bowl. Sliced dried seaweed, what looked to be a perfectly soft boiled egg, the yolk all gooey called to Hiroshi. There wasn’t any meat in this dish since there were the platters, there was, however, chopped and fried bits of tofu made into a pile over the noodles on one small section of the bowl.
They didn’t lose all of their customs of differing rank when rank. No one could touch their food until Oyakata Kenjiro pulled from the platters in front of him with his chopsticks. Setting various foods on the plate in front of him. He made sure to grab some of everything and even had Botan had him a few pieces of what looked like pork belly and put them on his plate. He tried a few bites and then slurped at the ramen broth, nodding his head.
“It is good,” he said, waving to the other Oyakata who waited. “Try it and have your wrestlers dive in,” Kenjiro nodded his head before he looked at his own wrestlers. “Jump in, don’t let the food get cold,” he motioned to his table.
The words hadn’t even finished forming before the Kenichi stable dived in. Hiroshi reached for the platter of dumplings and stacked some on the plate in front of him. He just wanted to make sure he got what he knew was going to be one of his favorites of the meal before he attacked the bowl of ramen, which was always best eaten hot. That would explain why they brought out individual bowls for everyone separately.
He lifted the bowl first and slurped up some of the broth. The rich liquid was an explosion of umami pork flavor. The garlic oil they used as a base to the bowl of the ramen struck through the richness and offered another layer of flavor that also carried a bit of spice with it. He then went in and mixed the tofu into the noodles and began lifting and slurping the noodles down.
The backyard was quiet, all the large hungry men were too focused on the food to bother with talking to each other. The only sounds heard were the munching of food and slurping of broth and noodles. As everyone ate, the servants came around and put a teacup down in front of everyone and filled it with a teapot. There was a teapot for every two of the men who sat at the table and servants stood by ready to grab another if the wrestlers emptied their current pot.
Once everyone had all the food, they could need and tea, Auntie Yu took a seat next to Oyakata Kenjiro and across from Botan. The one female could sit at the table since she was a member that held a respectable position in the stable. If Ichimon had brought their own Okami, she could not have sat at the Ichimon table.
“Man, everything is so good. How do you like the dumplings?” Itaro asked from across Hiroshi.
Hiroshi currently had an explosion of pork and sauce explode in his mouth when Itaro asked him. He chewed and his eyes almost disappeared with the enormous smile he gave in response, and his head nodded vigorously.
Itaro laughed and resumed eating food from his own plate.
“He must like them. He’s eaten practically the whole platter,” Yoshitaro snarled and snapped another two of the dumplings from the platter.
Hiroshi frowned and felt his cheeks grow red as he looked down. He didn’t mean to make himself look like a pig in front of everyone like that. Before he could say anything, though, Itaro came to his defense.
“And you’ve eaten most of the pork belly. We’re here to relax and eat, and that’s what Hiroshi is doing. Leave him alone,” Itaro spat.
Yoshitaro just glared and continued to eat from his plate. He took another piece of the pork belly and stared at Itaro. The bully looked like a child who was purposely doing something their parents just told them not to in defiance. He almost dared Itaro to say something. Instead, Itaro just rolled his eyes and went back to eating his own meal.
Once everyone had eaten their fill and had the dessert of sweet sugary rice, Ichimon stood. Hiroshi looked over at them and stood when the rest of the Kenichi stable did. Hiroshi looked over at the other stable members and then towards the head of the table. Kenjiro advanced towards Kaisho, Botan moving towards their own Shifu. They all outstretched their hands and shook.
“How much did all of this set you back?” Kaisho asked unabashedly. “Had to be most of your budget for the year from Sumo Association,” he said with a chuckle.
“If only your own Nishikigi was as strong as my Zo-Ishi,” Kaisho had continued with a sneer.