Tyranny of Steel

Months had passed since Mizuno Ai had first started attending Westpoint, and since then, her burgeoning friendship with a young man named Julian Weber had stagnated. Though the two of them spent much time in the library, Julian still considered Ai to be a nuisance, who constantly interrupted his library time. 

Currently, Julian was eating from a cup of microwaveable noodles, as it was the only thing he could really afford to eat on his budget. Ai gazed at him with curiosity, as he seemed to only tolerate the meal. She could not help but ask the question in her mind.

"Julian?"

The young man sighed heavily as he heard this interruption from his reading, and slowly placed down his book, where he begrudgingly answered the girl's question.

"Yes, Ai?"

Ai wore a pretty smile as she continued her train of thought.

"Have you ever had actual Ramen before?"

Julian shook his head before responding to the young Japanese woman's question.

"No, too expensive..."

It was at this moment that Ai learned something interesting about Julian's background. He appeared to be very poor. She knew in that moment that she had an opportunity to get closer to the man and quickly insisted on something that Julian had not expected when this conversation began.

"Then it's settled. Friday night you are coming over to my parents' house, where I will cook you some actual ramen! It is a crime to only eat cupped noodles every day!"

Julian responded in a way that Ai was not expecting, as he quickly rejected her offer.

"No thanks, I'm busy on Friday..."

Ai was dumbfounded by this comment. Was he fucking kidding right now? A pretty girl asks you to come over and eat her home cooking, and you refuse? How dense was this moron? She forced herself to remain calm as she insisted on this point.

"I'm not taking no for an answer! I will treat you to a home-cooked meal, and you are going to like it!"

It startled Julian when the woman sitting across from him suddenly turned so aggressive; he was not accustomed to such behavior from the girl, and sort of sank back into his seat awkwardly. After receiving an intense stare from the girl for more than a few minutes of silence, he sighed heavily before agreeing to her request.

"Fine..."

Ai's expression immediately changed from a glower to a happy smile as she pressed her hands together in excitement. 

"Yay! I am sure you will enjoy it! It will certainly be better than that mass produced crap you're eating right now..."

Julian gazed down at his cup of noodles and shrugged his shoulders. Food was food. He did not have the luxury of eating fancy meals at restaurants, and he was used to cooking his own food when he got the chance. However, he had to admit that it would be nice to eat something other than microwaveable noodles for once. Thus, he sighed and nodded his head before getting back to his work.

---

The week came and passed, and finally it was Friday night. Julian had finished his school work at the beginning of the week as per usual, and was free to engage in whatever behavior he chose. Normally, he would spend Friday night in the library, learning about something that interested him. However, he had been invited over to a freshman's family home so that she could cook him a nice meal. 

Westpoint was strict about living arrangements, and as a freshman, Ai was forced to live in the barracks. Naturally, she did not have a kitchen in her room, nor was she allowed to have a member of the opposite sex over. Thus, she could only sneak out on the weekend and go to her Parent's place, which was about an hour away in New York City. Luckily, her parents weren't home this weekend, and she used it as the perfect time to entertain Julian.

Julian arrived at Ai's family home at precisely the agreed upon time. The girl had been kind enough to send a car to pick him up, and thus he did not have to spend his meager funds on a cab ride to the city. Despite visiting a girl's home while her parents were away, Julian thought nothing of it, and most certainly did not consider this evening to be a date in any shape or form.

Ai, on the other hand, had gone all out on her appearance. She picked her cutest clothes to wear for the day, styled her hair in an attractive manner, and put on just the right amount of makeup to make an impression. She had properly set the table for the two of them and had already begun preparing the meal when Julian knocked on the door to the house. 

Ai came from a family with money and naturally had servants who she dismissed for the evening so they would not inform her parents that she had a boy over. When Julian gazed at the large mansion, he was shocked. He did not know that the girl who had been pestering him for some time was a spoiled princess, however; it made sense to him after thinking about it for a few moments. 

When the door opened to reveal Ai, whose appearance was more stunning than usual, Julian was surprised. He believed that a butler, or maid, would receive the guests in a palace such as this. However, Ai thought nothing of it, and wore a pretty smile as she dragged Julian into her house while making a joke about his arrival.

"You're actually here! Welcome to my family's home!"

Julian's brow raised when he heard this before questioning the girl for her choice of words.

"What do you mean, I am actually here? I promised to be here, did I not?"

Ai merely stuck out her tongue in a playful manner as she chastised him for his usual behavior.

"Yeah, but I thought for sure you would make some excuse so that you could bail on our arrangement. I'm glad you didn't, though. Well, make yourself at home. The Ramen is cooking, and it won't be long before we eat. Do you want a beer or something?"

Julian felt out of place as he gazed around at the luxurious mansion. He had never been in such a large and opulent home before. It took him a while to realize what Ai was saying, but ultimately, he nodded his head in agreement with her question.

"Sure, what do you have?"

Ai led the man to the kitchen, where she pulled a few beers out of the fridge. They were a popular brand from her parents' homeland; she handed one over to Julian after popping off the bottle caps, and taking a carefree sip of her own. 

"My father enjoys imports from his homeland, so the only beer in the house is Japanese. I hope you don't mind."

Julian took a sip from the beer and instantly felt as if he had reached enlightenment. He could not afford to drink such premium alcohol, and had only ever drank cheap light beer that tasted like piss water. However, this beer had a masterful flavor, and he instantly found himself enjoying the taste.

"It is really good!"

Ai was happy to see that Julian enjoyed it, and quickly got back to cooking. Before long, there were two bowls of miso ramen on the table, and a side of Takoyaki. Julian had heard of these meals before, but had never actually tried them.

However, when he tasted the fruits of Ai's labor, he nearly broke out into tears. It was among the best things he had ever tasted, and he savored every bite. Ai saw the weird expression on his face, and quickly asked how he felt about her cooking, slightly afraid of the answer.

"Well, how is it?"

Julian looked up at Ai with an awkward expression on his face as he tried to find the words to express his thoughts. Ultimately, he was afraid to tell the girl it was the best thing he had ever tasted, and wore a distant look as he brushed it aside.

"At the very least, it is better than microwaveable noodles..."

The forced stoic expression on Julian's face made Ai giggle, as she knew he was not willing to tell the truth. It was clear by the way he ate the ramen and Takoyaki that he enjoyed it very much, but for whatever reason, the man couldn't be honest. This was another aspect of Julian's character that the girl found endearing.  The final words that Itami heard before she awoke from her dream were Julian awkwardly thanking her for the meal.

"Thank you, Ai... I really appreciate this."

After hearing these words, Itami awoke on her futon, with a bitter smile on her lips and a tear in her eye. She was actually quite depressed that she had awoken from her treasured memories of her past life, only to find herself in the den of vipers that was her current existence. With a heavy sigh, she curled up under her covers and let out a single tear and a slight whimper before falling back to sleep, hoping to catch the rest of the dream she had just awoken from.