Chimper #1043
Kijuurou the Dreadnought keeps the best ramen stall in all of Waterfall City. Most patrons, wiping broth from their chins, think the name is a local joke—a funny title for the quiet, elderly chimp in a pink yukata and a ramen-bowl hat. They are known for their patient smile and the gentle way they serve fishers from the outskirts. But the older guards, the ones who remember the wars that raged before the city knew peace, see the truth. They see the scarred knuckles on the hands that hold the ladle. They recognize the thousand-yard stare that sometimes settles in Kijuurou’s eyes between customers. Kijuurou never speaks of the past. The art of building a perfect bowl is a quieter, more difficult craft than razing a fortress—a skill they learned once and have spent a lifetime trying to forget.
