Matsuyo

Matsuyo keeps meticulous notes on every bowl of ramen they have ever eaten. It is a strange habit for a chimp trekking through The Dragon Wastelands, but their hired guide has learned not to question it. The guide, a stoic local who communicates only in gestures, points out treacherous paths and the ghostly illusions of dragons. In return, Matsuyo reads aloud from scrolls detailing Michi's journey, their studious eyes deciphering forgotten trail markers. Each night, using scavenged roots and preserved broth packets, Matsuyo makes ramen. It is a ridiculous, hopeful ritual in a land of scorched plateaus. The guide initially refused, but now sits by the fire, accepting their bowl without a sound. One charts a hero's path, the other charts the land itself, and together they make the impossible journey survivable.