46.ii A Diamond Body

~ Sun Ritsu ~

All of the customers and even the employees had brought their polaroids. They all wanted to get a picture with Ritsu and congratulate him on his unorthodox victory in the first trial.

The short monk took on the task of herding Ritsu to the correct booth and shooing away his growing fan club.

“Get out of the way! He needs to eat! He needs to eat! Everything else can wait. That’s right – Go!”

Groans and whines rolled off the crowd as it reluctantly parted. As soon as the monk and the monkey made it to the safety of the booth, Bodhi glared daggers at Sun Seven, who was beaming happily.

“I told you to keep your mouth shut so we can get this guy fed in peace,” Bodhi said with a sternness that Ritsu had never seen in them before.

Seven didn’t drop his golden-toothed smile for the monk. “This is good press. You’ll thank me for it later. Plus we still need a stage name for Ritsu. You remember how they made a big deal about him not having one at the end there.”

Bodhi pushed a mountain of wax paper-wrapped cheeseburgers in Ritsu’s direction and instructed him to eat.

“Wait. All of them?”

The monkey’s question went ignored as Bodhi shifted their attention back to Seven and argued, “How the hell does inviting flocks of Kawaii Village idiots all the way out here help with that?”

Seven replied, “Watch it, Sifu. You’re talking to one of those village idiots. Show some respect. I know what I’m doing.”

Face deep in a checkered paper tray of cheesy fries, Ham Song quietly mused about Seven announcing himself as an idiot.

Seven rolled his eyes, sliding two extra bottles of ketchup in Ritsu’s direction. He said to Bodhi, “You want to know how nicknames become a thing?”

“No.”

“Yes you do. Anyway, it almost never has anything to do with the source coming up with something clever. Names of recognition come from the people.”

Seven gestured broadly to the clear window beside them where several bunny-eared spirits had their faces pressed up against the glass, swooning over the impressive way Ritsu obediently worked through his mountain of burgers.

“Just watch.” Seven added a wink for good measure.

Bodhi sighed and slumped in their seat, the only indication that they thought he had a point.

Seven then opened one of the ketchup bottles and started dunking it over the top of the half-dismantled mountain.

“You need to eat your vegetables too, little brother. Tomatoes are a good source of potassium.”

Ritsu had his mouth full, but he nodded dutifully and dug in some more.

Bodhi ordered themself a fried chicken salad. Seven tried to eat one of Ham Song’s cheesy fries, but the pig bit him.

Sun Ritsu was simply happy to be surrounded by friends and relieved that he could move on to the next round. You know how he is, Dear Traveler. He’s a simple monkey, our hero.

The fans stuck around through the whole meal. So Bodhi relented and let them take a few pictures with Ritsu and give him some gifts of encouragement.

“We heard you like cigarettes, so we bought you some in every flavor.” One group of rabbit spirits told him.

Of course the packaging came in pastels with chibi silhouettes plastered about the cardboard surfaces. Ritsu thanked them in his usual, genuine way and tucked all of the boxes away inside of his jacket. By the time they left the restaurant, his zipper was up to his neck and his jacket was full of gifts and more food to go.

On the walk back to the hotel, Ritsu carried a very stuffed and exhausted Ham Song on his back.

Bodhi was still fired up from everything that had happened. They told Ritsu not to let any of this local fame and adoration go to his head.

“I won’t, Bodhi. I promise,” Ritsu said. Then he asked about the next trial and if they knew what it was going to be.

Seven snorted. “Yeah, we know this time. The tournament officials can’t pull the same crap twice.”

Bodhi said, “The next challenge is such that everyone has to use their staff to make something wondrous and true. Whatever it is that you make has to also coincide with your personality and overall aesthetic. Personally, I can’t stand events like this. It’s basically nothing but a show and tell.”

Seven added, “Sifu is right, but I kinda dig it. Ritsu, you should see this as an opportunity to do a little soul searching and figure out what you really bring to the table. What makes you memorable as a monkey king? Let that guide you in this next trial.”

“Maybe before you do all of that,” Ham Song piped up, “you should learn how to get a handle on your staff first, benevolent monkey. It was by the skin of your teeth that you didn’t treacherously lose today!”

Ritsu winced. “Ham Song, you’re right next to my ear, you know.”

The four spirits carried on their half informative, half argumentative discussion all the way to their bedrooms. Ritsu had much to think about for the next two weeks.

He had a diamond body.

He had a semi-sentient staff that refused to take any direction from him. And with that staff, he had to make something wondrous and true.

But before any of that, Dear Traveler, our hero had to sleep. And sleep he did. Belly full of ordinary lunch heroes, surrounded by the gifts of his fans and the gentle snores of his trainer, Sun Ritsu had one of the mightiest sleeps of his life.