Mister Chun was not the kind of man you expected to run a noodle shop with a secret back room.
He was quiet, kind, and always wore the same navy-blue slippers. His white cat, Vikulya, often sat in the front window like a queen, glaring at passersby as if daring them to ask for anything less than perfectly cooked noodles.
But today was not a normal day.
The bell over the door jingled softly as Luna the panther entered the shop—like a shadow given form. Behind her padded Venya the fox, carrying a suspiciously bulging satchel. Neither said a word.
Mister Chun looked up from his chopping board, nodded once, and without missing a beat, flipped the sign from “Open” to “Closed for Cleaning”.
Vikulya raised one delicate eyebrow and leapt down from the window sill, making a beeline for Luna.
“Still dramatic, I see,” she purred, flicking her tail.
Luna narrowed her eyes. “Still judgmental.”
“Better than being late.”
Venya cleared his throat. “Are we really doing this here?”
Mister Chun motioned them to the back room with one hand while stirring broth with the other. “Quiet now. Noodle shop first, secret business second.”
The back room smelled like tea leaves and mystery. Low cushions were arranged around a lacquered table. Luna stretched out like she owned the place (which she might), Venya hopped up onto a stool with the grace of someone used to escape routes, and Vikulya settled herself beside a teapot as if she was the teapot.
Mister Chun entered with a tray—tea, biscuits, and something that looked suspiciously like raw steak just for Luna.
“So,” he said, settling in, “who has the map?”
Venya pulled out a crumpled parchment from his satchel. “Don’t ask where I got it.”
“I wasn’t going to,” said Chun.
Luna leaned closer, eyes narrowing. “This is the one that leads to the hidden orchard, yes?”
“The one with the enchanted pears,” Vikulya added. “The ones that glow at night and make you dream of flying.”
Venya nodded. “And apparently grant wishes, if picked under the full moon.”
There was a long pause.
Then all four of them spoke at once.
“We’re going.”
“You’ll need climbing gear.”
“And snacks.”
“Also, I’m not walking—I expect a ride.”
Mister Chun poured the tea calmly. “We leave at sunrise.”
Luna stretched, content. “It’s nice having a team again.”
“Team?” Venya said, feigning offense. “I thought I was the brains and you were the claws.”
“I am the claws,” Luna said with a grin.
“And I,” Vikulya announced, “am the elegance.”
Mister Chun just smiled, sipping his tea. “And I’m the one with the key.”
Outside, the noodle shop sat quiet in the falling dusk, unaware that within its walls, an adventure was brewing—filled with maps, mystery, and four unlikely friends.
They were ready.
Probably.
Almost.
Kind of.
