My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 621

We simultaneously clasped our hands together in front of the ramen.

I first scooped up a spoonful of soup. As I put the soup mixed with Mapo Tofu into my mouth, only one emotion filled my mind.

"tasty!"

This bowl of noodles looked very spicy, so I was initially worried, but my anxiety vanished instantly. The broth was so rich and flavorful. The Mapo Tofu I ate with it was indeed very spicy, but the deliciousness of the other ingredients in the bowl wasn't overwhelmed by the spiciness.

Next up were the vegetables. They were stewed until very tender, melting in my mouth, and went perfectly with the broth. I thought to myself, "Maybe it's because I played a vegetable-cutting game all night yesterday that I have a strange fondness for vegetables, which is why they taste so delicious." Then I immediately realized that the two things were completely unrelated.

Finally, there's the noodles.

This dish isn't just vegetable soup with Mapo Tofu. What matters is how well the noodles, the main ingredient, can compete with the other ingredients. I don't want to end up with the sad ending of "everything is delicious except for the noodles."

I nervously picked up a piece of noodles and put it in my mouth. Then I chewed it slowly.

This……

So delicious.

The medium-thick noodles were very chewy; the moment you bit into one, the wheat flavor burst forth, dominating your mouth. It blended perfectly with the broth and went well with the vegetables, rivaling the character of Mapo Tofu. I never expected such a flawless noodle dish.

"Teacher, what is this? It's super delicious!"

"Yes. When it comes to Mr. Nakamoto, people tend to focus on the spiciness, but from the perspective of ramen alone, this restaurant is also delicious, which is why it is so popular."

After speaking, Ms. Hiratsuka slurped up her noodles with gusto. I secretly observed her.

She ate the red-dyed noodles without hesitation. Sweat beaded on her forehead, but the way she tucked her hair behind her ears was strangely sexy, making me blush for reasons other than the spiciness of the food.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Ms. Hiratsuka noticed my gaze and looked over while wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Oh, it's nothing, it's nothing. Nothing at all."

I ate the Mongolian noodle soup in front of me in big bites to hide my shyness.

About halfway through the meal, I felt the spiciness slowly building up. The mapo sauce blended into the broth, naturally changing the flavor. The delicious ramen transformed into a spicy and flavorful ramen.

I was sweating profusely as I ate, but I was still immersed in its deliciousness, focusing intently on eating the noodles.

"Thank you for your hospitality."

Before I knew it, Professor Hiratsuka had finished eating the Arctic. I had also eaten about 90% of it, so I quickly finished the rest of the noodles, put my hands together, and said, "Thank you for the meal."

"tasty."

"Mongolian soup noodles are already quite spicy, you're really something... Could I have a sip of the soup?"

"OK."

I scooped up some of the Arctic soup with a spoon and drank it. After eating the Mongolian noodles, I've gotten used to the spiciness, so it should be fine, right? See, it's not bad...

The thought only lasted a moment before the spiciness quickly filled my mouth.

"It's so spicy!"

"Hachiman, you're exaggerating. It's not that spicy."

"No, no! It's really spicy!"

I quickly drank the water in my glass in one gulp. But after I finished drinking the water, a second wave of spiciness, even spicier than before, immediately followed.

"!~#$%&@&$%!!!"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, drinking water when you eat spicy food will make it taste even spicier, so be careful."

"It's too late to say that!"

My face immediately broke out in a sweat, and I was the first to walk out of the store.

I returned to the car with Hiratsuka-sensei. While driving, because the spiciness in my mouth hadn't subsided, I stuck out my tongue and fanned myself with my hand.

"You're not good at eating spicy food."

"No, no, no, I've never thought I was bad at eating spicy food, this is an exception."

"But it tastes delicious, doesn't it?"

"Ms. Hiratsuka said proudly," I nodded slowly.

"It was absolutely delicious. The last sip of the Arctic soup was also amazing; the spiciness was impressive, but you could still taste the deliciousness of the broth underneath. I couldn't resist."

"Well said, well said."

The teacher strongly agreed.

"Not only was it delicious, but the portion size was also astonishing. How much was it? I was so full I couldn't contain myself."

"That's right. Mr. Nakamoto's portions are large, depending on the situation, so the value for money is so high that one meal a day is enough."

"...Hiratsuka-sensei, is this really your first time eating Nakamoto?"

"Yeah, that's right. What's wrong?"

"No, it's just that I feel you know far too much."

Hahaha—Hiratsuka-sensei's loud laughter echoed in the car.

"I told you I did my research beforehand. You're overthinking it."

"Yeah?"

"Oh, by the way, there's another shop I'd like to visit, is it convenient for you?"

"Ah—well... anyway, even if I say I don't want to, I probably won't be able to refuse, so I'll just play along."

The teacher glanced at my helpless expression and slightly raised the corners of her mouth.

"Let's go then."

"OK."

The car turned left using its turn signal, and shortly after, it entered the highway.

"Wait a minute, are we going that far?"

"No, not really. I just think it's better to get there quickly."

"That's it."

Perhaps my tone revealed a hint of unease, because Hiratsuka-sensei laughed again.

"I'm not going to eat you."

"That's right."

There weren't many cars on the highway, so the speed gradually increased.

"By the way, how did the manzai performance I asked you to do go?"

"That? It's really exhausting."

A while ago, the Service Club received a commission for "performing a comedy show at a community event in the city that focuses on local children" for some reason, which forced Yukinoshita and me to go on stage and perform manzai.

Did the audience laugh?

"Yes, I laughed so hard. To an almost frightening degree. I laughed like I never did before."

"You're exaggerating so much that it sounds like you're lying, but it's good that everything goes smoothly."

There was genuine laughter, so I wasn't lying. But Hiratsuka-sensei might not accept my methods for making the audience laugh.

"Please stop doing that kind of reckless behavior."

"No, no, no, it's only right that you serve the society and cause chaos."

The teacher put her sunglasses back on, probably because she found the sunlight coming in from the opposite side too glaring.

"Recklessness is what youth is all about. Only young people have the right to do that."

"Adults always have some inexplicable expectations about youth. But that kind of thing doesn't exist in the time of youth. Youth is a colorless thing, like spring, full of unripe fruit."

Upon hearing my personal opinion, Professor Hiratsuka gave me a cold look.

"What you said is really unpleasant... or rather, unpleasant... or just really unpleasant."

"I'm just so unhappy."

"Never mind. Okay, we're almost there."

After exiting the highway, the car drove for a while longer before stopping in the parking lot.

"Hachiman, here."

I followed Professor Hiratsuka for about five minutes. Then, we probably arrived at our destination, and the professor turned to look at me.

"arrive."

"...Wait, teacher. You said there's another shop we wanted to go to, could it be...?"

"Yes, this is it."

The shop in front of me looks similar to the scenery I just saw; it's a bit like déjà vu.

I looked at the words on the sign.

'Nakamoto Kinshicho Store: Japan's No.1 Spicy Ramen Mongolian Soup Noodles'.

"It's Nakamoto again!"

I complained loudly, but the teacher acted as if nothing was wrong, with a nonchalant expression.

"Uh, didn't we just eat Nakamoto?"

"Hachigaya, we did indeed eat at Mr. Nakamoto's restaurant in Funabashi."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"But Mr. Nakamoto from Kinshicho hasn't tried it yet, has he?"

I don't quite understand what she's saying. Is it because I'm not calm right now?

"No, no, no, Hiratsuka-sensei. Nakamoto is a chain restaurant, it doesn't matter which one you eat at."

"Huh? Hachiman, what did you say?"

"Uh, so you mean Nakamoto is a chain store, right? So—"

"Is Mr. Nakamoto a chain store?"

The Hiratsuka-sensei teacher, who had been calm and composed just a moment ago, suddenly showed anger on her face.

"Teacher, what's wrong?"

"I'm telling you, Mr. Nakamoto's dishes are cooked by the staff themselves. So even the same dish will taste slightly different from one restaurant to another. The point of eating at Mr. Nakamoto is to enjoy that variation, so please don't call it a chain restaurant."

"Huh? Uh, but—"

"Apologize."

"...Teacher, um."

"Apologize."

"……Well."

"Apologize."

"……sorry."

I apologized, and Ms. Hiratsuka walked towards the shop door with a smile.

"Okay, let's go then. And you might not know this, but each Mr. Nakamoto restaurant has its own 'limited-time' dishes, and trying these limited-time dishes is part of the fun of a restaurant tour."

Is it limited?

I looked at the vending machine; the button layout was indeed different from the Funabashi branch. I looked around the store and noticed dishes that weren't available at the Funabashi branch.

"Is this a limited-edition dish? The one called Arctic Volcano?"

"That's right."

As she answered, Ms. Hiratsuka pressed the Arctic volcano button on the meal ticket vending machine.

"Is this what you're here to eat?"

"Yes. Do you want some too?"