My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 643

"I have a very important question to ask you."

"Huh? Something... important...?"

"Hmm. I should have confirmed your feelings sooner."

"My...my feelings, ah...ah...ah...ah...it's never changed from the beginning...I hate it, how could it be so sudden..."

Suddenly, her face turned bright red, and she started making punching sounds like a practitioner of Hokuto Shinken. Something was clearly wrong, and I was a little worried. However, this matter was really important, so I ignored her and continued to ask:

"Yuihama. You—"

"Uh-huh……"

"Do you mind if there's garlic in the noodles?"

"I don't mind! Tomorrow's a holiday anyway! Uh, don't ask that kind of question that could be misunderstood!!"

I made a point of checking beforehand because I was thinking of her, but I was inexplicably scolded... So this counts as sexual harassment? I'll be more careful next time I talk to a girl about bad breath.

However, Yuihama's mood quickly improved.

It's more accurate to say they were so frightened they forgot.

"Wow! That's spectacular! Shall we go to this shop...?"

I took her to a super famous tonkotsu ramen restaurant.

This store is extremely popular not only in Japan but also overseas.

It holds a superior position in the world of Hakata tonkotsu ramen, and even has a branch located next to the waiting area inside Hakata Airport. If you're into garlic, there's no reason not to go to this restaurant.

Its innovative system, which allows for adjustments to flavor intensity, oil richness, garlic quantity, type of green onion, presence or absence of char siu, amount of secret sauce, and noodle firmness, has had a strong impact on other ramen shops, making it the undisputed king of tonkotsu ramen.

"Wow... I never thought a ramen shop could be this big. It takes a different kind of courage for a girl to go in alone..."

"Hey, hey, hey, just looking at it is scary, it's too fast!"

The selling point, or rather the famous part, of this store is its unique interior decoration.

"Huh? It's spectacular inside too...?"

"Yes. To concentrate the flavors, each seat is separated, and the curtain in front of the noodles will be drawn after they are served. Excited?

"Eeeeeeeeee⁉"

Yuigahama was shocked.

"Why, why do we have to separate each seat when everyone's here together?!"

"It's so you can focus on eating your noodles. That's normal, right? You study alone in the cram school's study room anyway, don't you?"

"No, no, no. That's not normal. We're eating out, you know? Eating with people makes it more enjoyable, and the food tastes better too."

Food tastes better when you eat with other people... This is a very common saying.

Is it really?

If you have to pay attention to other people while eating, you won't be able to fully appreciate the taste of the food, right?

If you chat while eating, will you miss the best time to eat?

Marginalized individuals often step into the shop alone, facing the food alone. They can enjoy the dish at its most delicious moment, whenever they wish.

It seems like it's better to eat alone, right?

"Anyway, don't eat here! I don't ask for much, just a place where we can look at each other's faces and chat easily while we eat!"

"I think you're asking for too much..."

No matter how hard I look, I can't find a store that satisfies me.

Unable to decide which restaurant to eat at, we continued walking and unknowingly arrived at a place almost at Keimoto-Chiba Station.

"Hey. If we keep going, all we'll see is Hidaka-ya?"

"Hmm... but maybe there will be a new store, let's keep looking—"

I didn't really want to go any further. Yuihama suggested we keep searching.

However, Yui suddenly stopped and shouted.

"Huh? That, that's... "

A fat figure carrying a rustling black plastic bag was walking from the direction of Honchiba Station.

I cannot admit my mistake.

It is a wooden base by Yi Hui.

"Why is this so chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)...?"

"Oh no... I've unknowingly stepped into this area...!"

Amway, C-labo, Toranoana.

Near Keisei Chiba Station, there are a bunch of shops that guy would go to.

That's right, this is Akihabara in Chiba. Chihabara.

Simply put, it's an otaku street.

Bathed in dazzling lights, the shopping mall is bordered on the other side by a dark force that silently expands like a shadow.

Just as schools are a microcosm of society, train stations, with their large crowds, are also a microcosm of society, which is only natural.

By the way, well-known cram schools are also concentrated in this area, so it's easy to run into students from college entrance exam preparation schools. It's also quite possible I'd run into students from Soubu High School. Forgetting all that and accidentally wandering into this area was entirely my fault.

"First there was Miura, now there's Zaimokuza...?"

"Uh, could you please not compare Yumiko to chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur)...?"

Yuihama protested in a low voice. "I understand how you feel. If someone often compares me to a woodcutter, I sincerely hope they won't."

"Let's go back to Chiba Station first."

"Going back to the shopping street again?"

"No. This time we'll walk on the sidewalk. If we see any nice shops along the way, we'll just go in."

I thought it was a good idea, but I miscalculated.

Unlike shopping streets, pedestrian crossings have many traffic lights. For some reason, I always seem to encounter red lights when I'm in a hurry.

Soon, an elegant New England-style red brick building came into view. Unfortunately, the neon sign with the words "The General" completely ruined the atmosphere…

Yuihama seemed to have also spotted the shop, letting out a sound of surprise and astonishment.

"That barbecue restaurant...it looks amazing..."

"The BBQ General and the Crab General face each other across the road; it's a famous view in Chiba."

The building was originally the well-known long-established restaurant and cafe bar "Mazuki" in Chiba. Later, Mazuki switched to using only the basement space, and the upper floors were occupied by Yakiniku Da Jiangjun (Grilled Meat General). Inexplicably, it chose to open opposite Crab General.

Moreover, the man who calls himself the Sword Master General is still approaching there—

"Are the generals calling to each other...?"

"Huh? What are you saying, you autistic guy?"

What am I even saying? I don't even understand myself. Anyway, Hihama-kun, how long are you planning to keep holding onto my clothes? ...Aren't you a little hot?

"Hey, hey, Yuihama. Stay away from me."

"But...but there are too many people...too many..."

She grabbed my clothes and argued back.

Indeed, the road is too narrow for this number of people, making it inconvenient to move around.

Although the wooden stool was fat, it moved faster than two people standing close together, so the distance between us gradually decreased.

Yuihama let out a sound that was almost a wail.

"Let's go into a nearby shop!"

"Hmm... Oh well, I'll just pick any place..."

A choice made against one's will.

For Yuihama, this is her first bowl of ramen. This bowl of noodles will determine whether she falls in love with ramen or hates it, seriously impacting her life.

If you end up choosing a terrible store...

"Even if you hate me... don't hate ramen, okay?"

"You're still in the mood to joke under these circumstances?!"

I'm serious. I can't stand it when other people's perception of ramen gets worse...

Even now, I still can't make a decision—

Yui pulled hard on my clothes and dragged me to the front of a store.

"This is it! This is the one!"

"Dipped noodles..."

She seemed to be hearing the word for the first time and asked me in return:

"Tsukemen? Is it different from regular ramen?"

"Yes. The noodles and soup are served separately, just like with cold buckwheat noodles."

"Oh—! They even have this kind of noodles? How trendy!"

Is it trendy? I don't understand girls' feelings...

However, it's true that dipping noodles are more convenient for girls to eat.

Moreover, this shop is the famous origin of tsukemen (saucy noodles), especially the shop in Chiba, which insists on maintaining the taste from when it was first started.

I used to come here often. When I was fifteen, one afternoon after buying manga and light novels at the Amway Chiba store, I went to this shop and ate tsukemen alone…

"Okay. Go in."

"Let's go, let's go."

We wandered around the streets for almost an hour before stepping right into the store.

There wasn't a single customer in the store, so I immediately wondered, "Huh? Is it closed today?" But there were staff members inside, so it seemed to be open.

With a nostalgic feeling, I explained to Yui how to use the vending machine at the entrance.

"First, use this vending machine to buy vouchers for the items you want to eat."

"what?"

Yui looked completely bewildered.

"What's wrong?"

"Because... how can you know what kind of dishes are served without looking at the menu?"

"Oh. Hmm. Really?"

Although the vending machine comes with a simple menu, Yuihama is the kind of person who struggles even to look at a detailed menu, so it would be difficult for her to decide what to order under these circumstances.

It's probably a bit too much to try ramen for the first time in a place like this.

However, even though there were no other customers behind me, I felt bad about hesitating. So I bought a meal ticket myself and sat down at the bar with Yui.

"I'd like a super large bowl of dipping noodles. You can order later."

"..."

The clerk took my meal voucher without saying a word.

Fortunately, it seemed like a group of customers had just left the store, probably because it was past the commuting time for office workers. Only Yui and I were sitting at the bar.

As for Yuihama—

"Oh—um—oh…"

She seemed more interested in the store's interior decor than the menu, looking around curiously.

"So what did you order?"

"A huge bowl of authentic tsukemen."