My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 117

Next up are the noodles. In the rich broth, the noodles are thin and straight, with just the right firmness, creating a wonderfully chewy texture.

"Mm, delicious."

I honestly shared my thoughts. Then, we both silently buried our heads in our soup bowls, savoring the delicious broth. The wood ear mushrooms and scallions seemed to dance on our tongues, adding even more flavor.

When we had eaten about a quarter of the noodles left, we asked the restaurant to add more noodles, and Mr. Hiratsuka took advantage of this moment to ask for more.

"Back to our previous topic..."

"Um?"

"About your obsession with cleanliness."

After the new noodles were served, we added pickled mustard greens first. Teacher Hiratsuka smiled broadly, probably enjoying the pleasure of controlling the flavors.

I think you'll be able to accept it someday.

"oh……"

As I added raw garlic to my noodles, I responded in a mumbled tone.

"Like this bowl of ramen."

The teacher proudly displayed her special Hiratsuka ramen recipe.

"When I was young, I thought pork bone soup was the best, and the broth had to be rich and fatty to be delicious. If the broth wasn't rich enough, I couldn't drink it at all. But as I've grown up, I've gradually become able to accept a lighter salty taste and soy sauce broth."

"Well, that's because you're getting old, teacher..."

"What did you say?"

"No……"

The teacher glared at me, maintained an unhappy expression for a while, and then suddenly put on a smile.

"It's alright, it's okay if you can't accept it now. If you can accept it someday in the future..."

She probably knew very well what was troubling and what questions I had, but she didn't offer me any clear answers at the moment, though I couldn't give her any right now either.

"Of course we can't accept everything. For example, I personally hate tomatoes and still don't dare to touch tomato-flavored ramen."

"The teacher hates tomatoes..."

"Hmm, I can't handle that texture that's neither too soft nor too hard, and that unique astringent taste."

Is she still a child? But I understand what she means. The tomato flesh and seeds are soft and mushy, and for someone who hates it, eating that stuff is like being tortured, and it even tastes a bit bloody.

"For similar reasons, I also dislike cucumbers."

"Ah, I'm not too good at making cucumbers either..."

I really like Kiyuu Ten (Note 39, a character from the manga "Guardian of the Moon"; the Japanese pronunciation of "Kiyuu" sounds similar to cucumber), and cucumber-flavored Pepsi.

"Speaking of cucumbers, whether they're in potato salad or sandwiches, they always have a gritty texture and they impart that flavor to everything else..."

If it's just a single cucumber, there are ways to avoid the taste, such as not touching it or eating it with miso. However, once it's sliced, it transforms into a demon, staining all food with its cucumber flavor. And its nutritional value isn't particularly high either. Is this thing the ultimate warrior of the vegetable world?

"I actually quite like pickles..."

Ms. Hiratsuka said something only an alcoholic would say, but I agree with her.

"I like it too."

Yes, pickled vegetables are indeed a wonderful thing, with an unparalleled refreshing taste. Most importantly, a dish of pickled vegetables can accompany several bowls of white rice, making for an incredibly blissful experience.

"..."

Our conversation abruptly ended, and a silence fell. I looked at Ms. Hiratsuka, puzzled, and found that she had fallen into a daze. She snapped out of it when our eyes met, and quickly drank the water in her glass in one gulp.

"Ah, you were talking about pickles, right? Yes, that's right, I... I really like them too."

"...Teacher, could you please not stutter so much? It's making me blush."

"W-What are you talking about! Come to think of it... what was I originally going to say...?"

Is this person really okay? Shouldn't we hurry up and start doing some 100-square grid math exercises (Note 40: fill in different numbers randomly in a 10x10 grid to create 100 math problems) to exercise our brains? Let's all work together to fight aging—that's the idea, but I only remember talking about tomatoes and cucumbers earlier.

Ms. Hiratsuka, in a great mood, started eating.

"Here, take this piece of char siu."

"Thank you. Then, I'll give my dried bamboo shoots to the teacher."

"Hehe, thanks."

"At your age, you should consume more dietary fiber."

"That sentence is redundant."

"it hurts!"

The teacher punched me on the head, and I could only eat my ramen while rubbing the sore spot. The teacher seemed to really like the food at this restaurant, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

"Since you recommended such a delicious ramen shop, I guess I'll have to find one to take you there too."

"Does the teacher have any recommended restaurants?"

"Yeah. When I was a student, I practically ate at every ramen shop in the Chiba area. But it might give people something to say if a teacher takes students out to eat all the time, so let's wait until you graduate before we go together."

"Oh, it's okay if the teacher doesn't need to go, just tell me where it is—"

Snapped!

A particularly loud cracking sound came from inside the noisy store.

"Oops, the chopsticks broke."

"Please be sure to take me with you..."

If you hold them normally, the chopsticks shouldn't have broken...

"Yeah, you can look forward to it."

Hiratsuka-sensei seemed very happy.

Going to eat ramen with other people is actually not bad.

Whether enjoyed alone or shared with others, ramen is delicious; it's undoubtedly the best food. I don't accept any other opinions.

FROM Hiratsuka Shizuka 22:43

TITLE nontitle

Thank you so much for today. I was a little surprised when you said you like ramen. I've conquered quite a few ramen shops myself, so you could call me a ramen connoisseur, ah, although I say conquer, I haven't bankrupted them (laughs). Regarding your promise to go ramen together after graduation, I think you'll go to the shops near the school by yourself, so if you want to go together, you can find a shop further away. So, let me share some ramen shops near your school and your home. First, speaking of famous shops near the school, it has to be "Toranoana". The richness of their broth is top-notch in the Chiba family. As for the noodles, although using Sakequan noodles has become the norm, they are still not to be underestimated. From the fact that the name of this shop doesn't include the word "family", you can tell that they have broken away from the old model and forged their own new path. Moreover, the ramen here goes very well with the white rice with toppings; if you eat it with the seaweed soaked in the broth, it's simply divine. In addition, I also recommend their shachizuki noodles. Speaking of another representative ramen shop in Chiba, it has to be "Masuda-ya". I'm more familiar with the Chiba branch, but they also have a branch in Haimen-Makuhari. Although their ramen is based on tonkotsu soy sauce, the flavor is different from other shops, and you can taste their dedication. Especially the onsen egg and chashu, which are either the best or second best in this area. They are also different from other ramen shops in that they have fried rice as an option on the menu. For a guy like Hikigaya, hearing that there is a ramen and fried rice set meal would be very exciting, right? (laughs) Besides, seeing red bean paste next to the tsukemen, doesn't it make you excited? Let me introduce another shop if you are going to Tokyo

FROM Hachiman22:51

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that……

FROM Hiratsuka Shizuka 23:20

TITLE Re2

Sorry, I accidentally sent it halfway through typing. If you're heading towards Tokyo, you absolutely can't miss "Narita-ya," you probably already know this place. Thick layers of back fat, extra-wide noodles, and a rich broth combine to create a miraculous balance, like the holy grail of Chiba ramen. Their main store is located in Tsudanama, with branches in Chiba and Hon-Hachiman. In recent years, they've expanded to Kinshicho, successfully entering the Tokyo market. Regarding the broth, I personally recommend a high fat content, or you can boldly ask for an extremely high fat content. I recall a famous saying: "Left side (meat) right side (fat) is for fat."* As for other nearby restaurants, I also recommend "KAIZAN." Their broth is made with pork bone broth, simmered until very flavorful, with an excellent balance of taste and fat, a perfect match for the medium-wide straight noodles. The thick slices of chashu also absorb the flavor, making it incredibly satisfying. And, most importantly, their green onions! Not only is it crisp and refreshing, but you can also taste the original sweetness and spiciness of green onions. It's truly the best condiment, suitable for both rice and noodles.

FROM Hachiman23:25

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I'm sorry, seeing how serious the teacher is, I'm actually a little scared...

FROM Hiratsuka Shizuka 23:29

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(ˊ;ω;ˋ)

*“旨い” means delicious.

Volume 5, Part 5: Suddenly, Komachi Hikigaya thought of the day she left her brother.

As we move into mid-August, the summer vacation atmosphere begins to fade.

The thought that my leisurely days were numbered filled me with gloom. I couldn't help but imitate the female ghost in "Bancho Sarayashiki" (Note 41: a ghost story about a ghost named Okiku counting plates), and began counting in a terrifying voice, "One day... two days... two months short..." If I had to say, I wish I could have three months of summer vacation.

With the mindset of counting down to the end of the world, I crossed out the calendar on the refrigerator. If I drew a circle on the calendar, I would become Takoyaki Superman (Note 42: Takoyaki Superman was originally a Japanese picture book, and the ending theme of the anime was called "Drawing Circles on the Calendar").

Summer vacation has about two weeks left. Are you using time travel?

Hey, this can't be real, right? Did you miscount the date? I counted the dates on the calendar again with my fingers, one by one. Just then, something suddenly moved closer to my feet.

"……What's the matter?"

It turned out to be my cat, Xiaoxue, who was looking at me with great displeasure.

After staring at each other for a few seconds, Xiaoxue snorted and lay down on the back of my feet. So annoying.

It probably wants me to pay more attention to it.

So, Komachi has been spending almost all her time with shortbread for the past two or three days... It seems that Koyuki is quite unhappy about this, and had no choice but to come to me.

I plopped down on the ground and started stroking Xiaoxue.

At first, stroke the cat's fur gently, starting from its head and moving towards its tail. After a while, Xiaoxue will purr, and then I will gently massage its toes.

Xiaoxue closed her eyes and made hissing sounds, it seemed she was really exhausted.

That makes sense, considering that Su Bing stayed with us for the past few days and chased after Xiao Xue all day long.

Crispy, with its typical small dog's energetic personality, is on full display in our home, running around the house all day long. And since it's probably the first time it's seen a cat, it shows great curiosity towards Snowy, constantly launching surprise attacks on it, as if to say, "Come play!" Whenever this happens, Snowy hides on top of the refrigerator, behind the wardrobe, or somewhere Crispy can't reach.

Most importantly, even Komachi, who usually takes such good care of it, had its cake and butter stolen, leaving it with no other choice but to come to me. I'm so sorry to have made you put up with having someone like me by your side.

"Alright, until the end of today, just bear with it and give Su Bing a break... after all, you're its older brother."

I relayed to Yuki exactly what my family had told me when I was a child. Although I don't know how old Sumiko is, Yuki has been with the Hikigaya family for a long time, so she is the eldest in terms of seniority.

When Xiaoxue heard what I said, she flicked her tail against the floor with a "thud" to express her resentment. I'm so sorry.

I continued to stroke its body, occasionally pinching its paws and scratching its belly. Just then, the living room door opened.

"Brother... Wow, what a strange combination."

I looked up and saw Komachi holding the shortbread in her arms. Wait a minute, I'm Yuki's owner, Yuki is my pet, what's so strange about that?

"I'm really good at getting along with cats."

"My brother is just like a feline."

I don't understand what Komachi was thinking to say something like that. Does she think I have a strong sense of territory? Anyway, let's interpret it as something positive for now.

"Yes, I am the king of beasts."

"Hmm...yes, that's right."

"Why are you suddenly silent? Don't look at me with those overly gentle eyes! Haven't you heard that male lions never work?"

"My brother truly is the king of beasts!"

"That's right, isn't it?"

I let out a smug chuckle, and the shortbread in Komachi's arms barked in agreement.

Xiao Xue, who was lying at my feet, immediately snorted when she heard the dog bark, then stood up, yawned like a cat bus, and slowly swayed away to another place.

As Xiaoxue left, her tail swayed left and right as if waving to me. I watched her go with a wry smile.

"So, what do you need?"

I stood up and asked Komachi, and she then remembered why she had come to see me.

"Oh, right, brother, can I borrow Komachi's smartphone for a moment?"

"Yes, that's possible... but what do you want to do?"

"I heard there's an app that translates dog language, which can detect dogs' barks and understand their moods."

"Oh? There's such a thing."

That sounds really convenient. I wonder if they'll ever release a translator for human language? After all, what people say doesn't necessarily represent their true feelings.

At Komachi's urging, I picked up my phone, which had been on the table, and swiped my finger across the screen to download the dog language translator she had mentioned. I also saw a cat language translator in the app list.

"Oh, brother, download the cat language translator while you're at it."

Yes~