My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 722

If you want to get to a well-known ramen shop from our school, you definitely need to walk towards the station.

Although it's only now that this is being mentioned, Chiba is a ramen kingdom with ramen shops competing everywhere. Just saying "eat ramen" gives you countless choices.

Therefore, now is the time for a cognitive survey.

"What would you like to eat? Large portions, oily, light, salty, soy sauce, miso, tonkotsu, chicken broth, fish, extra spicy, vegetable soup, other variations... well, there are many kinds."

In short, let's start by giving some examples and using easy-to-understand classifications to figure out Yukinoshita's preferences. Even if I were to use terms like "family lineage" or "Jiro Inspire note" now, she probably wouldn't understand. Yukinoshita tilted her head several times as I said this.

Translator's note: These are two schools of ramen. The former is characterized by a rich tonkotsu soy sauce, while the latter is characterized by a large amount of vegetables and pork.

"I'm not really sure, so something ordinary will do..."

"It's just normal..."

Hmm, if that's what she says, then it's a bit tricky. I felt like Kitaro Nishida walking on the path of philosophy, arms crossed, pondering as I continued on.

Translator's note: Japanese modern philosopher

"Well, if we're talking about regular ramen, the first thing that comes to mind is traditional soy sauce ramen called Chinese buckwheat ramen. It's the kind that appears in the Showa-era Chinatown in Ozu Note's movies... a soy sauce broth with chicken bones and instant noodles. The toppings are things like char siu, bamboo shoots, and green onions. Speaking of which, lately there have been a lot of high-end soy sauce ramen made with domestic chicken, brand-name soy sauce, thin noodles from well-known manufacturers, premium char siu, handmade bamboo shoots, and the medicinal flavor of Kujo Green Onion Note. It's a bit difficult to categorize these two types of ramen together. According to the current classification, it feels like it could be considered part of the elegant category, but whether it can be considered regular ramen is another question..."

Translator's note: Refers to Japanese film director Yasujiro Ozu.

Translator's note: A type of Japanese scallion

"Wait, wait a minute."

My coat hem was suddenly tugged, and I stopped in my tracks, speechless. What's wrong? I was still thinking... When I looked over, I saw tears glistening in the snow, her hands stroking her arms.

"You were muttering too fast, I didn't hear anything... What was that just now, chanting? It was so terrifying, it felt like something out of a dream..."

Even Yukinoshita, who's not very good at dealing with supernatural things, gave this example; she must be really scared. I'm sorry. Shall we sleep together with Mr. Pan tonight?

"Oh no, speaking in standard Mandarin is the hardest part."

I made an excuse, sighed deeply, walked quickly forward, and then turned back.

"What about Tianxia Yipin? Didn't we go there together before?"

I was a little surprised that Yukinoshita could name the ramen shop. Hiratsuka-sensei took us there during our school trip after sneaking out of the hotel. She must remember that, right?

It's nice to be immersed in the soup and the memories.

However, there is a big problem.

"Chiba City has no unparalleled masters..."

A muffled sound was squeezed out.

Perhaps the sound was too sorrowful, for Yukinoshita also showed a worried expression.

"Ah... I think I mentioned that before."

"Ah, Chiba has always been described as a barren land of unparalleled beauty..."

Although I've heard they used to run a shop, they've always been completely estranged from Tianxia Yipin. While the world celebrates Tianxia Yipin's anniversary on October 1st, only Chiba remains silent.

But, but.

"...But at least Kashiwa Note finally has a store."

Translator's note: Kashiwa City is located in the northwestern part of Chiba Prefecture.

In this way, we can respond to the message written in the noodle bowl, "We'll be waiting for you tomorrow too"... My heart was surging with joy, and when I looked up, I saw that Yukinoshita was also smiling.

Translator's note: This phrase is written on the inside of the bowls at Tianxia Yipin.

"Eh...but Kashiwa might be a bit far from here."

"That's true..."

To people outside of Chiba Prefecture, it may all be "Chiba," but in reality, living and cultural circles are related to the region.

The area around Makuhari, Inage, and Chiba stations where we live can be considered the Chiba City cultural sphere, or more accurately, the Sobu Line cultural sphere. On the other hand, Kashiwa and Matsudo belong to the Joban Line cultural sphere. Although both are in Chiba Prefecture, they aren't actually close; they're not particularly connected, more like distant hometowns. While both have some of the prefecture's best shopping districts, there's a special feeling of "I can manage here, or I'll go to Tokyo..." Things might change once I get my driver's license, but I'll probably just go straight to Tenka Ippin in Tokyo then.

However, now is not the time to deepen our understanding of Chiba's geopolitics or prepare for the upcoming Chiba prefectural gubernatorial election.

As we walked and talked, we unknowingly arrived at the station. We needed to decide where to go, otherwise we wouldn't know which train to take.

"If there's nothing you can't eat, then I'll pick one."

Hearing me say that, Yukino put her finger to her lips, thinking. Then, as if she had thought of something, she opened her mouth slightly.

"You, you always say... 'confidence'? That's fine there."

Oh, another unexpected choice. But of course, I have no problem with it; as the (self-proclaimed) Goodwill Ambassador of Chengzhu, I'd be very welcoming. The problem is, it might be a bit far from Yukinoshita's house.

"...It's a bit far from here. Taking the express line would only take two stops, but it's a long way back. Well, taking the express line back won't take that long either."

"Then there's no problem."

Yukino nodded to indicate her decision and strode towards the station. Before that, she seemed to be speaking softly, as if she didn't want anyone to hear her.

"...Because it's better if it's farther away."

She added quietly, then quickly left.

Well, I was planning to have it delivered to my home anyway, so it doesn't matter.

I didn't say anything, but instead exhaled with a smile.

The farther away it is, the longer it will take.

It doesn't matter how long it takes.

× × ×

Dengdeng.

A huge orange banner hung down facing the road, and the words "Rich Ramen Master" written in black letters shone brightly under the lights.

Normally there would already be a queue outside the store, but since it was dusk and neither lunch nor dinner time, we were able to go straight inside because we arrived between the two peak hours.

Yukinoshita stood in front of the ticket machine, deep in thought. She stared intently at the words on each button, as if trying to devour them, making soft "eh" or "oh" sounds after each one.

"Is this your first time? Just order the most basic soy sauce ramen, okay?"

"Yes, everything starts with the basics... Let's order miso next time."

She nodded vigorously and pressed the "Soy Sauce Ramen" button. Deciding on the next dish so quickly is very much in Yukinoshita's style. I followed suit and chose the same "Soy Sauce Ramen." If I had extra money, I would also order a spicy scallion oil egg, but I'll hold off for today.

Having received our meal tickets, we headed to the seats against the wall near the counter, which were still empty. Once inside, Yukinoshita, perhaps intrigued by the ramen shop, looked around with her mouth slightly open.

I left my seat once during the meal and took two portions of water from the water dispenser. Yukino seemed to remark with a sigh, "Oh, so there's this too," and nodded.

She was still leaning back and forth on the round stool, looking from the kitchen floor to the ceiling, as if trying to observe everything. I couldn't help but smile wryly at her childlike antics. Seeing her so happy made me, who had brought her along, feel very relaxed.

"Your order is..."

The clerk suddenly shouted loudly, and I handed the meal ticket to the counter. Yukinoshita quickly did the same.

"How much oil should I use?"

The moment she was asked that question, Yukinoshita froze. "Oil... oil?" She seemed to be trembling with fear at the word "oil." She glanced nervously at the bowl of ramen that the customer had returned to his seat after getting his ramen, her expression hardening even more. Well, seeing so much lard for the first time would definitely make one hesitant.

"I want something light here."

After I answered for her, her eyes darted around nervously, and she asked, "Is...is everything alright?" I nodded to her to reassure her. Yukinoshita also slightly raised her chin to indicate that she understood.

So, although I wanted to use professional terms like "red" and "cluck" to order, I held back and just said "cluck cluck" in a normal way.

Translator's note: The two instances of "ギタ" and "ギタギタ" in the original text describe a lot of oil.

I was wondering if there would be anyone shouting "Welcome!" today when I peeked into the kitchen, but someone tugged at my sleeve.

Translator's note: The original text is "らっせ！".

"What's wrong?"

I leaned down into the snow, and she whispered in my ear.

"What is 'clucking'?"

"The amount of lard. To say it's light means a normal amount, to say it's average means a lot, and to say it's 'crunchy' means an excessive amount. Although there are also 'super crunchy' amounts, those make the whole soup feel like it's full of oil."

"I see, so Japanese isn't widely spoken here. There should be an interpreter or a 'Japanese Dictionary' should be compiled..."

"It sounds like an English-Japanese dictionary..."

Yukinoshita seemed struck by my hasty explanation and began to think about it with great interest. Speaking of which, the *Nichijoji Dictionary* seems pretty good… I hope we can work on the *Nichijoji Dictionary* together… that would further my learning of Narutake.

As I thought this over, I glanced at the kitchen, feeling that it should be almost ready. I leaned slightly forward and whispered to Yukinoshita.

"If you have something like a hair tie, it's easier to tie your hair up while eating."

"Indeed. Thank you."

Yukino nodded and took a small makeup bag from her handbag, placing it on her lap. At first glance, it seemed to contain various hair styling items. Yukino took out a pink hair tie. Suddenly, she felt like she'd seen this hair tie somewhere before. A simple hair tie with no decorative function; it looked like something she'd bought for Christmas sometime… Ah, was that the one she bought?

As I stared intently, Yukino tied her hair tie very close to her head, binding her long, vibrant black hair into a single ponytail. Her hand movements were incredibly graceful, and her slender, pale neck, usually unseen, captivated me. Truly, she looks good in anything.

Yukino noticed I was staring at her and asked with her eyes, "What's wrong?" I gently shook my head and looked away. How could I possibly say something like, "She's so cute, I accidentally got lost in thought"? Luckily, my gaze landed on Yukino's makeup bag. I'll just pretend I've been looking at that!

"You always carry this much stuff with you, don't you?"

That's all.

As Yukinoshita said this, she seemed to be hiding it, putting her makeup bag into her handbag. Then she reached for the pink hair tie at the base of her ponytail.

"Moreover, because it's something very important, I always carry it with me."

She stroked her long, black hair and the hairband, blushing. Seeing her use the hair tie in front of me made me embarrassed too. If I didn't restrain myself, my face would sag.

Well, the preparations up to this point are already perfect. We should also be prepared for the end.

"Excuse me, could you please provide two paper aprons?"

I made this request to the shop assistant, who quickly shouted "Welcome!" and handed it to me. I gave one to Yukino, who thanked me quietly and put it on immediately. Although I don't usually wear this, it wouldn't be right if I was the only one not wearing it, so I casually buttoned up a few buttons. Seeing me do this, Yukino suddenly patted me on the shoulder.

"Oh, oh, what's wrong?"

"Go to the back."

I hesitated for a moment, and Yukinoshita pressed down on my shoulder, causing the chair to spin around. This put my upper body facing away from Yukinoshita, and she unbuttoned the buttons I had casually fastened.

Then, tie it back on carefully.

"Hey."

Finally, pull it tight. With a mischievous snapping sound, each button was securely fastened.

"It's too tight! It's too tight! You're using too much force!"

I patted my neck, and Yukinoshita smiled mischievously, loosening her grip slightly. What's going on? This person is so cute, does she have some grudge against me...? It seems like she does! I already guessed.

Thinking this, I looked at Yukinoshita with resentment, but she smiled happily as she looked at the bowl of noodles that was brought from the kitchen.

Finally, we had two bowls of ramen in front of us.

Even under the snow, she didn't forget to take out her phone to take pictures...and finally got to taste it!

She picked up her chopsticks and said in a serious, low voice, "I'm starting to eat." She first scooped up a little soup with a spoon and took a sip.

In an instant, Yukinoshita's movements froze.

She suddenly looked up, wiped her mouth with a napkin, her luscious lips parted slightly, and glanced at me sideways.

"...A revolutionary kind of deliciousness!"

"Right?"

Yukinoshita nodded, picked up a noodle with her chopsticks, pursed her lips, blew on it, and then put it in her mouth.

Seeing how naturally she ate, I felt relieved and started eating too.

Please record this delicious flavor—oil—on the moon.

It really tastes delicious...

× × ×

It was dusk, some time before the evening rush hour. We boarded the tram, which would take a considerable amount of time and stopped at every station, and began our journey home.

You can occasionally see people in formal attire, but the numbers are definitely not large. Perhaps there are more on express lines.

However, as the trams, which stopped at each station, moved further and further away from Tokyo, passengers gradually disembarked, and the trams became somewhat empty.

"It's so delicious..."