The ramen shop fell into a temporary silence.
Finally, Fujiwara Chika was the first to speak, breaking the quiet.
"Junior Tanaka is bullying me."
This time, she lacked her usual energy; her tone was full of grievance, with a hint of a crying voice.
Her large eyes stared at Tanaka Masao, with moisture welling up, ready to cry at any moment.
Looking at Fujiwara Chika, Tanaka Masao knew he had gone a little too far.
If Fujiwara Chika was angry like a storm, it was probably fake anger.
But if it was this kind of quiet, silent anger, then it was real anger.
"Sorry, I was just joking. Here, I'll give it back to you."
Tanaka Masao quickly put the chashu and egg back into her bowl before Fujiwara Chika could cry.
"Can you forgive me now?"
"Hmph, no way."
Fujiwara Chika turned her head away; although she saw the chashu and egg returned, she would not forgive him so easily. How could he tease her like that?
Hearing the change in her tone, Tanaka Masao breathed a sigh of relief.
The problem was basically solved; he just needed to tie up loose ends.
"Here, this is for Fujiwara-senpai. Please forgive me, Senpai."
With that, Tanaka Masao placed his own egg into Fujiwara Chika's bowl.
Fujiwara Chika, who had her arms crossed, her head turned, and her eyes closed in anger, opened one eye to look at the situation in her bowl.
A "Senpai" combined with half an egg completely defused Fujiwara Chika's anger.
But she still feigned unhappiness and said,
"Fine, since I'm a Senpai, I'll forgive you this time."
The small interlude ended, and not only did the atmosphere around Tanaka Masao become light and pleasant again,
Ota Jima Saburo and the shop owner also both breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
Ota Jima Saburo: [Consoling her with his own egg? Young man, you have a lot of guts, but this way you won't be able to perfectly enjoy the deliciousness of a bowl of ramen.]
Just as he shook his head in regret, he saw the ramen shop owner hand a small plate to Tanaka Masao.
Inside, there was half an egg.
"Compliments of the house."
After saying this, the ramen shop owner nodded to Tanaka Masao and then fell silent again.
Ota Jima Saburo saw this scene and nodded, sighing in his heart.
[I see, a complimentary egg? This way, the ramen returns to its perfect state.
As expected of a ramen shop owner, he's a true professional.]
....
Tanaka Masao was unaware of the subtleties; for him, half an egg truly didn't matter.
However, since the owner offered it, he gladly accepted and thanked him.
"Oh, thank you, Boss."
He placed the egg in his bowl, ensuring it was submerged in the ramen broth, which would make it more flavorful, and it was his favorite way.
Just then, Fujiwara Chika began to call out to him.
"Junior Tanaka, look, look."
Fujiwara Chika held chopsticks in one hand and a spoon in the other.
The spoon contained some ramen, along with a small amount of toppings and broth.
"Mini ramen, isn't it cute?"
Looking at the small spoon, Tanaka Masao shook his head helplessly.
"It is cute. I used to eat like this when I was little."
"What, are you saying I'm a child?"
Fujiwara Chika was a little unconvinced.
"Junior Tanaka doesn't understand at all. Mini ramen, which allows you to taste the entire bowl of ramen in one bite, is both one and all, an ultimate state."
These words made the other two people in the shop nod in agreement.
As if to confirm her statement, Fujiwara Chika opened her mouth wide and took the entire spoon in one bite.
"Oishii! (Delicious!)"
Fujiwara Chika's eyes narrowed in happiness.
Seeing this, Tanaka Masao swallowed.
For some reason, he suddenly felt his desire to eat ramen increase.
"Hontou ni? (Really?) I'll try it too."
Saying that, Tanaka Masao also mimicked Fujiwara Chika, made a mini ramen, and put it in his mouth to chew.
Fujiwara Chika, while preparing her next mini ramen, watched Tanaka Masao, and after he swallowed what was in his mouth, she asked,
"How is it? Isn't it delicious?"
Tanaka Masao nodded.
"The flavor is very rich, but eating it this way is a bit too troublesome, and it takes a long time, so the noodles will become soft and won't taste good."
To this, Fujiwara Chika showed a confident smile.
"Hmph hmph hmph~, I was prepared. I ordered the hardest noodles, so this won't happen."
"Fujiwara-senpai is very experienced."
Tanaka Masao praised her.
"But, I still prefer to…"
Saying that, Tanaka Masao used his chopsticks to pick up a large amount of ramen and very boldly slurped it all into his mouth.
He chewed it briefly and then swallowed.
"Eating ramen this way is truly satisfying."
After saying that, he took another bite of half a chashu.
Both his mouth and stomach were deeply satisfied.
As if infected by Tanaka Masao, Fujiwara Chika also, not to be outdone, put down her spoon, picked up ramen with her chopsticks, and began to slurp.
The two ate the ramen and its toppings quickly, as if in a competition, occasionally picking up their bowls to drink a mouthful of soup.
The whole scene suddenly became heated.
Listening to the slurping sounds, Ota Jima Saburo's hand, holding ramen, paused in mid-air.
He now considered himself a ramen expert, striving for ultimate perfection in every step (see comments section, not adding extra words to the main text).
He watched the two slurping ramen with delight, his gaze gradually becoming distant, as the sound brought him back to his memories.
[This way of eating doesn't conform to ramen aesthetics at all, but...]
[I also had such a time.]
He recalled his school days, using his limited pocket money to occasionally visit a ramen shop with his friends, enjoying ramen to the fullest.
A tear slipped from the corner of his eye.
[I... how did I become an old man like this?]
[The shackles of work and life have bound me, making me unconsciously adhere to convention, even pursuing so-called perfection when eating ramen.]
[But ramen is meant to be enjoyed. What's the point of all these rules and regulations?]
[Anyone who truly enjoys ramen is a ramen expert.]
As if he had comprehended some truth, Ota Jima Saburo took off his suit jacket.
He also mimicked the two of them and began to slurp ramen loudly.
[Run, this youth, this is the glory I lost.]
....
On the other side, having eaten a lot of noodles and drunk a lot of soup,
Tanaka Masao felt a bit greasy and reached for the garlic, preparing to cut through the richness.
Suddenly, he felt his hand touch something.
He looked up and saw it was Fujiwara Chika; she was also reaching for the garlic at the same time.
Through the steam in front of his eyes,
He could see that Fujiwara Chika had fine beads of sweat on her forehead and her cheeks were a little flushed because she was eating so quickly.
She happened to look up at that moment and met his gaze, her blue eyes revealing confusion.
When cuteness and charm appear simultaneously on a girl's face, her lethality to men is unquestionable.
Tanaka Masao felt his heart suddenly clench.
His outstretched hand recoiled as if shocked, and he spoke, a little flushed,
"Fujiwara-senpai, you first."