We ate dinner at 7:00 PM. It's that awkward hour where you're just about to go to bed, but your stomach is feeling a bit empty.
"...I'm not really in the mood for sweets."
I have a small stash of snacks in my room. Potato chips, chocolate, candy... well, I eat those during work too.
When I'm doing paperwork, I get an uncontrollable craving for something sweet. Maybe because I eat them while working, I've grown tired of them.
Still, I've certainly become spoiled—getting bored of sweets.
"......But I cannot win against my desires."
I wander out of my room and head toward the kitchen of the inn.
This place serves as the representative housing, but to us, it's already home. There are still empty rooms, but I've mostly memorized the floor plan.
As for the kitchen, it's usually Aslin, Filia, Labyris, or Yuki doing the cooking. It's not that the rest of us can't cook, but honestly, the food made by Aslin or Yuki is just better. It's a matter of the right person for the right job.
That being said, it's not like I can't fix something myself. Usually, there's miso soup and rice kept ready. Maybe some rice balls and seaweed will do?
"Oh?"
"Mm?"
"Hoeh?"
At the corner leading to the kitchen, I run into Derieu and Riel.
I get the feeling they're here for the same reason... but—
"......"
"......"
"......"
For some reason, we fall into silence.
Yeah, it's that awkward atmosphere where no one wants to be the first to speak up.
"Oya? What are you three doing?"
"Isn't it the same as us?"
"Ah, it smells so good."
Ratz, Eris, and Tori approach from the other direction.
"...Exactly. I was feeling a bit hungry myself," Derieu admits.
"...Me too."
"...And me."
"What, are you all checking each other out?"
It couldn't be helped; that's just how the mood felt.
"Well, with this many of us, should we just make a proper meal of it?"
"I suppose. It would take too much time if we all made something individually."
"What were you all planning to eat?"
"...I was going to check the fridge first."
"Me too."
"Didn't you all follow the delicious smell?"
Only Tori seems to be on a different page.
"...A delicious smell? I don't smell anything."
"I don't either."
"Nor I."
"Well, Tori is a Wolf-kin, so her sense of smell is much sharper, right?"
"Then someone might be making something in the kitchen already. I'm going to go see if I can get a share."
Chatting away, we enter the kitchen to find......
"Oh? Were you all called here too?"
"Hello, everyone."
Inside were Seraria-sama and Elju-sama.
Along with their guards, Oriel and Qual.
"Called here? What do you mean? We just..."
Just as Ratz starts to answer Seraria-sama's question......
"Ah—everyone's over here!!"
"Nii-sama is waiting for you too~!!"
"...It's ready. Oh, everyone is here?"
The trio of little ones pops out from a strange door in the kitchen.
"...Whatever. Yuki will be happy. Come this way."
Labyris disappears behind the strange door.
We follow her and find a room with a counter like a tavern and several tables.
......Also, it smells a bit like animals.
But, it's an appetite-whetting smell?
"Oh, you're here, Seraria... wait, everyone's here. Being in the kitchen, I take it you're all a bit hungry?"
Yuki correctly guesses our state of mind with ease.
"Spot on. So, what is this aroma?"
"Well, find out once you're seated at the counter."
"It's delicious!!"
"Nii-sama worked really hard on this!!"
"...Yuki gets weirdly obsessed with the details," Labyris adds.
For now, we all take a seat at the counter as instructed.
"Alright, there are a lot of you, but I won't make the same mistake as last time!! Ramen is just a matter of adding the soup and boiling the noodles!!"
Yuki says this while moving with incredible speed, doing all sorts of things.
"Here you go. Tonkotsu Ramen. Toppings are just green onions and chashu pork."
"Wait, is this ramen?"
"Umm, like the cup ramen stuff?"
"Oh, the kind you make with hot water?"
"Why did you go through all the trouble of making it from scratch?"
As everyone says, we don't understand why Yuki went through the effort of making ramen by hand. We have perfectly delicious cup ramen that's so much easier......
"Silence!! This is different from the cups! Completely different!! Experience the taste of fresh ingredients!!"
What could be the difference?
Isn't all ramen the same......?
Slurp.
The sound echoes through the room.
"......!!?"
"Oh my."
"Wow."
"...It's delicious."
"Heh, so food like this exists."
"It's refreshing, Chii-anesama."
It's delicious.
But it's a different kind of deliciousness than the cups.
What is it? Is it because it's handmade?
My hands won't stop. I keep moving my chopsticks to eat.
Ah, less than half of us are using forks. After seeing Yuki use chopsticks, everyone thought they looked convenient and practiced until they could use them.
"Now then, don't drink the soup yet. The real show starts now."
"Eh?"
At Yuki's statement, everyone stops drinking the soup.
Why? Once the noodles are gone, it's over, isn't it?
"Here we go. Kaedama (Extra noodles), firm!!"
With that, he tosses boiled noodles into everyone's soup-filled bowls.
"This is... a ramen refill!?"
Ratz' eyes widen in surprise.
Ah, I see. This way you can keep eating.
"Fufufu... How about that? Pretty great, right?"
"As expected of Onii-san. However, you're being naive! Newly boiled noodles contain water! That will thin the soup and ruin the flavor!! You won't get the true deliciousness that way!!"
I see, Ratz has a point. It does feel a bit thinner.
"You're the naive one, Ratz!! Look over there, there's something called 'Ramen Soy Sauce.' Add as much as you like."
Just as Yuki said, there are bottles placed at regular intervals along the counter.
Is this it? Ramen Soy Sauce?
I add as much as I think is right and try a bite.
"Ah, the flavor is rich again."
"Nugh... but doesn't this make it a different flavor than the ramen Onii-san served?"
"That's where you're wrong. Listen, the real fun of a kaedama begins after the refill. To what extent does the flavor thin, and how does the person eating adjust it—that is the true thrill of this ramen!!"
"What!? You leave the seasoning to the eater!?"
"Yeah. Well, the base of the soup is set, so it won't stray too far. You've got sesame seeds and pepper in front of you too, right? Making your own toppings is part of the fun."
Ratz and Yuki are deep in conversation, but none of that matters.
It's delicious.
"Refill."
"Right."
"Over here too."
"Coming right up."
In that manner, we all had refills......
"I'm so full......"
"This was only supposed to be a light snack......"
Everyone was slumped over the counter.
"Speaking of which, where's Milly? Onii-san, do you know? It's unlike her to miss a food event like this..."
Come to think of it, Milly isn't here. I wonder what happened.
"Ah, be careful. These noodle refills can be hard on the stomach. Milly probably ate too much and is currently making friends with the toilet."
