Even with chuunibyou, let's learn together!

Page 333

I can't reveal that I've been to this shop. If I do, May might find out that I was there when Ichika and Yotsuba stayed out overnight, and that would be a disaster.

"Yes, this is my first time here,"

Hayakawa feigned anticipation: "Oh, it looks delicious."

"I'm such a hypocrite," Hayakawa thought to himself.

"I knew you'd like it."

Without a shred of suspicion, May pulled Hayakawa into the shop.

Does it matter if I don't like it? You'll drag me in anyway.

Hayakawa looked somewhat resigned, but he could only follow May to his seat.

"Two people."

In May, she said something to the waiter who came over, and since there was an empty seat nearby, she took her breakfast and went to the seat.

"Hayakawa-san, this is your first time here, so you probably don't know how to order. Let me help you order."

As soon as May sat down, she smiled at Hayakawa and said, "I'll send you the menu. Just tell me what you want to eat."

"No need, just give me a bowl of plain noodles."

Hayakawa refused; he had eaten somen noodles the last time he came, and he wanted to do the same this time.

"Eh?"

May was slightly taken aback, blinked, and asked, "Hayakawa-kun, how did you know this shop had somen noodles?"

Hayakawa's expression froze for a moment before he explained, "Don't most Japanese ramen shops have somen noodles? I just said it offhand."

"really?"

May tilted her head, finding the reason strange. As a famous food critic, she had been to many ramen shops and had never heard of such a convention.

However, May didn't mind and instead suggested, "Are you sure it's just vegetarian noodles? That's too simple. It's my treat, you can order something else. There are many delicious options. Take a look and decide."

"Uh…"

Hayakawa hesitated for a moment, but decided to go along with May: "I don't know which ones are better. If you're a regular customer, you can decide for me."

"Okay, then come sit here."

Upon hearing this, May immediately made way for Hayakawa to sit next to her so the two of them could study together.

"..."

Hayakawa remained silent for a long time before finally getting up and sitting down next to May, turning her head to look at the menu with her. Hayakawa then saw that familiar noodle name again.

"Classic soy sauce pork bone..."

"Kobe beef back fat..."

"French-style rich cheese dip..."

"A generous amount of chopped green onions covered the spicy ramen..."

"Seared salmon and raw egg noodles..."

Mapo tofu ramen?

Why are there several new models compared to last time?

Hayakawa was immediately filled with confusion; the strangeness of these new ramen dishes was comparable to the names of the drinks that Ichika and Yotsuba had ordered before.

I'm losing my appetite more and more.

Except for that Mapo Tofu Ramen.

Hayakawa glanced silently at the trendy new ramen shop marked in red, a subtle curiosity stirring within him.

What kind of flavor would you create if you paired spicy tofu with ramen noodles?

"Hayakawa-kun, would you like to try this new one?"

Nakano Satsuki noticed Hayakawa's gaze, blushed, and said, "Actually, I really wanted to order this too. I really care about the taste of the tofu and noodles. But there are several other new flavors that I want to try, but it's so hard to choose between the old ones. Ahhh, it's so hard to decide..."

"..."

"I think you can make this decision easily."

Hayakawa thought for a moment, then suddenly noticed something, looked up at the doorway, and exclaimed in realization.

May was a little confused, so she followed his gaze and saw a wooden sign standing upright at the entrance of the shop.

"Every Thursday is a ramen eating contest. Whoever can eat a large bowl of ramen within half an hour gets a free meal."

"Well…"

Nakano Satsuki clutched her chest as if her heart had been struck, her face flushed with shame and anger. She looked at Hayakawa with a pitiful expression and said, "Hayakawa-san, is that how you see me? I'm not that cute at all!!"

As she spoke, the girl's eyes reddened, and she looked like she was about to cry if Hayakawa couldn't explain it to her.

"..."

So what if?

I never see you stop eating at school. Your schoolbag and desk are like Doraemon's four-dimensional pocket, from which you can pull out all kinds of snacks anytime, anywhere, and eat them from morning till night. Whenever I see you in the classroom during breaks, you are either studying, eating, or studying and eating at the same time. There are only three possibilities.

Actually, it wouldn't be a big deal if it were just that, and it wouldn't be a problem to eat a little more. After all, many people say that snacks are stored in a girl's other stomach, and it's okay to eat less at meals. But May didn't eat any less at meals either. Hayakawa accidentally passed by the five sisters' table a few times and saw May's lunch, and was immediately shocked.

The rice bowl was specially filled with pork chops and chicken legs, along with tempura and sakura shrimp, a small plate of grilled fish, raw clam salad and seaweed salad, a glass of iced orange juice, and then a cake as dessert?!

To be honest, that's more than Hayakawa eats in a day.

A lunch intake that exceeds that of a normal person, plus a snack intake that far exceeds that of a normal person, is equivalent to being a glutton.

So, the reason why May liked this ramen shop so much, besides the good taste, was not because of the big eater challenge. Hayakawa doesn't believe it at all.

"I would never participate in this eating contest!"

May looked at Hayakawa's suspicious gaze and said loudly and irritably, as if she were making a decision to herself.

Then stop looking at that sign so often. Your eyes are clearly red and you're trying to pretend to cry, but why do you still have that slightly tempted look on your face?

So you're reacting this way because you can't attend today. If you could attend, and if it were Thursday, you probably would have already slammed your fist on the table and begged the waiter to bring it up quickly.

Hayakawa silently complained in his heart, but said aloud, "I know, so hurry up and order."

"Oh fine."

Although May was still a little unwilling, feeling that Hayakawa had misunderstood her, she decided to prioritize eating.

So the two of them ordered food together.

……

Hayakawa doesn't have trouble making decisions, so he ordered quickly. He chose Mapo Tofu Ramen, which piqued his curiosity, so he decided to buy a bowl to try.

In May, she hesitated for a long time between the conservatives and the reformers, but in the end she did not choose the new items. Instead, she chose the classic tonkotsu, which she used to always eat. In addition, she added a tonkotsu chashu, a side dish that went well with the ramen, a drink with a strange name, and cream pudding for dessert.

The entire process is seamless, with a main dish, side dishes, drinks, and dessert. It's a classic May set meal, but all together it's a super carb bomb. High school girls who want to lose weight would probably back away if they saw this combination, and it's impossible for ordinary people not to gain weight after eating it.

However, this was just an ordinary day in May...

Hayakawa looked down at the meal in front of her, then looked up at May's slightly round face, and once again understood why May was the undisputed weight of the five sisters.

"Hayakawa-san, hasn't yours arrived yet?"

Looking at the steaming, oily, and very appetizing dish in front of her, May couldn't help but rub her hands together expectantly. She even took out her chopsticks, only to find that Hayakawa's noodles hadn't arrived yet. Although she really wanted to eat, she held back out of politeness.

"...Eat whatever you want, don't worry about me."

"Well... I'll start eating!"

Nakano Satsuki, who had been unable to contain herself any longer, picked up her chopsticks and started eating without any formality, and then quickly revealed a happy expression.

How wonderful! Such a simple child can be so happy just by eating his favorite food.

Mature adults like myself have many more things to consider.

"Ugh…"

Hayakawa sighed inwardly, just as he saw a waiter carrying a tray walking toward him from a short distance away.

"One serving of Mapo Tofu Ramen".

The waiter walked over and placed a bowl of bright red, spicy, and fragrant ramen in front of Hayakawa.

"What is this...?"

Hayakawa frowned slightly as he looked at the chili peppers floating in the hot soup and smelled the intensely spicy aroma.

Is Mapo Tofu Ramen really this spicy? And isn't it supposed to be Mapo Tofu? Where's the tofu? I can't see any white tofu at all.

Hayakawa used his chopsticks to pick at the chili peppers in the soup, finally managing to pick out a few pieces of tofu that were completely stained red.

This can hardly be called tofu; it's more like Mapo Chili!

Hayakawa's face darkened, and he lost his appetite.

Actually, he's not exactly good at eating spicy food, or maybe he just can't eat spicy food at all. If you think about it, his usual diet is simple and plain, like that of a high-ranking monk. He only drinks pure water and tea, and his meals are usually just plain bread without any sweetness, just to fill his stomach. Excluding the food he ate in Hokkaido, before coming to this ramen shop for somen noodles, the most strongly flavored thing Hayakawa had ever eaten was actually Ogata Riju's udon noodles, which were sweet and savory.

How could someone like that possibly eat spicy food? His sense of taste is so sensitive that he can detect even the slightest hint of saltiness.

How could it be made like this?

Hayakawa couldn't help but glance back at the menu. After a closer look, he noticed a small label at the bottom of the picture of the Mapo Tofu Ramen: Extra Spicy.

Hayakawa was so angry when he saw this that he wanted to flip the table: Such a small hint was clearly meant to prevent anyone from noticing!

"..."

After a long silence, Hayakawa decided not to waste food and to finish the bowl of noodles properly.

There was no way around it, because he was not just an ordinary, highly intelligent, and exceptionally talented top student, but also a young man of noble character and integrity. He couldn't bring himself to waste food.

"Hayakawa-kun, this looks a little spicy..."

May, who had been busy stuffing ramen into her mouth, only then noticed the strange, bright red liquid in front of Hayakawa and said with a subtle expression, "You, you should be able to eat spicy food, right?"

"It's ok."

Hayakawa said expressionlessly, possessing an iron will. For others, it was just a bowl of slightly spicy ramen; even if a red-hot iron were stuffed into his mouth, Hayakawa could remain silent.

Hayakawa took a bite, but the next moment, his movements froze.

"..."

Hayakawa's body trembled slightly, his face visibly flushed, and he pursed his lips tightly, remaining silent.

This... is indeed a bit difficult to handle.

Hayakawa silently put down his chopsticks, squinting his eyes as he endured the pain.

As for whether this bowl of noodles is delicious or not, it is definitely delicious. The perfectly seasoned spicy broth and tender tofu, along with the flavorful ramen noodles and minced meat, make it a top-notch enjoyment for those who love spicy food.

However, it can be quite unbearable for people who can't handle spicy food.

However, Hayakawa is someone who can't eat spicy food at all.

The moment the noodles, still dripping with broth, entered his mouth, Hayakawa felt a fiery sensation instantly fill his entire mouth and throat. When that burning, bitter feeling arrived, Hayakawa even felt a strange chill, causing his body to shiver. Then came the pain in his throat and tongue. Although it wasn't the exaggerated fire-breathing scene from anime, it was still quite unbearable.

"May, I'm a little embarrassed... could you please get me a glass of water?"

Hayakawa slowly lowered his head, wincing in pain, "Ouch... I want it a little cooler."

"Ahhhhh..."

Startled by Hayakawa's flushed face, May stammered for a while before suddenly noticing the drink beside her. She quickly picked it up and handed it to Hayakawa, saying, "If you don't mind, drink this first."

"Many thanks."

In a moment of urgency, Hayakawa didn't care whether May had drunk the beverage before, and drank more than half of it in one gulp. The cool sweetness instantly soothed the heat, making him feel much better, and his eyes became clear.

"Hayakawa-kun, wait here, I'll go get you some ice water right now."

Seeing that Hayakawa's complexion had improved, May quickly stood up and ran towards the front desk.

She returned shortly afterward with a glass filled with liquid, but instead of ice water, it was iced milk.

"Drink this, milk is the best way to relieve the spiciness,"

May hurriedly handed the milk to Hayakawa: "This is still cold."

"It helped a lot."