Riena’s First Ramen
“This is my favorite ramen place—thought I’d take you somewhere special.”
The shop sat tucked into a lively corner of downtown, not too far from the love hotel Riena had been using as her base.
As soon as we stepped inside, I led Riena to one of the table seats.
Sure, plenty of guys think sitting at the counter is cooler, but for someone like me—who’s spent most of life as a background character—quiet corners are more my speed.
And besides, it was Riena’s first time having ramen. She’d be more comfortable taking her time.
But the moment she started scanning the menu, her expression turned deadly serious.
“Um, even though it’s just ramen, there seem to be so many kinds. You can pick the noodle firmness and soup richness, too… Hmmm…”
“Then why don’t you leave the order to me? I’ll customize it in a way I think you’ll really like.”
“Yes, please do. I have no idea what’s what. It’s like deciphering a foreign language.”
With her okay, I waved over a staff member and placed our order.
“I’ll take the Zenmashi Chomolungma. For her—let’s go with no oil, extra noodles and veggies, stronger flavor, and just a little garlic.”
“Certainly!”
“? That string of mysterious words—was that a spell? Or is my language blessing malfunctioning…?”
“That was how you customize ramen toppings. Ramen joints usually let you tweak it to your taste like that.”
“You can do all that with just that chant? That’s amazing!”
“It’s not a chant, I swear. Anyway, just wait till it gets here—you’ll see.”
“Okay! I’m really looking forward to it!”
A little while later, the ramen finally arrived at our table—steaming, stacked, and glorious.
“So this is ramen! Wow, I can tell it’s delicious just by looking at it!”
Riena’s eyes sparkled with open excitement—she couldn’t even pretend to stay calm.
As expected of someone who truly loves food, that reaction was classic Riena.
“Come on, don’t just stare at it. Dig in already—before the noodles get soggy.”
“You’re right. Here goes… fuu, fuu… hafuu…”
She clumsily wrangled the chopsticks but still managed to lift a bite of noodles into her mouth.
“So? How is it?”
“It’s… delicious…!”
A radiant smile bloomed across her face—like a sunflower turning toward the sun.
“Glad to hear it.”
“Truly delicious! It’s rich and full-bodied, but not overwhelming at all. The broth coats the noodles so perfectly—it’s like a whole new world was just born in my mouth!”
“Okay, slow down there, food critic. You sound like you’re quoting a gourmet manga.”
Her dramatic reaction made me laugh—I couldn’t help it.
“I’m not exaggerating at all! Even at the royal celebration after defeating Demon King Kanan, nothing tasted this good!”
“Well, ramen’s the kind of food that hits your taste buds straight-on. It’s junk food, yeah—but in a good way. Not exactly the refined stuff royal chefs whip up.”
“You’re one to talk—sounding just like a food critic yourself. But seriously… this is amazing. Oh! You should eat too, Hero-sama!”
“You being this happy makes it totally worth it. Alright, time for me to dig in too.”
Watching Riena slurp up noodles with that glowing smile of hers filled me with a quiet joy—as I lifted my chopsticks and dove into my mountain-high, fully-loaded bowl of ramen.