Just now
Ramen Jiro, Chiba Branch.
Although it isn't the most famous Mita main shop, being a Jiro-style ramen shop means it naturally inherits the style of a rich tonkotsu soy sauce broth, thick noodles, chunky pork, and a massive amount of vegetables.
Because of this, the shop is almost entirely filled with men; even when a woman occasionally enters, she is usually accompanying a male partner.
But in this environment, a pink silhouette suddenly dashed into the shop.
"Master, one bowl of tonkotsu ramen! Firm noodles, rich broth, double vegetables, heavy garlic, and extra back fat!" the girl ordered from the boss.
The regulars in the shop were all startled: That tongue-twister of an order... she's a pro!
Could it be the legendary ramen master, Koizumi?
No, that legendary master is supposedly blonde.
They exchanged silent glances.
"Tonkotsu ramen, firm noodles, rich broth, double veggies, heavy garlic, and extra back fat."
A moment later, the shop owner placed a bowl of ramen that was frankly a bit much for a woman in front of the girl: "If there aren't enough bean sprouts, you can add more."
"It looks delicious! Time to eat!"
The girl tied her hair into a crisp, high ponytail and carefully took off her ill-fitting black-rimmed glasses. She wrapped them preciouslly in a cloth, set them aside, and happily began enjoying her ramen.
While she was devouring her meal, two more girls entered the shop together.
"Ohh, so this is the rumored Jiro Ramen! It looks so tasty!" The orange-haired girl walking in front sniffed the thick aroma of the broth and spoke happily while drooling.
"Hana, maybe we should go to another shop..." The black-haired girl walking behind scanned the interior, her face turning pale. Her amber eyes betrayed a hidden terror as she lightly pulled on the other's sleeve.
"It's fine! If Miko can't finish it, just leave it all to me! Have faith in my stomach!"
"...It's not my stomach I'm worried about."
The black-haired girl looked like she was about to cry, but she was still pulled into a seat by her best friend, looking restless.
☆
Though it was sudden, Yotsuya Miko had recently gained the "Spirit Sight..." allowing her to see things ordinary people cannot.
Having been a normal person for the first half of her life, she had no idea what those incredibly distorted monsters were, but she was certain of one thing: if those monsters discovered she could see them, she would be finished.
So she could only endure her fear, pretending she couldn't see them, struggling to maintain her fragile daily life while on the brink of a breakdown.
Today was the same. She had been dragged into the ramen shop by her friend, only to see a giant over two meters tall roaming the shop, biting the heads of the customers one by one.
To an ordinary person, such an attack meant nothing—at most, a bit of dizziness or a slight fever.
But for her, who could see the monsters, that attack would definitely take effect. She might even have her head bitten off.
At the same time, she couldn't think of a way to pull her friend away without alerting the monster.
What should she do? If this continued, it would eventually be her turn to be eaten...
As the monster drew closer, Yotsuya Miko felt she had already missed her precious chance to escape.
Her body trembled involuntarily, her muscles spasming with dread. Her eyes filled with tears of fear, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead. To hide her terror, she could only grip her chair with all her might.
Because she was so tense, she didn't even notice the pink-haired girl nearby looking up at her, as if sensing something.
Maybe, maybe even if I can see that monster, its attacks won't work on me?
Maybe, maybe that monster will get bored of doing this and leave before it bites me?
Maybe...
Yotsuya Miko just sat in her chair, as if waiting for judgment to descend.
Lately, she had spent every day in fear of seeing these monsters; her long-tightened heartstrings finally showed signs of snapping.
Ah, I can't do this anymore.
I don't want to think about anything.
Once the thought of giving up surfaced, it couldn't be stopped.
Amidst countless silent prayers, thoughts like "Maybe it's okay to die here..." "Finally, I don't have to be afraid..." and "Mom..." began to mingle in her mind as she sought release.
Just as the monster finally reached her and was about to bite her head off—
"Hey!"
Suddenly, someone put something on her face.
"Eek?!"
Yotsuya Miko jumped. When she opened her eyes, she realized someone had placed a pair of plain glasses on her face.
That wasn't the main point. The point was that once she put on these glasses, the monsters that had filled her vision suddenly vanished.
The world seemed to return to the peaceful, quiet, and happy daily life of her past...
"Though I can't see very clearly, that thing has already left." Just as Miko was immersed in this small moment of happiness, a stranger's female voice came from beside her.
She turned her head and found the speaker was the pink-haired girl with the high ponytail who had been eating ramen earlier.
"Um..."
"Chika. My name is Fujiwara Chika. You can just call me Chika..." the pink-haired girl said considerately.
"My name is Yotsuya Miko..." Miko said gratefully.
"Hi hi! I'm Yurikawa Hana!" Though she didn't quite understand what had happened, Miko's best friend leaned over to join the interaction.
"Um! Miss Chika!" Yotsuya Miko mustered her courage and said to Fujiwara Chika, "These glasses... could you give them to me? No, I mean, please lend them to me! I'll pay whatever it takes!"
"Sorry, I can't. These are a treasure lent to me by someone important. Without his permission, I won't lend them to others. It was just an emergency just now, so please forgive my presumption."
Fujiwara Chika shook her head.
"I see... I was out of line, I'm sorry." Miko suddenly became much more dejected.
"Miko, do you like these? Can't we just go buy a pair?" The out-of-the-loop Yurikawa Hana tilted her head, completely confused.
"No, Hana, you don't understand..." Yotsuya Miko shook her head.
"Ah, while I can't lend them to you, there's no problem with taking you to see their owner..." Fujiwara Chika said cheerfully. "If you can get him to help, maybe even the problems on your body can be resolved!"
In that moment, Yotsuya Miko looked at Fujiwara Chika, and a sudden sense of "Miracles really do exist!" washed over her.