Soon, the master chef brought over two bowls of ramen and placed them before Luo Shu and Utau Hoshina.
Both bowls were tonkotsu ramen with extra chashu and garlic.
Visibly, large slices of chashu were arranged in a circle around the bowl, with the centre filled with piles of greenish-white bean sprouts topped with thick garlic paste that looked incredibly appetising.
To be honest, Luo Shu genuinely liked this kind of Japanese ramen with rich broth and meat portions that could infuriate Lanzhou ramen shop owners.
Luo Shu would have enjoyed it even more if he had a stunningly beautiful, approachable mixed-race blonde accompanying him for the meal – provided she wasn't tipping the entire stainless steel chilli condiment jar into her noodles.
"What kind of extraordinary eating method is this?"
Watching Utau Hoshina pouring the red powder liberally into her ramen, Luo Shu couldn't help but widen his eyes in sheer disbelief.
"Adding chilli? Don't tell me you want some too?" Utau Hoshina held the chilli condiment jar in her left hand while gently tapping the bottom with her right.
With two distinct taps, copious amounts of chilli powder cascaded out, instantly dyeing the entire bowl of noodles and broth a vivid crimson.
Staring at this lethal dose of spice, Luo Shu fell silent for a moment:
"Aren't you afraid of breaking out tomorrow?"
Hearing this, Utau Hoshina let out a displeased hum, as if her capabilities had been underestimated:
"Eating this barely once a week – do you really think I'd be worried?"
"Besides, I've never gotten breakouts from eating spicy food, not even once since I was little!!"
Upon hearing this, Luo Shu felt a strong urge to use his Calamity Bestowal ability to inflict 'internal heat' upon Utau Hoshina, letting her experience the joy of a face full of blemishes.
But considering that such a sight would only torment his own eyes, he restrained himself for the time being.
However, while Luo Shu managed to hold back, Utau Hoshina didn't seem inclined to do the same.
"Don't you want some too?"
Before her teasing words even finished, Luo Shu clearly saw her tapping chilli powder directly into his noodle bowl.
Truth be told, Luo Shu could have stopped her, but he didn't. He simply wanted to see whether this woman would actually dare to dump chilli recklessly into his noodles.
And as it turned out, she truly did dare!!
Not only that – she even tapped three times, and was about to go for a fourth when Luo Shu finally stopped her in a completely flat tone:
"If you want your family to know our matchmaking failed over a bowl of chilli powder, feel free to tap a few more times."
Hearing this, Utau Hoshina paused, then shot Luo Shu a look of utter disdain:
"Don't you think tattling to parents is utterly embarrassing?"
"Given the choice between embarrassment and being killed by spice, I'll take embarrassment."
Luo Shu delivered this line expressionlessly, then sighed:
"I'm starting to regret telling you earlier that I can't handle spicy food."
Utau Hoshina looked surprised: "People like you – don't tell me you can't even handle a bit of chilli?"
Although she vaguely referred to 'people like you', Luo Shu understood she meant those on the mystic side – sorcerers.
His reply was straightforward: "There are ways, of course. But wouldn't using them be cheating?"
Utau Hoshina found this amusing:
"But it's not like we're competing to see who can handle more spice?"
"We could make it one," Luo Shu glanced at Utau Hoshina.
Understanding dawned on her face, and she smiled: "The bet being that canteen card?"
"That's just a freebie."
Luo Shu shook his head. Something he'd already given away could hardly serve as a wager.
But what would make for an interesting bet instead...
He pondered briefly, then an idea came to him:
"The wager is the itinerary for our next date. Whoever wins gets to arrange it."
Hearing this, Utau Hoshina looked at Luo Shu in surprise: "You're not deliberately trying to slack off, are you?"
Exposed, Luo Shu maintained a calm expression: "Just tell me whether you're taking the bet or not."
Utau Hoshina could only sigh helplessly at this:
"Fine. Looking at you, you don't seem like the type who'd arrange such things anyway."
Moreover, compared to her planning the next itinerary herself, she'd rather watch Luo Shu suffer from the spiciness of the chillies.
Thinking this, Utau Hoshina once again held the chilli jar over Luo Shu's bowl of ramen and said with a smile:
"Mind if I level the playing field a bit?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu glanced at his only slightly red ramen, then at Utau Hoshina's bowl completely covered in red, scratched the back of his head, and nodded.
The next moment, bang! Bang! BANG! The sound of vigorous tapping rang out.
Luo Shu watched as Utau Hoshina slammed the chilli jar, turning his bowl of ramen into a crimson mountain.
Instantly, the corner of Luo Shu's mouth twitched several times, but seeing Utau Hoshina's excited face, he decided not to say anything.
Keeping a girl happy, that's what matters... Luo Shu brushed off his own thoughts. He then watched as Utau Hoshina withdrew her hand, looking satisfied.
"The amount should be about the same as my bowl. Here, eat up!"
Utau Hoshina deliberately provoked him:
"Of course, if you regret admitting defeat, I wouldn't mind accepting it."
"You're ruthless!" Luo Shu gave Utau Hoshina a thumbs-up, then glanced at the mountain of red chilli in front of him. Gritting his teeth, he scooped up a mouthful of ramen and began chewing.
Seeing Luo Shu start eating, Utau Hoshina felt happy, but her expression shifted slightly:
"Hey, if you can't handle it, don't force yourself. If it's too much, just spit it out."
As she spoke, she picked up the hot towel beside her and handed it to Luo Shu.
However, as Luo Shu continued chewing, his expression gradually turned strange.
"This stuff..."
"What's wrong?" Utau Hoshina grew curious when she saw that Luo Shu was fine.
Luo Shu turned to her, looking bewildered:
"Are you sure what you gave me is chilli?"
Utau Hoshina glanced at the chilli jar, then turned back with an innocent look:
"Isn't it?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu fell silent for a moment before asking:
"But this chilli... doesn't seem spicy at all..."
"Huh?" Utau Hoshina froze, then picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of the noodles from Luo Shu's bowl, and immediately felt the spiciness.
Though the noodles were spicy, she could still tolerate it:
"Isn't this already quite spicy..."
Hearing this, Luo Shu thoughtfully eyed the chilli jar, picked it up, dipped his chopsticks in the residue at the edge, and tasted it.
"This chilli seems different from the varieties in China. It's the not-very-spicy kind... not as numbing as Sichuan's, not as strong as Huguang's, and even weaker than Fujian's..."
After saying this, Luo Shu glanced at Utau Hoshina, whose face was already flushed from the spiciness, and an idea crossed his mind.
'Could it be that this girl is actually a novice who thinks she can handle spice?'
Considering this possibility, Luo Shu's smile gradually turned mischievous.
"Boss, two more jars of chilli!!"
Ramen shop owner: "?! Right away!"