The ramen shop chosen by Hiratsuka Shizuka was named [Tenkaippin]. It is a top chain ramen brand in Japan with branches all over the country... well, not in Chiba.
At least Shinra lived in Chiba for two years and never saw this brand. His impression of this brand came from its advertisements on social media and in anime.
Yes, that Koizumi-san (Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles).
But the reality is that few beautiful girls go to ramen shops, especially this kind of chain ramen shop.
Shinra glanced at the single mature woman beside him. Okay, Hiratsuka Shizuka obviously can't be counted among normal beautiful girls. Speaking of which, can she really be considered a girl (shoujo) now?
Physically still a girl, yes, but age...
"Shinra, feel like you are thinking about something quite rude." Hiratsuka Shizuka revealed a nuclearly kind smile.
You also have special abilities?
Shinra looked surprised, "Why does Sensei say this?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka sneered: "Do you know? Women are extremely sensitive to gazes falling on them at all times, especially after the age of 20."
"Probably more than that."
"Bang!"
Behaved.
Seeing this, Yukino couldn't help shaking her head, then looked at the classic sign with black characters on a white background and a red dot. Besides the shop name 'Tenkaippin', the words 'Head Office (Sōhonten)' were specially marked on the side.
Noticing Yukino's gaze, Hiratsuka Shizuka explained smilingly the reason she chose this shop.
"Although there are branches everywhere in the country, being able to come to the directly managed store and the head office in person always brings deeper feelings. Moreover, for such chain stores, the taste of branches across the country inevitably varies, so I have always wanted to come here to eat once."
"Didn't expect Sensei to be an experienced foodie." Shinra gave a thumbs up.
"Hehe, just okay~" Hiratsuka Shizuka waved her hand modestly, the smile on her face completely unconcealed. Then she waved her hand and said: "Okay, don't stand foolishly at the door; go in first."
Entering the [Tenkaippin] store, because it was a working day and past mealtime, there weren't many people in the store, and there were many empty seats.
Hiratsuka Shizuka picked a seat slightly to the side and sat down. Yukino sat next to Hiratsuka Shizuka calmly, and Shinra naturally sat next to Yukino.
Just sitting down, Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't even look at the menu and said to the master in front of the counter: "Super Rich (Kotteri) Ramen."
Shinra: "Same for me."
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked like she knew how to eat, so without knowing the taste of a store, copying homework wouldn't go wrong.
"..." Yukino looked at the heavy ramen on the menu, hesitating to speak for a long time.
This... isn't it a bit too oily?
"There are also light soup bases." Shinra saw through the girl's concerns at a glance.
Having been neighbors for almost half a year, how could Shinra not know Yukino's taste? It must be known that the girl beside him not only looked cold but also had a light diet usually. The Super Rich Ramen he and Hiratsuka Shizuka ordered just now was completely not in Yukino's strike zone.
After hesitating for a moment, Yukino finally couldn't pass the hurdle in her heart. She shook her head and said: "Forget it. Just seeing the picture makes me feel full..."
"How about this, I'll ask for a small plate and share some with you later to taste?" Shinra suggested, "Finally came to a ramen shop; can't leave without even tasting, right?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at Shinra playfully. This was originally a suggestion she wanted to give, but unexpectedly this kid beat her to it. But have to say, this guy really has a way with girls. If it were her when she was young, she probably couldn't resist either.
Sigh, every time seeing Shinra with Yukino, always want to fall in love. Annoying...
Seeing Shinra say this, Yukino finally nodded in agreement, totally unaware that eating from the same bowl with the opposite sex is usually something couples do.
Of course, maybe she realized it but pretended not to.
Little cleverness here.
Ramen was made quickly. Not long after ordering, two bowls of steaming ramen were served in front of Shinra and Hiratsuka Shizuka, and an empty bowl for rice appeared in front of Yukino.
Shinra served some noodles and soup into the small bowl, then placed it in front of Yukino.
Then the three picked up chopsticks very ceremoniously and put their hands together in front of their chests.
"Itadakimasu." x3
Said started eating, but when Shinra and Hiratsuka Shizuka had already stuffed the first mouthful of ramen wrapped in rich soup into their mouths, Yukino was still hesitating, unable to start eating for a long time.
"Delicious!" Hiratsuka Shizuka let out a satisfied sigh. Chewy ramen paired with mellow and salty soup—the satisfaction after one bite was simply indescribable.
"Indeed good." Shinra nodded. Both the soup and the ramen itself were worth the price.
Hearing the two people beside her say this, Yukino took a deep breath, finally made up her mind, and picked up chopsticks and a spoon.
Before starting, the girl tucked her black hair behind her ear, then scooped a spoonful of soup, picked up a chopstick of noodles and placed it in the spoon, then stacked some side dishes on top.
Actually mini ramen!
Can't see it, but you guy Yukino quite know how to eat.
Shinra watched Yukino suck the noodles and soup into her mouth, chew slightly and swallow, then gracefully pick up the napkin at hand to wipe the soup stuck to her lips, letting out a long breath:
"...Truly violent deliciousness."
Delicious indeed, but the taste was too rich, not fitting Yukino's appetite. Therefore, tasting fresh was enough; eating too much would be unbeautiful.
"Haha, Yukino, you understand well." Seeing what she liked being accepted by her student, Hiratsuka Shizuka was also very happy.
"Want to try the soft-boiled egg?" Shinra used chopsticks to divide the soft-boiled egg in the noodles into two.
Speaking of ramen, have to mention the soft-boiled egg in ramen. In Shinra's mind, its importance is comparable to garlic, the soul of ramen.
"No..." Before Yukino could refuse, half a soft-boiled egg appeared in her bowl. Looking at the brown egg white mixed with golden egg liquid, she swallowed back the refusal words and replaced them with "Thank you".
Shinra ate very fast. A bowl of noodles went into his stomach in two or three minutes.
"If not enough, can add more. Don't be polite with Sensei." Hiratsuka Shizuka said upon seeing this.
Just a bowl of ramen, the teacher could afford it.
Shinra didn't doubt this. Not to mention she drove a supercar to and from work, just the round-trip taxi fee from the ryokan to here was enough for the three of them to order two more portions of ramen each.
"No need. Eating too much at night will make me fat."
Especially the carbs and fat of Super Rich Ramen were off the charts, completely classifiable into the 99 tips for gaining weight.
Hiratsuka Shizuka's face stiffened, then showed resentment. Don't dismantle the stage like this.
Gaining weight is a big killer for every woman. Hiratsuka Shizuka also knew eating ramen as a late-night snack was extremely easy to gain weight, but eating once rarely should be fine, right? At worst, walk a few more steps tomorrow to consume the calories.
Thinking of this, Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at the remaining soup in the bowl, finally couldn't hold back, drank the soup, and let out a satisfied sigh.
Have to say, there is a reason Hiratsuka Shizuka can't find a boyfriend. Leaving aside other things, just her usual behavior pattern was indeed too masculine. Although in Shinra's view this was nothing, even quite charming.
But in the marriage market in Japan where male chauvinism prevails, Hiratsuka Shizuka's behavior is somewhat out of line, completely inconsistent with the 'Yamato Nadeshiko' mate selection standard in Japan.
"Although saying this might be hindsight, is it really okay for a teacher to lead students out for a late-night snack in the middle of the night?"
"Of course not, so I used ramen as hush money."
Yukino found it hard to comment, "Hush money shouldn't be a behavior a teacher should have..."
"No difference. Moreover, Yukinoshita aside, Shinra, you guy, since when did you care about rules so much?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka had a deep impression of Shinra. Can't help it; a student who insisted on coming to school on crutches the next day after being hit by a car—she only encountered Shinra in her teaching career of several years.
"Sensei, you say this as if I'm some outlaw. I also abide by school rules and regulations very much, okay?"
To this, Hiratsuka Shizuka's answer was only: "Hehe."
"So if discovered, will Sensei be held accountable?" Yukino asked.
"Held accountable not really, at most called over and nagged a few sentences." Hiratsuka Shizuka obviously knew the score.
"Simply put, scolded a bit." Shinra helped summarize.
"That's different." Hiratsuka Shizuka held up a finger, imparting knowledge as a workplace veteran: "Not causing trouble, and being asked to solve trouble quickly, are two completely different things."
Yukino obviously couldn't understand the meaning. She just said: "Anyway, I won't do anything that gets me scolded. No need to worry about these."
"Yukinoshita, being scolded isn't a bad thing. That means someone cares about you." Hiratsuka Shizuka shook her head. She seemed to know some inside story, but due to her identity, it was inconvenient to say anything, so she could only use Shinra as an example.
"Take Shinra's behavior just now for example. This guy always deliberately makes me angry. Is it because he doesn't know how to please me? No, it's because he knows doing so can promote our relationship better."
Shinra felt Hiratsuka Shizuka might be overthinking a bit. He just had itchy skin (mischievous).
Hearing this, Yukino glanced at Shinra thoughtfully. Then she heard Hiratsuka Shizuka continue: "Youth means high trial and error cost, so just do what you want to do. Don't worry about making mistakes; Sensei will watch over you properly."
Yukino pursed her lips and didn't answer, but from her lowered shoulders and lowered face trying to cover her facial expression with bangs, obviously, she was touched by Hiratsuka Shizuka's words.
Shinra didn't speak at this time. Some things were useless for him to say; Yukino had to figure it out herself.
Of course, Shinra still hadn't figured out what Yukino wanted so far.
After paying the bill, the three took a taxi back to near the ryokan. Because Hiratsuka Shizuka wanted to buy alcohol, she didn't plan to return to the ryokan with them but walked towards the supermarket in the opposite direction of the ryokan.
The taxi dropped them off at the intersection, so Shinra and Yukino still needed to walk a distance to reach the ryokan.
Two people walking side by side on the sidewalk. When encountering a fork in the road, Yukino would fall half a step behind Shinra. Mm, she has no sense of direction.
When Hiratsuka Shizuka was there just now, the two would bicker from time to time, but once Hiratsuka Shizuka left, they didn't know what to say to each other.
"I seem to still owe you a condition, right?" Shinra said suddenly.
Yukino thought carefully, confirmed no omission, nodded and said: "Indeed so."
During the last school festival, Shinra used owing another condition as bait to hook her. She used it directly at that time, so the other party still only owed her one condition.
But why mention this suddenly?
Honestly, Yukino hadn't thought about how to use this condition. After all, impossible to really make this guy wear a maid outfit, right?
She, Yukino Yukinoshita, didn't have that kind of bad taste.
"What do you want to say?" Yukino didn't hide it either, asking directly and simply.
"Nothing, just want to remind you, Yukino, if you really make a mistake, you can use this condition to seek help from me then."
"I won't make mistakes." Yukino acted tough subconsciously.
Then she met Shinra's extremely serious eyes, turned her head away, tone softened: "Even if I really did something wrong, I would handle it myself."
"Eh, isn't it good to have someone help wipe your butt?"
"Wipe... vulgar!" Yukino's pretty face turned slightly red, spat lightly.
"But if it's Yukino, I will help even without using the condition~"
"Su-Suddenly saying this for what?"
"Just feeling emotional. Anyway, if you really encounter any problems, you can come to discuss with me." Shinra emphasized.
"G-Got it." Yukino's heartbeat accelerated inexplicably. Previously when Hiratsuka Shizuka said so, she was very moved, but when it came to Shinra, similar words brought her a completely different feeling.
How to describe specifically, she couldn't say either... anyway, not bad.
Maybe because of shyness, maybe because they had arrived at the ryokan.
"Um, good night... thank you for sending me back. See you tomorrow."
After Yukino finished speaking, daring not wait for Shinra's answer, she buried her head and walked towards her room.
"See you tomorrow."
The girl's figure paused, didn't reply, and soon disappeared at the stairwell...