Leaving Eriri's house, Tanaka Masao didn't choose to go to Akihabara this time.
Before heading back in the afternoon, he had only one mission in Tokyo: to eat and drink to his heart's content.
If Kashi knew that Tanaka Masao came to Tokyo to do such a thing, then the important task of collecting magic stones might not be impossible to postpone.
Tanaka Masao wandered aimlessly, entering any shop that looked good.
He would observe the dishes, eat if he liked them, and leave if he didn't.
He replenished calories by eating delicious food and burned them off by strolling around looking for shops.
Tanaka Masao wanted to achieve calorie balance this way, so he could keep eating all day today.
"I truly am a genius."
The idea was good, but it wasn't so easy to implement.
Initially, Tanaka Masao could maintain it, but later, he encountered more and more delicious food shops, more and more frequently.
This led to him eating faster, spending less time walking, and thus being able to eat less.
He successfully achieved eating more by eating less.
--- After much wandering, when the weather was hot at noon, he went to a mall to enjoy the air conditioning, get a massage, and play some games.
When the weather wasn't so hot anymore, Tanaka Masao's stomach also had space to continue eating.
He checked the time; it was already six o'clock without him realizing it.
Looking at the sky that was already getting dark, Tanaka Masao felt a little melancholic.
"Happy times always pass so quickly. I'll have one last meal and then go home."
Tanaka Masao decided to find a good restaurant to put a perfect end to his indulgent meal.
Throughout his journey, he still hadn't found a shop that satisfied him one hundred percent.
He always thought that for the last meal, he had to eat the best, and there might be even better shops ahead.
And so, he arrived in a sparsely populated area, where he didn't see a single shop for a long time.
"Oh no, I've gone too far."
Seeing that the surroundings were already residential areas, Tanaka Masao knew he had overshot his destination.
As he was recalling the shops he had just passed, wanting to go back, Tanaka Masao caught a glimpse of what looked like a shop in the alley next to him.
He stopped and looked closely; it was a ramen shop.
The shop entrance only had a simple sign with the words "Hakata Ramen" written on it.
A shop plaque hung on the doorframe.
Looking at such a simple and secluded ramen shop, Tanaka Masao paused.
"To dare to open a shop in such a place, and from its appearance, it should have been open for many years. If it hasn't closed down by now, it must be one of those old shops with amazing taste."
There were many century-old shops here, and these shops relied on excellent craftsmanship and good reputation to attract countless repeat customers.
Tanaka Masao decided to go in and try it.
--- "Welcome."
A steady, strong voice of an uncle sounded.
Tanaka Masao looked at the shop's layout; the tables were in the classic bar-style arrangement.
Two long bar tables and walls formed a space, separating the owner from the customers, with various ingredients and equipment enclosed by the bar in the center.
This allowed customers sitting at the bar to clearly see the owner's operations.
This was also one of the characteristics of this type of shop layout.
The ramen shop owner was simply dressed, with a white headscarf wrapped around his head, and his expression was very serious, exuding an aura of earnestness and professionalism.
He held a strainer in one hand, stirring the hot water in the pot, ready to make ramen at any moment.
"What would you like to order?"
After saying this, the ramen shop owner quietly waited for Tanaka Masao to order, without rushing him or making recommendations.
After entering, Tanaka Masao went directly to the seat closest to the entrance.
He looked at the wooden plaques hanging on the adjacent wall, with the names of ramen written on them.
There were more than a dozen types of ramen, some with almost similar names, which gave Tanaka Masao a headache. He couldn't quite distinguish the differences between these ramen.
Just then, the ramen shop door opened, and a new customer arrived. Tanaka Masao, who was still hesitating, had no choice but to casually order one. It was the wooden plaque in the very corner, which had more stains than the other plaques and was quite inconspicuous.
"Soy sauce tonkotsu, light."
Although the owner didn't rush him, with a new customer arriving, he felt it wasn't good to keep delaying.
As for wanting it light, he considered that he had eaten a lot today, so something lighter would be better.
As Tanaka Masao's words fell, both the ramen shop owner and the new customer paused.
The owner's expression remained unchanged, only asking lightly,
"How about the noodle's firmness?"
"Firm."
When eating noodles, firm and chewy ones are delicious; soft, mushy noodles have no soul.
Hearing Tanaka Masao's answer, the ramen shop owner's lips curved into a barely noticeable smile.
"Please wait."
Then he became busy.