บท 131: Ch 131. Nanami and the Ramen
"Boss, one bowl of tonkotsu ramen. Nanami, what do you want?"
"Um... the same as Hoshimi-kun."
"Boss, add another bowl of tonkotsu ramen. Also, two cups of oolong tea and some side dishes."
After ordering, Hoshimi and Nanami looked for an available booth.
Around 7 p.m., the ramen shop was bustling with business, and there weren't many empty seats. Fortunately, Hoshimi and Nanami were lucky enough to find an empty booth in a corner as the previous occupants left.
Hoshimi looked around curiously, examining the ramen shop.
The layout was similar to what he had seen online in his past life: an open kitchen combined with a counter, and a row of booths. The interior was dominated by a brown wooden color scheme.
"Have you never been to a place like this before, Hoshimi-kun?" Nanami tentatively asked, noticing Hoshimi's curiosity.
"Yeah, I've never been to a place like this before. It's my first time."
Nanami was silent, which was expected. Given Hoshimi's background, it was reasonable that he hadn't visited such a roadside eatery before.
"How about you, Nanami? Do you often eat at places like this?" Hoshimi countered.
Nanami shook her head slightly, "Not really..."
To be precise, she almost never did.
She usually ate at school, where the food wasn't great but was cheap. Additionally, her part-time job provided free meals.
Occasionally, she would cook something she liked when she had free time.
But going out to a restaurant like this was almost non-existent for her.
"Here's your oolong tea."
Before the food arrived, the tea was served first. The waiter placed the large cups of oolong tea in front of them.
"Enjoy your meal."
After offering a standard business smile, the waiter left.
Hoshimi took a sip of the tea. It tasted somewhat different from what he had in his past life; the faint sweetness was too pronounced. It might have been sweetened or flavored with something, as it lost the essence of tea and tasted more like a mixed beverage.
Moreover, the tea had already cooled down, and its flavor had diminished more than he expected.
It seemed the so-called craftsmanship wasn't as meticulous as he hoped—perhaps due to the commercial street setting?
Next time, he might try to find a less commercialized place to eat.
After a few sips, Hoshimi set the tea aside, deciding not to drink more.
On the other side, Nanami wasn't as picky as Hoshimi. After talking for a while and feeling a bit parched, she picked up her cup and took small sips.
As she sipped, she stole glances at Hoshimi.
She wanted to continue chatting with Hoshimi, but aside from voice acting and studying, she wasn't sure what else to talk about...
Feeling somewhat down, she quietly sipped her sweet oolong tea.
Soon, the waiter returned.
"Here's your tonkotsu ramen. Enjoy your meal."
After placing the ramen down, the waiter once again left with a standard business smile.
"I'm starting..." Nanami picked up her chopsticks, put her hands together, and lowered her head for the pre-meal etiquette.
Hoshimi, sticking to his usual style, picked up his chopsticks and started eating right away.
Ramen isn't usually the best choice for a girl, as it often makes noise when eaten.
Initially, Nanami didn't pay much attention to this, and the first few bites made slurping sounds.
For the chef, this sound was a compliment to his cooking, but for Nanami at that moment, it was a bit of a disaster.
Realizing the noise issue, her face flushed red. She quickly slowed down, reduced the noise, and tried to maintain a ladylike demeanor as she ate slowly.
"Hm?"
While eating, Nanami secretly observed Hoshimi.
She was surprised to see that although Hoshimi ate his noodles quietly and at a seemingly leisurely pace, the noodles disappeared quickly.
While there was only a shallow layer of noodles left in her bowl, half of Hoshimi's noodles were already gone.
The surprising observation made Nanami shift most of her attention to Hoshimi.
Looking at Hoshimi sitting across from her, Nanami had a fleeting illusion.
Hoshimi-kun seemed like an immortal who didn't touch the mundane world...
Despite being in a noisy ramen shop and eating the most common dish, Hoshimi-kun inexplicably gave off a sense of detachment and otherworldliness.
She rubbed her eyes and looked again, confirming that there was indeed a sense of being out of place about Hoshimi.
Why was that? She subconsciously began to analyze the reason.
Perhaps it was because Hoshimi-kun was too "clean"?
Clean to the point of having white hair that seemed untouched by dust, clear and beautiful red eyes, and a face as perfect as polished jade...
All these factors combined to create an aura of Hoshimi-kun that seemed independent of this place.
But the next moment, Hoshimi-kun returned, back into the small ramen shop.
When Hoshimi-kun's gaze met hers, the space seemed to merge, and Hoshimi-kun was once again in front of her, blending into the lively atmosphere.
"Hm? Why do you keep staring at me?"
Hoshimi-kun's eyes curved with a smile as he asked.
"Um~" Her face flushed, she didn't respond, and continued to eat her noodles with her head down.
"Nanami, here's this for you." Hoshimi picked up a soft-boiled egg and placed it in Nanami's bowl.
"Eh?" Nanami looked up at Hoshimi with confusion.
Hoshimi smiled and explained, "I only eat fully cooked eggs."
"..." Nanami silently noted this.
Hoshimi-kun only eats fully cooked eggs...
"Nanami, in exchange, could I have that piece of bamboo shoot?" Hoshimi's gaze was fixed on a tender bamboo shoot in Nanami's bowl.
"Um... okay..." Nanami picked up the bamboo shoot and prepared to place it in Hoshimi's bowl.
But to her surprise, Hoshimi opened his mouth, seemingly waiting for her to feed him.
Her hand holding the bamboo shoot froze. After a moment's hesitation, her face flushed as she personally fed the bamboo shoot to Hoshimi-kun.
For some reason, while feeding Hoshimi-kun, she felt as though everyone around her was watching.
Faintly, she even heard people around her making teasing remarks...
However, in reality, no one but Hoshimi was paying attention to Nanami, so it was merely her embarrassment-induced illusion...
"It tastes good..."
Hearing Hoshimi's praise, Nanami's heart raced, and she ate with her head deeply bowed, as if wishing to bury her face in the bowl.
Hoshimi watched with deepening amusement.
He leisurely enjoyed his noodles, refraining from teasing the shy and adorable girl.
But after finishing the meal, he deliberately leaned forward, extending his hand to gently wipe the water stains from the corner of Nanami's mouth with a tender expression.
Seeing Nanami stiffen and turn into a blushing steam princess, Hoshimi felt delighted and took a photo to capture the joyful moment.
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