Chapter 84

"Shin'aki, I'm hungry."

"Yeah, but it's not like we're starving, is it?"

"Exactly, it's what you call a little hunger."

"Right, that's it, Shinbo."

Oda Shinbo was scheduled to enter Dewa the next day, but today he was training as usual with Shin'aki and the others.

It was three o'clock in the afternoon. In the Tsuda domain, many places rang a bell every hour to announce the time, and the bell had just rung at this training ground near Edo Castle.

There were about three hours until dinner, and many of the Tsuda family's retainers were eating snacks at this time.

Hikaru, Kyouko, Oichi, Hazu, and many other girls were probably eating sweets and snacks as well.

However, from Shin'aki's perspective, having sweets every day as a snack seemed a bit much.

"Sweets are fine, aren't they, young master?"

"You like sweets, don't you, Kamiaki?"

"Yes, I love them."

Kishimi Kamiaki, who was the biggest fan of sweets among Shin'aki's attendants, was looking forward to this time.

"Do you dislike them, young master?"

"No, I don't dislike them... but..."

Shin'aki didn't really dislike sweets. He thought he liked them, but if he went to the mansion for a snack at this time, he would inevitably be surrounded by his mother, wife, and sisters.

Shin'aki was at a delicate age, and being surrounded by many women made him feel awkward.

Shinbo felt the same way, thinking that the inner sanctum of the completely female-dominated Tsuda family was something he had never experienced in the Oda family.

"In that case, why don't we try some new portable food here?"

As Shin'aki and the others were talking, Hori Hikata, who was in charge of the security team's supplies, appeared and told them that he had something for them to taste.

"Tasting? What is it?"

"It's something the lord devised. You pour hot water into this container, cover it, and..."

What Hikaru had devised was instant noodles. Since cup noodles would have issues with the container, Hikaru had been experimenting with a type of instant noodle that could be made in a cup or bowl used for drinking or eating, known as a mug noodle.

The trial versions were available in three flavors: soy sauce, miso, and tonkotsu, with each block being about half a serving. You could eat one block as a light snack or two blocks as a full meal, giving you the freedom to choose.

"Father-in-law really thinks of everything, doesn't he?"

"Even as his real son, I'm impressed..."

In reality, Hikaru was just developing something that already existed, but he couldn't tell Shinbo that, so Shin'aki skillfully aligned the story.

However, Shin'aki himself had never actually eaten instant noodles. He only knew about them from information he had learned.

"Shin'aki, do you want to try the cup noodles we bought before we transferred here? They're about eighteen years past the expiration date, but I think they're probably still edible... and even if they make you sick, I don't think they'll kill you."

When Kiyoteru offered him an old cup noodle, Shin'aki didn't eat it because it clearly smelled dangerous.

Food left for eighteen years couldn't possibly be edible, Shin'aki thought logically.

"Hey! It's the new super-sized Sanro flavor! Kiyoteru, you bought it? I couldn't find it anywhere."

"I found one at a convenience store, but I forgot about it in the chaos of the transfer."

"Then I'll eat it."

Shin'aki refused to eat the cup noodle, but Kiyoteru said he would eat it himself.

"Mitschan, there are other things to eat, so don't eat something so old."

"But I really wanted to eat the super-sized Sanro tonkotsu soy sauce noodles!"

Ignoring Kiyoteru's warning, Kiyoteru ate the old cup noodle and, as expected, suffered from diarrhea for about three days.

"I told you so."

"I thought it would be fine..."

"Eighteen years past the expiration date is not good."

No matter how well-preserved, eating something that old would naturally make you sick, Kiyoteru was scolded by Kiyoteru.

Shin'aki didn't think his father looked like he was over forty.

"But I realized something. Instant noodles are really necessary, aren't they..."

Despite this, Kiyoteru didn't give up and started developing instant noodles through this process.

At first, he struggled to find a material for mass-producing cups, but in the end, it became a mug noodle.

"Truly, the lord is impressive."

Hikata was praising Hikaru for the new invention, but Shin'aki, who knew the backstory, couldn't help but think that Kiyoteru was just being stubborn.

Of course, Shin'aki didn't say this out loud because he was excellent at reading the room.

"By the way, the way to eat this is..."

Hikata put the mug noodle blocks into each cup, poured hot water, and started timing with a sandglass he had brought.

The sandglass took three minutes for all the sand to fall, so it would be ready in three minutes.

"It smells good."

"But will it really be soft in just three minutes?"

Ii Naomasa, who was waiting for the mug noodles to be ready, was honestly skeptical.

On the battlefield, they often rehydrated dried rice with hot water, but it wouldn't be completely soft in just three minutes.

"Young master, it's time."

"Let's try it."

Shin'aki and the others immediately started eating the mug noodles that were ready.

"It's delicious."

"Normally delicious."

"Being able to eat something warm on the battlefield is a good point."

Kamiaki, Masaharu, Naomasa, and everyone who tried it said it was delicious, and the mug noodles received high praise.

"Having three flavors is good. It doesn't get boring."

"Will it get high ratings from all age groups?"

"Hikata, are you doing such a survey?"

"Yes, there are various ages among the soldiers and officers. We start with the older ones and end with the young masters."

Today, more than half of Hikata's work was collecting feedback on the trial mug noodles.

Instant noodles would reduce the weight of supplies compared to transporting rice, and a warm, delicious meal would boost the morale of the security team. This was an important task for Hikata.

"Since it's like canned food, it will take time to prepare for mass production, so it will take some time before it becomes an official supply item."

"I look forward to that day."

After the tasting, Shin'aki and the others' stomachs settled down. They could continue training until dinner.

"Still, to think of such a convenient food, the lord is truly impressive."

Ii Naomasa, who was appointed to Shin'aki's attendants by Hikaru, had a near-worshipful loyalty to Hikaru.

Shin'aki, on the other hand, didn't necessarily disrespect Hikaru, but he sometimes felt a bit uncomfortable with Naomasa's almost religious devotion to Hikaru.

He knew Naomasa was loyal and a good person.

"Let's continue training!"

With Shin'aki's call, everyone ended their snack break and continued training until dusk.

"Naomasa, see you tomorrow."

"Yes, Master Shin'aki."

Usually, they would all have dinner together and then return to their respective mansions, but today Naomasa decided to go home early.

He wanted to have dinner with his stepmother, Naotora.

Naomasa's stepmother, Naotora, had a brave name but was a woman.

She became the head of the Ii family for a time and ended up with such a name. Later, she was chased out of Ii Valley and, during her escape, many of her retainers and soldiers abandoned the Ii family.

In the end, only Naomasa and Naotora were left, but she worked hard at a tailoring shop in Edo and raised Naomasa diligently.

Naomasa, who had become busy, spent less time with her, but he decided to return home early to have dinner with his stepmother.

"Stepmother, I'm back."

When Naomasa returned home, Naotora was already back and preparing dinner.

"You're early today."

"Yes, I thought I would be."

"I was preparing dinner. Have you already eaten, Naomasa?"

"No, not yet."

"Then it's perfect."

Naotora served what turned out to be the instant noodles Naomasa had just eaten a few hours ago. Moreover, she had all three flavors: soy sauce, miso, and tonkotsu. Three large bowls of ramen were placed in front of Naomasa.

"I received them as samples from Kyouko. She wants to get feedback from women."

Naotora, who worked at a tailoring shop, had become friends with Kyouko thanks to Naomasa's promotion.

Kyouko, who admired Naotora's strong character, called her "Na-chan" and regularly had tea with her, and they also worked on designing and planning new clothes at the tailoring shop.

Naotora was actually a high-ranking person at the tailoring shop.

"To be able to eat just by pouring hot water, canned food is amazing, but these instant noodles are also amazing."

"Yes..."

Naomasa was a bit flustered to find out that he would be eating the same thing he had just tasted a few hours ago. He also realized that his stepmother was giving him the best and rarest food.

He hadn't eaten enough to be tired of it, but eating it twice in a row was tough. However, he couldn't tell Naotora that, so he was at a loss.

"Are you not good with this kind of food, Naomasa?"

"No, it looks delicious, stepmother."

Unable to say he had just eaten, Naomasa ended up eating all three types of instant noodles for dinner. The saving grace was that, since it was cooked at home, vegetables and eggs were added.

Raising chickens had become more common in the Tsuda domain, and with Naotora's income, they could regularly eat eggs.

"This is really delicious. It's also convenient because it doesn't take much time to prepare."

Naomasa, who was listening to Naotora's enthusiastic talk, imagined a scene where his mother or wife would serve this every day when he returned home, and his spine froze with fear.

"But if we eat this every day, we might get tired of it."

"I think it's fine to eat it occasionally... It was originally developed as a portable meal for the security team."

"That's true, but it might sell well if it's sold normally because it's so convenient."

Naomasa was relieved that he wouldn't have to eat instant noodles every day. However, he was scheduled to marry Hikaru's daughter, Oe, in a few years, and the possibility of having only instant noodles at home... Naomasa focused on eating the instant noodles to avoid thinking about it.

"Oh, you