Chapter 49

A story about a boy making a pseudo-ramen with pasta.

That day, there were only three people in the hideout of the "Crimson Lynx." Generally, aside from the one person designated to stay and supervise, the number of people varied. Recently, Yūri, who was in charge of housekeeping, was almost always staying. He would occasionally go out to shop at familiar stores, but mostly he stayed in the hideout. Today, the three people in the hideout were Yūri, Camille, who was on cooking duty, and Tiphana, the supervisor.

With so few people, Yūri decided to try something a bit adventurous for lunch. When there were fewer people, he often tried out new dishes he wanted to make. When there were more people, the risk of failure was too high, so he didn't do such things. Additionally, since the group today consisted of Tiphana, who ate small portions, and Camille, who, despite being a teenager, didn't eat much, Yūri thought a simple meal would be appropriate.

"I want to eat ramen, but there isn't any..."

While stirring the broth made from chicken and kelp, Yūri muttered to himself. His voice was lonely, earnest, and carried a hint of nostalgia. ...Well, the reason for his homesickness being that he wanted to eat ramen was, well, very Yūri-like. Normally, people would become homesick for different reasons, but it was pointless to say anything to him.

"Ramen?"

"It's a type of noodle dish from my hometown. The noodles are in the soup, and you eat them together."

"...Huh? Noodles and soup together? Why? Noodles should be eaten on their own, right?"

"Well, pasta is usually like that, I guess."

Yūri easily brushed off Camille's question. Since the only noodles available were pasta, this reaction was expected. However, as a Japanese person, Yūri was familiar with various noodle dishes served in broth, such as udon, soba, and somen. There were also ramen, mung bean noodles, and pho. Even pasta had a soup pasta category. Noodles that weren't served in broth were probably only yakisoba.

So, Yūri really wanted to eat ramen. He really, really wanted to. While he did want to eat udon and soba, for some reason, he had an overwhelming desire for ramen. ...Probably because in Japan, no matter where you go, there's always a ramen shop. ...Well, in some countries, like the one where only udon exists, it's a bit different, but let's forget about that.

So, ramen. Even though Yūri wished for it, there were no Chinese noodles available. The only noodles available in the capital, Drachen, were pasta. While it might be possible to make udon with flour, it would be difficult to find buckwheat for soba. And Yūri didn't know how to make Chinese noodles, so it was impossible. But he really wanted to eat ramen.

Therefore, Yūri decided to make a pseudo-ramen. Or rather, he was trying to make a soup pasta that resembled ramen. Please don't say he was putting in effort in the wrong direction. Japanese people are quite willing to put in effort to eat what they want. ...To the extent that tuna, which was once considered inedible, is now a beloved fish.

"For the ingredients, onions and mushrooms should be fine. There's no char siu, though."

Yūri peeled the onions with ease and chopped them into a perfect balance of thickness and thinness. He threw the chopped onions into the broth, which was only seasoned with the stock. While they were cooking, he chopped the mushrooms and added them as well.

For seasoning, he used salt, pepper, and soy sauce. ...And then, Yūri brought out his ultimate weapon: sesame oil. He drizzled it into the pot in a circular motion and tasted the soup. It somehow had a Chinese broth-like flavor. Excitedly, Yūri threw the pasta into the pot. ...Please don't say he was being lazy by cooking the pasta directly in the soup. He was considering how the flavor would infuse the pasta. It wasn't out of laziness. He learned to cook this way from his parents, so that's how he did it.

"...Yūri, why did you put in sesame oil?"

"Huh? It adds flavor and tastes good. Don't you use it?"

"Hmm. For soup, shouldn't you use olive oil?"

"Olive oil is good too~"

"...Ah, yeah."

Since they couldn't understand each other, Camille decided to ignore Yūri. Conversations with Yūri often went off on tangents. It was a loss to care about it. A loss.

Maybe they didn't make Chinese-style dishes here. Yūri briefly considered this but quickly dismissed it. It was irrelevant to him now. What Yūri needed to know was whether the soup pasta with sesame oil as a secret ingredient resembled ramen. That was the most important thing.

After confirming that the pasta and ingredients were cooked, Yūri divided the contents of the pot into three deep soup bowls. He knew from experience that this group wouldn't ask for seconds. ...If Ulgrus and Mag, the senior apprentices, were here, they would probably start asking for seconds. Ulgrus, being large, was understandable, but Mag, the smallest apprentice, had a stomach that was one of the "Seven Wonders" of the "Crimson Lynx."

"Today's lunch is Chinese-style soup pasta~"

"Chinese-style? What's that?"

"A type of dish?"

"Hmm."

Yūri vaguely dodged the question, thinking that mentioning China wouldn't be understood in this world. Rather, he wanted to eat the pseudo-ramen soup pasta as soon as possible. He was doing this just because he wanted to eat ramen.

"Oh, a slightly different menu today?"

"It's called soup pasta, Tiphana-san."

"Pasta in soup? What a curious dish."

Tiphana, who smiled gently, didn't reject the unfamiliar soup pasta. The aroma of sesame oil might have stimulated her appetite. Also, Yūri's cooking was always delicious, so she trusted him completely.

"Let's eat, then."

"「Let's eat」"

When Tiphana put her hands together, Yūri and Camille followed suit. Yūri immediately picked up the pasta with chopsticks and slurped it into his mouth. It might be considered bad manners to slurp pasta, but he wanted to eat it like ramen. The soy sauce-flavored soup with the aroma of sesame oil and the pasta mixed together was quite delicious. ...Well, if asked if it was ramen, it was a bit off.

Still, it wasn't bad. Recently, Japanese-style pasta was popular, and Yūri knew that pasta and soy sauce went well together. The flavors of the mushrooms and onions added depth to the soup, making it quite tasty. The pseudo-ramen had a decent level of completion and somewhat satisfied his craving for ramen. Yūri decided to try to get Chinese noodles someday and make proper ramen.

...It's strange that he didn't think about going back to his hometown, but his thoughts went in that direction. He had become too accustomed to this place.

However, while Yūri was eating happily, Tiphana and Camille were struggling with the soup pasta.

They were not familiar with dishes where noodles and broth were served together. And, as Japanese people often overlook, slurping noodles is actually quite difficult. People who grew up eating udon, soba, and ramen from a young age don't realize this, but foreigners find it challenging to slurp noodles. Even some Japanese people can't slurp noodles.

Therefore, while Yūri was slurping the pasta normally, Camille was picking up the pasta and trying to get it into his mouth. Tiphana was using a spoon and fork to skillfully twirl the pasta before eating it. ...As a result, they weren't eating the soup and noodles together. Yūri tilted his head in confusion but decided not to worry about it and continued eating. He wanted to eat.

The way Yūri ate, grabbing the noodles with chopsticks and slurping them into his mouth, caught the attention of Tiphana and Camille. They stopped and watched him. Grabbing the noodles with chopsticks and slurping them into his mouth, then chewing with the strength of his mouth, was a familiar sight for Japanese people but strange for people from this world. They stared at Yūri with wide eyes.

Noticing their gaze, Yūri tilted his head and looked at them.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yūri, is this how you're supposed to eat this dish?"

"Huh? No, there's no specific etiquette for this. I just find it easier to eat this way."

Slurping the noodles with the soup made the flavors more noticeable. However, Yūri knew that this wasn't the correct way to eat it, as it was a pseudo-ramen soup pasta, not actual ramen. But for Yūri, who wanted to enjoy the ramen feeling, there was no other choice.

Tiphana and Camille, relieved to hear that other ways of eating were acceptable, returned to their meal. It was delicious, but hard to eat. Camille tried to mimic Yūri with chopsticks but couldn't get the noodles into his mouth as smoothly. He gave up and went back to picking up and throwing the pasta into his mouth. Tiphana didn't even try, probably sensing that she couldn't do it. However, both of them thought Yūri's way of eating looked more delicious. They decided to practice a bit when Yūri made this dish again.

By the way, some of the other members, upon hearing that the lunch menu was new, complained that it was unfair. It was a heartwarming incident.

I do this sometimes, and I quite like it.

After all, you don't always have dried ramen on hand, right?

But I always have dried pasta, so I enjoy experimenting with different soups.

Even tea-flavored seasonings are quite tasty! ←

I look forward to your comments and feedback.