Lift the curtain at the entrance and push the door open.
"welcome--!"
A very powerful shout came from the mouth of the man behind the dining table.
This is a small shop with only seven or eight seats for dining, and it is connected to the kitchen. The layout is similar to that of a late-night canteen, but it is L-shaped.
Reluctantly walking through the narrow aisle, the two of them came to the only two empty seats at the back of the store and sat down.
"Here, tissues."
He took out a paper towel from his school bag and handed it to Teacher Hasumi, gesturing for her to wipe off the oil on the table. Yusuke Kato pointed to the wall and said, "The menu is on the wall behind you. Just tell the boss what you want to eat."
"Well, thank you."
Hasumi Kanoko said this as she took the paper towel to wipe, and then hesitantly turned around and asked: "But is it really okay to come to a place like this? In fact, you can choose a better place, and you don't have to save money for the teacher."
"Well, it doesn't matter, it's fine here."
Looking at the other party who seemed to be a little uneasy, Kato Yusuke thought for a while and said: "The ramen here is delicious, but if you are not used to it, we can change it to another place."
"It's not like I'm not used to it..."
Hasumi-sensei smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I just feel that the meaning of the treat is meaningless, and I can't thank Kato-kun properly."
Regarding this, Kato Yusuke said nonchalantly: "As long as you have this intention, I don't care about the rest."
He reached out and untied the golden rope from the collar of his uniform and put it into his school bag to prevent it from getting stained later. Then he took off his uniform jacket and hung it on the chair behind him.
Then he raised his hand to the man in the kitchen and said, "Excuse me, a serving of tonkotsu ramen and fried dumplings. I want the hardest noodles, boss."
"okay--!"
In the steaming smoke, the boss wearing a turban responded angrily.
Kato Yusuke then looked at the person next to him, "Have you decided what to eat, teacher?"
"Hey, let me take a look."
Her eyes lingered on the wooden signs with writing on the wall for a long time. Hasumi Kanoko followed his example and waved to the boss: "Excuse me, please give me a barbecued pork ramen."
"Okay——...huh?"
The boss turned around and said, "Is this all you need? Don't you need rice? Or maybe the fried dumplings that Mr. Kato ordered are also delicious."
"Ah, no need, that's fine." Teacher Hasumi waved her hand.
"Really? I understand. Then wait a moment." Then the boss looked back and continued to work.
Kato Yusuke added at the right time: "Although I don't like this combination, the barbecued pork made by the boss is really delicious with rice."
"Kato-san."
Hasumi Kanoko turned her gaze to him, "Teacher is not doubting you, but girls have all kinds of troubles."
Looking the teacher up and down, Kato Yusuke nodded slightly, "Yeah, I understand, but the teacher doesn't need to worry about weight."
Teacher Renjian's expression froze on his face, and he glared at him with a pair of beautiful eyes.
…
"Long wait! Here are the ramen and fried dumplings you ordered."
After placing the dishes in front of the two of them, the boss did not leave immediately. Instead, he brought out another plate from the counter inside.
"Then, this is a complimentary fried pork cutlet, so feel free to enjoy it."
Without giving the two a chance to refute, the man returned to his busy work after saying this, during which he even secretly made a cheering gesture to Kato Yusuke.
Although it was certain that the other party had completely misunderstood something, Kato Yusuke still said thank you boss to the man's back.
Looking at the golden fried pork cutlet dripping with sauce, Teacher Hasumi turned around and asked, "Kato-kun, have you often come to this shop before?"
"I don't come here often either."
Kato Yusuke shook his head, "I only come here for a meal occasionally."
"Really, but you and the boss seem to be quite familiar with each other, and the boss also gave us fried pork chops, so we are treated like regular customers."
"Yeah, I'm quite familiar with it. Because I worked here part-time when I first came to Tokyo, but later I couldn't do it for long because of my age."
Facing the teacher's question, he explained lightly.
"Then I'll start."
The boy clasped his hands on his chest said this, then picked up his chopsticks and started stirring the noodles in the bowl.
"..."
Looking at this scene, Kanoko Hasumi opened her mouth slightly and then closed it again. She seemed to want to say something, but she didn't say it.
In the end, he just looked at his portion of ramen in silence.
The white bowl is filled with milky white soup, with a layer of golden oil floating on top. The barbecued pork and side dishes are neatly stacked on the edge of the bowl, guarding the noodles inside.
A strong aroma hits your nostrils, making your index fingers twitch.
"It looks delicious." Teacher Hasumi said subconsciously.
"There's more than meets the eye."
The boy next to him affirmed: "It tastes delicious too."
She raised her eyes and looked over there, and the scene that caught her eye made her feel slightly curious.
Noodles, noodle soup, pork, carrots, red ginger, fungus, chopped green onions.
I saw Kato Yusuke holding a spoon and putting these things into the spoon one after another. His movements were not hurried at all, with a strange charm.
A "bowl" of mini ramen was assembled in no time.
The young man then brought it to his mouth, then opened his mouth and ate it.
The way he ate noodles was very elegant and quiet, making almost no noise, which was completely different from the behavior of other customers in the store.
But paired with that face, it's very pleasing to the eye.
'This kid is really pretty good...' Kanoko Hasumi thought unconsciously.
As if he felt her gaze, the other party looked sideways, with some doubts in his eyes.
"...The teacher just thinks this way of eating is quite novel. Will this make the ramen delicious?"
"If you insist on saying it."
After swallowing the food in his mouth, Kato Yusuke said: "The texture levels are indeed much richer, but the taste remains the same."
"Hmm - that is to say."
Teacher Hasumi looked at him and said, "Is this way of eating Kato-kun's personal habit?"
Hearing this, Kato Yusuke nodded first, then shook his head, "It probably doesn't count, I only do this when I eat here."
"Hey, what this means is..."
Hasumi Kanoko looked around, "Is there anything special about this store?"
"It's not really any special reason."
Kato Yusuke said calmly: "It's just because I was relatively poor at the time and couldn't eat every day, so eating like this would be slower."
After a pause, he added: "Of course, the ramen made by the boss is also really delicious."
The tone of his speech was very calm, but also indifferent, as if he was talking about other people's affairs. Teacher Hasumi who was listening could not help but feel a huge sense of separation.
Looking at the young man in front of me, an indescribable feeling came to my heart.