"Chiba-kun, aren't you eating?" An Akiyama asked, her cheeks stuffed, turning to look at him.
Seeing the glint in the dummy girl's eyes, Shuichi Chiba knew she was eyeing his food. "Don't worry, it's all yours."
An's face broke into a squinting smile. "Chiba-kun's the best~"
The owner watched silently. On the surface, it seemed like the boy was saving some for the girl, but…
His demeanor while eating didn't exactly scream delicious.
As Tokyo's top ramen chef, he wasn't some over-the-top, domineering type who couldn't handle someone disliking his food.
But he cared enough to want to know what wasn't liked.
Picky customers, after all, could be a chance to improve.
"Sir, if there's anything you didn't like, please let me know. We'll take it seriously and make adjustments," The owner said earnestly.
Tsuki Akiyama chimed in, "Don't mind him. He's a rich young master with a picky palate. It's not your fault."
The owner nodded, understanding. Probably not just any young master, either. The way he ate—those refined, almost aristocratic manners?
He recalled a customer once describing the "noble vibe" as a faint boredom after having every desire fulfilled, like nothing could spark interest.
That's exactly how this boy acted!
"If possible, I'd love to hear your critique," The owner pressed.
He didn't know which wealthy family this kid came from, but he'd likely tasted countless gourmet dishes. Maybe he could offer some valuable insight to push his ramen craft further.
Shuichi shot Tsuki a subtle pinch on her thigh, annoyed. What was she blabbing about? What could he critique?
"You're too kind. I'm no professional food critic or chef. Just a regular diner," He said.
"You're too modest. Even just your thoughts on the flavor would help. Please, share your critique," The owner said, bowing slightly.
Shuichi was stumped. What could he say? That he was used to eating ramen with a 700% buff, so anything else tasted bland by comparison?
Truth be told, Champion Ramen was genuinely good. Even by his standards, it wasn't bad—just no match for Akiyama-san's cooking.
It was like someone accustomed to gourmet feasts suddenly eating plain fare. It takes some getting used to.
But calling it inedible swill? Far from it. If the goal was just to fill his stomach, even less impressive food would do.
It just felt a bit bland, like a spice addict eating something mildly spicy—lacking punch.
Plus, after a heavy morning workout, he'd eaten a lot and wasn't hungry. Shuichi figured there was no need to eat just for the sake of it.
He'd rather wait to eat Akiyama-san's cooking—better flavor, richer nutrition.
But he'd noticed another issue.
It was hard to quantify, but Akiyama-san's ramen, in pure flavor, didn't quite reach eight times the effect of this soy sauce ramen.
He'd vaguely sensed it before: after the buff exceeded 500%, the food's flavor entered a new realm.
It was like it acted directly on the soul, not just the taste buds.
The salon's massages were the same—ethereal, beyond mere physical sensation.
Shuichi pondered briefly, then said sincerely, "It's missing a bit of soul."
"…"
The owner froze. That cryptic comment could easily be taken as nitpicking nonsense.
But…
Since starting in this trade, he'd been taught that ramen needed soul, that you had to pour your heart and soul into it.
He'd done just that.
But what exactly made a dish "soulful"? There was no clear definition.
He'd reached Tokyo's top spot, second nationwide, and still couldn't grasp that soulful feeling.
"Thank you for your critique. Here's a complimentary dish—please try it."
After a brief silence, the owner brought out a small bowl of shrimp wontons.
Shuichi, as before, politely tried one and set it down, his expression barely changing. The rest went to the dummy girl.
This made the owner doubt himself even more. Sure, he ran a ramen shop, but his shrimp wontons were among the best nationwide. Yet this kid's reaction…
It didn't seem fake—just genuinely unimpressed.
The trio finished their ramen, dusted themselves off, and left, leaving the owner deep in thought, pondering how to find the soul of ramen.
*
In the afternoon, they headed back to Taito Ward. After queuing for over two hours at Ueno Zoo, they finally saw the pandas, fulfilling a regret from Shuichi's past life.
After the pandas, Shuichi and Tsuki led the ecstatic An back to the shopping street.
An rushed into the ramen shop to show off her new pajamas to Akiyama-san, while Tsuki and Shuichi lingered outside, talking business.
"What'd you think of Champion Ramen? Better than your mom's?" Shuichi asked.
Tsuki thought it over, then shook her head. "I eat Mom's ramen every day, so theoretically, the enjoyment should dull from repetition. But even so, it still feels better than Champion Ramen."
Shuichi wasn't surprised. Objectively, Champion Ramen might score 9.9/10, while Akiyama-san's, conservatively, would be 6/10.
With a 70% buff, that's 10.2/10—easily surpassing the competition.
To most people, it'd be perfection.
"Good enough. The flavor's solid. Now it's about service and ambiance. Need my help?" Shuichi offered.
"No need. For ambience, I'm thinking of taking a page from the flower shop," Tsuki said, glancing at the shop not far behind Shuichi.
"Last night, I stopped by and noticed that even without renovations, it's beautifully arranged."
Shuichi raised an eyebrow. "You went to see Kitagawa-san? I recall giving you orders about that."
"Mmm…" Tsuki's heart skipped, trembling. "I just… went to explain briefly. Didn't say much."
Shuichi grabbed her chin. "Who gave you permission to act on your own? A little maid daring to defy orders—what should I do with you?"
Tsuki bit her lip, heart racing. People were passing by on the street, some already noticing them.
"Whatever the young master wants…" She murmured.
Shuichi narrowed his eyes. "You haven't lost your first time yet, have you?"
"Yes…" Tsuki's pulse jumped, a thrilling rush coursing through her with adrenaline, making her restless. "Is the young master going to take me?"
"A little maid dreaming of such a privilege?" Shuichi snorted. "But it does involve eating…"
He leaned into her ear, whispering his idea. Tsuki's excitement surged, her thighs pressing together. "I get it. Truly a deviant young master."
While they discussed rather unwholesome matters out here, inside, An was chatting about far more innocent things.
"Chiba-kun bought me panda pajamas! Aren't they cute?"
"And this other set—together, they cost 10,000 yen!"
"He also got me tons of snacks, and even that super hard-to-get Champion Ramen. He only tried a few bites and left the rest for me~"
Surrounded by her youngest daughter's chatter, Akiyama-san childishly competed. "Your dad used to buy me lots of fun clothes too."
"You never wear them. Mom's lying," An said skeptically.
"Those clothes are just for Dad to see. What do kids know?" Akiyama-san smirked, tapping An's nose.
An pouted, recalling how her sister had brushed her off the same way, saying kids shouldn't ask too much…
As she started to piece something together, Akiyama-san suddenly asked, "So, how was that Champion Ramen today?"
"It was okay. Pretty tasty," An said. She wasn't picky—unless it was truly awful, she'd eat anything.
A girl who'd taste soy sauce for saltiness—expect her to be fussy?
"Compared to Mom's?"
"Mom's is maybe just a tiny bit better," An admitted reluctantly, knowing it'd make her mom smug.
"Just as I thought! Even Champion Ramen can't beat mine. You little traitor, insisting on going there," Akiyama-san crowed, thrilled.
With no customers in the shop, Shuichi didn't need to be discreet. After chatting with Tsuki, he strolled inside.
"Akiyama-san, I haven't had lunch yet. Could you whip something up? Champion Ramen's nowhere near your cooking. I figured I'd come back to eat."
Akiyama-san beamed. "Give me a sec, Chiba-kun. It's coming right up."
While bustling about, she grabbed her daughter. "See? High cooking skills are super useful. Back in the day, I won your dad over with my amazing dishes. Why aren't you learning from me?"
An side-eyed her. "Last time, you said something totally different. I bet you're just trying to trick me into doing more work."
Caught out, Akiyama-san blushed. "An, you big dummy. Believe it or not, Chiba-kun loves my cooking. If you don't want to learn, I'll teach Tsuki."
An wavered, her face scrunching. She didn't want to be tricked into extra chores, but she also worried her sister might sabotage things. "Fine… I'll learn…"
Akiyama-san snickered gleefully. More chances to slack off—score!
Her dummy daughter was so easy to fool~
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