After leaving Eriri's house, Tanaka Masao didn't head to Akihabara this time.
Before going back in the afternoon, he had only one mission in Tokyo: to eat and drink to his heart's content.
If Jahy knew that Tanaka Masao had come all the way to Tokyo just to do something like this, then maybe the great task of collecting magic stones wouldn't be impossible to postpone a little.
Tanaka Masao wandered around aimlessly, dropping into any shop that looked promising.
He'd take a look at the menu—if he liked it, he'd eat; if not, he'd leave.
Eat delicious food to replenish calories, then stroll around looking for shops to burn those calories.
Tanaka Masao planned to use this method to achieve a perfect calorie balance, so that today he could just keep eating nonstop.
"I really am a genius."
The idea was beautiful—but putting it into practice was another matter entirely.
At first, Tanaka Masao managed to keep it up. But as time went on, the number of tempting food spots he ran into kept increasing, and they appeared more and more frequently.
As a result, the pace at which he ate sped up, the time he spent walking to burn calories decreased, and the amount he could actually eat kept shrinking.
Mission accomplished: the more he ate, the less he could eat.
...
After wandering around for a while, when noon came and the weather got hot, he went into a mall to enjoy the air conditioning, get a massage, play some games, and so on.
By the time the heat had eased, Tanaka Masao's stomach also had enough room to keep eating.
He checked the time—before he knew it, it was already six o'clock.
Looking at the sky, which was starting to darken, Tanaka Masao felt a twinge of melancholy.
"Happy times always pass so quickly. I'll eat one last meal, then head home."
He decided to find one really good shop and put a perfect ending to his indulgent day.
But all along the way, he still hadn't found a single place that satisfied him one hundred percent.
Thinking that since it was his last meal, it had to be the very best—there might still be an even better shop up ahead.
And so, without realizing it, he wandered into a sparsely populated area, where he didn't see a single store for quite a while.
"Crap, I walked too far."
Seeing that the surroundings were already purely residential, Tanaka Masao knew he'd gone past the area he was aiming for.
As he replayed the shops he'd passed earlier in his mind, thinking about turning back, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye—there seemed to be a shop tucked away in a small alley nearby.
He stopped and looked more closely.
It was a ramen shop.
At the entrance, there was only a simple signboard with the words [Hakata Ramen] written on it.
Above the doorframe hung the shop's nameplate.
Faced with such a plain, out-of-the-way ramen shop, Tanaka Masao stopped in his tracks.
"Anyone who dares to open a shop in a place like this—and judging by the exterior, it's been around for quite a few years—and still hasn't gone out of business… this has to be one of those places with amazing flavor."
There were quite a few shops around here that were century-old establishments.
Places like that survived by relying on solid craftsmanship and a strong reputation, drawing in countless repeat customers.
Tanaka Masao decided to give it a try.
...
"Welcome."
A calm, powerful middle-aged man's voice rang out.
Tanaka Masao looked around the interior. The layout was the classic counter-style setup.
Two long counter tables, together with the walls, enclosed a single space, clearly separating the owner from the customers. All the ingredients and equipment were gathered in the center, surrounded by the counter, allowing customers seated at the counter to clearly see the owner's every move.
That was one of the defining features of this kind of shop layout.
The ramen shop owner was dressed simply, with a white headscarf tied around his head. His expression was stern, giving off an air of seriousness and professionalism.
In one hand, he held a strainer, stirring the hot water in the pot, ready at any moment to start making ramen.
"What would you like to order?"
After saying this, the owner quietly waited for Tanaka Masao to place his order—no urging, no recommendations.
After entering, Tanaka Masao sat down directly at the seat closest to the door.
On the wall beside him hung a series of wooden plaques, each with the name of a ramen dish written on it.
There were more than ten kinds in total. Some of the names were almost identical, which gave Tanaka Masao a bit of a headache—he couldn't really tell what the differences between them were.
Just then, the door to the ramen shop opened and a new customer came in. Still hesitating, Tanaka Masao had no choice but to pick one at random.
It was the wooden plaque in the very corner. Compared to the others, it had a few extra stains on it and looked particularly inconspicuous.
"Shōyu tonkotsu. Light, please."
Even though the owner hadn't rushed him, with a new customer arriving, Tanaka Masao felt it would be awkward to keep taking his time.
As for ordering it lighter, that was because he'd already eaten quite a lot today—it would be better to go with something a bit milder.
As soon as Tanaka Masao finished speaking, both the ramen shop owner and the newly arrived customer paused for a moment.
The owner's expression didn't change at all. He simply asked calmly,
"How firm do you want the noodles?"
"Firm."
When it comes to noodles, firmer is better—something with bite. Soft, limp noodles have no soul.
Hearing Tanaka Masao's answer, the ramen shop owner's lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
"Please wait a moment."
And with that, he got to work.