"Here you go, ladies~ Your ramen. Please enjoy."
Amid their chatter, the ramen Kagura and Ardan had ordered arrived at their table.
"Wow…"
The moment she saw this thing, Kagura couldn't help but let out an amazed gasp. The ramen's appearance was downright terrifying—a small mountain of scallions stacked high, covered with chili powder so vividly red it made her stomach ache just looking at it. If nothing else, this would make one heck of a video thumbnail.
This…this is Mapo Tofu ramen?? So 'Piri-piri' refers to the numbing sensation, huh? It looks so dangerously red…
Finally, Kagura understood just what exactly this "Bilibili ramen" was. Judging by its looks, it was basically a supercharged Mapo Tofu ramen. In Japanese, "Biri-biri" indeed referred to tingling numbness, which reminded Kagura suddenly that Bilibili's name actually came from a certain school-city student who fired railguns with coins.
Even Ardan, who usually enjoyed spicy food, seemed completely overwhelmed by this terrifying presentation. The chopsticks in her hand were trembling slightly.
After a moment's hesitation, Kagura carefully picked up her chopsticks, swept aside the lethal mound of scallions, lifted the noodles beneath, and cautiously placed them into her mouth.
Numb!
With just one bite, Kagura's entire brain was overtaken by this single sensation. Although it looked fiercely red and spicy, it wasn't actually spicy at all—instead, it was intensely numbing. She felt like her taste buds were about to short-circuit.
"Um…Kagura-san, how is it?"
Seeing Kagura take the first bite, Ardan, still hesitating, decided to ask how it tasted. Kagura's expression hadn't changed in the slightest, making it impossible for Ardan to figure out her real feelings.
"…Actually, it's pretty good, you know?"
Kagura smiled lightly, waving her chopsticks as if unaffected. Ardan wavered again. Was this ramen just intimidating visually, but not actually that bad?
Seeing Kagura was perfectly fine, Ardan gathered her courage, pushed aside the scallion pile, grabbed a mouthful of noodles, and placed it into her mouth.
"!!!!"
Ardan's chopsticks dropped uncontrollably into the bowl, and she instantly coughed violently, her fair face flushing bright red, sweat breaking out across her forehead. The intense numbness was utterly beyond expectation, nearly paralyzing her tongue. Only when she noticed Kagura's smile widening did Ardan realize Kagura had deliberately tricked her.
"Ka… Kagura-san! You…cough, cough…How can you stay expressionless!?"
"Because it's just numbing, not spicy~ If it's only numbing, I can handle it quite well."
"Cough…cough…"
Ardan couldn't stop coughing, but soon a glass of milk was gently placed before her—Kagura had already ordered it from the waiter without her noticing. Ardan was briefly puzzled that a bar even served milk, but she was in no state to ponder details now. She took the glass immediately and gulped it down.
"I'm saved…! Thank you, Kagura-san…"
"Ardan-ojousama, you shouldn't have swallowed the noodles straight down like that. They were coated in chili powder—though it's not very spicy, powder itself irritates your throat. It's unbearable if you swallow it directly."
Kagura gently patted Ardan's back, helping her recover. After such an ordeal, Ardan's small face was flushed and sweaty.
Once Ardan finally recovered, Kagura explained the proper way to eat this ramen. Then, using a spoon and chopsticks, she rolled up some noodles and carefully fed them to Ardan. By the time Ardan realized Kagura had just hand-fed her, Kagura had already put down the utensils and returned swiftly to her seat. Blushing furiously, Ardan silently lowered her head, quietly eating her noodles in tiny bites.
Actually, if one ignored that overwhelmingly numbing taste, Kagura thought this ramen was quite tasty. She genuinely enjoyed Mapo Tofu, and so did Ardan. With plenty of tofu and minced meat beneath the noodles, it was a generous portion for its price.
"Wow… Kagura-san, you're really going at those scallions, huh…?"
Ardan cautiously slurped her noodles, amazed at how eagerly Kagura devoured that heap of scallions. She herself wasn't fond of such a strong scallion flavor.
"It's not bad! Scallions are pretty tasty. Mixed with the soup, tofu, and minced meat, it's actually delicious."
"Amazing…Wait! Kagura-san, you're recording a video, right?! Just now…"
Ardan, suddenly remembering Kagura's shoulder-mounted camera, recalled how embarrassing she'd just looked.
"If you don't want others to see it, Ardan-ojousama, I can edit your part out."
Kagura paused her chopsticks, smiling warmly. Ardan quickly nodded like a pecking chick—letting Kagura see her embarrassing side was enough; having others witness it would make her want to crawl into a hole.
...
"Grandmother, what are you…"
Meanwhile, at the Mejiro main estate, Mejiro Ramonu, finally finding some free time, knocked and entered Iris-sama's room. Seeing Iris-sama sitting upright behind her large desk, intensely fiddling with her phone, Ramonu, who'd never seen Iris-sama this serious and focused before, couldn't help but feel curious.
"Oh! Ramonu, perfect timing! Quickly, quickly, sit down and help me!"
Seeing Ramonu enter, Iris-sama immediately waved her over enthusiastically, patting the stool beside her.
Puzzled, Ramonu walked over, sitting next to Iris-sama. Noticing that Iris-sama had just been rapidly typing messages, her confusion deepened.
"You are…?"
"Today, Ardan took Kagura out for fun, but that silly child doesn't know anything. I'm giving her ideas on what to do. You know Tokyo better than me, come help!"
"Hm? Something like this happened?"
Ramonu's expression turned instantly serious. She knew Iris-sama had been eager to improve the Mejiro family's image in Kagura's heart, so it wasn't strange that Iris-sama was taking this so seriously. If it was to help Ardan, she naturally wouldn't hesitate to assist.
"Grandmother, please tell me their current location and progress clearly. I'll help as best I can."
...
Having happily (?) finished their ramen, Kagura and Ardan stepped out of the shop. As Ardan wondered where to go next, her phone buzzed with a message from Iris-sama.
[Grandmother]:Have you finished eating with Kagura-san? Do you need to take her for some drinks next?
[Ardan]:I was planning to bring Kagura-san to the shopping mall you mentioned earlier. Any other suggestions?
[Grandmother]:Kagura-san is extremely passionate about cooking. According to Symboli Speed—that old fellow—Kagura has been looking to buy new kitchenware recently. Take Kagura-san shopping for kitchen utensils.
[Grandmother]:[Image]
[Grandmother]:Here's a detailed map of the shopping center. I marked all the kitchenware shops. Take Kagura-san around and see if she finds anything she likes.
Very soon, a meticulously annotated floor-by-floor map appeared on Ardan's phone. It was almost unbelievable that Iris-sama had managed such complex photo editing on her mobile device.
[Big Sister]:Ardan, if you have time, you could also visit the spot marked in blue on the map. There's a photo booth there. Plan your route carefully, so you can conveniently bring Kagura-san there while looking for kitchenware.
[Big Sister]:[Image]
[Big Sister]:The booth looks like this, don't mistake it.
R-Ramonu-neesama joined too!?
Ardan was astonished by her family's strangely high efficiency. She'd thought Iris-sama was handling everything alone, never expecting Ramonu-neesama to join in as well.
"Ardan-ojousama~ Have you decided where we'll go next?"
Noticing Ardan finally seemed more relaxed, Kagura patiently asked. Ardan's expression meant she'd likely found a suitable goal.
"Yes! Kagura-san, would you like to visit the shopping mall?"
Saying this, Ardan showed Kagura the location on her phone.
Having recently wanted to buy some daily necessities, Kagura carefully checked the location. Since Ardan wanted to go there anyway, it would conveniently fulfill her own goal too.
"Alright, Ardan-ojousama, please lead the way~"
...
"Grandmother, Ardan said Kagura-san agreed. They're now heading toward the shopping mall."
"Good. Now let me see what we should do next…"
Iris-sama breathed a sigh of relief but didn't pause to celebrate this small victory. Immediately, an even bigger problem landed right in front of her—
[Trainer]:Iris-sama, students from Tracen informed me that Symboli Rudolf has apparently gone shopping today as well. Her exact location isn't confirmed, but the shopping center you chose is close to Tracen. I believe Rudolf-ojousama may go there.
"Eh?"
---
T/N: Ardan needs a whole team... girl...
...
"Looks like this is the last day you'll be hearing from me—for now, at least."
"Bonus chapters will be released tomorrow, so if you've been hoarding your patience, you won't have to for much longer."
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say bye bye and thank you to maomao!!