3 idiot chapter 119

 Episode 119. Ramen

We asked the guild to handle the butchering of the whale and shark. I made sure to tell them, “Don’t waste the meat, got it? I mean it. And freeze it for now.” With that, we headed out into the night city.

I mean, those things are massive—if a grotesque parasite crawled out of one, just seeing it would be enough to make you sick.

It’s honestly a relief to find them while they’re still freshly dead.

...Well, the real reason was that they didn’t fit in a Magic Bag.

So yeah, the freshness might suffer, but it’s safer this way. As the guild staff stood there slack-jawed, Daryl grabbed my shoulder and dragged me to his recommended ramen shop.

“Seconds! All toppings maxed out! Tonkotsu!”

“Next, I want miso! And add gyoza!”

“Me too! Seafood ramen, large! Fried rice, large!”

“I’d also like a refill of soy-sauce chicken broth ramen and karaage! There’s something different about the taste compared to what I usually eat... I must investigate. But this is delicious as well!”

“Everyone sure eats a lot, huh...”

[Let’s try this next—“tsukemen,” apparently. From the illustration, it looks like you dip the noodles yourself?]

Though it was meant to be a victory celebration, we’d completely turned it into a full-blown food fight.

The place was pretty spacious, filled with the crewmates we traveled the seas with. Everyone was drinking and watching us devour food like it was a sport.

“No way, Kitayama’s gonna eat the most! One silver on it!”

“Nah, it’s definitely Azuma. Just look at his size—he finishes a bowl in under a minute. I’m putting my silver on Azuma.”

“You guys are idiots. Look at Nishida! He’s stacking plates—ramen, gyoza, spring rolls, all kinds of stuff. At this rate, his bill will be the highest. Two silver on Nishida!”

“U-uh, I’m betting on Minami-chan... She’s so tiny—where’s it all even going?”

“I’ll go with the Saintess! ...Okay, maybe not. But hey, maybe the calories are going somewhere other than her stomach...”

The sailors joked and laughed freely, having the time of their lives.

And right next to me, the Captain let out an exhausted sigh.

“Well, I guess it’s fine... But is it really that good?”

“Of course it is! It’s RAMEN!”

“Ah, yeah... Sorry I asked.”

Even as Daryl let out another deep sigh, we kept slurping down ramen like there was no tomorrow.

It’s just too good. It's dangerously good.

After so long, finally having ramen again made me wonder if it had some kind of addictive property. I couldn’t stop.

And being this close to the sea? The broth was on a whole other level.

You could really taste the seafood in the salt ramen—it’s the most obvious one. It soaked in that umami beautifully.

The noodles were just as good as the ones “on the other side,” and the bowls came out overflowing with veggies and thick cuts of chashu*. One after another, they hit the table. (*Braised Pork)

Even the non-seafood broths were amazing.

After a rich tonkotsu, a soy or salt ramen would refresh your mouth. Miso heated you up, then chilled hiyashi-chuka brought you back down.

What is this heaven? It’s seriously insane.

Since coming to “this side,” I’ve been eating way more. If I went back to “that side” like this, I’d definitely go broke just from food expenses.

That’s how much we were eating.

“Another round! Blend it, mix it, whatever! Chef’s special, extra-large! Triple toppings, go!”

“Gahaha! Didn’t think you lot could eat this much! We’re running low on ingredients. The staff’s out buying more now, so hang tight! In the meantime, munch on these.”

The grinning chef set down some grilled fish and an assortment of fried items. There were also sashimi platters of octopus and squid—and even shishamo lined up nicely.

“OHHH YEAH! I’m drinkin’ now, baby!”

“Kou-chan, that’s not fair! I’m drinkin’ too!”

“Wait, they’ve got sashimi now!? Count me in—let’s drink! Shishamo!” (Willow Leaf Fish)

So while waiting for the next round of ramen, we gorged on the appetizers the chef brought out and knocked back some drinks.

Delicious. Everything was delicious.

But man, if these ingredients were monsters instead of normal ingredients, I bet they’d taste different again.

Just the thought made my mouth water.

“Man... the sea’s awesome. Totally different flavor from the forest.”

“Yeah, totally. Let’s just keep stuffing our faces. Captain’s paying.”

“I wonder how good the monsters from this region are gonna taste... I’m getting excited already.”

We exchanged idle chatter as we soaked in the joy of seaside ramen.

Every dish was amazing. Shops that use fresh seafood really do hit different.

As we waited for the next bowl, we enjoyed the fish dishes with a splash of booze.

Ahhh... perfection.

Absolutely fantastic.

After spending so long out hunting on the ship, this hit us right in the soul.

The drinks. The food.

This was, without question, the most satisfying dinner we could’ve hoped for.

“T-Thank you for waiting! We bought more ingredients! Who’s still eating ramen!?”

“““WE ARE!!”””

Probably the chef’s wife and daughter—they came in with huge bags and asked, and we shouted without hesitation.

Of course we’re still eating.

It’s this damn good, and they went through the trouble of restocking.

As for tomorrow’s stock—well, that old guy in front of us can go out and buy more.

You got this, chef.

We’re eating everything.

“I want soy sauce ramen! Max toppings, piled high!”

“I think I’ll go back to seafood salt... it’s just too good.”

“I’ll try seafood miso next! Please and thank you!”

“Seriously, how much can you guys eat... Order received!”

And so began another round of frantic ramen preparation—like a battlefield behind the counter.

While watching the scene, we picked at the fish.

So damn good. And perfect with the booze.

Everything on the table was a drink snack.

You had to drink when stuff like this showed up.

As I stared at the kitchen, lost in thought—

"I thought it’d be a cheap night… but I was wrong."

With a look of exasperation, Daryl let out a heavy sigh as he watched us.

I mean, we did just hunt down two massive beasts—this much food should be allowed.

Even as he gave us a tired, deadpan stare, my throat involuntarily gulped at the sight of the extra-large, heaping bowl of ramen set before me.

"Well then, once again..."

"""Itadakimasu!"""

That night, we kept slurping noodles late into the night.

"Ughhhh... My shoulders are stiff..."

"You did 30 straight arm-wrestling matches just because we were drinking, Kou-chan. That’s straight-up dumb."

"Honestly, the fact that you just have sore shoulders, Kita-kun, is proof of your absurd recovery speed."

"Shut it, Azuma. You don’t get to talk when you won the arm-wrestling tournament without even breaking a sweat."

As we exchanged banter, I crawled out of the tent.

We were currently still in town, waiting on the dismantling of the whale and shark.

However, a bit of a problem had come up.

There was nowhere to stay.

"Good... morning... Masters..."

"Good moooorning~"

[Morning!]

The girls emerged from the neighboring tent.

Minami, who was always groggy in the mornings, came out rubbing her eyes, looking half-asleep. On the other hand, Seijou-sama seemed to wake up quite well—she appeared refreshed.

Watching the stark contrast between the two, I handed Minami a bucket.

"Ah, yes... water, right..."

Nodding off as she conjured water into the bucket with magic, Minami was clearly still half-asleep.

Well, we were up late, after all. Can’t blame her.

I handed the filled bucket over to the girls and told them to go wash their faces.

"Um, Minami-san? Are you okay?"

"Aye... battle-ready anytime..."

"That’s not what I meant! Time to wash your face, okay?"

If I threw some hostility her way, I’m sure she’d snap awake instantly—but that would be cruel.

Let’s just let her sway back and forth like this for a while.

With that in mind, us guys began preparing breakfast.

"Something light for breakfast... What do you guys want?"

"Even you’re hungover this time, Kou-chan? Man, you’re really out of it."

Nishida laughed as he teased me, but let me be clear.

It’s just that this guy can hold his liquor way too well.

Last night, we drank an insane amount, and on top of that, we had an arm-wrestling tournament.

It’d be weirder not to feel it the next day.

Even Azuma was still stifling yawns.

"Whatever, Azuma, go ahead and toast the bread. Let’s make some hot sandwiches—load 'em with veggies. For meat... fish’s fine, but let’s go with chicken. We’ll use up the last of it... I seriously want something light. Nishida, can you handle the soup?"

"If you were truly hungover, I’d make you clam miso, but I guess you’re not that bad. Got it, I’ll whip up something that goes with sandwiches."

"We did drink a lot last night. It’s no surprise."

As we all moved into food prep—

"Good morning, you hearty eaters. Did you sleep well last night?"

Standing before us was the beautiful branch manager, even though our bodies were so sluggish we didn’t want to say a word.

Her lips were twitching.

"Yes, well, I pretty much passed out the moment we got back last night."

"Oh really, that's good to hear. You 'got back' and then passed out, huh. That phrasing feels a little off—maybe it's just my imagination?"

"Man, this place is great. Not too hot, not too cold. The sea breeze is a bit strong, but it's a perfect environment for sleeping."

"Um, excuse me? Is it about time I point this out? Normal Walkers don't camp out in the guild courtyard, you know that? Last night was a special exception, okay? Please stay at a proper inn tonight."

"Oh, looks like the chicken's done."

"Listen to meeeeee!"

As she said, we were currently borrowing space in the guild courtyard.

Can’t be helped—every inn we checked was full.

We showed up pretty late, so complaining wouldn't have changed anything.

And so, we made the reckless decision to camp inside the city.

Surprisingly, it was quite comfortable.

"Branch Manager-san, want some? It’s magic beast meat though."

"What is this food you’re eating!?"

Well, that reaction makes sense.

While receiving the usual critique, I stuffed the grilled ingredients into the freshly toasted bread.

"Ah, there you are. Yo, Hearty Eaters."

"Good morning, everyone."

In came the Daryl Pirate Crew and the chubby merchant Reed.

And today, even his daughter Sara had made an appearance.

As I thought, what a big group for this early in the morning, I lined up the finished hot sandwiches on plates.

"Whoa, those look great. Mind making some for us too? We’ll pay—enough to cover the cost of tonight’s lodging and dinner. A normal dinner."

"If I may, I’d also like one. I’ll of course pay, and I can also introduce you to a good place to stay tonight."

"Father, I’d say something about the magic beast meat again, but... I suppose it’s too late for that. May I have one as well?"

"Sure, go wash your hands and wait."

And so, I started cranking out more.

With the number of people growing, making them one at a time became a hassle, so I brought out the barbecue set.

Might as well grill everything at once.

"Master, are we really having a barbecue this early in the morning?"

Having washed their faces and looking a bit more awake, Minami and the others returned.

Minami seemed to perk up a bit more the moment she saw the chicken being carved.

"Yeah, a bunch of hungry mouths showed up. Give me a hand. I’ll take care of the chicken, Minami you handle the salted flying fish, and the Saintess duo—start mass-producing grated daikon. Let’s just make a bunch of refreshing dishes, whatever works."

"Understood."

"Okay~"

[Why do grilled fish and grated daikon go so well together, I wonder?]

As everyone got to work, the Branch Manager opened her mouth wide and let out a cry.

"Wait wait wait! This is magic beast meat, right!? Why is everyone acting like this is normal!?"

"Well, you see, it’s kind of a long story..."

"Don’t skip it! Don’t skip the important parts of the story!"

Ah man, explaining this every time is such a pain. I wish the other branch managers would just officially announce that it's edible already...

So I started recounting the events up to now while continuing to cook.

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