Ramen Magic!

I see… Now that I had actually tasted it, this ramen…

Its flavor was extremely aggressive, but I could certainly call it “delicious.”

First of all, the thickness of the noodles was fantastic! They had a substantial bite, with a texture that was less soft and springy than almost gummy-chewy. The soup itself was so salty that the first mouthful seemed almost overwhelmingly briny, but as I vigorously chewed through the extra-thick noodles, the flavor of the wheat mellowed out the saltiness until the balance became just right…

The raw garlic that slammed into my nose between bites was downright violent, yet it paired exquisitely with the rich, greasy broth and those massively thick noodles.

Even the vegetables, which came in a quantity far beyond anything one could call a mere side, had absorbed the broth around the bottom of the bowl and were delicious even when eaten on their own.

The extraordinarily thick slices of chashu were wonderful as well… They had been simmered for so long that they practically melted apart the instant they entered my mouth, coating my tongue with their mellow richness.

And then there was the broth. It was probably made by simmering pork. It was so rich that translucent flecks of fat floated across the surface, and it was incredibly salty, yet beneath all that salt I could still taste a definite sweetness and an intense savory depth that somehow refused to be drowned out.

Somehow, even though every individual ingredient seemed excessive to the point of absurdity and completely mismatched, the lingering flavor created when they all came together was irresistibly addictive.

It was as if every protruding flavor in my mouth was enveloped by a hollow, only for that hollow to immediately be filled by another protrusion… Was that the best way to describe it?

Combined with the towering mountain of food before me, this wild yet almost puzzle-like construction of flavors made “Jiro-style ramen” an exciting, exhilarating ramen to eat.

I simply could not stop the endless cycle of bringing noodles to my mouth.

I could not stop… and yet, strangely enough, the amount in the bowl had not decreased at all!
Ren’s words suddenly flashed through my mind: “Leaving Jiro-style ramen unfinished is strictly forbidden.”

W-What in the world was going on!?

Confused, I took a closer look at the ramen and realized the noodles had swollen to one and a half times their original size.

Apparently, they had been absorbing the broth and expanding.

Ooh!? S-So that was it… That was the trick behind it.

To think I could eat and eat without the amount ever decreasing—what incredible “ramen magic”!

For a ramen lover, it was practically a dream come true.

But right now, that was the last kind of magic I wanted.

No matter how delicious the ramen was, I could not keep eating forever.

I had a fairly large stomach, but even it had its limits.

And my stomach was gradually approaching that limit.

If I took too long, the noodles would swell even more, making it harder and harder to finish everything.

Growing increasingly desperate—and horrified—I hurriedly shoveled the noodles into my mouth.
But… th-they would not go down. …The amount was not decreasing at all!

Nearly half the noodles and vegetables were still left!

My stomach hurt. I could not see the end…

Terrifying… “Double-extra vegetables, garlic, and back fat”!