A Bowl Of Ramen

When I raised my voice, the man in white looked startled. Then, laughing, he reached into a basket beside him and took out an egg.

“Angato yo, okyakusan! Service da!”

I had no idea what his words meant, but he had probably been pleased by my praise.

I accepted the egg.

Hmm? It seemed to be a boiled egg… Well, one could eat something like this anywhere, but if he was offering it to me, I would gladly have it. I could hardly reject his kindness.

I quickly peeled off the shell and took a bite.

…D-Deliciousーーーー!

What was with this boiled egg!? He had perfectly judged the exact moment before the yolk fully set, leaving it exquisitely soft-boiled! The white was springy and clean-tasting, while the orange yolk was thick, rich, and intensely flavorful!

And this egg… it had been lightly salted, and it went unbelievably well with the ramen!

The mildness of the egg white refreshed the ramen’s lingering richness, while the deep flavor of the yolk amplified the aroma of the wheat!

The egg enhanced the ramen, and the ramen enhanced the egg!

Their flavors intertwined in a complex harmony, bringing out the full appeal of both!

Completely lost in the experience, I alternated between bites of boiled egg and the remaining ramen.

Before I knew it, the bowl was completely empty, without even a single drop of broth left behind.

Ahh… I was utterly satisfied.

I needed nothing more….

Ever since I had begun calling myself a gourmet, I had relentlessly pursued rare and delicious foods with almost obsessive fervor. If something was tasty, I could eat endlessly, and no matter how full I was, I could never resist putting a rare delicacy into my mouth. And yet now, I almost felt as though I had lost sight of the true “joy of eating” until this very moment….

The last time I had felt this way must have been more than two hundred years ago.

To think a single bowl of food could leave me feeling this fulfilled… Truly fearsome, this “Ramen”!

As I stared blankly at my empty bowl, the regular beside me apparently finished as well and stood up. Then he took a Radias silver coin from his pocket and placed it on the cart’s counter.

“Gossosan!”

When the regular said that, the proprietor accepted the coin and shouted,

“Ariato yasshitaa!”

Hmm…? The rumors had said that he served the food for free… But after being treated to something this moving and delicious, I could hardly leave without paying!

A single Radias silver coin was enough to buy a full-course meal at a restaurant, but compared with the experience I had enjoyed tonight, it felt absurdly cheap!

I took a silver coin from my own pocket and placed it on the counter as well.

“Go… gososan!”

When I imitated what the man before me had said, the man in white flashed his white teeth in a grin and shouted, “Ariato yasshitaa, mata doozoー!”

Seeing that we had finished eating, people began emerging from the alleyways in droves.

Now that they understood the proper way to eat it, they probably intended to get some ramen for themselves.

Within moments, the stall was surrounded by a crowd.

As I stood there watching, someone gave me a pat on the back.

When I turned around, I saw the regular from earlier… He was a dwarf.