9. Ramen and Cola
10-06-2022
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"You're not thinking of making food, are you?"
It was the next morning. You and Senku were raiding Chrome's warehouse, looking for something to use to cook.
"Food has nothing to do with science," Chrome said, sounding bored.
You turned to him. "It has everything to do with it. Food is equal to science."
"Yeah, just what do you think makes up the 'umami' in the fish you eat every day? That's glutamic and inosinic acid," Senku added.
You then heard the sound of barking and laughter, noticing Suika playing with a puppy below the warehouse. She seemed to be holding something long and green in her hands.
"Suika, what's that in your hand?" You questioned her.
She answered cheerfully, "Oh, this is her friend Chalk's favorite toy! It's green dogtail millet!"
"Oh, you mean foxtail millet, right?"
Immediately, Senku jumped up from his spot and climbed down the ladder from the warehouse in a mad dash. He pointed at the plant that the girl was holding.
"With foxtail millet, we might actually be able to to make it! The world's greatest delicacy!" The scientist cried with determination. He went back into the warehouse and came out with three baskets that you could carry on your back. He handed one to Chrome and one for you. "Suika, lead the way to the foxtail millet."
"Aye sir!"
She started heading over to the area where she found the foxtail millet, with you, Senku, Chrome, and Kohaku trailing behind her. Chalk was also following, since Suika was still holding her one foxtail.
Through the trees, you passed by them to see an open field. In the middle of that field were tall stalks of foxtail millet that were growing in a large group.
"Make sure you cut the top halves of the stalks, lioness. We'll pick up whatever you drop," said Senku.
"On it! And don't call me that!" she cried.
In full force, Kohaku took her duel blades and the cut foxtail millet down. Everything that had fallen, you, Senku, and Chrome would pick it up and place it in the baskets that the three of you carried on your backs.
Once they were filled to the brim, you all went back to the warehouse and started working.
Senku explained that all of you needed to beat the foxtail against rocks into a basket, as it would make the grain fall out naturally. Kohaku, Chrome, and Suika seemed skeptical about eating it, but once they were all in a basket, threshing them through water and through a strainer helped them see how clean the grains were. You and Kohaku would then crush the grain into a fine, green powder, which would then be mixed with an egg, ash lye, and potassium carbonate to create dough.
"A nameless Mongolian in the 4th century discovered this by coincidence. Just like you, Chrome, he was an insane fool who was ready to try anything and everything," said Senku.
He was rolling the dough layer by layer, and then he would cut it up in the shape of small noodles through it with a knife. Once the noodles were done, you got a large pot to boil some water with, and placed a large chicken and some beef inside of it to add protein and fat. Suika helped take apart some fish and also added it into the pot for vitamin B3 and cholesterol. With the final touches, Senku added bones, green onions, and bamboo shoots for extra vitamins, carbohydrates, and most importantly, flavoring.
The aroma of the foods mixed together created such a pleasant smell, Kohaku and Chrome couldn't wait for it to be finished. The scientist created a pair of chopsticks and got himself a bowl of the food and placed it in front of all of you as you were sitting together.
"We had a name for this stupidly good food 3,700 years ago. It was called 'ramen'," he told them, then looked at you. "Well, it is primitive ramen, so it's ten billion percent times worse than any high class gourmet ramen."
You handed a bowl to Kohaku, who was picking at the food hesitantly. "But this is actually foxtail millet, isn't it...?"
"It is, but with all of the other things in the bowl, it should taste good!" You told her, hoping she would try it after you said that. You even noticed Suika shivering with hesitation.
"I'll check to see if it's safe! It's the duty of a sorcerer to not be scared and try anything new!" cried Chrome. He took the chopsticks and slurped up the noodles. He then startled you as he screamed out, "IT'S SO FREAKIN' GOOD!"
He began to down the noodles, and Kohaku and Suika follow suit. They also exclaimed that it was delicious, and that it was the best thing they have ever tasted. They couldn't help but gush over how good their food was.
"It's so chewy and slippery! I've never had anything like it before!" Suika exclaimed.
Kohaku added, "I can't believe such a thing would exist in this world!"
Smiling as they finished eating, you turned to your friend. "I guess it's time for us to try it, huh?"
"Yeah. It's been 3,700 years since we've had a decent meal," he replied back.
-Flashback-
"Oi, Senku, let's get some ramen tonight!"
Senku was sitting in his room, pondering at the next science experiment he was going to do at the school for science club. His father had popped his head through his door to decide what they were going to eat for dinner.
"You're not gonna cook tonight?" asked the scientist.
"Nah, I'm not in the mood right now," the man replied with a smile. "Why don't we invite (Y/N)-chan? Seems like she doesn't have anything else to do tonight."
Senku raised an eyebrow. "What are you on about, old man?"
He pouted as if he were a child. "Well what's wrong with inviting my future daughter-in-law?"
The boy's eyes slightly widened. "'Future daughter-in'--huh? I'm not one millimeter in the least bit interested in that slowpoke. Your dreams of having her as one is illogical. Anyways, she just had a kenjutsu match earlier and she doesn't look to be in the best mood right now. Her opponent bought off the referee despite it being obvious who won."
"HUH?! Who's the bastard that--you know what--nevermind. We'll definitely cheer her up by inviting her!" The man then ran out of the room and immediately started getting ready to head to your apartment.
Senku sighed, then spoke, "You heard that, slowpoke?"
Looking at his wall on the other side of his room, there was a small door that was built connecting his room to the one next to him. Through the door, there was a big enough crack to listen to ever discussion being heard past it.
"Yeah...so you're not one millimeter in the least bit interested in me, huh?" You slightly laughed behind the door.
He grinned. "Nope."
"Heh, that's what I thought, you big ol' leek," you snickered. "But I do want to thank you, Taiju, and Yuzuriha for holding me back from killing the guy, so I'll take your dad's offer for some ramen..."
"Let's get going then. He's banging on your door right now, so you should hurry your ass up."
"Pfft--got it."
-End of Flashback-
The both of you began to eat. After your first bite, you and Senku put the bowl on the ground. The scientist began to sulk with his hands and knees on the ground, while you had put your hands over your face in disappointment.
"That was not decent at all..." you shuddered. "Why are the noodles so dry and bland? We even put some seasoning in there!"
"It's even crumbles in your mouth...and that aftertaste is awful, as if it was medicine. What did I even expect from foxtail millet?" Senku wondered.
"Can't help that this is made by raw material instead of some the scientifically processed stuff. But I can say that the broth is pretty good. It's the best part of this meal," you mentioned.
"You're right. Well, I guess to them, it's food from the gods. But this'll work!"
All five of you ate your ramen, unfortunately finishing it with it's unpleasantness, and got to work.
You decided it would be fun to create a traditional yatai, or food cart, to hold the ramen and extra utensils for the villagers. So, Senku made a design to accommodate to your request. When finished, Chrome was pulling it behind him towards the village entrance, and Suika sat on the roof of the cart, playing music by using a seashell to attract your first customers.
"People have waged wars over spices. That's how fundamental food is to civilizations," said Senku. An evil smile appeared on his face which had worried Kohaku. "We shall control the village with the science of ramen."
You all saw many of the villagers coming to see what was going on. The look on their faces had shown you that they had already smelled the aroma of the soup, and were curious to what your group had to offer.
"Come one, come all! Feast your eyes and mouths on the wonderful dish of the one and only 'ramen'. It's chewy, it's warm, and it won't do you any harm~!" You all announced to them as they came. Senku, Chrome, and Kohaku prepared the dishes and were handing them out as you explained to the villagers what ramen was. "It'll make you feel all good inside with all it's ingredients~!"
"It's so springy and chewy...it's unbelievable!" A large-sized, blonde boy cheered as he ate the ramen that was given to him.
A girl with her haired tied up in two also spoke up, "Well, if Ganen, the man of gluttony, says so, then it must be good, right?"
"Of course! There's enough for everybody!" You told her as you handed more bowls out to the villagers. "Anyone is welcome to eat!"
As you were giving the food away, you noticed that there was a girl with dark hair and pigtails over by Senku, who was preparing ramen for them.
"So, you're the person who made this tasty dish...your name is Senku, right? What kind of girl is your type?" She questioned him with a blush on her face.
He immediately replied, "The type of girl that can work for iron making!"
Kohaku scoffed as you slightly chuckled, "You're way too blunt! You seriously don't beat around the bush, do you Senku?"
"He's always been like that," you tell her with a small smile.
"Really?"
"Yup. Straightforward and not interested in anybody. Science will always be number one in his heart, from now and the days to come. I think he decided that he'd rather be single his whole life."
You had a calm expression but Kohaku noticed that it was different. She just stared at you with curiosity on her face. She was about to say something to you when Chrome began to yell at Kinro and Ginro to eat some of the ramen.
"Come on, Kinro, Ginro! You guys eat too! This ramen stuff is crazy!" Chrome exclaimed has he held up to bowls to their face.
When Ginro tried to take a bowl for himself, Kinro pulled him back. "No! There's no way we can let that suspicious sorcery food into our mouths! Besides, it's absolutely inexcusable for guards to accept any foods! RULES ARE RULES!"
You then smile and spoke with a teasing tone, "Oh? What about the gold spear that Senku gave you? Food is no good, but you'll take offerings?"
"Yeah, that's right!" Ginro yelled at his brother.
"If we gave you even more gold items, would you also accept those too?" You added.
Kinro seemed to be pushed back into a corner, seeing how much of a hypocrite he was. Chrome kept pushing the noodles into their faces, and you left to help more people with food.
"Ah...this is making me thirsty for drink~ Like, say, cola."
You immediately stopped in your tracks, and you noticed that Senku stopped as well when he heard it. You looked in the direction of the voice and there was a young man sitting there with purple and orange clothing. The right side of his hair was white , and the left was black.
"Is that a friend of yours, (Y/N), Senku?" Kohaku questioned.
"No," you replied. Senku shook his head, agreeing with you.
The girl went over to Kinro and Ginro and bent her head down low. "I apologize for breaking up your argument."
"What's wrong?" They stopped arguing and had a puzzled look on their faces.
"I'll keep it short and simple. An enemy."
The three of of them immediately went over to the man and pointed their spears at him. He had his head down as he held the bowl of ramen. You walked over to look as Senku stayed back.
"Answer truthfully and don't think about lying! I will cut your throat right here, right now if you think about doing so!" Kohaku warned. "Are you one of that long-haired man's people?!"
He replied smoothly, "Hmm, being tied up by a cute girl like you might not be so bad, but I think you're mistaking me for somebody else... I have no idea who this long-haired man is. Ever since I broke free from the stone, I've been alone ever since."
He looked up and you were able to get a better look at him. He wore an orange yukata with a purple overcoat, but had no footwear. His eyes were a little baggy and had a jagged stone scar running down his left eye.
"I knew you looked familiar, Asagiri Gen," said Senku.
"He an acquaintance of yours?" Kohaku wondered.
"No. But he's a magician who wrote psychology books in our time," you stated.
The scientist added, "They were pretty garbage."
"Ah, you've read them? I'm so happy to hear that. However...calling them garbage is a bit harsh, is it not? And please, call me a mentalist," Gen insisted. He then tried handing the bowl of ramen he had to Ginro. "Anyways, I apologize for indulging in your ramen all on my own. Now would you please lower your weapons? I'm shaking in my boots here. I might end up spilling your hard work."
You studied his movements and his way with words. He was not trembling in the slightest, and the way he talked was as though he was as light as a feather, carefully constructing his sentences with grace.
"There I was, out searching for food today, when imagine my surprise! The nostalgic smell of ramen wafting through the air! And since I was out in the wild, I was so lucky to find this to help defend myself as I was coming over here~" Gen then reached into his robe ever so slowly.
"A weapon!" Kohaku cried out as he pulled it out. Before the spear wielders could do anything to him, you swiftly went past them and kicked his legs down, causing him to fall. You caught him by the robe and he dropped the weapon.
It was your bokken. The one that Senku had given you the first day you were revived. It was a little busted up by the edges, as it wasn't as smooth as it was before, and the sun had caused it to change color. You straightened out the man and let him stand up, then grabbed the weapon from the ground. The weight of it was still the same and the tip was still as sharp as ever.
You looked around to see Kohaku, Kinro, Ginro, Chrome, and Suika staring at you, surprise splattered on their face. The scientist only had a knowing smirk on his. It seems you have to explain yourself to the primitive citizens, as they didn't know what you're capable of.
"This is mine. Thanks for returning it," you told Gen. The mentalist nodded his head, sweat slightly dripped from his temples. He didn't expect for that to happen, but it was also needed to stop any other confrontation.
"Well, it's best to return objects to their owners, right?" He replied with a smile. "I figured this bokken would belong to someone from the modern world, and here we are!"
"Heh, if that's the case, we'll let him be. Besides, there's no such thing as a free meal. Everyone who ate ramen will have to work!" declared Senku.
"Work?" questioned the mentalist.
Ganen added, "You mean like washing dishes?"
His smile had a hint of greed in it. The scientist lead all the villagers who ate the ramen to the furnace, which was recreated into a bigger version with taller air pumps. With upgraded items for iron making, it was possible to work shifts between all the people. He showed them what to do and how to work it, and so they followed.
"AHHHHHHGG!" You would hear them cry in desperation, as it was too much work for them just to heat the furnace.
You and Senku stood behind Gen, who was working his ass off. His body was covered with iron soot and was sweating everywhere due to the amount of work he was doing.
"Asagiri Gen. How are Taiju and Yuzuriha doing?" The green-haired boy asked him.
"Ah, so that's what you two were after. You thought if you worked me hard to the bone, I'd slip up in desperation. You've got some real guts, thinking you can take on a mentalist like that," Gen replied. You furrowed your eyebrows, but Senku kept his composure as always. He continued with a devious smile on his face, "But don't worry. They're as fit as fiddles, especially that Taiju-chan with his bottomless stamina! As I'm sure you know, Senku-chan, (Y/N)-chan..."
"So he is one of Tsukasa's men! Should I kill him?!" The blonde girl interjected.
"Wait, Kohaku," you told her, then turned to Gen. "We were already sure that you were playing coy, but why would you tell us that you're teamed up with Tsukasa?"
He smiled. "Because the situation has changed since I saw this."
The iron was heated up and melted. Senku created a wooden mold to pour the hot iron in, which was a large rectangle prism. He made sure to wear a thick cloak and gloves to avoid the heat of the liquid metal before pouring it into the mold.
"If I can be blunt, I was sure that if we fought, ten out of ten times would Tsukasa-chan's empire would win," said Gen. "Now, my job is confirm your death, Senku-chan, and (Y/N)-chan's whereabouts. All I need to say is 'Senku-chan is alive and (Y/N) is with him', and it'd be over for the both of you."
You pushed him to continue, "But...?"
"But if you're able to create iron weapons, then who knows how the outcome of that fight would turn out! All I need to say is that I found a primitive village and that Senku-chan is dead, while (Y/N)-chan's location is unknown! You'd both be saved!" He cheerfully exclaimed.
"Heh, I guess I'd be pretty thankful if you did that for both of us," said Senku.
The mentalist then put both of his hands up as if he were holding a scale. "I've got no morals, hang-ups, or policies at all as the world's most silver-tongued man! All I want to do is shack up with some cute girls and enjoy myself, so I could care less of you or Tsukasa-chan dies."
His mouth twisted into a wicked smile. "No matter which one falls, I'll be riding the winning horse! But I'm pretty torn between betraying Tsukasa-chan and joining your team, Senku-chan, (Y/N)-chan. Which team will win?"
The scientist then removed his cloak and gloves. "Isn't it obvious?"
"The kingdom of science will win!" You declared.
The three of you then heard Chrome screaming with victory, holding up a rectangular cube of iron after it had cooled down. Kohaku and Suika were cheering with him.
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[ACQUIRED IRON]
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-To be Continued-
A/N: Hope you enjoyed that little flashback I added ♡