Haru’s eyes widened in surprise as she ate the strawberries Hana had given her.
Every bite burst with juice, far more than any ordinary strawberry, and the sweetness was off the charts. It felt like the strawberry flavor was vibrating through her entire mouth.
This was the kind of event that could completely flip your idea of what a strawberry should be. The strawberries Hana handed over were just that delicious. Even veteran strawberry farmers who’ve been growing them for decades might shed a tear after tasting Hana’s strawberries.
They’d probably wail, realizing all the strawberries they’d grown until now were meaningless.
“Haru, how is it? Delicious, right?”
Hana spoke with absolute confidence. As she said, strawberries this delicious were a rare find anywhere.
“It’s so good, Hana!”
Haru lamented her own lack of expressive skills. If food critics heard her, they’d probably be jumping around in excitement. Her praise was just too plain and underwhelming.
“Wait a sec, Haru!”
With that, Hana stomped off to the garden. Some of the plants were about her height, so when she stepped into the greenery, only her head popped out. The sight was adorable. The plants were taller than her, after all…
After waiting a bit, Hana returned with a basket full of chili peppers. Haru had heard chili peppers were hard to grow, but Hana seemed to have no trouble. Then again, for a kid who could grow plants like this in just a week, nothing seemed impossible.
“If we grind these into chili powder, it’ll be super tasty!”
But the amount of chili peppers Hana brought was so small that Haru patted her head and said,
“Hana, I don’t think this amount will be enough.”
Hana nodded, already aware.
“There’s way more inside! Come take a look, Haru!”
Hearing that, Haru stepped into the garden. Just as Hana said, the garden was packed with unharvested vegetables and fruits. The branches were so heavy with produce that they were almost touching the ground.
Compared to the same plants elsewhere, the yield here was easily three times more. Hana’s plants were just loaded with fruit. Last time too, plants Hana grew tended to produce an excessive amount of fruit.
Because of this, even on the same-sized plot, Hana’s plants yielded three to four times more, making the production rate incredibly high. Experts even said that if this plant variety could be improved, humanity wouldn’t have to worry about food shortages anymore.
The only downside was that Hana’s plants could only grow within a certain range. While the ability to grow plants anywhere was a huge advantage, being limited to a specific area kind of canceled out that benefit.
“Haru, let’s take some strawberries too! We should share them with the office staff.”
“Hana, you’re so kind.”
After hearing Hana’s words, Haru stepped into the garden and saw rows of strawberries hanging from their stems. Just the sight made her mouth water, especially after tasting how delicious they were earlier.
“Yah! Yah!”
Hana let out cute little grunts as she harvested the strawberries. Haru also picked some while glancing at Hana, noticing her mouth moving subtly.
Hana was pretending not to eat any, but it seemed she couldn’t resist such delicious strawberries. Haru also wanted to eat one right then and there, but with superhuman willpower, she held back. She could eat them at the office later.
After harvesting enough strawberries to feed the entire office staff, Haru and Hana each carried a basket and headed to the office. Hana walked proudly, shoulders back.
She looked so adorable. If she’d been wearing her dinosaur pajamas, the cuteness would’ve doubled. It was such a shame she wasn’t wearing them now.
When they arrived at the office hallway, Haru and Hana washed the strawberries under running water before heading inside.
Of course, there were no bugs or anything on the strawberries, but it felt better to wash them before eating.
“Oh my, what’s this?”
Bora, who had been working, caught the sweet scent of strawberries and came over. Other office employees also seemed drawn in, each getting up to grab some strawberries.
“These are strawberries Hana grew! Have some!”
“I grew them! Eat up!”
Hana proudly held the basket full of strawberries above her head.
Goseo was handing out strawberries here and there to the employees. Each employee popped a strawberry into their mouth and chewed with a puzzled expression.
“Just a regular strawberry, right?” they thought as they ate, but their surprised faces showed it was way tastier than expected.
“This strawberry is so delicious!”
“Every time I chew, the juice just explodes in my mouth. It’s like a flavor bomb!”
Most of the employees who ate the strawberries had the same reaction as Haru did earlier. They all agreed it was incredibly delicious.
“Hehe!”
Hana just smiled and kept handing out the strawberries. An opportunity to eat such delicious strawberries doesn’t come often.
—
Haru ground the chili peppers Hana gave her into chili powder. Of course, she also left some at the store. The mill owner asked where she got such good chili peppers. Even an expert could tell the chili powder Hana farmed was exceptional.
Haru looked at the chili powder in the container. Compared to the chili powder she had at home, the difference was huge.
First, the aroma was different. The chili powder from the supermarket only had a spicy smell, but Hana’s chili powder had a unique scent.
It was spicy, but it also had a fizzy, tingling sensation. It felt strange—spicy yet refreshing at the same time.
The chili powder grains looked like fine desert sand. Soft, small, and delicate.
Haru decided to test it right away. She took out a pot, filled it with water, and put it on the stove to boil. She tossed in a pack of leftover ramen, sprinkled the seasoning, and closed the lid.
The ramen she ate every day usually tasted the same, but today was different. Haru sang, hoping the ramen would cook faster.
When she opened the lid, steam rose, and perfectly cooked ramen was born. Haru didn’t stop there. She added the chili powder she had brought earlier and some vegetables to complete the ramen.
“The smell is great, and the color is perfect.”
That was Haru’s assessment of the ramen she made. Just by adding a bit of chili powder, it transformed into something you’d expect at a fancy hotel.
Haru picked up her chopsticks, slurped the noodles, and chewed. Her eyes widened. This wasn’t just ramen—it was art.
“It’s delicious! So, so delicious!”
Haru couldn’t stop praising it as she kept eating. Normally, she struggled to finish one pack of ramen because of her small appetite, but with this ramen, she felt she could eat two packs.
In the blink of an eye, she devoured the entire pack. Haru placed her chopsticks on the table, speechless. It was that good. But there was still broth left.
Haru picked up a spoon to taste the broth. If the noodles were this good, how amazing would the broth be?
With anticipation, she scooped up some broth and tasted it.
Haru almost dropped her spoon. How could she describe this flavor?
The spiciness of the chili powder filled her mouth. It was like a burst of umami, as if MSG had been poured in. She only added ramen and chili powder, but the flavor was indescribable.
Without a word, Haru scooped some rice from the rice cooker and mixed it with the ramen broth. If ramen could taste this good, she could live off it for every meal.
Even if she were offered a fortune, could she ever recreate this flavor? It was impossible to replicate. Haru overate until her stomach was stuffed.
There was no other choice. Leaving even a drop of this chili powder ramen uneaten would be a sin. It was just that delicious.
