“Hohohohoho…”
Before we knew it, lunchtime had already flown by while we were busy skiing. Sure, we had eaten breakfast, but of course, it was time to get hungry again. We hadn’t eaten lunch yet, after all. Jiyu and Yumi also seemed to have lost some energy, probably because they were hungry too.
We all looked up at Maru with eyes full of desire—clearly craving something to eat. Maru seemed to catch on to our hungry gazes and quickly said, “Shall we go eat some ramen?”
“Yes!!”
We all cheered. The thought of eating warm, delicious ramen while surrounded by this snowy landscape lifted our spirits. How tasty would it be? It felt like the kind of joy you’d get from eating cup noodles after climbing a mountain summit.
“Then let’s take the lift up. There’s a restaurant at the top.”
There weren’t any ramen shops down here. Sure, there were stores selling ramen outside the ski resort, but we didn’t feel like going all the way out. So, we grabbed our skis and took the lift up to the summit. The snow kept falling the whole time.
—
“Whoooa!”
Inside, there were a lot of people. Even though it was a weekday, it must’ve been because of the school vacation season. Adults should be working! Only kids like me get to play around.
Anyway, with those thoughts in mind, we managed to find seats in the restaurant. Thankfully, it wasn’t so crowded that there were no seats left. We put our skis down on the floor and started looking at the menu. There were other foods besides ramen, but nothing really caught our interest.
We had no intention of eating anything other than delicious, delicious ramen. Come to think of it, the boss had mentioned something about entering the ramen market… Of course, it wasn’t a ramen that had been released to the market yet. We had only tasted a test version last time.
But even that was incredibly delicious and memorable. They said it would be released to the market soon, but we had no idea when exactly. Though, if it were me, I could’ve just pulled out my mobile phone and called the boss to find out.
The boss always picked up the phone right away. Even though they said they were super busy, they always answered my calls. I don’t think they ever missed one.
“Four ramens, then?”
“Yes!”
Maru went to the counter to order the ramen. We were all super excited at the thought of eating delicious ramen.
“Hana, you’re good to ski now, right?”
Yumi looked at me and asked. When I first started skiing, I was a bit awkward and fell a lot, but now I could ski down the snowfield without any issues.
“Yeah, I’ve gotten used to it now!”
“At first, Hana fell a lot! But now you’re fine!”
Jiyu chimed in too. Jiyu and Yumi had been skiing around me, keeping an eye out in case I fell. Of course, after 2-3 times, they stopped watching me and just did their own thing.
“Kids, the ramen’s here!”
Maru came back with a big tray carrying four bowls of ramen. The steam rising from them made the ramen look incredibly tasty. I wondered why ramen eaten outside always tasted better than the ones at home.
If I had seen ramen at home, I wouldn’t have thought much of it, but seeing it here at the ski resort made me crave it like crazy!
“Ooooh!”
Maru placed a bowl of ramen in front of each of us. All we had to do was pick up our chopsticks and get ready to eat. Maru was the one doing all the work today.
Of course, Maru also got to ski with us on a workday, so wasn’t that a win? What company lets you go skiing at a ski resort? Even the biggest, most welfare-focused corporations couldn’t pull that off.
But Maru made it happen!
“Let’s eat!”
“Let’s eaaat!”
We picked up our chopsticks and started eating the ramen. Maybe it was because we’d been skiing so hard, but the hunger made the ramen taste even better. If we had just eaten ramen normally, it wouldn’t have tasted this good.
“It’s so good!!!”
I smiled brightly as I ate the ramen. Maru also started eating hers. And just like that, we sat at the table, silently eating our ramen. Everyone must’ve been really hungry. Who would’ve thought we’d eat ramen without saying a word!
“Maybe it’s because we’re eating it at the ski resort, but it tastes even better!”
Eating ramen with the snowfield as the backdrop made it taste even more delicious. Sure, ramen with this kind of flavor is common, but food isn’t just about taste. Where you eat it matters too. Eating while enjoying a great view…
Eating while looking at a dirty scene clearly made a huge difference. Ten out of ten would prefer eating while enjoying a good view. It was a no-brainer.
While slurping down ramen like there was no tomorrow, we were greeted by a bowl with only broth left. I thought about adding rice to it but decided to hold back. Eating too much before skiing might lead to a stomachache. Overeating before exercise is just asking for trouble.
“Finished eating? Give the bowl to your sister!”
Maru took care of us from start to finish. So, Jiyu, Yumi, and I could just focus on skiing. Having one guardian around made us feel so secure. Whenever there was something tricky or difficult for the kids, Maru was like a cheat code.
If we had come to the ski resort without Maru, we might not have even been able to enter. Elementary school third-graders can’t properly use a ski resort without a guardian. Without a guardian, elementary school kids are just too vulnerable in society.
Thanks to Maru’s help, we headed back to ski. With a hearty bowl of ramen in our stomachs, we could ski even harder.
—
The ramen made with Starlight Flour and beef was a success. It satisfied the picky taste buds of the ramen researchers.
Since they said they wouldn’t sell the flour to competitors, we didn’t have to worry about the noodles ending up in another company.
Of course, even if they didn’t sell to competitors, it wasn’t like you couldn’t buy it at all. Starlight Flour was sold at retail stores everywhere, so you could still get it.
But compared to buying flour directly from Starlight Food, trying to get enough through retail or backdoor deals to make ramen was a distant dream.
With 4 billion packs of ramen sold annually, you needed a steady and consistent supply of flour to meet that demand. Without Starlight Food supplying the flour, meeting the demand for that much ramen was nearly impossible.
The more impossible it was for competitors to use Starlight Flour, the more Starlight Food could smile. It was like the protagonist realizing they had a secret weapon only they could use.
“At this rate, we don’t even need to come up with a new ramen recipe, right?”
One of the researchers who tasted the ramen joked. Even though the ramen was made with Starlight Flour and beef, using an old ramen recipe, inventing a new one could make the ramen even more delicious.
Since everyone had experience creating ramen recipes, coming up with a new one wouldn’t take too long. If all else failed, they could just tweak an old recipe.
They not only had the knowledge but also the company’s full support. In research, they say you need time and money, and the money was already there. All that was left was time.
Of course, time could also be saved thanks to the many experienced employees. If there were newbies mixed in, it would’ve taken longer to create a new ramen recipe, but they didn’t have to go through that preparation process.
“Then let’s aim to create a new ramen recipe within this year instead of using expired patent recipes.”
A new ramen recipe wasn’t going to pop out like magic. Trial and error were necessary. Even with that in mind, they had to get it done within a year. With so many experienced people, failing to do so would be close to negligence. The money for developing a new ramen recipe was already there.
And so, Starlight Food began its entry into the ramen market. For competitors, it was like facing a giant dinosaur. And not just any dinosaur—a violent, terrifying carnivorous one.
