Chapter 59

When I mentioned that I wanted to eat ramen, the counselor teacher showed a rather flustered expression.

“Uh… you want to eat ramen? Won’t it be too spicy?”

To that, I shook my head confidently and declared,

“I can totally handle spicy food!”

“That… so you can?”

Since the teacher didn’t seem entirely convinced, I thought for a moment and offered an explanation that might reassure them.

“I once ate nothing but ramen for a whole week, so I think I’m fine!”

“…”

My words seemed to stiffen the counselor’s expression.

Wondering why they looked like that, I tilted my head, thinking maybe my explanation was lacking, so I added:

“I drink it with soya milk. Do you not like it, counselor teacher?”

“Huh? No no, the teacher likes it too. Ate a lot of it back in the day.”

Judging by their mention of eating a lot of it in the past, it seemed ramen wasn’t their favorite anymore.

Thinking I had been a bit clueless, I was about to suggest we eat something else when the teacher pushed their bangs aside and spoke to me.

“Then how about we try eating ramen after a long time? Yeah… if we add some pork belly, it should be okay.”

It felt like the cart was getting bigger than the horse, but since I had expressed a desire to eat ramen despite suspecting the counselor didn’t like it much, it seemed right to consider their preferences and let them choose their own toppings. So I blinked blankly.

*

Boiling ramen doesn’t require many ingredients.

“Just ramen and water, right?”

Of course, for a more varied meal, some people added green onions, eggs, or even dumplings and sausages. Personally, though, I preferred plain ramen without any extras—though I wouldn’t say I disliked them either; I’d eat anything if it was there.

“Anyway, the important thing is…”

I really loved ramen, and there were often times when I craved it. Today was one of those days.

“I want something spicy and salty.”

Excited at the thought of eating ramen after such a long time, I wagged my tail rapidly. Beside me, the counselor watched with a flustered look and asked,

“You must really want to eat a lot of ramen, huh?”

“Yep!”

“T-That so?”

As I watched the water bubble, my eyes sparkled. Then, Chae-a clung to me and whispered softly,

“It looks like lava… It’s scary.”

At the word “lava,” I blinked and looked at the pot. Indeed, as Chae-a said, the red ramen soup did resemble molten lava. I stared blankly as she gently pulled me back and warned,

“Don’t go near it—it’s hot, got it?”

In response, I was about to say I was fine, but the counselor smiled warmly and patted Chae-a’s head first.

“Chae-a knows well, being the older sister. Hae-un, the pot is hot, so please step back, alright?”

“…Yep.”

Since I had no intention of doing anything dangerous, I wanted to say I was safe, but arguing would’ve just made things worse, so I reluctantly stepped back a few steps. The counselor then handed each of us an egg and placed bowls in front of us, saying,

“So, our little chefs just need to crack these eggs into the bowls.”

With that, the counselor demonstrated by expertly cracking the egg and placing it in the bowl. Watching this, I thought it would be easy and decided to show off my skills by forcefully tapping the egg on the bowl.

“…?”

Unfortunately, I lost control of my strength, and the egg ended up completely mashed into the bowl.

Completely flustered, I tried to scoop it up with my hands, but the slimy texture caused me to drop everything, scattering the egg all over the floor.

Seeing this, I clenched my fists repeatedly, trying to figure out what to do next. The counselor, watching me, burst into laughter and said with a happy smile,

“It’s okay, Hae-un. Everyone makes mistakes, so don’t worry about it, alright?”

“…”

Remembering how confident I had been earlier made me feel extremely embarrassed. My face burned bright red, and I tried to hide it by hugging my tail—but since my hands were covered in egg, I awkwardly fidgeted my fingers instead.

The counselor wiped my hands with a wet tissue and encouraged me,

“Would you like to try again? When you fail, it’s important not to give up but to keep trying.”

Encouraged by those words, I nodded. If I gave up after one mistake, I’d only continue to disappoint myself. Determined to try again, I tapped the egg against the bowl—and this time, I could see cracks forming properly.

“Did it!”

Delighted, I announced this to the counselor, who congratulated me and pointed to the bowl.

“Try cracking it here and putting it in.”

“Yep!”

Feeling more confident, I carefully held the egg in both hands and poured its contents into the bowl. Although a bit of shell fell in, the result was much better than before, and I was satisfied.

Chae-a, seeing this, jumped up and down excitedly.

“Hae-un is amazing! You cracked the egg like this!”

Apparently, in Chae-a’s eyes, cracking an egg was a monumental achievement. After enthusiastically praising me for a while, she decided she wanted to try herself, grabbed an egg with both hands, and…

Crack!

She squeezed it too hard, causing it to burst.

Staring at the dripping egg, I froze. Chae-a, however, mimicked my earlier careful gesture of spreading the eggshell apart before wiping her forehead triumphantly.

“Phew, done!”

What exactly was done?

As I blinked at the egg now mixed with shell, I began picking out pieces of shell when Chae-a noticed and started helping too. Watching us, the counselor smiled and reassured us before extending a hand.

“This kind of mess can be fixed with magic, so don’t worry.”

At the word “magic,” my tail wagged excitedly. As the counselor waved a hand, the eggshells magically floated out of the bowl, leaving me amazed. Seeing this, Chae-a clapped her hands and her eyes sparkled.

“I want to try magic too!”

Reaching out her hand, she looked expectantly at the counselor, who chuckled and replied,

“I heard Perseus promised to teach Hae-un and Chae-a magic when you helped him with the flower arrangement. He’s much better at magic than me, so you should ask him later.”

Recalling the promise made during our visit to the lair, I nodded. Meanwhile, the counselor quickly stirred the eggs with chopsticks and poured them into the pot. Smelling the spicy ramen broth and the fragrant egg, I eagerly anticipated the meal, but Chae-a, looking worried, glared at the ramen.

“The lava will explode, it’s dangerous!”

Since Chae-a rarely showed this level of fear, I wondered if she had witnessed an actual lava explosion. Just then, the counselor added some meat and vegetables to the ramen and covered the pot, addressing us.

“Why don’t you kids wash your hands first? Come to the teacher one by one, and I’ll lift you up.”

Hesitating for a moment, Chae-a quickly ran to the counselor, who picked her up and spoke kindly.

“You have to wash your hands thoroughly so you don’t get sick later. Make sure to clean every corner, alright?”

“Yeah!”

“Aww, Chae-a is doing great. Now make sure to clean this part too.”

After washing her hands, it was my turn. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I hesitated but eventually went into the counselor’s arms. They rubbed their cheek against mine affectionately and said,

“Now let’s wash your hands and get ready to eat, alright?”

In response, I nodded and bowed my head to hide my blush.

*

After washing our hands, the counselor handed Chae-a and me child-sized forks, expressing concern.

“It might be spicy, are you sure you’re okay with it?”

I was fine, but I wasn’t sure about Chae-a, so I glanced at her. She, eager to prove she could eat anything, scooped up some noodles with her fork and declared boldly,

“Yeah!”

And with that confidence, she stuffed the ramen into her mouth.

“Brueh!”

Soon enough, Chae-a let the ramen slip out of her mouth and complained,

“It’s…it’s…hot! Cough cough!”

Apparently, the spiciness had shortened her tongue, making it difficult for her to speak. Shivering uncontrollably, she looked distressed. Quickly handing her some milk, I watched as she buried her face in the cup, licking it desperately while pouting.

Seeing this, I wondered how spicy it actually was and tilted my head. Taking a bite of the noodle calmly, I realized…

“…”

It was familiar, yet surprisingly spicier than expected. Feeling my body tremble and breaking out in a cold sweat from the intense heat, I panicked. Chae-a, noticing my distress, quickly handed me the milk and said,

“Eat this, eat this!”

Following her urgent gesture, I took a sip of milk, which helped a little. Though tears threatened to fall from the spiciness, I forced myself to endure it due to my earlier claim. Trembling, I managed to hold on while the counselor observed us and suggested,

“How about we eat something else? Or should I rinse the noodles in water?”

To this, I sniffled and insisted I was fine.