I want ramen.
Ramen...
I want ramen.
Here you go.
She...
Time to eat.
...will surely be eating ramen once again today.
Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
Ms. Koizumi
Loves Ramen Noodles
Garlic With Extra Vegetables
In literary history terms, we would classify this work in the "zuihitsu" genre.
But at the time, there was no such concept.
She could be called the first to write in that style.
She's so cute.
Ohsawa-san?
Y-Yes?!
Read the next part, please.
Um...
Sorry.
By the way, that's your math textbook.
Settle down, everyone.
Okay, then, can I get...
Actually, Ohsawa-san...
Yuu!
Jeez, Misa.
Hee-hee. You got in trouble.
What were you looking at?
Well...
That new transfer student?
Koizumi-san, was it?
Jeez, Jun!
I don't really like her.
Why not?
She hasn't tried to talk to anyone since she moved here.
She's just, like, kind of cold.
I haven't talked to her yet, either.
I haven't either, actually.
But I'm kind of curious about her.
You've always loved cute girls, Yuu.
You have a cute girl right here.
No one could be cuter than me!
Sure, sure...
You're cute, too, Misa.
"Too"?!
Hey, let's go clothes shopping.
I have cram school.
Sorry, I'm going home, too.
I'm supposed to make dinner tonight.
Pedestrians and bicycles only
See you.
Bye.
Sorry, I have overtime today.
Can you all make dinner for yourselves?
Heart!
I don't need dinner tonight, either.
Uh-oh...
What do I do for dinner now?
Convenience store, I guess?
That shop's got a huge line again.
And it doesn't even look like it's open yet. It's so popular.
Ramen
Ramen, huh?
I'd like some, but I don't know about a girl going out for ramen by herself.
Koizumi-san?!
Why is she here by herself?
Um, are you in line here?
Oh, um...
Yes.
What is even going on here?
Oh, well. I do like ramen.
That aside...
Her hair's so pretty.
And her skin's so pale.
And her lashes are so long!
Koizumi-san is so pretty up close.
I never got to talk to her until now, but this is my chance.
Hey, Koizumi-san, do you remember me?
I'm Ohsawa Yuu, from your class.
I'm a Leo, blood type O.
Nice to meet you.
I never knew you ate ramen by yourself.
It's not something one does with a group.
Wow!
I can't help but worry about what other people think.
Do you come to this restaurant often?
Never lose heart Never back down Never give up —Yuu
Silence
She's not even listening.
Thanks for waiting.
Looks like they're opening.
Food tickets? It's like the school cafeteria.
Okay, I'll have the same one.
Pork Double Ramen
Yen
Pork Double Ramen
I've never been to a ramen shop after school before.
Would you like garlic in yours?
Extra vegetables, with garlic oil, medium-hot.
Say what?!
Okay.
And for you? Would you like garlic?
Yes!
Give me, like, the same thing.
Understood.
Here's your medium-hot pork double with extra vegetables and garlic oil.
It's a mountain of meat and sprouts!
I can't see the noodles!
Hey, is this...
Here's your medium-hot pork double with extra vegetables and garlic oil.
Time to eat.
Wh—
Wha—
What the hell was that?!
And she looks so blissful!
Oh, she's back to normal.
Yours will get soggy.
Urp
Done.
That was so much...
I'm going to have ramen coming out of every orifice in my body.
I thought you were a regular.
That was my first time.
Okay, I'm going now.
Hey, Koizumi-san...
You really like ramen, huh?
I do.
She's very composed, but she might actually be a normal, down-to-earth girl.
Well, if you know any good places, tell me about them sometime.
No, thank you.
Is it, like, you want to keep the best places a secret for yourself?
Come on, we're classmates now.
We should talk more.
About ramen or anything else.
No, thank you.
This is the story of a ramen lover, Koizumi-san.
Koizumi-san, walking through a flurry of cherry blossoms...
So picturesque!
All right, I'll try talking to her again tomorrow.
One Week Later
Why?
I want that ramen again.
Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
Maayu
I'm so hungry.
What do you want for lunch?
Something light, maybe?
Yummy!
Koizumi-san!
New Menu
What are you looking at?
Wait, don't run from me!
Was that Koizumi?
Jeez.
We ate ramen together, but she's still so cold to me.
What was she looking at?
New Menu
Original Maayu
Horse oil?
Koizumi-san sure does love ramen.
Hey, want to have lunch in the school cafeteria for once?
I want ramen.
That's not light at all.
No way. It's too crowded.
I'm just going to buy some bread.
I don't like ramen, anyway.
Why?!
You have to help me with "Operation: Make Friends With Koizumi-san"!
Never even heard of it
I don't care about that.
What about you, Misa?
What do you like about that antisocial girl?
That's what's awesome about her.
I hate everyone who's more popular than me.
That's all.
There, there, don't be jealous.
You're cute enough, Misa.
Who's cuter, me or Koizumi?
Koizumi-san.
Hey!
Another peaceful day.
Traitor!
Okay, okay, let's go buy some bread.
What kind do you want?
A cream bun.
Can I sit next to you?
You again?
You can do as you please.
This isn't my house.
Then I shall do so!
You got the same thing I did.
This is my first time having Kumamoto ramen.
Thank you for the food.
You didn't eat in a hurry like you did last time.
I eat faster at that restaurant to avoid dragging down the customer turnover.
Turnover?
Huh...
Oh, hey, is this ramen made with tonkotsu?
It has a unique scent, though.
I wonder if it's this black stuff that's floating in the soup.
Oh, I know!
Original Maayu
It's the "horse oil" that was written on the board.
That must be it!
It's the horse oil giving it that flavor!
I never knew horse oil worked so well in tonkotsu soup.
It's a miraculous collaboration between horse and pig!
Man, horse oil is great!
"Maayu."
It's not "horse oil." It's read "maayu."
Unlike the horse oil that's used in cosmetics and such,
"maayu" in ramen refers to a seasoning that's made by
burning garlic and transferring its fragrance.
It has nothing to do with horses?
If anything, it would be chicken.
Kumamoto Style Uses maayu in broth, topped with jelly ear
Kumamoto-style ramen uses a mix of tonkotsu and chicken broth.
By adding maayu, they give it a richness that sets it apart
Kumamoto Style Uses maayu in broth, topped with jelly ear
Kurume Style The root of almost all Kyushu ramen
Tamana Style Origin of Kumamoto ramen, topped with garlic chips
from the Kurume and Tamana styles that it's based on.
But perhaps because it's a school cafeteria, they've gone easy on the garlic.
Authentic maayu has a much stronger garlic smell.
It's also customary to include fried garlic chips.
She'll actually talk to me when it's about something she likes.
Hakata and Nagahama ramen are the most mainstream Kyushu tonkotsu styles,
but Kumamoto style is known for its thicker noodles.
Huh...
They're most commonly prepared to be firmer.
When I eat there, I ask for it firm.
She has such a cute, feminine voice.
Koizumi-san went to Kumamoto to have ramen, huh?
There's a new shop near the school.
Yeah? And?
Hey!
I want to try the ramen there!
Want to go there sometime?
I do not.
Score!
I got to talk to her a lot today!
New Menu!! With Chiiyu Solid Iekei
Now it's chicken oil, huh?
Wait, it's gonna turn out that there's no chicken in it, isn't it?!
Close call.
Chiiyu Seasoning made from chicken skin
It's "chiiyu."
Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
Rich
Koizumi-san is at a ramen shop again.
Koizumi-san takes a seat, and immediately makes an order.
Karaage combo, please.
We have three soup flavors: rich, light, and stall-style.
Without hesitation, Koizumi-san chooses rich, with a karaage meal on the side.
She eats more than she looks like she would.
She ties her beautiful hair back, perfectly prepared for battle.
Time to eat.
Yup, time to eat.
This is even richer than expected.
The noodles are covered in the muddy soup.
So muddy...
Koizumi-san looks incredibly happy when she's eating ramen.
Excuse me. Would you please stop watching me?
Oh, shoot!
I was so mesmerized, my inner play-by-play shut off for a moment.
Why are you here?
I don't remember coming here with you.
You just noticed?
Remember when I saw you at the school gate and approached you?
Koizumi-san, let's walk home together!
And you ignored me.
I had no choice,
so I kind of casually followed you, and came to this restaurant.
I totally didn't think you'd switch trains just to get ramen.
Please stop stalking me.
The ramen's so good.
This soup is really thick, though, isn't it?
I can't place this texture.
It's a bit like white stew...
Oh! It's like spaghetti carbonara!
I had some at Saize last week.
I've never had ramen like this.
It's white soup, so I guess it must be tonkotsu ramen?
It doesn't taste anything like that Kumamoto tonkotsu from before, though.
Of course not.
This soup uses chicken broth.
You think all milky white soup uses tonkotsu, don't you?
It doesn't?
To be honest, as someone who doesn't know too much,
all I knew was that murky white soup is tonkotsu,
clear white soup is salt, murky brown soup is miso,
and clear brown is soy sauce.
I can't believe you survived all this time with such little awareness.
I'm impressed.
But that's about normal!
It's never caused any problems for me!
Broth Tonkotsu • Chicken • Vegetable Seafood stock, etc.
Tonkotsu is classified as a broth. Those others are classified as sauces.
Sauce Soy Miso Salt
Broth? Sauce?
Mix
Complete soup
They're the basic elements of ramen soup.
Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen, etc.
Tsubame-Sanjou Style Ramen
100% Tonkotsu Broth
Tonkotsu x Chicken Broth + Maayu
Kumamoto Ramen, etc.
Tonkotsu x Soy Sauce x Chicken Broth
Iekei Tonkotsu Soy Sauce Ramen, etc.
Seafood x Soy Sauce + Lard
The different broth and sauce combinations,
as well as different seasonings,
can create countless flavors, even for the same soup,
that are difficult to name using their bases alone.
This is suddenly getting complicated.
It's like a science experiment.
This creamy soup uses chicken and vegetable broth.
The texture comes from boiling that down until it becomes thick.
That apparently makes it rich in collagen.
Collagen?!
That collagen, the one that makes your skin all smooth?!
Smooth
Beautiful!
I must drink all of this.
But there's no soup!
The noodles absorbed it all. There's no soup left!
The noodles were soft to begin with, and now they're just soggy.
It's completely turned into carbonara!
Yours too, Koizumi-san!
Sorry! I ruined your ramen by pestering you!
It's fine.
I was waiting for this.
As soon as it arrives, I consume half of the noodles.
I then leave the bowl for a while, picking at the rice and side in the meantime.
Once the noodles have completely soaked up the soup,
I scarf it all down.
This is my personal favorite way to enjoy it.
Further, at shops that serve free boiled eggs, I break them into the soup.
The resulting flavor is indeed carbonara ramen.
It's addictive enough that I crave it once a week.
For real?!
That often?!
Please come back tomorrow.
This is the story of a ramen lover, Koizumi-san.
Thanks for the meal.
Morning.
Koizumi-san!
Morning!
Hey, look.
Don't you think my skin's gotten smoother from that collagen yesterday?
Yesterday?
You were with Koizumi-san, Yuu?
Yeah, we had ramen together.
It's not going to work overnight.
It'll work if I eat it a few times, right?
Let's go back today, Koizumi-san.
No, thank you.
What a jerk.
I still don't like that girl.
Yuu...
Yay!
I got to talk to Koizumi-san first thing in the morning!
Today's going to be a good day!
There's no getting her down...
Arctic
K-K-K-K-Koizumi-san
Hey, hey, Koizumi-san, it takes a lot of courage to walk into a ramen shop alone, doesn't it?
You seem totally cool with doing that, though.
You're so awesome!
I admire you so much!
Who were you, again?
So cool!
Thank you for the meal...