What should I wear?
Right...
Maybe this.
Hey, Yuu.
Oh, good morning.
You really want to waste your day off lying around?
Don't you have anyone to go on a date with?
Sh-Shut up!
I was just about to message the girls and ask if they all want to go shopping.
What about you? Don't you have a girlfriend to go out with on your day off?
Don't worry about me.
Oh, they responded.
Let's see...
Yuu
Bored (>□<) Let's do something!!!!!
Jun
Sure. Where should we go?
Sweet, Jun's in.
I wanted to invite Koizumi-san too, but I don't know her contact info.
Not that she would ever tell me.
Huh?
Sorry, can't make it today. Going on a date in Inogashira Park~ >▽<
Huh? A date?!
Misa
I always knew Misa was popular, but still...
Wait, does she have a boyfriend right now?
Oh, well...
I wonder if Koizumi-san is eating ramen somewhere again today.
Loves Ramen Noodles
Ms. Koizumi
Loves Ramen Noodles
Hokkyoku
Sorry, but I think you should break up with me.
Huh?
I mean, you're very popular,
so even when we're together, I always feel uneasy.
I just can't fully enjoy being together.
You don't need to be with someone like me.
There are so many great guys out there.
Well, see you around.
Hey, wai—
No! This can't be happening!
Me? Being dumped? When we haven't even held hands yet?
That was my first time dating someone,
The type who never gets asked out because people think someone as cute as her must have a boyfriend already
and the first time someone told me they liked me!
You told me you liked me!
Why?!
Hey, hey!
Are you alone?
Wanna go get some food with us?
No!
Oh, come on.
There's a nice little café over there.
What's up?
That girl over there is cuter.
You're right.
Koizumi? What's she doing here?
Hey, cutie!
Why's she wearing her school uniform on a day off?
So...
Wanna grab some lunch?
No, thank you.
I really hope she didn't just see me getting dumped!
Mongolian Tanmen
Nakamoto
Ramen?
She's eating ramen alone?
She's not meeting someone here?
Spicy and Delicious Ramen Best in Japan
Our No. 1 Menu Item
Mongolian Tanmen
Welcome!
Um, could you please not stare at me?
Oh, Koizumi-san, what a coincidence!
I just came in to eat here myself.
It is lunchtime.
Who are you?
That's how you start?!
We're in the same class! I'm Nakamura Misa!
I don't want to be friends, but at least remember my name!
Excuse me...
What?!
Please buy your food ticket first.
Food ticket?
I have no idea what you're talking about!
Extra noodles, mini mabo rice bowl, rice, egg, oolong tea, extra roast pork
Special Item Limited to Kichijouji Hokkyoku in Spring
Pick one
Student Special
The menu has so many options, I don't know what to get.
Excuse me, sir!
Yes?
Hokkyoku Ramen
One
Total
One
yen
Mongolian Tanmen Nakamoto
I didn't let him stop me. I picked the ultra spicy one!
Even though they don't usually let newcomers order that.
Are you sure?
Huh?
This is your last chance to change your order.
Why would I do that?
Hokkyoku has a spiciness level of nine.
H o k k y o k u R a m e n
It happens to be this restaurant's final boss.
M i s o T a n m e n
Gomoku Mongolian Tanmen
It might be prudent to advance through the levels in order.
I should tell you that it took me an entire year to get to level nine.
It's that hot, huh?
Well, I happen to like spicy food, so I'll be fine.
I've had a stressful day, so I'm in the mood for something hot.
Actual Spicy Food Maniac
Hey... Are you even listening?!
Don't ignore me!
Anyway, isn't it kinda sad for a high school girl to be out eating ramen alone on a day off?
Aren't you here alone, too?
I was with someone else until just a little while ago!
You mean the guy who dumped you?
Crap, you saw that?
Only by chance.
If you tell anyone at school, I'll tear you apart!
I can't have anything tarnishing my popular image!
I have no reason to tell anyone.
She's the last person I'd want to see that.
Here you go.
Here's your Hokkyoku ramen.
And here's our Hokkyoku ramen special student bonus with boiled egg
and an extra side of butter.
It's so red! What is this?
Time to eat.
Huh?
What's that white stuff on yours?
I thought we had the same thing.
This is a limited edition special.
The regular Hokkyoku with cheese melted on top.
Instead of pork, it has chorizo.
However, the extreme spiciness of the soup and chopped chilies
overwhelms the spiciness of the chorizo.
The cheese makes the spiciness a bit milder.
Additionally, the boiled egg and butter further reduce the spiciness.
You're sweating and tearing up!
You've only had one bite!
Extreme heat is not my forte.
Still Delicious
Then why are you eating this super spicy ramen?
I'm going to eat, too!
Time to eat!
Ouch!
My mouth is in pain!
My tongue is, like, th-th-throbbing!
Told you so.
But... I like it.
I love this!
It's perfect for me!
So... spicy...
This was the first time anyone ever told me that they liked me to my face.
It made me so happy.
It...
Too spicy.
Warning: Hokkyoku ramen is extremely spicy!!
Thank you!
That was satisfying.
It's hot.
Hey, Koizumi.
Wanna give me your info?
I was thinking you could tell me about some other good places to have spicy ramen.
I could really get into this.
I-I'm not saying I want to go with you!
I'll find a new boyfriend and go with him!
I don't care one way or the other.
I think I could handle even spicier.
You can ask them to make it five times spicier.
Are you serious?
Yuu?
Huh?
Why?
Why are the two of you together?
You told me you had a date today, Misa.
Um, well, this is...
Misa, you traitor!
Why do you get to be her friend before I do?!
Yuu, you can be so annoying!
Stop shouting.
I'm going home.
Huh?
Koizumi-san!
I didn't think we'd run into each other here.
Oh, no...
This is too soon!
Spicy
Ah, that's spicy.
Cup Noodles
Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
K-K-K-K-Koizumi-san
2nd: Takahashi Jun
Jun, that's amazing!
Uh, yeah...
That's our class rep!
I wish they'd stop calling me that.
I only agreed to do it because everybody else refused.
Yay!
No supplementary exams for me!
91st: Nakamura Misa
Safe by a hair!
You're right, that is rare—
91st: Nakamura Misa
— Required Supplementary Exams — Group A: Torii Group B: Koizumi Group C: Kameyama
What?!
Koizumi-san's on the list for supplementary exams?!
No way!
I knew it.
Hey, Koizumi.
What's that, Koizumi? You failed? Gotta take supplementary exams?
You poor thing.
You know, a girl can't just be pretty. She also has to have substance.
You're just so...
How dare you ignore me?!
That's strange.
She placed pretty high on the entrance exams to transfer here.
Really?
How did you find that out?
Oh, Takahashi-san...
What is it, Sensei?
I need to talk to you about Koizumi-san.
Bliss...
So this is where you always eat lunch.
Isn't it a little cold today?
Why don't you eat inside?
Yuu's been looking for you.
Where are you?
Koizumi-san!
That's exactly why.
I generally prefer to be alone.
I see.
I'm sorry I bothered you.
Do you need something?
Our teacher told me that you handed in the last exam answer sheet completely blank.
Is that true?
Is something weighing on you?
Our teacher asked me to have a talk with you, as the class rep.
But yeah, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, too.
I'll come up with something to tell the teacher.
Well, actually...
I was on a trip until the day before the exam.
To the Tohoku region.
Unfortunately, my trip home was delayed due to inclement weather.
All trains have been canceled due to inclement weather.
Iwate
I guess I'll stay here another night.
After all that, I did manage to get back to Tokyo on the day of the test.
Local ramen gifts
So heavy...
I somehow made it to school, although late,
Ding Dong
but I couldn't withstand my exhaustion and drowsiness.
Begin working on the history exam
Zzz
Num Num
By the time I realized it, the test was over.
That's why I handed in my answer sheet blank.
You took a trip?
Right before the exam?
Why?
I had the uncontrollable urge to eat natto kimchi cream cheese ramen.
Natto? Cream cheese?
Is that any good?
It is.
I like it.
It's a special treat I always try to enjoy
when I'm in Iwate, along with reimen and jaajaamen.
She went all the way to Tohoku for that, right before an important exam?
I can't comprehend that.
And today, too, she's eating some kind of strange ramen.
Pineapple Flavor Salt Ramen With Fruit Chunks
What's with the pineapple?
So you're into... unusual flavors of ramen, huh?
Since the beginning of the year, I've had
many opportunities to eat soy sauce ramen, the gold standard flavor,
The number of good soy sauce ramens in the Minowa area!
Pineapple Ramen P-P-P-P-Pine
so perhaps as a reaction to that,
I've been really interested in the more uniquely crafted flavors lately.
That's also why I took my trip.
Uniquely crafted ramens? Are there even that many flavors?
One example is the chocolate ramen and tsukemen you can find a lot of around Valentine's Day.
In summer, tsukemen shops will have ice cream ramen and lemon ramen.
You can even find nuts and strawberries.
There are many limited edition varieties using seasonal ingredients.
That's a pretty "Why would you combine these flavors?" line-up.
Surprisingly, these are quite exquisite.
By the way, this cup ramen is a bit of a treasure.
They have a restaurant here in the city.
You should really try it.
Fruit in ramen, huh?
I guess it's kind of intriguing.
Well, the truth is...
I don't like ramen.
I'm not saying I hate it, exactly, but there's a reason behind...
She's so far away.
She suddenly put all this distance between us.
I apologize for boring you with this topic.
No, that's not it.
Listen, don't run away!
If that was all, I'll be leaving now.
Uh, sure...
Oh, jeez.
I messed this up.
Koizumi-san!
I'll help you study for your supplementary exams!
I can come along, too.
If you insist, that is.
No, thank you.
Come on!
You're so cold!
I think I gave Koizumi-san the wrong idea.
I don't hate ramen or anything.
In fact, I even used to like it.
Wait, what was that one she was eating?
Pineapple ramen...
We actually put pineapple in ramen!
Sour Meets Sweet
It... It's good!
There really is a restaurant.
And it's on the way home.
Close to my house, even.
Pineapple
This is the place, huh?
P-P-P-P-Pine
It's been a while since I've been at a ramen shop.
I used to avoid these places,
Since we love both pineapple and ramen, isn't it okay to put pineapple in ramen?
Pineapple Ramen Shop P-P-P-P-Pine
but talking to Koizumi-san gave me this intense craving for ramen.
Surprisingly, these are quite exquisite.
By the way, this cup ramen is a bit of a treasure.
I never thought she'd be that talkative, either.
They have a restaurant here in the city.
P-P-P-P-Pine's Favorite Pineapple-Flavored Egg 100 Yen
Pineapple Beer
That's quite the menu.
Pineapple Shrimp Salt Ramen
Welcome.
This is... a ramen place, right?
Thank you for waiting.
Here you go.
One order of pineapple shrimp salt ramen.
It's really got pineapple in it.
Can I even eat this?
Good thing I got this scrunchie at the 100 yen store.
Right
Time to eat.
Wait, I really do... like this.
Soft-boiled egg.
I love these.
This is dangerously good.
You can totally smell the pineapple.
It's almost like eating a dessert.
It's been so long since I had ramen.
It's so good. I can feel it warming me up.
Welcome.
Shrimp Salt Ramen
I thought you said you don't really like ramen.
I don't.
I mean...
it always fogs up my glasses.
That's all?
What do you mean, "that's all"?!
Last time I had ramen in the cafeteria,
this happened to me in front of everyone.
Class Rep, your glasses are totally white!
Everyone laughed at me, and it was really embarrassing.
I've been avoiding hot noodle soups ever since.
I never hated them, though.
Why don't you take off your glasses while you eat?
I can't see anything then!
You shouldn't mock super bad eyesight!
Ah, that was good.
Koizumi-san!
Thank you for telling me about this great place.
It's no problem.
I'll be going now.
Koizumi-san, see you tomorrow!
How'd you do on your supplementary exam?
I passed it.
By the way, the ramen from yesterday can be had in Machida, as well.
I see.
When did you two become friends?!
Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
Saimin
Flavor Concentration Counter
Instant Noodles
Ugh, I can't believe it was Koizumi who saw me get dumped!
What was she doing there, anyway?
Maybe she was following me!
I've been singled out as an enemy! Marked!
It was a coincidence.
I won't be fooled!
Thank you for the meal!