Chapter 13: The Ramen Shop

In a small, broken wooden noodle shop—where the walls were repaired with clearly visible wooden boards and nails, and a few stools were placed in front of the serving table—an elderly woman was cleaning the dishes as she sighed.

“I think this is the time for me to close my shop permanently. I guess my daughter was correct; this rundown shop will soon be closed on bad terms…”

She glanced at the fresh ingredients as a memory flashed back to her.

Twelve years ago.

Heavy raindrops hit the windows, making them shake. The shop was fully furnished with paintings and brand-new furniture, along with the same woman twelve years younger.

“Hmm… I think I should close the shop for now. In such heavy rain, there might be some fool who will visit here.” She glanced at the window as she walked over to lock the door.

“Hmm?”

She saw a girl with silver hair falling down near her waist. She was badly drenched in rainwater, her clothes were muddy, and she wore a black blindfold over her eyes. Looking toward the clouds, her expression was hard to read.

Seeing the girl in such a bad condition, she opened the door. The heavy raindrops made it hard for the woman’s voice to reach her, so she raised her voice.

“Hey, hey…” she called out.

Hearing the voice, the girl turned her face toward her. She was hugging a sword half her size, her face was covered in bruises, and her clothes were tainted with dots of red blood as she muttered, “Wh…ite.”

The woman felt fear at first, her eyes widening, but seeing the rain, she offered, “Hey! Are you alright? Maybe you should come in… You are drenched. If you remain outside, you will catch a cold.”

The girl shook her head and said in a lower voice, “I am fine… This is nothing new for me.” She bowed to the lady and started running, but as soon as she took a few steps—

Slip… Thud.

She slipped on the slippery path, landing on her face.

“Are you alright?!” The woman dashed over to check on her.

A few moments later.

“Geez! Look at your face and how muddy it’s become! That’s why I told you to come inside.” The lady was using a clean cloth on the girl’s face to wipe away the mud.

“You don’t have to…” she was saying when her stomach growled.

The lady smiled warmly, stood up, and held her hand, leading her to the counter. She helped her sit on a stool and went across to the kitchen side.

“Alright! Just wait two minutes. I have some ingredients left, and I will prepare the best ramen meal for you.”

“Ramen…?” The girl tilted her head in confusion.

“Huh? You’ve never eaten ramen before?” the surprised woman asked.

The girl shook her head.

“Ahh… Then don’t worry! This will be your first, and it will become your favorite ramen!”

Saying that with confidence, she turned back and started making the ramen with everything she had, while the girl touched the surfaces around her, trying to create a visual view for herself. Soon, the lady brought out a hot bowl of ramen whose aroma filled the entire shop, placing it right in front of the girl.

“Here! Now taste it and tell me how it is!”

The girl leaned forward toward the bowl as she felt the warmth of the noodles. Then she lifted her head back up to the lady in confusion.

“Huh? Is something the matter?” she asked.

“I don’t know… how to eat this…” the girl said.

“Ah… I see. So we are starting from there,” she said, guiding the girl. “First, take chopsticks and roll them toward the noodles. They will wrap around them, and then blow three times to cool it down, then eat it.”

“Hmm.” The girl nodded as her fingers touched the surface of the counter, trying to find where the chopsticks were.

Feeling sad for the girl, the lady said, “Well… maybe I should help you.”

She used chopsticks to roll the noodles up and blew on them to cool them down. “Say ahh…”

The girl looked confused.

“I mean, open your mouth.”

“Ahh…”

The lady gently fed her the noodles. At first, she was confused by the taste, but as soon as she ate a few bites, her pace increased. Seeing the girl enjoy her meal, the lady smiled warmly at her.

After they finished, the lady offered her some orange juice. As the girl held it and started sipping, the lady rested her chin on her arms and asked, “So, what’s your name, child? And what are you doing in such a heavy storm?”

“Name…? I see—the word people often use to call each other. Then I am A.R.I.A,” the girl spelled out. After that, she added, “I was returning from a mission given by Father as the rain started.”

“A.R.I.A? What is that, some type of code? And what is this mission thing?”

“Absolute Resonance Isotope Apparatus. Father often described me as that. And I’m sorry, but Father has forbidden me to tell anybody about the missions I do.”

“Augh… What is that? Wouldn’t simply calling you Aria be much better than such a code?” the lady said, as she thought to herself: What could that mission be? I mean, why would a father tell his daughter to hide the things she does? Also, I am concerned about the blood on her clothes. Is he taking care of his daughter or not?

“Well, anyway, people might call you A.R.I.A, but I will call you Aria. Is that fine…?” the lady asked.

The girl nodded.

“Well, then you are free to visit here any—”

Before the lady could finish, the shop door opened. A white-haired man whose face was hidden behind a mask entered.

“So, here you were, my dear daughter. I was looking for you.” He glanced at the lady and bowed. “Thanks for taking care of her, but now she has to go with me. Come, A.R.I.A.”

Aria jumped as she started walking and held the man’s hand. The man checked his pocket, brought out a pouch filled with golden coins, and threw it to the lady, who stumbled slightly but caught it.

“This is the payment for the ramen she ate. And please, kindly refrain from feeding a child such junk food.”

With that, they exited, and as Aria turned her face toward her one last time, the door shut.

There was so much I wanted to ask him…

Back to the present.

I never thought the girl who visited my shop could become a Sword Saint and that people would start worshipping her like that. I wish that before closing, she would visit here again.

As she turned, the shop door slammed open. An energetic Aria stood there, while in her arms, Rikka was unconscious with foam coming out of her mouth.

“Two bowls of your best ramen, please!”

The elderly woman’s eyes widened in surprise as the word slipped from her lips: “Aria?”

“Tehehe!” And in the end, Aria gave her a sharp grin.