"Sa as usual? Wire and soft?"
The staff mber behind the ran counter greeted Hikigaya with a smile, but there was sothing off about his tone. Polite on the surface, yet Hikigaya couldn’t shake the feeling that the guy was subtly judging him.
Why did it sound like he was being accused of sothing?
In that mont, Hikigaya’s internal alarms went off. His long-dormant social anxiety clawed at his spine like a cold hand. It felt like he had triggered so hidden flag in his "Hachiman 180 Technique"—that eerie sense that soone was implying:
You again? With a different girl this ti, huh? Better watch it.
"Y-Yeah. The sa," Hikigaya mumbled, his voice dipping lower than usual.
Next to him, Kushida Kikyo kept her usual angelic smile. But inside? She was cursing the ran shop’s employees into oblivion.
Seriously? she thought. Who trained these people to have mories like elephants? How many custors do they serve a day—and they still rember who ca in and with whom?
"Yes, trouble us with two servings," she said with practiced ease.
"Ah, I want to try the wire this ti too," Sakura Airi chid in brightly. "Is that okay?"
"Of course," the clerk nodded kindly. "Wire it is."
"Wire?" nlai leaned forward curiously and glanced at Airi. "What’s that? Does Sakura-san co here often?"
"Eh? N-Not really," Sakura stamred, her cheeks imdiately going pink. "It’s just... it refers to the hardness of the noodles. The firr ones are called ’wire’ because they’re really tough, like chewing iron wire. There’s a range—extra hard, hard, normal, soft, and extra soft. Last ti I tried soft, and it was really good, but I wanted to see what the firr ones taste like."
"Wow, I didn’t know that!" Okakura Asako said, eyes wide. "That’s totally different from pasta places. I’ve never thought about ran texture like that."
Juke nodded slightly, her expression calm. "Thanks, Sakura-san."
"N-No, don’t ntion it!" Airi waved her hands quickly, even more flustered now.
Still, a warm feeling settled in her chest. The girls in Class B really were kind.
Well... all except one.
Kushida Kikyo’s smile froze for just a second.
Hard noodles again? Seriously? She still hadn’t recovered from the last ti she had to pretend to enjoy it. It wasn’t bad, but if she had to choose, she much preferred her noodles soft and silky. Yet here she was, stuck again—smiling through gritted teeth for the sake of appearances.
And then there was Hikigaya. Face unreadable as ever. But internally, he felt like he was sitting on a volcano.
Why... why are they having full-on conversations in a ran shop?
He could feel it—those deadly stares from behind. Several middle-aged n were clearly unhappy about this disruption to their sacred slurping sanctuary.
Couples coming into ran shops and chatting at the counter? That was already blasphemy. But bringing in six pretty girls and casually holding court?
That wasn’t just heresy. That was a straight-up declaration of war.
Hikigaya knew this well. He had been on the other side. He was one of the death-staring uncles once. And now... he had beco that guy.
The enemy.
He wanted to hide. No—he wanted to die.
"Here’s your order," the staff said, slamming down a hot bowl of ran in front of him with a smile far too wide.
"Enjoy it slowly," he added. But Hikigaya could hear the subtext loud and clear.
Eat. Then get out. You’re polluting this place with your harem antics.
"T-Thanks," Hikigaya muttered, forcing a weak smile as he accepted the bowl.
Sowhere deep inside, he wondered if this was how karma worked.
Why... why am I the one being ostracized in a ran shop?!
The steaming aroma of the broth lifted into the air, but he couldn’t even enjoy it. He stared at the surface of the soup like it was the reflection of his sins.
He was being exiled from the brotherhood of ran.
"I’m gonna start now," nlai said cheerfully, pressing her hands together in thanks. She took a bite and her eyes imdiately sparkled.
"Whoa—this is amazing!"
"Really?" Okakura looked at the oil floating on the soup with hesitation. Juke maintained her usual composed deanor but subtly hesitated just enough to keep up her character’s image.
"You guys have to try it," nlai bead. "It’s way better than I expected. Super rich and flavorful!"
Juke and Okakura tried their noodles next, slurping delicately and exchanging nods of approval.
Sakura Airi, sitting close to Hikigaya, took a few small bites. After a mont of silence, she turned slightly toward him.
"By the way... I heard the school opened two new ran places—Tenkaipin and Toranako. nlai, have you heard of them?"
Hikigaya’s eye twitched.
No. No more ran talk. Please. I’m begging you.
He gave her a silent nod of acknowledgnt, his face dark with regret.
Even though Sakura ant well, and probably just wanted to make conversation, she had unknowingly crossed a sacred boundary.
Behind them, the atmosphere shifted.
The glares grew sharper.
The uncles—those stoic, quiet n who ca here to escape the chaos of youth—were now ready to riot.
This wasn’t just noise. This was betrayal.
The ran shop had been defiled.
Dead fish-eyed demon brings six girls and dares to discuss rival ran shops?! HERESY!
Hikigaya gulped down his noodles as fast as humanly possible, hoping the gods of noodle broth would forgive him.
But nlai and the others were clearly in no rush. They chatted, giggled, and took their ti with every bite.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.
"Um... can we eat a bit faster?" he asked, hesitantly.
"Hmm? What’s wrong?" nlai blinked innocently.
"I an... it’s kind of inconsiderate to the other custors if we stay too long, right?" Hikigaya gestured vaguely to the people behind them. "Also, the noodles aren’t as good when they get cold. And ran shops... usually aren’t the best place to chat."
nlai looked around. Sure enough, several custors glanced away quickly, pretending they hadn’t been eavesdropping.
"But there aren’t that many people waiting, right?" she said, eyes narrowing.
Then she looked up at the counter.
"Excuse , sir. Is chatting not allowed here?"
The clerk blinked, then burst out laughing.
"Of course not, little miss! You can chat as much as you want."
He placed another portion of noodles into Hikigaya’s bowl with a teasing grin.
"You usually ask for an extra serving, right? I’ve got you covered today."
Hikigaya nearly choked.
Why... why do you rember that?!
The girls all looked surprised.
"Whoa, nlai you must co here a lot if he rembers your order," Okakura said.
"Impressive," Juke added with a subtle nod.
"N-No, it’s just the school uniform," Hikigaya said quickly, desperately trying to save face. "It’s probably just easy to recognize, that’s all."
But everyone around him knew the truth.
He was a regular.
A ran shop regular.
And now, in one swift evening, he had beco the very thing he used to hate:
The guy who brings girls to ran shops.
The center of attention.
The loudest voice in the quiet room.
The social butterfly in a sanctuary of introverts.
The villain.
End of Chapter 135
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