Fujiwara Chika, who loved talking about romance, actually didn't understand romance at all.
Just as she herself said, she was someone who completely couldn't read the mood.
In the original story, when the Student Council President and Shinomiya Kaguya officially announced their relationship, she became the only person in the entire Student Council who hadn't realized it beforehand—the certified airhead.
So at this moment, Fujiwara Chika didn't notice the faint hint of ambiguity that had just arisen between the two of them in the slightest.
She simply tilted her head in confusion, her hand reaching for the garlic without a moment's hesitation.
Right now, the only thing on Fujiwara Chika's mind was enjoying her ramen to the fullest.
The garlic provided by the ramen shop was unpeeled. Garlic like that was the freshest and had the best flavor.
If it were peeled in advance, or sliced into chips, it would dry out and the texture would be much worse.
As for minced garlic?
That was for dipping dumplings and the like.
The two of them temporarily broke free from the exhilaration of slurping noodles and entered a brief intermission.
Tanaka Masao peeled garlic while secretly observing Fujiwara Chika.
She hummed a little tune, her feet dangling in the air and swinging back and forth. Her eyes were fixed intently on the garlic cloves in her hands, her expression full of focus and anticipation.
That heart-skipping feeling from earlier gradually faded, and Tanaka Masao quietly let out a sigh of relief.
[I almost got captured there. Is this the power of a natural airhead? Without even trying, she can steal someone's heart.]
Perhaps because his attention wasn't fully there, Tanaka Masao was a bit slow at peeling the garlic.
On the other side, Fujiwara Chika happily put her peeled garlic into her bowl. When she noticed Tanaka Masao's progress, she shook her head, looking completely helpless.
"Honestly, kouhai will always be kouhai. Your garlic-peeling skills are really lacking—you need more practice."
As she spoke, she handed two cloves over to Tanaka Masao.
"Here, I'll share these with you."
Tanaka Masao looked at Fujiwara Chika's outstretched hand. Two pure white garlic cloves rested in a palm even whiter than they were.
"Oh, thanks, Fujiwara-senpai."
He didn't stand on ceremony and reached out to take the garlic from her hand.
[Garlic peeled by a beautiful girl herself—jealous? ๑乛◡乛๑]
Honored Audience: N-not jealous at all! It was so hot eating ramen just now—there must be sweat on her palm while peeling the garlic. Just imagining it is already—
As Tanaka Masao took the garlic, his fingertips inevitably brushed lightly against Fujiwara Chika's palm.
Fujiwara Chika pulled her hand back a moment later, a bit slow to react. She tilted her head, a sudden thought popping into her mind.
[That movement just now… was it a little ambiguous?]
She felt a faint itch in the spot where she'd been touched, and her heart felt a little strange too.
Unable to resist, she stole a glance at Tanaka Masao.
She saw him lowering his head, eating noodles—his mouth clearly reacting to the spiciness after taking a bite of garlic.
[Maybe I'm overthinking it. Eat noodles, eat noodles.]
That fleeting sense of discomfort was quickly tossed aside, and Fujiwara Chika focused on eating again.
With the addition of garlic, the remaining ramen was quickly wiped out.
The two of them lifted their bowls with both hands and tilted their heads back.
Gulp~ gulp~
In perfect sync, they drained nearly half a bowl of soup in one go.
"Ha~"
After finishing, the bowls were set heavily back onto the table.
"Thanks for the meal!"
"Another bowl, please."
Still basking in her satisfaction, Fujiwara Chika snapped back to her senses and turned her head, puzzled.
"Tanaka-kouhai, what did you just say? Another bowl?"
"That's right."
Tanaka Masao nodded and called out to the ramen shop owner.
"Boss, another bowl—same as before."
The owner nodded and simply said, "Coming right up," before getting back to making ramen.
People who could eat two or even three bowls weren't rare, so he didn't find it strange at all.
Besides, Tanaka Masao had eaten his ramen clean down to the last drop—clearly someone who truly loved ramen.
For customers like that, the owner was more than happy to cook.
Watching the owner prepare Tanaka Masao's second bowl, Fujiwara Chika touched her slightly rounded belly and said enviously,
"That's so nice. Tanaka-kouhai can still eat a second bowl. I'm already full—I absolutely can't handle another one."
Tanaka Masao showed a smug smile.
"Heh heh, jealous? I get to enjoy even more delicious food."
"Tch, like I'm jealous."
Fujiwara Chika picked up the water cup beside her and took a sip. The saltiness from the ramen broth in her mouth faded considerably.
"Good food isn't about eating more and more. As long as you enjoy it and feel happy, that's enough."
"Oh right, I never asked before—what school does Tanaka-kouhai attend?"
After finishing her ramen, Fujiwara Chika didn't leave right away. Instead, she stayed seated and chatted with Tanaka Masao.
Even though it was their first meeting, they felt surprisingly compatible, so she thought it wouldn't hurt to make a new friend.
"By the way, I heard you say earlier that you're from Chiba. Do you come to Tokyo often?"
"Not really 'often.' It's just that recently I've had some things to take care of, so I've been coming almost every weekend."
"Oh, I see. Then… want to exchange contact info?"
Fujiwara Chika took out her phone and waved it lightly.
The two of them had almost no overlapping social circles, and their meeting had been pure coincidence. They might not even run into each other again in the future.
Even if they exchanged contact info and never talked, at least there'd be a line connecting them—right?
Tanaka Masao didn't hesitate and took out his phone.
"Sure."
While exchanging LINE contact information—the most popular messaging app in Japan right now—Fujiwara Chika happened to glance at Tanaka Masao's contact list.
She looked a bit surprised.
"Tanaka-kouhai, you have a lot of girls in your contacts. Could it be… you're actually a playboy?"
Tanaka Masao had six contacts in total.
His parents, Jahy, Yukinoshita Yukino, and the Sawamura mother and daughter.
He pointed at himself and asked with a puzzled expression,
"Do I look like a playboy?"
Fujiwara Chika pinched her chin and thought very seriously, then shook her head.
"Not at all. Compared to a playboy, Tanaka-kouhai looks more like a textbook otaku."
Tanaka Masao shrugged.
"Well, there you go."
As Fujiwara Chika chatted with him, she also scrolled through his social feed, quickly noticing something.
"Tanaka-kouhai, are you trying to lose weight?"
Tanaka Masao glanced at her phone. On the screen was a post he had made himself.
It was a photo taken after his morning workout.
He'd posted quite a few similar photos to document his weight-loss journey.
That way, once he succeeded, he could look back on them someday and remember this difficult period.