Lesson for Those Who Waste Food

Turning a corner and walking about several hundred meters, the two arrived at a commercial street, quite different from the bustling, noisy, and traffic-laden avenue they’d left behind. The ponytail atop Ryo Shishido’s head bounced with lively vigor as he gazed at the rows of dazzling sports equipment shops lining both sides; his eyes sparkled with excitement. “Oh? There really are a lot of sports stores here.”

“Yes, this is the sports goods street. You can find almost any kind of sports equipment here, whether we use it often or not,” Naruki Matsubara replied with a smile and a nod.

“But is Niraku Ramen really here?” Shishido felt it was a bit odd for a dining spot to sit right next to a sports equipment store…

“Of course. Just follow me,” Matsubara quickened his pace, stretching out a hand to Shishido behind him.

Niraku Ramen was a noodle shop nestled in a small alley, and Matsubara had discovered it purely by chance. It was shortly after he’d arrived in the Prince of Tennis world; he’d wandered the sports commercial street for half a day, and as hunger struck, he went searching for somewhere to eat. Passing through a narrow alley, he caught a whiff of rich pork bone broth mingled with the refreshing scent of herbs and greenery. At the alley’s end, he found a ramen shop specializing in noodles. True to the saying, “Good noodles fear not a deep alley,” Niraku Ramen’s signature dish—Herbal Pork Cartilage Ramen in Rich Bone Broth—was truly authentic.

By coincidence, since it was located on the sports commercial street, the ramen shop sat to the left of “Zhang Chen Racquet Repair Shop (Antique Traditional Shop),” and to the right was a food store named Pantry, which sold discounted vegetables, fruits, bread, meats, and other groceries.

“Zhang Chen Racquet Repair Shop… Why does the name sound so odd, and it looks rather grimy, too…” Shishido noticed the racquet repair shop next to the elegantly decorated ramen place and frowned.

“Though it’s an inconspicuous shop with a strange name, the owner Tenmon Chen Goro is quite an impressive person,” Matsubara said with a smile.

“Alright, let’s get something to eat now. Just smelling the aroma from this place is making me ravenous,” the boy patted Shishido’s shoulder and strode ahead.

The two pulled aside the ramen shop’s curtain, and as a crisp bell rang, a hearty voice greeted them.

“Welcome!” Out from the kitchen came a middle-aged man in a white chef’s coat and hat. Recognizing Matsubara from a previous visit, he smiled kindly, “Oh! Isn’t this Matsubara? It’s been ages!”

“Hey, Oji!” The boy raised his hand in greeting.

Soon, the kitchen curtain stirred again, and out walked a beautiful girl with waterfall-like long hair. Her features were elegant, and her smile bloomed like a lotus, captivating the heart.

“Isn’t that Matsubara-kun? Welcome!”

“Yase-neesan!” Matsubara grinned at her, and then enthusiastically introduced, “This is my friend Ryo Shishido. Shishido, these are the owners of Niraku Ramen, Asakura Niraku and his daughter Asakura Yase!”

“Hello!” Shishido replied politely.

“No need for formalities. Since you’re Matsubara and Matsubara’s friend, today’s ramen is on me!” Asakura Niraku declared grandly, but Yase nudged her father’s waist with her elbow, making him draw a sharp breath and whisper in complaint, “What are you up to, Yase?!”

“We’re a small business, Dad. Giving discounts is enough. If you treat every returning customer to a meal, we’ll be bankrupt sooner or later,” Yase pouted in displeasure.

“Wari, wari, I didn’t think it through… But now that I’ve said it, it’d be awkward to take it back. Plus, Matsubara really enjoyed the ramen when he first came, and today he’s brought a friend…”

Asakura Niraku scratched his head, his brow creased.

“Ah, well… We’ll pay as usual. Even though we’re only first-years, we do have pocket money,” Matsubara, overhearing their exchange, replied somewhat embarrassed.

“Yeah, don’t worry about us, boss…” Shishido touched his ponytail, nodded, and smiled.

“No need for courtesy, Matsubara. Yase and I were just discussing ingredient orders. Wait here, I’ll get cooking. The usual?” Asakura Niraku, a bit flustered, quickly changed the subject and, before heading to the kitchen, turned to ask.

“Yes, two Herbal Pork Cartilage Ramen in Rich Bone Broth, and two extra marinated eggs, please,” Matsubara raised two fingers.

“Alright, coming right up!” Asakura Niraku charged into the kitchen with vigor.

“Matsubara-kun, your school uniform is so pretty. Is it the latest style from your school?” Yase, outside, noticed the teal uniforms on Matsubara and Shishido and asked with a smile.

“Well… Actually, I’m no longer at Dante Country. I’m a student at Evergreen Academy Middle School now,” Matsubara scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.

“Soga, you transferred, huh.” Yase blinked her long lashes and suddenly exclaimed, “Wait, you said you’re from Evergreen Academy?”

“Yeah… That’s right,” the boy was startled by her sudden reaction and nodded uncertainly.

“Oh, that’s interesting! Some customers recently mentioned a dark horse tennis school at the annual regional qualifiers. Not only did they upset the top seed Seigaku, they also decisively beat the second-seed Black Blaze, who was evenly matched with Seigaku. Turns out, that’s your school!” Yase recalled students from other schools who came to eat recently and talked about tennis, specifically mentioning the sudden emergence of Evergreen Academy with seed-level strength.

“Haha… We didn’t say it directly, but yes, we’re from the Evergreen Academy tennis club,” Matsubara pointed to the tennis bag resting on a nearby stool and smiled.

“That’s impressive,” Yase said admiringly.

“Hey, here we go! Two Herbal Pork Cartilage Ramen in Rich Bone Broth, two servings of sliced marinated egg, and a complimentary dish of teriyaki chicken bites and three-color dango!” Asakura Niraku soon emerged with a tray, placing two steaming bowls before them, then producing three small dishes from the tray.

“Wow, the fried chicken smells amazing!” Shishido said, mouth watering.

“Well then… Let’s dig in!” Matsubara and Shishido pressed their hands together and began devouring their meal with gusto. Watching the boys eat so heartily, Asakura Niraku and Yase exchanged glances and smiled in unison.

“The noodles are springy, the pork cartilage is tender and delicious, and the broth has that fresh, rich flavor…” Shishido, cheeks bulging, alternated bites of noodles, marinated egg, and pork cartilage, savoring it all in his mind.

“This is excellent fried chicken—crispy, succulent, and full of flavor. It’s irresistible!” Matsubara thought to himself, delighted by the teriyaki chicken bites.

Seeing Matsubara rate the teriyaki chicken bites so highly, Asakura Niraku smiled contentedly. “Well, when you first came, we only served ramen. To attract more customers, we’ve since developed plenty of snacks and desserts. I’m glad you like them.”

“The dango is delicious, too. It looks better than those in the real world, and the taste is even richer—soft and bouncy, with intense sakura, matcha, and milk aromas…” Matsubara praised inwardly.

In less than ten minutes, the boys polished off their ramen, snacks, and desserts, patting their stomachs and letting out satisfied burps.

“Wow, you finished every last bit! That’s wonderful!” Yase, busy helping her father, exclaimed happily.

“Of course! Wasting food is shameful. But it’s also because your ramen is so delicious, Yase-neesan!” Shishido grinned.

“Such thoughtful kids. Unlike those two customers who used to come—they’d always order heaps of food, but most went to waste.” Yase covered her cheek and smiled warmly, though her tone turned disappointed at the end.

“Nani? They ordered so much and wasted it all?” Matsubara, handing their payment to Asakura Niraku, was taken aback.

“Hey, I said I’d treat you!” Asakura Niraku protested, embarrassed by the thick wad of bills, but finally accepted after Matsubara insisted several times.

“That’s too much—even if they’re rich, they shouldn’t waste food!” Shishido condemned.

“Yeah… I’ve reminded that young man and his friend many times. But the one with long hair seems to be from some wealthy tennis school, always arrogant and hard to deal with. Since Yase and I run a small business, and they pay generously, I can’t really argue…” Asakura Niraku took off his chef’s hat with a troubled sigh.

“That’s outrageous! If they come again, we should teach them a lesson—using tennis!” Shishido slammed his fist on the table.

“Speaking of which, they’ve been coming in the evenings lately, and judging by the time, they should be here soon,” Yase glanced at the clock above the door.

“Great! Let’s wait here for them!”

“It’s better not to cause trouble, though…” Asakura Niraku didn’t want any fighting. That would reflect poorly on both the school and his shop.

Seeing Shishido brimming with post-meal bravado, Matsubara rubbed his chin with two fingers and suddenly had a brilliant idea.

“Well… Actually, I have a way to teach those food-wasting guys a lesson without causing any conflict. But it’ll require everyone’s cooperation.”

The three looked at Matsubara and asked in unison, “What’s the plan?”

“Here’s how…” The boy gestured with both hands, and the three leaned in, listening as Matsubara began to whisper his scheme.