Track 1
HAMA Tours - Office Floor
Seriously, it’d be easier to submit the data digitally, but no—they make us hand in paper reports... This place is so behind the times sometimes.
And right when school actually ended early for once, too.
Now, now. No need to be like that, Uu-chan.
...Ah.
...
Raito-san. You have quite a deep furrow between your brows; has something happened?
Muneuji. Ushio and Kiroku, too. Have you all finished submitting your reports?
Y-Yes. Somehow… We’re about to…have lunch now…
Lunch… Is it that time already? This is bad.
…Looks like your proposal file is completely blank.
Hm. I’ve been stuck deciding on a theme for my BD area.
After seeing Muneuji and Netaro’s areas1, I thought it would be nice to delve into the romantic and awe-inspiring wonders of outer space... Exploring things like aliens and UMA. But—
Then again, an event centered on ramen is also hard to pass up, so I’m at a complete loss.
Have you…consulted Nayuki-san?
Of course! I even asked him first. However—
Flashback begins.
Hah? Do whatever you want.
Flashback ends.
…That’s what he said. So, in the end, nothing got resolved. Hahaha.
Why does this guy look so happy when he got shut down in seconds...?
There really are…all sorts…of siblings.
I, for one, understand your struggle all too well, Raito-san. That is precisely why I can tell you that it would be a waste not to do everything you love.
Yeah, I agree with Muneuji. It’s your birthday, after all. You should just do whatever you want.
But…turning “what you love”…into something real…is difficult. So…if you’re okay with us…we can help you…figure it out…
…You all are such kind kids.
Alright. Why don't we take a break instead? You three must be starving by now.
Let’s all go get some ramen! It’s my treat, of course—eat as much as you’d like!
Ramen Shop
The three heartily slurp their ramen.
…Whoa, what is this?
As expected of Raito-san’s recommendation. I simply can’t stop eating.
…So…good… I wish…Isotake…and Nanamegi…could try this, too.
For now, we will just have to bring them back a story to tell. —Excuse me, sir, a noodle refill, please. Make the next batch extra firm.
Got ya!
(All three of them look so happy eating… What a heartwarming sight.)
(With every single bite, mind and body just completely melt away… Ramen truly is the ultimate food—it spreads smiles everywhere...)
A “ding!” sound resonates, as if a light bulb is set alight above Raito’s head.
....Huh?
That’s a brilliant idea. This single bowl of ramen could very well deepen our friendship with aliens.
Exactly! When it comes to interacting with aliens, language barriers are unavoidable.
But if the feeling of “deliciousness” that ramen brings can become a shared language, it might just be the breakthrough we need!
So you’ve read it as well, Raito-san. I was thrilled right from the start. It’s a theory that completely overturns all our previous assumptions…!
Kaguya… Raito-san… Calm…down. Loud voices…will trouble…the shop…
Man, that’s our big-shot5 Raito for ya! And this young looker over here has a perspective that’s outta this world, too!
Instead of being annoyed, turns out he’s one of them.
H-Wh-Wha…
As comrades of U.M.A.—that is to say, Ultra-savory, Most-Truly Always-Warm Ramen6—I can’t ignore this talk! If our ramen can connect the universe, then I’ll definitely lend a hand! We’ve gotta let them taste Earth’s soul!
…This is kinda a self call-out, but why do otaku always start shouting out of nowhere?
Thank you, Boss!
The answer, after much deliberation, was here right from the very beginning—in this single bowl! As we travel the cosmos, we can hit up every ramen shop along the way, too!
I’ll craft the signature bowl myself. A ramen infused with the wish that customers will pour in from across the stars… I’ll call it…yes—!
Wait, what?!
Reference to Muneuji and Netaro’s FAV Collection SSR Card Stories, “We’re Aiming for Space” and “From Beyond the Distant Galaxy”.
Raito actually uses the Japanese loanword “Soul Food” (ソウルフード) here. In Japan, this phrase refers to nostalgic local dishes or comfort food. Here, I opted to translate it as “comfort food” because “Soul Food” is a culturally claimed African-American term, and keeping it literal would cause confusion.
The professor’s name in Japanese is a double pun: Zenbu (ゼンブー) means “everything,” and usoppachi (ウソッパチ) means “downright lie.” It also follows a classic otaku naming trend wherein a name is written with an equals sign (ゼンブー＝ウソッパチ) to make it look like a distinguished foreign academic’s name, as it is in Japanese textbooks (though I think it's more often that we see a middle dot being used instead of = in today's media).
I translated it as “Professor Fuller-Baloney” to preserve that ridiculous feeling of, “They actually believe someone named THAT?!” which a native reader would get after seeing this.
Other honorable mentions of names that did not make the cut include the following: Professor Al-Lyse (it sounded too cool for a liar), Professor O’Conman (felt off, since a conman is a liar, but not every liar is a conman), and finally, Professor Lyre Panzion-Fyre (same reason as the first one, it sounded too cool. I would honestly believe someone named Panzion-Fyre).
The owner addresses Raito as Danna (旦那ァ). In this context, it implies Raito is a valued “master” or “patron” who constantly frequents the shop. “Big-shot” was used in this translation instead to keep the owner’s casual tone intact.
In the original text, the acronym U.M.A. (Unidentified Mysterious Animal) is redefined by the owner to fit his shop's theme: Umakute (delicious), Maji (truly), Attakai (warm) ramen. This localization was the best attempt I could come up with to preserve that joke.
A pun on the “Ventura Ventura Space People” UFO summoning chant, which was previously mentioned in Raito's Initial SSR and UMA SSR Card Stories. It is a recognizable retro reference to Japanese alien/occult culture. Also, this will be important for Track 2.