Track 2
mahorova - Birthday Area
…So it has come to this.
Slurping noises can be heard not too far from Nayuki. It is revealed to be...
Raito’s area is the “One Planet, One Ramen Shop: Tour the Cosmos! Slurp Ventu-Ramen! Grand Expo”… munch, munch.
More slurping noises are heard thereafter.
The Ventu-Ramen on each planet reflects the authentic flavors of different JPN regions. I selected them after consulting with Muneuji and Netaro, while taking each planet’s lore and imagery into account!
Cue three final slurps. That ramen never stood a chance.
(Ventu-Ramen… What a clever name, but…could it be…?)
Wait, why’s Jupiter miso ramen? …Ow, hot!
The stripes look similar, don’t they? By the way, I recreated the Great Red Spot1 with a boiled egg dyed with bamboo charcoal.
But it’s really delicious! Kuguri-san, would you like to join us?
I must decline. Jostling shoulders like fledgling chicks pecking at their feed... Cica and the others are more than enough to handle such comedy, no?
So, it’s not just humans; there are UMA and aliens, too. This place is insanely lively…
The slurping noises resume. Kinari is at it again.
Based on the data we compiled from historical alien and UMA legends across all cultures, the system randomly synthesizes and generates these manifestations within the area. Therefore, I believe no patron will ever grow bored.
However, the organizer’s obsession was completely over-the-top, making the fine-tuning an immense ordeal. I honestly didn't know what to do when one of the contractors broke down crying, claiming their SAN points5 were draining...
Yet, the manager never abandoned his work—not even once. Having stepped in to assist, I can vouch for that.
I surmise this was a reflection of the manager's desire to celebrate Raito flawlessly.
You are mistaken, Azekawa-kun. I was merely fulfilling my duties.
Thank you, Nayuki. I am truly blessed to have a younger brother like you!
Shut up. Speak any further and you’re insulting the ramen.
Ahaha! Well then, today we’re gonna drown Raitin in ramen to celebrate!~☆
An alien pops out.
Eh?
It leaves after speaking gibberish.
Um, Raito-san. What did that alien just say?
I…don’t know either…
Eehh?!
It sounded kinda like “myon-myon” to me…
Even upon reviewing the xenolinguistic research materials studied during the event’s preparation, it’s still indecipherable.
In the first place, an alien of that specific color and shape shouldn’t even exist in the data we compiled.
…Wait. Wait, wait, wait! An alien even Raitin doesn’t know about… What the heck is that?!
Seriously… Did an actual alien just log in from outer space and join us…?!
Haha! Well, if that's the case, that’d be interesting! To think that Ventu-Ramen might have summoned a real alien, huh… Once we log out, I ought to tell Muneuji about this!
Don’t drag minors into this, idiot. There’s no such thing as aliens.
(Anyway… Just like Netaro‑kun taught me before, if I spot an alien, I should make sure not to just go casually touching it6... )
A brief timeskip occurs.
Hah… The Comet Shio Ramen was delicious.
(I wonder if everyone else is enjoying their planetary tour, too.)
Chief, do you still have room to enjoy more ramen?
Ah, Raito-san. Yes, I can still definitely keep going!
Then, I want to take you to a “special spot.” Follow me.
mahorova - Ramen Shop
A ramen shop tucked away in the backstreets of the galaxy… It feels kind of romantic.
(But this interior…looks familiar somehow…)
Actually, this shop isn’t listed anywhere on the event map.
Only those stalwart souls who wander around using their own two feet and a finely tuned “ramen radar” can ever manage to find it... It is, so to speak, a hidden sanctuary!
Wow, so it really is your “special spot.”
Also, about Ventu-Ramen… The name is a pun, right? On the “Ventura” chant and ramen?
You noticed!
Yes! I recognized it. Since it was something you taught me before… It clicked right away.
Haha, I see. Then choosing this name was the right call, after all.
Ah… This ramen…! It’s the same one we ate on our way back from the first UFO summoning ritual…! 8
You recognized that as well? As expected of you, Chief.
Of course I did. That ramen was truly delicious.
Well then… Time to dig in!
Yes, let’s eat.
The sound of slurping ramen fills the pauses in their nostalgic conversation.
This is “the bowl where our story began”9... Though perhaps calling it that would be too dramatic.
But back then… That was the first time I ever realized just how much better a bowl of ramen tastes when you're sharing your passions with someone else.
Hearing you say that means a lot to me.
You definitely caught me by surprise at first, but…I was also glad that you shared what you love with me, Raito-san.
Thanks to you and everyone else, my days feel so much fuller now. I’ve even started wanting to enjoy all kinds of different things…
But the happier I feel, the more demanding my heart becomes. …I’m arrogant, and I’m self-centered, I’m well aware of that. But despite all of my flaws…will you still stay with me, Chief?
Of course I will. I mean, I know I asked for the summoning rituals to be only once a month before, but…whatever it is you want to try, Raito-san, I’m ready for it every single day now. Bring it on!
(…What a wonderful smile. Back then, too…you answered me without a single doubt, just like you did today.)
(There’s no telling where my life will take me from here. But…being able to meet you, my comrade-in-arms, is, without a doubt, true happiness…)
Raito-san?
…I love you, my comrade. Please, keep walking by my side from here on out.
Just as you’ve always supported me, I will always be there to support you in turn. I’m counting on you.
(The taste of the ramen we shared today… I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life.)
The Great Red Spot is a giant, centuries-old storm on Jupiter. Its iconic red-orange color makes it Jupiter’s most recognizable feature.
Reference to The Planets, a famous seven-movement orchestral suite composed by Gustav Holst between 1914 and 1917, where each movement is named after a planet in the solar system.
The chupacabra is a legendary cryptid from Latin American folklore famous for attacking livestock and draining their blood.
A gray alien is the classic sci-fi depiction of an extraterrestrial. Also known as Zeta Reticulans.
SAN値 (SAN-chi) is a popular Japanese internet slang term meaning “sanity meter.” Originating from the Call of Cthulhu TRPG, it is widely used to describe how much mental distress someone’s taking.
Reference to Netaro’s FAV Collection SSR Card Story, “From Beyond the Distant Galaxy”.
Although it has soba in its name, chuka soba is not soba, and is instead an older term for ramen. It is now commonly used to describe ramen that is still served the classic way.
Another reference to Raito’s Initial SSR Card Story, “A Secret Invitation”. Raito also likely modeled this ramen shop to be similar to the one they visited back then, too.
A beautiful double meaning, though this might come from a place of bias. On a personal level, it marks the exact bowl of ramen where their friendship started. Historically—and maybe I’m reading too much into things—it sorta pays homage to chuka soba as the absolute birthplace of modern ramen. Knowing how important ramen is to Raito, it’s a lovely touch. It also makes it more meaningful how, in retrospect, that was the first ramen he ever suggested to the Chief.