act40side

I'm really sorry. You don't need to stay here with me through all this.

It's not a problem!

You've been helping me so much, I guess you must also be interested in the outcome of all of this, huh?

Alright. Just wait here a minute. This time I'm sure I'll do it, and I'll whip you up a big, nice bowl of noodles for dinner.

Did you... have something else you wanted to say to me just now?

What?

N-Never mind...

To be fair, the recipe the Young Chef gave you was indeed simple enough. He probably didn't expect that your biggest difficulty would be kneading the dough.

Look at you defending him!

I'm sorry...

I'm doing all I can do. It's hard. When I work, my body temperature rises, and the dough starts to dry out in just a few seconds.

I add more water to the flour, and then more flour to the water, and then more flour and water... The dough that was originally the size of my fist is now almost as big as my head!

The situation with your rising body temperature is certainly unique...

Anyway, you need to think positively: so long as you learn to knead the dough, making the longevity noodles will be no problem at all!

Speaking of which, for someone who has never cooked before, you certainly have some impressive knife skills.

Well, back at Rhodes Island, elite operators like me perform surgery on ourselves in emergency situations.

I guess there's not much difference between using a scalpel and a kitchen knife, assuming you're not using it like the Young Chef does when he chops vegetables.

I can even use the skills I learned from stitching my own wounds to mend my own clothes.

I wouldn't have thought your job would be this dangerous.

Hmph, not a big deal if you have the time to practice.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Can't he just have more patience with me?

Hey! Look! I think you're getting the hang of it. The amount of force is just right. Keep it up!

I... haven't even... had any dinner yet!

Hold onto that anger! Fold the dough over and continue kneading. Right. You can get even angrier if you want!

No. I can't get any angrier... boy the noodles he makes sure are delicious!

I'm spent—

Ugh... Why is cooking even more exhausting than combat training?

I understand this is really hard for you...

I don't want to deal with that pipsqueak anymore! Can I be your apprentice instead? You're a gourmand. You must know how to cook, right?

Spare me the compliments... I am nothing close to him when it comes to cooking.

And you know, it's funny that I've never actually eaten longevity noodles before.

They are just noodles, right? You've tried so many different restaurants. How could you have never eaten longevity noodles before?

I've been to many restaurants that serve longevity noodles, but it only makes sense to eat them on your birthday!

I celebrate every birthday at home. They don't allow me to go out on my birthday.

Okay, but even if you celebrate your birthdays at home, your mom or dad never made you a bowl of longevity noodles?

Actually, I've never met my parents...

Oh, I'm sorry...

Although I have never seen my parents, I still have other family members. Every year, on my birthday, my family holds a big banquet for me.

At banquets like that, I don't think they care much about longevity noodles.

However, I've always been a little afraid of birthdays...

Isn't it nice that other people remember your birthday?

I can't really explain it. I always feel that every time I have a birthday party, I will be surrounded by a lot of people who want me to laugh, and also to cry.

But it doesn't seem to matter whether I'm there or not...

Enough talk about me. You're from Victoria. Do they eat longevity noodles there?

I grew up in Victoria, but my parents are both Yanese, at least, by blood.

When I was little, every year, on my birthday, my mom would make me a bowl of longevity noodles. The taste was nothing special. It was just regular old home cooking.

After I left home and could no longer eat my mom's home cooking, I even forgot what it was like to celebrate a birthday.

That is, until that night...

The seasoning packet, the vegetable packet... and I'll add two sausages, hehe... why are the lights off in the cafeteria?

Hey! What are you guys doing here? You scared me!

Shhh, keep your voice down.

It's late. What are you doing in the cafeteria at this hour?

Ace... why do you look all serious? There's not another urgent mission, is there?

What are you holding there? Instant noodles?

I stayed too long at the training ground this afternoon and didn't have enough for dinner!

What? Now that I'm an elite operator, I can't eat instant noodles anymore?

The captain isn't scolding you for eating junk food. He's saying...

Today is your birthday, and you're eating instant noodles?

My birthday...?

But didn't Dr. Kal'tsit say—

That's why I told you to lower your voice.

So long as we don't make too much noise, even if she hears us, she'll pretend not to hear, yes?

I even suspect that she deliberately arranged for our fieldwork breaks to overlap, just so we could throw you a birthday party.

Think of it as her way of giving you a birthday blessing... even if it's hard to imagine.

Blaze, you are one of us, a part of Rhodes Island. You are not alone.

I... you... thank you all so much!

Alright. It's already midnight. Happy birthday, Blaze!

Happy birthday, Big Cat!

Happy Birthday.

Happy birthday! Also, Amiya isn't on the ship right now, but she asked me to pass on the birthday wishes. She hopes you stay happy and healthy!

Aww... Bunny...

So, are you planning to come blow out the candles and cut the cake, or are you going back to your instant noodles?

That was the first time so many people celebrated my birthday with me. That bowl of instant noodles became my longevity noodles.

Everyone knew how much I wanted to have a birthday party, but that day, not a single person actually came out and said, 'I knew you wanted this'.

They acted like... it was just another one of my many, many birthdays.

I liked the 'nothing special' feeling of it.

Now you're making me jealous...

Oh, right! You said you've never had longevity noodles. Well, let me whip up some for you!

But... you haven't even learned how to knead the dough yet...

I don't know how to knead noodles, but I do know how to cook ready-made noodles. I'll go ask Jiang for some dried noodles that I can simply boil.

Wait... handmade noodles... ready-made noodles...

Maybe it really will work, after all!

Early the next morning, the restaurant is still quiet, save for a few fowlbeasts jumping back and forth on the fallen leaves outside the door.

The night watchman at the Judicial Review Office lets out a loud yawn. The fowlbeasts take off in all directions.

*Yawns* Ughh...

I had a nightmare last night that a beckbeast ate all the flour in my kitchen. How terrifying!

Morning!

Have some noodles!

You... figured out how to make them?

Look at the bags under your eyes. Were you practicing all night?

Haha. No. Only about half the night. Hey, Xingzhu still hasn't woken up yet.

Enough talking for now. Try the noodles!

You.... huh?

You gave up learning how to knead the dough and boiled some ready-made noodles instead?!

These are no ordinary ready-made noodles. Xingzhu and I looked through all the ready-made noodles on the market, and picked the ones we feel have a texture closest to your hand-made ones.

Of course, they don't have quite the same mouthfeel as hand-made noodles. So Xingzhu adjusted your soup base recipe to ensure they taste similar to the longevity noodles you make from scratch.

This is blasphemy! You're using ready-made noodles, and you tampered with my recipe? My word!

Don't jump to any conclusions yet. Please, have a taste!

The Young Chef picks up his chopsticks, and, with a giant frown on his face, pulls out some of the noodles. He carefully takes a sniff, then finally takes a taste.

Hmm...