You Will Regret This Ichinose! [206]

The dimly lit ramen shop sank into an eerie silence.

A few of them slightly parted their lips, yet no words came out. The old master neither spoke nor moved—he simply stood there.

A few seconds passed.

The old master scratched the back of his head, his face showing an apologetic smile. “Ahaha, sorry, sorry. It’s been so long since I last saw my son—I got a little carried away.”

The next second, the overwhelming pressure dissipated without a trace, as if it had never existed. Only the old master’s hearty laughter echoed through the ramen shop, making everything that had just transpired seem like an illusion.

The group collectively exhaled in relief, quietly catching their breath while keeping their eyes fixed on the old master.

What was that just now? A show of presence?

Sakayanagi Arisu leaned on her cane, silently observing the man who claimed to be Uesugi Gen’s father.

As the heir of the Sakayanagi family, she had encountered countless figures of power and influence. However, someone who could suppress all five of them into silence with sheer presence alone—such a person was unheard of.

She was already more than halfway convinced that this man was indeed Uesugi Gen’s father. Not to mention, his casual and irreverent demeanor was almost identical to Gen’s.

“Sit wherever you like, no need to mind formalities. I imagine you don’t visit places like this very often,” the ramen master said warmly, gesturing for them to take a seat before heading back behind the kitchen counter.

Click!

The lights inside the ramen shop flickered on, illuminating the old master’s face.

He was an elderly man, his neatly combed silver hair reflecting his advanced age. Deep wrinkles lined his forehead, and his hands were covered in folds of skin. Yet, in contrast to his aged appearance, his clouded eyes held a striking gleam—sharp and full of life.

His appearance stirred a hint of doubt among the five, who had initially believed his words without question. Even Horikita Suzune, who was usually the most blunt among them, remained silent.

At last, Ichinose Honami broke the silence.

“Um… excuse me, but where is Gen-kun?”

“Little Gen?”

The old master placed a tray on the counter, serving them glasses of iced water. Seeing their concerned expressions, he chuckled.

“I tricked him into going somewhere else.”

“…Eh?!”

“He originally invited you all to a different location, but I intercepted the plan and redirected you here. Right now, he’s probably still waiting for you over there.”

Tricked him”…

The group stiffened. The message had come from Uesugi Gen’s personal phone number—without a doubt.

Which meant… even the Advanced Nurturing High School’s internal communication system had been tampered with?

“Apologies for the deception,” the old master continued, “but I was just too curious. I really wanted to see for myself what kind of girls my son has taken a liking to, so I decided to meet you all without his knowledge.”

“When I first heard he had feelings for someone, I was absolutely shocked. I had already come to terms with the idea that he’d spend his whole life devoted to video games.”

He sighed with a look of lingering disbelief and then slid a menu in front of them.

“As an apology, let me treat you all to some ramen. Not to brag, but my ramen is pretty damn good.”

Though they already knew that Uesugi Gen’s family was powerful, none of them had imagined it to be to this extent. They had no idea how many girls Uesugi Gen was interested in at Advanced Nurturing High School—yet this old man had effortlessly identified and gathered all of them here.

Kamuro Masumi picked up the menu, glanced over the options, and spoke without hesitation.

“I’ll have a bowl of tonkotsu ramen.”

Her instincts were usually spot on. The man before them was very likely Uesugi Gen’s father. And given the overwhelming presence he had just displayed, being meek and reserved probably wouldn’t earn his favor.

The old master nodded approvingly. “Mmm, tonkotsu ramen. Good choice, you’ve got taste.”

Horikita Suzune studied the menu carefully for a moment before responding in her usual cool tone.

“Shio ramen, please.”

She hadn’t yet determined whether this man was truly Uesugi Gen’s father. Rather than playing it safe, she chose to be straightforward—after all, if they spent enough time together, any pretense would inevitably crack.

“Got it, shio ramen. I like that flavor too,” the old master said with a pleasant smile.

Next was Kushida Kikyo, who maintained her signature sweet smile as she spoke gently.

“I’ll have the shio ramen as well. If possible, could you make the noodles a bit softer and a smaller portion?”

As a seasoned socialite, Kushida had been out for ramen more times than she could count. Naturally, she knew how to play her cards right.

Choosing the same ramen as Horikita Suzune created a subtle comparison between them. Asking for softer noodles ensured she wouldn’t slurp too loudly, and ordering a smaller portion allowed her to finish the entire bowl, providing the perfect opportunity to compliment the chef.

“Understood. Small portion, soft noodles,” the old master confirmed, smiling kindly at her. “You’re quite the regular, aren’t you?”

Sakayanagi Arisu quietly took in everything, then elegantly placed the menu down and spoke with her usual grace.

“Chicken broth ramen, please. A small portion as well.”

By now, she was ninety percent certain—this man was Uesugi Gen’s father.

That said, today’s setting was slightly disadvantageous for Sakayanagi. She had never eaten ramen before. As the heir to the Sakayanagi family, her meals were always prepared by a personal chef. Ramen was something she had only ever seen on TV. Even after enrolling at Advanced Nurturing High School, she had never once stepped into a ramen shop.

But that was fine—she could learn on the spot. She would just follow Kushida’s lead.

“Chicken broth, eh? That’s one of my specialties,” the old master said with a confident smile before turning his gaze toward Ichinose.

“And you, young lady?”

Ichinose replied without hesitation.

“I’ll have the shoyu ramen. Could you add extra chashu and a marinated egg?”

“Oh!”

The old master’s eyes lit up in admiration. “Little Gen loves shoyu ramen too. He always asks for double chashu and extra toppings.”

This conniving woman!

The other four silently cursed in unison.

Yes—this was Uesugi Gen’s favorite ramen.

Ichinose had made her judgment. The man before her was either Uesugi Gen’s father or someone very close to him. The presence he exuded was too similar to Gen’s.

So, she wasted no time in demonstrating her knowledge of Uesugi Gen’s tastes. And importantly, she had only revealed a portion of that knowledge. Asking for double toppings would have made it too obvious.

“Alright then, give me a moment,” the old master said, taking everything in with a knowing look before heading toward the stove.

“You can chat amongst yourselves. Don’t mind me.”

At that moment, the five of them locked eyes, their gazes flashing with sharp intensity. Sparks flickered between them, an unspoken battle igniting in the air.

—

T/N: i let out the ugliest fucking laugh when Ichinose chose her ramen, like it was sooo ugly ew

This is a fan translation of 人在实教，一之濑你会后悔的 by 作者：白良. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!