When it was still dark outside, like the middle of the night, Kotomi Izumi slowly opened her eyes—she was awake.
Compared to her usual waking hour, Kotomi had gotten up very early today. Normally, her mother wouldn’t even be awake yet—Akina Izumi usually got up around 5:30 a.m. to start preparing breakfast.
The reason Kotomi woke up so early today was all because of gumi Kato.
Although it hadn’t been exactly voluntary, after being knocked out by gumi last night, perhaps because she had gone to sleep early—or simply because she had been so tired—Kotomi had slept deeply and soundly through the night. Her sleep had been so restful that the mont she felt the slightest urge to wake, her body responded naturally, with no desire to linger in bed.
Of course, that didn’t usually apply to Kotomi Izumi. Even if she’d had a perfect night’s sleep, she would always try to find a cozy position under the blanket, wrap herself up tightly, and go back to sleep if there was still ti.
And if she couldn’t fall back asleep but still didn’t want to get up, she’d stay in bed under her blanket, lying down, sitting up, or even lying on her stomach while playing with her phone—scrolling through short videos, reading her favorite novels, manga, or watching ani.
But today, Kotomi didn’t plan to sleep in. Nor did she intend to waste ti scrolling through her phone before breakfast.
It wasn’t because she was in a rush to head to the station either—the eting ti there was set for 6:00 p.m. Checking her phone, she saw that it was now exactly 5:00 a.m., still a long way before she needed to leave.
"Since we’re eting at 6:00 p.m. at the Chiba Urban Monorail Station, leaving ho around 5:30 would be perfect. That way, I can take my ti walking to the station. I’ll skip dinner at ho tonight—once I’m on the shinkansen, I’ll have dinner there instead. Eating dinner on the train while watching the dark sky and the scenery rush by... hmm~ that really feels like the start of a trip."
Muttering to herself, Kotomi sat up, pulled off her blanket, and after putting on her pajamas, went to the bathroom to wash up.
When she ca out, she began changing clothes. This morning, she planned to go out for breakfast. Though the restaurant she wanted to visit was more commonly known for lunch or dinner...
For lunch, of course, she would normally eat at ho. The family always gathered for a rich and hearty al together.
Even though every al at the Izumi household was known for being delicious and plentiful, whenever soone was about to leave for a trip—or had just returned—the family would sit down for an especially lavish lunch or dinner.
After getting dressed, Kotomi went downstairs. She had told her mother after dinner last night that she wanted to go out for ran this morning.
Akina Izumi naturally agreed. She knew her daughter got strong cravings for that ran shop from ti to ti.
After quietly closing the front door behind her, Kotomi stepped onto the street. Checking her phone again, she saw that the ran shop she wanted to visit had already been open for about half an hour.
If she left now, she’d arrive right on ti.
The weather had turned cold—the footsteps of winter drawing nearer. The sky outside was still as dark as night, with streetlights lining the road, illuminating the quiet streets.
Kotomi loved waking up early in winter, peeking out at the world still shrouded in darkness, then curling back into her warm blankets, listening to the sound of the wind howling outside while drifting back to sleep.
Short days and long nights—that was the rhythm of winter. Kotomi loved this kind of season, the kind that let you search for warmth amid the cold, and once found, sink into it with sweet, lazy comfort.
Autumn and winter—the seasons most perfect for being lazy.
The ran that Kotomi loved so much she was willing to wake up early for before leaving Chiba City was none other than Japan’s famous Jiro-style ran.
As a side note, the na Ran Jiro ca about by accident.
Originally, it wasn’t called Jiro but Jirō with a different kanji—aning "next son." However, since both words were pronounced the sa in Japanese, the sign painter made a mistake, using the kanji for "two" instead. Thus, Ran Jiro was born.
The owner, being easygoing, decided to just go with it—and that’s how Ran Jiro ca to be.
The legendary owner of the original Ran Jiro shop in Mita was still working there even today. To the countless die-hard fans of Jiro-style ran, he was affectionately known as the Commander-in-Chief.
However, due to ti constraints, Kotomi Izumi wouldn’t be able to visit the original Mita branch today. Fortunately, there was a Ran Jiro branch in Chiba City that perfectly replicated the taste of the main store—and it happened to be one of Kotomi’s favorite spots.
The shop’s owner and his wife rembered Kotomi vividly. Every ti they saw her walk through the door, they would brace themselves for a long, busy shift ahead.
After all, despite running a Ran Jiro shop for decades and seeing plenty of big eaters daily, they had never t anyone quite like Kotomi Izumi—a girl who once devoured fifteen extra-large bowls of Ran Jiro in a single sitting, each bowl fully loaded with garlic, pork back fat, and soy sauce. Then, as if that weren’t enough, she ordered two big bowls of white rice and a plate of pan-fried dumplings to finish.
The first ti they saw her:
Owner and wife: "We’ve run this Jiro shop for nearly half our lives. We’ve seen it all."
Then they saw the mountain of stacked ran bowls.
Owner and wife: "We’ve... actually never seen anything like this."
Of course, Kotomi’s fondness for this Chiba branch wasn’t just because the ran was delicious—it also had sothing to do with the shop owners’ daughter.
Their daughter, Ona Sagawa, was three years older than Kotomi and sotis helped out at the shop. She was beautiful—with a modest B-cup chest, but strikingly tanned legs that looked especially captivating beneath the extrely short shorts she often wore.
The first ti Kotomi saw her, she dread about her that very night.
From then on, whenever she had free ti, Kotomi would make an excuse to visit the shop again. The first reason—she was craving ran. The second reason—she was craving sothing else.
Unfortunately, Ona didn’t work there every day. Even though Kotomi went frequently, she could count on one hand the number of tis she had actually seen her.
Whenever she did see Ona at the shop, Kotomi would try to hold herself back—ordering fewer bowls to seem more normal. On those days, she’d only order six extra-large ran bowls, one big bowl of rice, and a plate of dumplings.
Ran Jiro was known for being rich, greasy, and bold—overflowing with at, vegetables, and noodles—and yet incredibly cheap.
Kotomi loved it precisely for those reasons: big portions, amazing taste, and a great price. Plus, toppings like vegetables, garlic, back fat, and soy sauce could be added for free.
At Ran Jiro, there was no such thing as a regular size. The "small" bowl was already massive, and the "large" bowl was gigantic. In fact, a small bowl of Ran Jiro was equivalent to an extra-large bowl at other ran shops.
So branches offered a "mini" size, but even then, it was still recomnded to arrive hungry—because even the mini was equal to a large bowl elsewhere.
Kotomi had learned firsthand that Ran Jiro’s reputation for enormous portions was no exaggeration. At other ran shops, she needed about twenty extra-large bowls to feel full. But at Jiro, just fifteen bowls did the trick—as long as she added all the garlic, back fat, and soy sauce.
Of course, she would always end her al with two big bowls of rice or pork rice bowls, pairing them with the remaining broth as her finishing touch. It had beco a habit—pouring the ran soup over rice or eating it with dumplings.
Rather than soaking her rice directly in the soup, Kotomi preferred to pour the broth on top herself. That way, she could control the flavor and amount to her liking.
When Kotomi arrived at the Ran Jiro branch, she pushed open the door and said casually, "Boss, I’ll start with fifteen extra-large bowls."
Then she walked toward the refrigerator to grab a bottle of chilled oolong tea.
Chilled oolong tea and Ran Jiro—almost a classic pairing at this point.
However, today there were two brands of oolong tea in the fridge, both of which Kotomi had tried before. She stood there for a mont, trying to decide which one to choose.
"Got it, please wait a mont," a familiar voice called out. "Dad and Mom are still in the back unloading today’s ingredients—they’ll be out soon. Still, it’s really surprising. Even though we open pretty early every day, this is the earliest anyone’s ever co by..."
Usually, their first custors didn’t arrive until around ten in the morning, so the early hours were reserved for prep work. "Congratulations, Miss Izumi—you’re officially the first custor in our shop’s history to co for ran in the morning!"
Just as Kotomi Izumi was deciding which brand of oolong tea to choose, the voice that answered her wasn’t the familiar one of the owner or his wife—but a young, pleasant-sounding girl’s voice.
Kotomi instantly jolted in surprise and turned sharply toward the sound. Standing behind the L-shaped counter, tying on an apron with a cheerful smile, was none other than Ona Sagawa—the girl who rarely appeared in the shop.
Seeing Kotomi frozen in place, Ona waved and smiled. "Good morning, Miss Izumi~ It feels like it’s been ages since I last saw you. Haven’t picked your oolong tea yet? I recomnd the one on the top shelf—it’s got a hint of sweetness. Really tasty."
"Ha... hahaha... alright, I’ll take that one then," Kotomi said with an awkward laugh, forcing a smile.
She had always tried to make her appetite seem smaller whenever Ona was around...
Sitting down, Kotomi quickly ca up with an excuse for her order. "I, uh, skipped dinner last night, so I figured I’d eat a bit more this morning. Hahaha."
Ona chuckled and nodded. "Oh, I see~ But fifteen extra-large bowls... that’s your normal portion, right?"
"Eh?"
"Dad and Mom always talk about this amazing girl with a legendary appetite who cos here often—fifteen extra-large bowls, two big bowls of rice, and a plate of pork dumplings every ti. Then the first ti I actually saw you in the shop, I asked them about it, and that’s when I learned the ’legendary big eater’ they were always talking about was you."
Ona let out a helpless little laugh. "But every ti I’ve been here, you’ve only ordered six bowls, so for a while I honestly thought maybe I made you lose your appetite or sothing."
"That’s not it at all! It’s just... I wanted to seem like I eat less when you’re around. I saw a post online once saying so girls prefer people with smaller appetites," Kotomi said quickly, not dodging the question—just hitting straight with a clean confession.
When it ca to girls she was interested in, Kotomi Izumi never beat around the bush. She always threw the straightest pitch.
Incidentally, the reason she knew Ona Sagawa’s na at all was because she’d asked her directly.
Back when Ona had been helping out at the shop on a slow day, she had greeted Kotomi when she ca in, asking, "Welco! What would you like to order? If your appetite’s on the smaller side, we do have a mini option."
While speaking, Ona had stolen a glance at Kotomi. She had always been confident in her looks, but when she saw Kotomi for the first ti, she couldn’t help thinking to herself—how can a girl be this beautiful?
Ona had always thought she liked handso guys, but now... she realized she might actually prefer beautiful girls.
This girl’s vibe is so cool and elegant... she’s still young, but if she gets a bit older, she’ll be the perfect ice queen type... Ona thought secretly, sneaking glances at Kotomi.
Of course, she didn’t know that Kotomi wasn’t naturally aloof or icy at all. That day’s cool aura was purely coincidence.
It had been a hot day, and Kotomi had casually bought an ice cream bar from a nearby shop. She hadn’t thought much about it at the ti—how expensive could an ice cream possibly be? So she had just grabbed one at random.
She did notice the shopkeeper’s odd little smile when she picked that particular bar—but paid it no mind.
When she went to pay and scanned the barcode, the total popped up on her phone screen:
[Charged: 2,059 yen]
"Excuse , ma’am... are you sure you scanned that right?"
"No mistake here—that ice cream does cost 2,059 yen."
In that instant, Kotomi Izumi was stunned. This ice cream was insane. She hadn’t even eaten it yet, but just seeing the price made her heart freeze halfway.
Other ice creams made you feel cool after eating them. This one made your soul cold before you even took a bite.
She had never in her life eaten ice cream that expensive! If you’re going to be this pricey, at least have your own special Haagen-Dazs-style freezer display! Don’t just hide among the cheap ones like an assassin waiting in the shadows to stab my wallet—seriously?!
Walking out of the store, Kotomi unwrapped the 2,059-yen ice cream and took a bite, curious whether it was made of gold or silver.
The mont she tasted it, tears welled up in her eyes—it was horrible!
After getting her wallet ambushed by that "ice cream assassin," Kotomi’s cheerful face had turned cold, and that chill lasted all the way until she walked into the Ran Jiro shop.
And that was why, upon their first eting, Ona Sagawa thought Kotomi had such a cool, aloof aura.
Back to the story—when Kotomi saw soone asking what she wanted to order that day, she had been confused. Normally, she would just look at the nu hanging on the wall and tell the owner directly. Did they hire a new waitress?
But the mont she saw Ona Sagawa, her gaze was instantly drawn to the girl’s beautiful legs. She couldn’t help but think: What gorgeous tanned skin... if she were wearing white stockings, that would be...
Before her thoughts could drift further, Kotomi quickly put on a serious face, not wanting to leave a bad impression on the tanned beauty in front of her.
Kotomi Izumi: "I’ll have an extra-large ran, with garlic, back fat, and soy sauce—all maxed out. And one glass of iced water."
Ona Sagawa: "Got it! One extra-large ran, garlic, back fat, and soy sauce all maxed out, and one iced water."
Kotomi Izumi: "Oh, and there’s one more thing I’d like."
Ona Sagawa: "Of course! What else would you like?"
Kotomi Izumi: "Can you tell your na and age?"
Ona Sagawa: "Ah—yes! I’m Ona Sagawa, the owner’s daughter. I’m 18 years old... eh? Wait, what do my na and age have to do with your ran order?"
Kotomi Izumi: "Well, both delicious food and beautiful girls are wonderful things. So if I’m ordering sothing delicious, it’s only natural I’d also ask the na of the beautiful girl serving it, right? Nice to et you. I’m Kotomi Izumi. You can just call Kotomi."
Ona Sagawa: "I-I think I’ll stick with ’Miss Izumi,’ if that’s alright!"
And that was how Kotomi Izumi learned Ona Sagawa’s na—and that she was the owner’s daughter.
Originally, Kotomi only ca to Ran Jiro about three tis a month. But after eting Ona, that number had gone up to at least five.
Whenever she craved ran, this was the only place she wanted to go.
Perhaps, just a little, it wasn’t only the ran she craved.
Hearing Kotomi’s honest confession, Ona’s cheeks turned slightly pink. Still, she smiled and said:
"Maybe so girls do prefer people with smaller appetites. But if it were , I think I’d rather my partner eat a lot! After all, our family’s ran shop motto is ’big portions, great taste.’ Dad even jokes that anyone who can’t finish a single extra-large Jiro bowl doesn’t have what it takes to marry ! Hahaha—he’s impossible. I haven’t even been in a relationship yet, and he’s already planning my future marriage."
Kotomi froze for a mont, then her expression suddenly turned serious.
Kotomi Izumi: "Please give twenty-five extra-large ran bowls."
Ona Sagawa: "Eh?! Can you really eat that many?!"
Kotomi Izumi: "Of course I can. I’m not even done ordering. I’ll also have one large pork rice bowl—and your LINE, Miss Ona."
Ona Sagawa: "A large pork rice bowl and... my LINE...? Eh?"
And just like that—
Kotomi Izumi successfully got Ona Sagawa’s LINE.
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