New Year Noodles
Happy New Year.
Last year’s update was supposed to be “the last one of this year”!
Translation note: I updated one more time right before the year changed, so if you haven’t seen it yet, check it out.
“New Year noodles, huh.”
A weary voice from the Vampire Child.
I ignore it and slurp the noodles in my bowl.
To my side, the Demon King sits, doing the same.
But he struggles with the slurping motion—clearly not mastering it.
Japanese people are used to it, but foreigners surprisingly don’t always get the hang of it.
It’s odd that the Demon King, who has the ability of gluttony, can’t do it.
“Something close to soba, but not quite. Different, but still delicious.”
Oni-kun gives his opinion on the noodles.
Yes, these noodles are soba—but not soba.
They resemble soba in appearance, but are not actual soba.
Because soba doesn’t grow naturally in this world.
What we’re eating now is a mock-soba—something that finally resembles soba after repeated experiments.
I used my position as Regiment Commander to full effect—diverted regimental funds, funneled them into development.
Huh? Crime?
No problem, no problem.
If it isn’t discovered, it doesn’t matter!
“What I’m trying to say isn’t that—this isn’t New Year’s soba, or bowl soba.”
At the precise moment the vampire child finished eating the noodles in the bowl, Shiro, a white-clad soldier from the Tenth Regiment, smoothly added more noodles to the bowl.
Perfect!
This impeccable timing.
All that training paid off.
“Well, it’s still soba. Maybe somewhere in the provinces they do New Year’s soba with bowl soba?”
“Ours was regular soba.”
Complaining as she slurped the noodles, the vampire child.
Behind her, Shiro stood ready, one hand holding an extra bowl of soba.
She could eat too.
In front of her, in the kitchen, chefs were creating a scene of torment—struggling to boil noodles under duress.
After all, the Demon King of Gluttony is here.
Naturally, the noodles must be in abundance.
I ignored the mountain of bowls before me—greater even than the Demon King’s own.
“By the way, Shiro-chan.”
The Demon King spoke, mouth full, having given up on slurping and now chewing resignedly.
One does not speak while eating!
“Where does the budget for this come from?”
Gulp.
Suppressing inner turmoil, I continued slurping the noodles.
At the perfect moment, a fresh bowl was added to the empty one before me.
Strange, isn’t it? The amount this costs… doesn’t seem to come from Shiro’s personal funds. Just the ingredients alone…
Munch. Munch.
Slurp. Slurp.
“We ate together. Therefore, we’re complicit.”
“Ah, gross!”
Kukuku.
Simply sharing a meal makes the Demon King, the Vampire Child, and Oni-kun all complicit!
You have no right to blame me!
Hahahahaha!
“I’ll report this to Balt later.”
Sorry, Balt.
I might just launch a direct assault on your stomach again.
But I won’t stop eating, even then!
Wishing you a prosperous year ahead.