Actually, the Hungry Gyaru Who Eats a Lot Was Being Cheated On, so I Decided to Win Her Heart (And Stomach) From Her Jerk Boyfriend - 1

Chapter 1: The Hungry Gyaru Coming in Completely Drenched

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Shizuku Kushina entered the ramen shop I worked part-time at just after a sudden downpour had passed. She was completely drenched and she came in just a little while before I finished my shift. I was idling away in the empty ramen shop. 

At the high school I started attending this spring, there was this one particular gyaru who was popular for being incredibly cute. There wasn’t a single student at our school who didn’t know her and that girl was none other than Shizuku Kushina. Though the heavy rain had washed off most of her makeup, but her long, lustrous blonde hair that reached down her back, her flash earrings adorning both ears, and—above all—her strikingly beautiful face and model-like figure made me able to recognize her instantly despite the smudged makeup. 

“Welcom—”

Hence why, I—Suo Gakuto—was shocked beyond belief when I saw her like that.

Huh… What is this? What’s going on?

The reason why she was soaked all over was easy enough to guess. But still, the fact that she didn’t seem to care that water was still dripping from both her black blouse and short denim as well as over her hair, was so weird. Still, what bothered me the most was her eyes. Her eyes were glistening from tears and the area around her eyes was swollen and red, possibly from crying. Not to mention, she was pressing her lips tightly together, as if it had taken everything in her to hold back from crying. Anyone could easily tell she was feeling extremely sad. It was clear to see something had happened to her and I was curious to know what, but unfortunately, I wasn’t close to Kushina. We had nothing in common, except for the fact that we were in the same class. It’d be weird for a mere acquaintance like me to pry. Hence why, it was better for me to leave her alone. Besides, I highly doubt Kushina even knew someone like me existed. 

“…Please place your order using the ticket machine.”

So, I pointed her toward the ticket machine while trying to feign ignorance. Without saying a word in return, Kushina pulled out her slightly wet walled from her leather backpack. Her backpack was drenched too. I watched her from the peripheral of my vision and went into the back room to grab a freshly dried towel from the dryer. I returned to the kitchen with several towels in hand and Kushina had already purchased her ticket. She was waiting at the counter area.

“I will take your meal ticket.”

I took the ticket from her and handed her one of the towels I had brought. 

“Here, use this.”

“…Huh?”

“It’d be troublesome if you sat down while still wet like that.”

After a brief pause, I added.

“Besides, you look cold.”

“Tha-Thank you…”

With a slightly apologetic expression, Kushina timidly took the towel and began to dry her long hair, which was completely drenched from the rain. While she was wiping her hair with the towel, I checked the meal ticket she had just purchased. Then, I froze in place. 

…No way. Seriously?

The ticket she had just purchased was the “Deluxe Giga Chashu Ramen”— an extra-large menu item specially designed for eating challenges. I couldn’t stop myself from glancing back at Kushina and as I did, she was staring back at me, eyes wide. Her blue eyes met mine and after flapping her mouth open and closed a few times, she asked me.

“Umm… You’re… You’re Suou-kun, right?”

“…Oh, so you know who I am.”

I said, a feeling a bit moved to know she knew who I was. She even remembered my name.

“We’re classmates after all. It’s been two months since school started. Of course I remember my classmates’ faces and names.”

“Ah… Well, I guess you’re right… More importantly, are you serious? This meal you just purchased. Are you sure you can finish it all?”

I asked while showing her the meal ticket. The Deluxe Giga Chashu Ramen weighed three kilograms in total. It was not something just anyone could finish. Only a big eater, like a competitive eater, could actually finish it. While customers were free to order whatever they wanted, I didn’t want to waste food for nothing. I didn’t like cooking something that might not get eaten in the end. 

“…I can finish it all.”

Kushina said bluntly with her cheeks puffed out a little like a little child. For me, it seemed she was just being oddly stubborn about it, but well… It should be fine I guess. If eating a large portion of food could make her feel better, I guess I could turn a blind eye this time. 

“It’ll take a little while to prepare it. Please wait at one of the tables in the back.”

A little while later, I brought the Deluxe Giga Chashu Ramen to her table. The dish was served in a big mortal bowl and Kushina let out a small exclamation of awe upon seeing it. 

“Whoa… Wow… Wait. Suou-kun, did you make this?”

“Of course. I’m the only one in the kitchen right now.”

I said while grabbing two timers from the counter. One was for the challenger and one was for the staff to check the time to prevent any cheating. 

“The time limit is 30 minutes. If you can finish everything, including the broth, then you only need to pay half of the price. So, are you ready?”

“Okay. I’m ready when you are.”

“Alright. I will start the countdown now.”

After counting down, I started the timer and then…

“Thank you for the food.”

Kushina put her hands together before she began eating the Deluxe Giga Chashu Ramen. First, she took a sip of the soup. Then, she dug through the mountain of thinly sliced chashu piled on top to slurp up the noodles. 

“…It’s delicious.”

She muttered quietly.

“I know, right? This is one of my signature dishes after all.”

I said jokingly, but there was no response from Kushina. She was completely absorbed in eating. Moreover, she started crying again for some reason. It was clear to see she wasn’t in the right state to have a conversation with someone. Hence why, I didn’t feel offended that she had ignored my statement. 

“…Ah.”

The way she ate and the way she held the chopsticks was so beautiful that I couldn’t help but be entranced by her. Despite the tears streaming down her face and the sobs mixing in with every bite, she was wholeheartedly savoring the taste of the massive bowl of the chashu ramen. 

A smile naturally spread across my face.

Her boyfriend is surely a lucky guy. 

I thought to myself as I watched Kushina eating at a much faster speed than I had imagined. Her way of eating brought me joy and my mind started to wander to her boyfriend, a fellow classmate of ours. 

…Come to think of it, does Kushina’s boyfriend know about this?

But that thought was quickly brushed away. An outsider like me didn’t have any right to pry into someone else’s relationship. In fact, I might cause trouble if I were to intervene without knowing the full picture. 

And so, I decided it was time for me to leave. I was already working overtime as it was. After briefly watching Kushina devouring the eating challenge from a distance, I walked toward the back of the store to end my shift.

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