fidgeting with the chopsticks in his hands, he lets out a yawn. today, ryuji decided to eat at this new ramen place he heard about around shujin, and although the things he heard about the said place were... less than desirable, he still held hope that it would be, at least, satisfactory. but as seconds turned into minutes, it wasn't long before it had been an hour since he had ordered.

he lets out another sigh as he raises his hand, "can i get uh, a follow-up on my food?"

the waitress would nod as she went to the kitchen. normally he'd understand that restaurants weren't just serving him, hell if anything he knew that he would be who understood the most! but it was the fact that he had arrived at the place with a stomach that growled non-stop that made his eyebrows furrow down.

with nothing else to do, he'd started imagining the ramen that would be before him. how its broth would be salty but savoury enough to enhance its flavor, how its toppings would be ever so soft and fall apart in his mouth, and how its smell would even make the toughest of men cry.

with his eyes closed, ryuji was about to let out another sigh-- until the waitress came back with his food as she said a simple "thank you for waiting." opening his eyes, he prepared to see the ramen he desperately imagined in his mind.

.
..
...

only to see the tiniest of bowls before him and one singular piece of noodle surrounded by a sea of broth.