Ryu and the chef's pride and joy: Udon noodles.
At first, the members of the Landmark Knight Family were less than impressed.
The problem? You couldn't eat them with a knife and fork. Even trying to use a fork alone was a struggle - the noodles were simply too thick and slippery.
Since there wasn't enough time to teach everyone how to use chopsticks, Ryu had forced them to spear and twirl the noodles like some kind of chunky pasta. Despite the initial grumbling, however, every single plate was licked clean.
"I love this chewy texture! It's wonderful!" Lady Cecil-san, Ryu's mother, said.
"It's quite hearty. I imagine it stays with you for quite a while," added Sebastian, the butler.
"I'm a fan, Ryu-kun!" cried Tauro-kun, the eldest brother.
"Yeah, me too. I like the bounce," Jiro-kun, the second son, agreed.
"To think you came up with something this tasty! You've got a real head on your shoulders, Ryu-kun!" Camiza-sama, his grandfather, bellowed with a grin.
"Still, they're so thick they're a pain to eat," Faza-san, his father, noted, hitting the nail on the head.
"He's right. It would be much easier if they were a bit thinner," added his grandmother, Kei-san.
There were pros and cons, but the flavor was a hit. Ryu decided then and there to solve the issue by simply thinning the dough.
Later, he brought out a backup dish as a test: pasta with a savory tomato sauce. This was an even bigger success, mostly because the noodles were thinner and familiar.
Ryu, who had been a die-hard udon fanatic in his past life, felt a bit dejected that the pasta had stolen the spotlight. But as if sensing his disappointment, Tauro reached over and patted his shoulder.
"I still like the udon best, Ryu-kun," his big brother encouraged him.
With the family's seal of approval, Ryu wanted to get the noodles out to the rest of the territory. He decided to take his product to a popular local tavern - a place he'd visited often. He knew if he could win over the owner there, the rest of the market would follow.
"Well now, if it isn't Young Master Ryu-kun from the manor," the proprietress said, leaning over the counter with a smirk. "Just so you know, we don't owe your family a copper."
She delivered the joke with a look of pure self-satisfaction.
"You said that the last time I was here, Ma'am. Give it a rest," Ryu replied with a sigh.
Ryu's knack for debt collection had become local legend; he had a way of popping up wherever money was owed, and people had noticed.
"Hah! And I'll say it again! It's a riot watching you squeeze blood from the stones who can afford to pay but won't. But like I said, my books are clean! Hahaha!"
She was bold, even speaking to the Lord's son. Then again, you didn't survive running a dive for thugs and ruffians without a thick skin and plenty of nerve.
Ryu moved past the pleasantries and pulled the noodles from his Magic Storage¹ to begin the pitch.
"Now that's something you don't see every day," the proprietress said, her eyes turning sharp and professional.
Ryu had prepared several dishes in advance and kept them in his storage. He plated a sample and handed it over. This time, he didn't lead with his beloved udon; he gave her the tomato pasta that his family had raved about.
"This is incredible... Yeah, I want this on my menu. Definitely."
The woman didn't get where she was by hesitating. She immediately started grilling him on the recipe.
Ryu laid out the plan: he would set up a noodle factory, produce the stock there, and have it delivered fresh to her door every morning. All she had to do was learn the sauce recipe and boil the water.
"It's really that simple?" she asked, looking skeptical.
Ryu nodded and quoted her a wholesale price.
"Are you sure? That's awfully cheap," she said, her brow furrowing. To her, these noodles looked like something only the high-and-mighty nobles would ever get to eat.
"I want everyone in town to be able to afford a bowl, so don't go hiking up the price on me," Ryu requested.
"You got it, kid. That works for me. 'Food for the common man' is my motto, anyway! Ahahaha!"
She let out another boisterous laugh and shook on the deal.
After that, the rest of the negotiations were a breeze. Once word got out that the most popular tavern in the district was serving the new dish, the other shops practically tripped over themselves to sign contracts.
With Faza's permission and a bit of startup capital, Ryu moved quickly. He had a small shack converted into a noodle factory and began hiring staff.
As he was training the new workers, he noticed a few of them looked nervous about having a child as their boss.
"Don't worry," Ryu told them, his voice dropping into a serious, practiced tone. "The Ketsumochi² is the Landmark Knight Family, so please rest easy. Oh, 'backer' is what I mean by that."
He managed to reassure them, but every now and then, the old yakuza habits would slip through, leaving Ryu wondering if he was being a bit too "professional" for a seven-year-old."
},
Summary:
Ryu introduces Udon to his noble family, leading to mixed reviews regarding the eating difficulty but praise for the taste. Realizing the potential, he successfully pitches a pasta variant to a local tavern proprietress. This leads to the establishment of a noodle factory, where Ryu's yakuza past begins to influence his management style.
Trivia:
- The family initially struggled with Udon because of the lack of chopsticks.
- Ryu's primary passion is Udon, but the market preferred the thinner pasta.
- Ryu has a reputation for debt collection in the town.
- The term 'Ketsumochi' is used by Ryu to denote the family's role as a powerful backer or guarantor
Character Insight:
Ryu shows growth as an entrepreneur, balancing his noble status with street-level negotiation skills. He remains personally attached to Japanese culture (Udon) but is pragmatic enough to pivot his business based on consumer feedback.
Behind the Scenes:
The author uses food as a bridge between Ryu's two lives, highlighting the cultural clash between 'noble' dining and 'commoner' comfort food.
TL Notes:
1 ↩ Magic Storage: A common isekai trope involving a sub-dimensional space used for carrying items without weight or spoilage.
2 ↩ Ketsumochi: A yakuza term for a protector or 'back-up' who provides muscle or political weight to a business in exchange for a fee.
Notes:
• Ryu - Formerly Yokohama Ryusei, a yakuza. Reincarnated as the third son of the Landmark family. Has red hair and blue eyes. Possesses memories of his previous life and the ability to see names of objects.
• Cecil - Wife of the Landmark Lord. A blonde woman with deep blue eyes.
• Sebastian - The family's elderly, white-haired butler who has served since the grandfather's generation. Highly knowledgeable.
• Tauro - Ryu's older brother. The eldest son of the Landmark family. He has the 'Knight' skill and is proficient in various melee weapons. Described as kind and supportive of his younger brother.
• Jiro - Ryu's second older brother. He has the 'Priest-Warrior' skill, combining martial arts with healing magic.
• Camiza - Ryu's grandfather.
• Faza - The Lord of the Landmark Domain. A slender but sturdily built man with red hair and brown eyes.
• Kei - Grandmother of Ryu. Member of the Landmark Knight Family.