2025-11-29: Spicy Ramen Showdown

• Log: Spicy Ramen Showdown
• Cast: Ryuji Sakamoto, Hyousuke Suzuki
• Where: <The location(s) the log occurs in.>
• OOC Date: 2025-11-29
• IC Date: Tuesday 29th August
• Summary: Hyousuke and Ryuji do battle against bowls of spicy ramen. They emerge victorious, but at what cost?

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Hyousuke stared down his opponent with stony-faced determination. Just from looking at his foe, he could tell that it would give him trouble that none else could. The steam that wafted from it stung his eyes like a poison cloud, the smell of it pricked at his nose and threatened to sear his lungs with every breath taken. Looking down on it, he could swear that - it glowed a vicious crimson, possibly as a warning to all those that would dare to underestimate its heat. It was a dastardly foe, but the prize was too great to pass up.

'SPICY RAMEN SHOWDOWN' read a poster hanging in one of the windows. 'EAT A BOWL OF DRAGONFIRE RAMEN IN 5 MINUTES AND WIN 25% OFF ALL RAMEN FOR THE NEXT MONTH!' It declared, boldly challenging the brave and the stupid to sear their throats shut. Hyousuke was unsure if he counted as brave, stupid, or both, but he had forked over the money in the hopes of winning that most fabulous of prizes. All that was left was to wait until it was served. He could see it just beyond the counter, taunting him as the finishing touches were added, daring him to seal his fate.

He glared back. He would not - could not - allow himself to be defeated by even this most mighty of villains. His pride - and his wallet - were on the line.

<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.

Spicy Ramen Showdown? That was exactly Ryuji's kind of jam. Especially if it was a bad idea and for glory. So just like Hyousuke, the blonde files in and puts his meger money on the line, sitting a few spots from the other ramen connoisseur.

"Oh man. I can smell it from here. This is gonna be good." Ryuji says to himself, cracking his neck as he prepares for the fight of his life.

 After a few moments, the crimson Ramen bowl is presented and Ryuji blinks. He examines the food before digging in, taking a sniff and recoiling quite spectacularly. "Whew...Ok they aren't joking around with this." Ryuji picks up his chopsticks and starts to sample the ramen...immediately regreting it. His face turns red and he begins to sweat. He mutters to himself as he continues to slowly take more bites before taking a substancial break.

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

It was hard to tell just what Hyousuke's face depicted. He looked eager, yes - the keen eyes and focussed gaze made sure that much was made clear. But there was an edge to his glare, and an unusual tightness to the way he held his chopsticks. It was entirely likely that he had been caught between eagerness to win the grand prize, and dismay at his own foolishness. It was too late to back out, however. The clinking of ceramic on the countertop sounded, and a bowl was given unceremoniously to him. The time had come to prove himself.

He noticed Ryuji out of the corner of his eye - and the fact that they'd both made the same mistake of challenging the establishments capsaicin-loaded concoction - but said nothing. Instead, he shovelled a mouthful of that fire-red foodstuff into his maw, and tried to swallow it down before it had a chance to burn him much. The attempt, as evidenced by his expression, was unsuccessful. Eyes wide and cheeks reddening, only managed to bite back a cry of pain by letting it out as a quiet, highpitched squeal.

"They aren't messing around with this..." Hyousuke said, mostly musing to himself, but also looking towards Ryuji. Was he looking to strike up a conversation, perhaps? Or simply looking for validation that he wasn't a massive wuss, and the ramen was indeed as spicy as he thought?

<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.

"Hell yeah I am...I mean it has a great flavor but it's kicking my ass" Ryuji says to Hyousuke as if he knew this guy. He takes another deep breath and starts to take more into his mouth, looking like he is in the battle.

"Man, whats the challenge for again? Just a name on a wall or something." Ryuji looks over to Hyousuke, sizing this other ramen person up for a moment. He looks back at the Ramen and Ryuji is sure it just gave him a look. Maybe it was the Pepper high messing with his head.

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Hyousuke offered little in the way of a response, giving nothing more than muffled grunts of acknowledgement and some curt nods. Not because he was disinterested, but because he - against his better judgement - had rammed another mouthful of noodles past his lips. There was no hiding the fact that his arrogance had cost him greatly, whether it was the tears that had begun to prick at his eyes, the scarlet hue of his skin, or the the barely-stifled grunts of pain that emerged when the burning finally began to set in properly.

There was still enough of him left to speak once the second mouthful was downed, however. He did so with a strained voice, but it was speech nonetheless.
"Discounts. Tons of 'em." He said, nodding towards one of the posters. "You get money off all the ramen you order for the next month if you can finish all this in 5 minutes. I thought I could just chow down and suffer through it later, but now..." He grimaced again. Despite his eagerness, the bowl had only the slightest of dents in it, and he looked as though he'd had to swallow an iron rod fresh from the forge. "You're right though, the flavour's awesome. When I can taste it past all the chilli."

<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.

Ryuji watches Hyousuke battle the bowl of Ramen, whistling at his baravery. "Man dude. You look rough." He grins, leaving his own bowl barely touched for the moment.

 That is until the discounts are pointed out. Ryuji's eye widens at Hyousuke's words, staring at the bowl with a heavy breath. "Discounts?" Ryuji could use discounts...especially with the job search going kinda poorly. He pulls the bowl to him and takes a way too big bite, feeling it almost immediately. Ryuji forces the noodles down, looking in the middle distance as the pain and realization what he just done sets in.

 "Oh man. They don't make this easy but I'm gonna get those discounts. Need all the money I can get" Ryuji says to Hyousuke but he is actually staring into the bowl of spicy noodles.

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

"You a student too?" Hyousuke asked - partly to keep the conversation going with a seemingly-friendly individual, and partly to give himself a break after another ill-advised mouthful. He didn't even try to deny that he looked rough, because no matter how he looked, he was adamant that he must have felt rougher. If his throat burnt any harder, he was almost certain that he'd start breathing fire. Even so, he persisted, trying to will the pain away before he dove in for another bite. Painful as it was, discounted ramen was nothing to sniff at.

"Gah... I know they probably don't want anyone to win this, but GEEZ..."

<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.

"Yeah. I'm a second year at Shujin. You?" Ryuji responds, looking at the Ramen again. His body wasn't exactly wanting more of that spicy food inside of him. So it just sort of made Ryuji stare more into the middle distance and focus on anything other than picking up his chopsticks and continue.

 "Yeah. This isn't exactly fair...I don't even know if this counts as lunch or psychological torture." Ryuji forces a grin at his remark. He looks at the bowl again and sighs. "I really want to finish that but my stomach is say don't do it."

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

"Explains why I don't know you. I'm a third year at Kasugayama."
Hyousuke paused again, but if one were to be particularly perceptive, they might have noticed that it wasn't just to give his body a break from that self-inflicted internal incineration. There was, past all the pain, a glimmer of recognition once the stranger in front of him mentioned being a second year at Shujin. Hyousuke wasn't entirely sure why such a fact stood out to him, and that recognition turned slowly to concentration as he wracked his brain for ideas. None came to mind, but unwilling to let an awkward silence reign, he split his two remaining braincells between continuing the conversation and rifling though the mental archives.

"Does it count as torture if they give you a prize at the end?" Hyousuke mused. He didn't give himself a chance to clarify whether it was a genuine question or not. Instead, he hauled - with a shaking hand and a little hesitation - yet more of those noodles to his lips. "But the pain's not gonna last a month. Think of all the ramen you could get if you push through it!" It was unclear if he was hyping Ryuji or himself up with that statement. Seeking another break, he let his chopsticks rest for a moment, and turned to Ryuji with a face dyed a startlingly similar shade to an overripe tomato. "Hyousuke Suzuki. Pleasure to meet ya."

<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.

"3rd year at Kasugayama? Heh. Small world. I'm dating a girl from Kasu. Feel like I'm running into a lot of you guys lately." Ryuji is running into a lot of Kasu students. He idly wonders if this guy knows his girlfriend. Wait she's a gang boss so this guy probably heard of her, right?

"Heh. I guess not." Ryuji looks at the bowl again as he continues to listen to Hyousuke. Without responding, Ryuji takes a huge mouthful of noodles, forcing them down. He takes a deep breath and taps his foot nervously on the ground as he adjusts to the spice. "Whew...Ok, you got me to continue in the fight dude. Lets fucking go!"

 Ryuji takes another bite and cringes from the pain. "Ryuji Sakamoto. Likewise, bro."

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

The mention of him dating someone from Kasu had Hyousuke pausing in place. The glimmer grew into a glint, and were one to listen closely, they might have been able to hear the hamster wheel in his brain squeaking just a little bit louder. His gut told him that he knew the guy from somewhere - it also told him to stop feeding it something that was likely classified as a biological weapon andor a cruel and unusual punishment, but he'd elected to ignore that part of it until he had the vouchers in hand.

"Wait, did you say Sakamoto?" The wheel stopped, and Hyousuke turned to fully face Ryuji. "Do you know Ichika-san?" He asked, looking expectantly at Ryuji. Important as the noodles were - and not letting Ryuji show him up, now that they were both fired up - figuring out if they were indeed Ichika's boyfriend took precedence.

<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.

Ryuji's stomach makes a noise at him as he takes another bite. He does not look at best and really wants to avoid throwing up. Still...that discount and manly honor was on the line. So shut up stomach.

 However Ichika's name perks the blonde up out of his misery...momentarily anyway. He turns a little red as he rubs the bridge of his nose. "For real? Man, you Kasu guys are good at keeping up with each other... Yeah, Ichika and I are a thing as they say." He grins wide until his stomach reminds him of what is going on, prompting him to double over in pain. "Ugh...So close and yet so far."

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

"Nah, I just heard about you 'cause we're friends." Hyousuke said, waving his hand to dismiss what Ryuji had said. "She's mentioned you, that's all." For the first time since he'd started forcing down those noodles, Hyousuke gave a genuine smile. Not a grin or a grimace taken on so that he could bear the agony inflicted upon him by an onslaught of spice, but something that was unabashedly happy - if a little weak. "It's good to finally meet you." He tried to match the grin, but before it could grow wide enough to be considered one, his stomach made a noise at him that was - in a word - worrying.

He decided to drown it with more ramen.

"Come on, man, just a bit more. It's our pride on the line, we can't let ramen beat us!" Hyousuke gave him as firm a look as was possible with sweat beginning to eek its way out of his pores, before directing it towards the remainder of his ramen. Lifting the noodles up made it seem as though he was trying to lift a lead weight, but even so, he pushed them into his gullet.

<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.

"Huh. Then I must have a habit of meeting her friends. Haha, neat." Ryuji chuckles at this odd little quirk of his life. At least he hasn't run into her other past, right? This was pleasant. He notes the genuine look on Suzuki's face and feels a little more at ease than usual.

 "Man you're pushy...Fine, I'm gonna hate myself but here I gooooooooooo~!" Ryuji reached for the bowl and began slurping down noodles and broth from source itself. He groans as he finishes, feeling that he just cooked his insides in spice. Was he going to be ok? There is a distant rumbling in his stomach. "Uhhhh....So how long do we need to keep it down for? Cuz I might need to hit the can sooner or later."

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Hyousuke did not answer Ryuji's question. He himself was too busy trying to keep down the meal he'd stuffed himself with. The noodles had been bad enough, but the broth was all of that pain concentrated into a final, steaming, assault on his senses. His tongue was aflame, his stomach churned, his throat felt as though it would fall apart at the merest touch. But he was finished - the only things left in the bowl were a few drops of broth and - potentially - some tears he'd shed without realising it. With a slight clatter, he placed the bowl down, and caught the attention of the member of staff keeping track of time.

"Long enough to get the voucher..." Hyousuke said, teeth grit and chest heaving slightly while he awaited their prize. "I'm not gonna let 'em worm their way out of giving us what we earnt." He paused for a moment, letting his breathing - and his sweating - steady, before addressing Ryuji again. "Urf, that was tough as hell though... Good thing I trained this morning, I don't know if I'm gonna be moving much the rest of the day..."

<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.

Ryuji is impressed with this guy. Really sticks to his guns. Or thats what he thinks anyway as he watches how Hyousuke handles the contest. Very in spirit of the rules sort of guy. The Shujin delinquent slouches in his seat, groaning as he awaits the voucher. This is what winning felt like? It kinda sucked.

 "You train?" Ryuji looks out from his daze. "Whatcha play or you going to go train to be super Saiyan or something?" He grins as his reference, noting how everyone seemed to be jiving with Dragonball refs.

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

The vouchers presented to them were rather unimpressive things, as far as vouchers went. Consisting of little more than a boilerplate design printed onto cheap card, they would likely survive a month in someone's wallet, but Hyousuke doubted that they'd last a day outside of that. Not that it surprised him much. He'd hardly been expecting a gold medal, after all. After unceremoniously slipping the thing into a spare pocket in his (rather thin-looking) wallet, he leaned against the counter, and started the conversation in earnest. He was free of any more distractions, after all, save for the fact that he felt as though someone had dropped a molotov cocktail into his guts.

"Damn right I do! Gotta get my power level up!" Hyousuke said with a grin, flexing a little to show off. With the (remarkably thin) jacket he was wearing, his gains were a little more difficult to see than usual, but visible enough beneath the fabric to show that he had some serious muscle tone going on. "What about you? You look like you've been putting some work in too."

<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.

Ryuji stares at the vouchers, wondering if the old man who made the ramen designed these. Maybe they had their tech wiz kid do it? Regardless, he smiles at a job well done before a monster burp escapes him. He blinks for a moment before slinking down some. "Errr. Sorry about that...." He was sure this promotion has caused worse.

 "Heh. Right on...Yeah I do some myself but it's been a long time since I was on a team or anything. Probably could let myself go to shit if I didn't keep forcing myself in the gym." He makes notes that Hyousuke is in fact a Jock like him. That was good to know since Tsubasa didn't seem like one...working out with Ichika would...Ryuji finds his face go flush for a second before he shakes the thought loose. But it would be nice to have more work out pals.

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

The burp left Hyousuke a little surprised for all of a moment, before he burst out into barely-suppressed laughter. He gave no spoken response to it, nor did he try to dismiss or diminish Ryuji's apology, but there was little - if any - chance of him being put off by it. The laughter subsided quickly, but the grin remained.
"Which gym?" He asked simply, his head canting to the side a little. Blonde hair falling to the side with it, the resemblance to a dog confronted by something it was curious about was a little uncanny. "We should go together - I'm always looking for a partner, and if you're cool with Ichika, you're alright by me."