Chapter 16.7. Nekoramencon.
Nekoramencon was held in the massive Tokyo Dome, a giant structure that could seat over 50,000 people. The interior was filled with stalls selling merchandise and food from various anime, manga, and games. All about the infamous Ramen Dungeon that spurred the grate Ramekai genre. Silas was walking next to his niece who had changed into a cosplay of a character called Kurume, a cat-eared school girl.
Her blond wig and whiskers made her look cute.
He himself was wearing a simple black outfit, making sure the wedding ring on his hand was visible, as to not have any misunderstandings. Liz did not enjoy random women approaching her husband.
The convention was a sensory overload. Colors, lights, sounds and smells. The air was thick with the scent of food and sweat, and the noise level was deafening. The crowds moved like waves, carrying them forward.
They pushed past people and found their way to the back of the dome where the Ramen Contest was held. Hailey needed to sign in first at the booth with other contestants.
A tail was attached to her costume and it kept slapping the people around her.
“Sorry, sorry,” She apologized as she moved forward.
She had asked him to move it around like an actual tail but he refused, that was too far even for him. The line moved quickly and soon it was her turn. A woman with glasses and a clipboard looked at her, scanning her name and number.
“Hailey Vane, contestant 36. Please take this wristband and proceed to the waiting area. Good luck.” She handed her a green wristband that had 36 on it.
Hailey happily took it, not at all noticing the similarities between the glasses of the lady and Henry Smith. But Silas did.
He narrowed his eyes, using his spatial senses on her. The enchantment was the same. The same rune, breaking the rules and causing a distortion in space.
All the way to Japan? That was unexpected. But why?
“Why are you staring at that girl dad?” Hailey tugged his sleeve, pulling him out of his thoughts. “You are my date. Focus on me please,” she said with a mock-pout.
Silas chuckled and patted her head, messing up her wig. She swatted his hand away but couldn’t hide the blush on her cheeks.
“Sorry, kiddo. Just curious. Let’s get some food before the contest.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and steered her towards the food area.
The area was full of stalls, selling everything from fried chicken to pizza, but of course, ramen was the main dish. It was a taboo to order anything else in this contest and the crowd looked at anyone who did that with disdain, at least that’s what Hailey told him.
They went to a stall with a sign that said ‘Legendary Noodles’. The chef was an old man with a bald head and a long mustache, who claimed his ramen was made from ancient grains harvested by monks in the Himalayas.
It looked like regular ramen to him.
They ordered a bowl to share and sat on a bench nearby, watching the people walk by. There was no doubt this was Hailey’s paradise.
She slurped her noodles with enthusiasm and severe lack of grace, getting some broth on her chin. She wiped it with her finger and licked it off, not caring about the stares.
Silas on the other hand took his time, savoring each bite. The noodles were firm and the broth was rich with umami, he could taste the mana in it. Every plants had mana in them now.
Munching on the noodles, he said, “I didn’t know you were so good at eating with chopsticks, I thought you were one of those barbaric fork-users.” he teased.
She snorted and elbowed him on the side. “I’m cultured, unlike you. You probably use a spoon.”
He grinned. Forks, spoons, chopsticks. His magic made them cosmetic. He could just lift the food.
They finished their meal and tossed the bowl in the bin. The waiting area was opened now. Contestants were sitting behind tables, each with a mini kitchen set and a bowl of water. It was time.
Hailey found her table and put on her apron. Silas stood behind her, holding her bag with the noodles in it. He wanted to teleport it in but Hailey refused, saying it looked cooler if he held it like a sidekick.
A loud voice echoed over the speakers and everyone fell silent.
“Welcome to the ultimate Ramen competition! I am your host, Shinya, the ramen master! Today we will see who has the skill and creativity to become the next Ramen King or Queen! Let’s meet our judges!”
The audience cheered. A panel of people sat on a high platform. A fat man in a suit who was the sponsor of the event. A young woman with green hair, probably the owner of the Ramen brand. And an old man with a white beard and a frown.
Shinya continued his speech. “We have 50 contestants from all over the world, each with their own unique ramen recipe. They will have 30 minutes to cook and present their dish to us. We will judge them on taste, appearance and originality.”
The contestants murmured nervously. Some of them had practiced their recipe for months. Others like Hailey had made it on a whim.
The clock started. The chefs began cooking.
Hailey opened the package of noodles that they prepared at home. It was cut into pieces and wrapped in plastic. It still glowed with a faint green light.
“Okay... breath you read the recipe,” she muttered as she put a pot on the stove and turned on the fire.
She followed the notebook’s instructions, putting some water and seaweed in the pot, then adding the noodle meat and some spices.
It looked like a witches’ brew. The smell was horrendous, making Silas gag.
He patted her shoulder, trying to give her some encouragement but she just glared at him.
“Not helping dad,” she hissed.
Other contestants were giving them weird looks as they passed by, holding their own normal-looking ramen. Silas sent them a sharp glare and they quickly turned away. Good.
As the time ran out, the contestants lined up with their dishes and waited for the judges to come and taste them. One by one they went and were either praised or rejected.
Hailey was sweating bullets, her hands shaking as she held the bowl of toxic ramen.
Shinya came to her table and she let out a small squeak. He looked at her with a curious expression.
“Oho? What a unique presentation. And this glow... it’s mana infused? How fascinating! May I taste it?” He asked, picking up her chopsticks.
She nodded, unable to speak.
He took a small bite of the noodles and chewed slowly, his eyes widening as he swallowed.
Then he coughed violently and put a hand on his throat, his face turning red.
“Oh my! This is...wow.” He fanned himself.
Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Silas stepped forward, ready to punch the host if he insulted her dish.
Shinya regained his breath and gave Hailey a big thumbs up.
“This is the most... explosive ramen I have ever had. A bold move indeed, young lady! What’s your name?”
Hailey beamed and answered, “Hailey Vane, sir.”
He wrote something on his clipboard, “Of the Vane family. I should have guessed.” He chuckled.
The fat sponsor came next, not even bothering to pick up a chopstick, just sniffed the bowl. His nose scrunched up and he shook his head.
“This is an insult to ramen. It looks like nuclear waste,” he said and got ready to write down a zero score.
But a pressure fell on him and he looked at Silas who was smiling with violet eyes. His heart pounded in fear. He quickly changed his tune.
“I mean one should not judge a book by its cover... or a bowl by its color,” he said with a nervous laugh. Then he took a bite and his tune changed. It was like he ate the most delicious food in the world. He moaned and kept on eating until there was nothing left in the bowl.
The audience gasped. No one had ever cleaned their plate.
The other two judges also came and tried the ramen, each with their own exaggerated reaction. They were all impressed by the flavor and the idea behind it.
“Umm dad... now that I think about it, won’t they get radiation poisoning?” Hailey asked, suddenly realizing what she had done.
Silas patted her head, not worried in the slightest. “Yes. Mild radiation poisoning, but they will survive it”
After that, they were told to go to the side while they calculated the final scores. Hailey fidgeted with her fingers, looking at the other contestants and their dishes.
The judges huddled together with their clipboards, whispering and pointing while the sponsor was looking pale but he kept giving thumbs-ups to Silas.
Then Shinya turned to face the crowd and smiled.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! It was a close competition, but one dish stood out from all the rest. The Ramen Queen is... Hailey Vane!” He shouted.
The audience clapped and cheered. A big gold crown was placed on Hailey’s head. The crown looked like ramen noodles bent in the shape of a circle.
She was stunned as the host took her hand and raised it up like a champion.
Silas clapped for his niece. She won.
He teleported a bottle of champagne to his hands and popped the cork. It sprayed everywhere as the other contestants congratulated the winner.
It was a happy day for Hailey. She was skipping and giggling as they left the dome. Refusing to teleport, she wanted to walk out like a normal person.
Silas put his arm around her and they walked under the setting sun.
“I did it!” She screamed in joy, the crown almost falling off.
“You did kiddo. You beat all those suckers with your toxic ramen.” He teased.
She puffed out her chest and held her chin up high. They stopped at a nearby bridge that overlooked the city lights.
Her expression turned soft, and she gazed at the sea below. The wind played with her wig and she took off the crown, holding it in both hands.
“Uncle... no, dad.” She corrected herself. Her cheeks were pink. “Thank you. For everything...I mean it.”
A warmth in his heart.
“Anything for you Hailey.” He said, kissing her forehead. “I’m proud of you. You are a Vane after all.”
She hugged him then, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest. They stood like that for a while, enjoying the silence.
When she finally pulled away, she looked at him with a mischievous grin.
“So...what are you going to make me do now, you dadcon? Remember my promise?”
Oh boy. What was he going to do?
The railing was just behind her and he had an idea. Pushing her against it, he leaned in. He made sure her breasts were pressed agaisnt him, their faces inches apart.
Hailey’s breath hitched. Her heart beating like a hummingbird.
Silas smirked and brought a finger to her lips
“Shh, Close your eyes,” he whispered.
She did. A second later she felt something soft and warm against her mouth. Was he...
A wet sensation made her gasp and open her eyes, only to see a ramen noodle being pushed between her lips.
“Wah!?” she choked on the noodle, pulling it out of her mouth and holding it with a shocked expression. Silas was holding his stomach as he laughed.
“Oh you should have seen your face. Classic.” He wiped a tear from his eye.
Clenching her fist, she threw the noodle at him.
“That’s not funny. I thought you were going to kiss me! You walking red flag!” She stomped her foot and crossed her arms, her cheeks red.
He laughed harder.
“Relax, kiddo, I was just playing with ya.” He grinned.
“Teleport me home right now!” She demanded.
“Don’t you want a kiss first?” He teased.
Her eyes widened and she looked away, mumbling, “No...I mean maybe...but you are a stupid old man...”
Seeing her like that, made him smile softly. He cupped her cheek and made her eyes stare directly into his. Her cheeks were squished and her rosy lips parted slightly.
Then he kissed her gently, a quick peck on the lips that was gone as fast as it came.
Her lips tasted like noodles and they were soft. Wet and warm. He enjoyed it more than he expected. He wanted more.
She looked at him, stunned. Her eyes big and glossy.
They blinked at each other before she hid her face behind her hands.
“Maybe I am a dadcon then,” she whispered.
His heart skipped a beat.
But he teleported her home after that. Back at her apartment, she ran to her room, her face burning and she was touching her lips. Does she message him about what happened or should she act like nothing happened?
Her heart was a mess.
Silas, however, was still at the bridge, his phone ringing. It was Elizabeth.
He picked it up, “Hey love.”
“Hi honey. Did you and Hailey have fun?” Liz asked from the other side.
“Yup. We made a toxic ramen and she won first place,” he said as he sat down on a bench and looked at the river below. “She called me dad again.”
Elizabeth choked on whatever she was drinking.
“What? Seriously? Another daughter for your harem? Oh Silas.” She sighed dramatically. And she went on and on about his ‘daughter complex’.
“Are you done yet, Liz?” he rolled his eyes at his wife.
She giggled. “Not even close.”
“I kissed her.” Silas confessed, feeling a bit guilty about it.
There was silence for a moment before Elizabeth said, “On the lips?”
“Yeah.”
More silence.
Silas felt a bead of sweat fall down his back.
“I’ll scratch that off my bingo card then,” his wife finally said in a playful tone.
Bingo card? Did she actually...
She ended the call. He leaned back and looked up at the sky. Just what was his wife playing at?
He loved her so much, but he also knew she held him by the balls and squeezed hard sometimes.