Instructor Domina.
Also known as Medusa Domina, but to the users of D&A, she’s mostly referred to as ‘Teacher Do’.
She was 27 years old.
No lover.
The teacher at Ludens was quite isolated, living alone in a rundown room on the outskirts of the academy because of her strict nature — something about having a bit of hysteria passed through my mind.
“Is it Domina?”
At my call, she, who looked exactly like the character in the game, with hair and eyes of the same deep blue color, narrowed her crescent-shaped eyes.
“Look at this one. It’s not just Domina, it’s Teacher Domina.”
“Domina.”
“…This one… well, whatever. But you guys, doing business here as you please. Who gave you permission to do this?”
It was like a strict inspector’s tone.
Of course, there was no problem.
“We received official approval from the student council. From three to six during lunchtime and after school. Here’s the permit. If you don’t believe it, you can ask Victoria next to me.”
Swish.
As I handed over the permit, Domina blinked and glanced at the text.
“…Hmm, quite official. Alright.”
Domina took a seat at a nearby desk.
I wondered what she was doing, but when she asked, “Is there no menu?” it seemed she wanted something to eat.
Nike was about to bring out a wooden board, saying, “Yeah, here’s the menu…” when the girl with black stockings elegantly crossed her legs raised her hand to stop Nike.
“Never mind. Do you take requests? I have something I want to eat right now.”
Requests?
“What is it?”
At my question, Domina’s eyes sparkled.
It was a snake-like attitude, as if targeting prey.
Strict teacher Domina.
Was she the one who occasionally intervened during the story to give the protagonist, Luke, a hard time?
But now she’s come to me instead of Luke.
Bring it on.
“Uhhuh.” With an unfittingly long nasal sound, Domina, as if she had finally made up her mind, said,
“I feel like eating something white and black at the same time, soft yet firm, hot yet cold. Also sweet and spicy. How about it?”
What do you think?
As I pondered, the surrounding students began to tremble.
“Is Victor also going to fall for it? Domina’s trickery…!”
“There’s more than one club that closed because of such capricious orders!”
“Last time, she lowered the evaluation because they couldn’t make a dress she liked in the fashion club….”
“Ugh, if the cooking club closes like this, we’ll have to eat that tasteless school lunch again…!”
Domina’s hysterical repression was already famous among the students.
But for me, it was a good thing.
Club activities that cannot be excluded from daily life.
When doing that, it was common for Domina to come.
Rather, her coming meant that the club activities were proceeding smoothly.
Feels good.
However, Nike, who didn’t know such things, said with a worried expression, “Victor, what should we do? Something white and black, soft yet firm, hot yet cold, sweet and spicy… is there such a thing…?”
Arnoy, who had just finished working, was trembling, pulling her long hair.
“This Arnoy hasn’t tried 「Fruit Shaved Ice」 yet…! If the club closes like this, Arnoy’s labor will be meaningless…!”
What an interesting fellow.
Victoria said.
“Teacher Domina. No matter what, such capricious orders…”
“Oh my, Victoria. I just made an ordinary order, didn’t I? There’s no rule that teachers can’t order food from the clubs, is there?”
“Well, but…”
“What’s the problem then? Are you perhaps taking care of your fiancé? No, I heard he is your former fiancé.”
“Kkt…”
Victoria, who seemed slightly anxious, nibbled her lips.
I said behind Victoria, who was worrying.
“It’s alright, Victoria.”
Compared to the worrying ones, my heart was peaceful.
Because I had already decided what to make.
“Look at that. Victor is starting to cook…!”
“Is Victor really going to do it…!”
My dish was one.
First, boil some water.
Bubble bubble bubble.
Throw in the ‘noodles’ purchased from the underground market into the water that’s started to boil.
Wait for about 3 minutes.
The point is to repeatedly lift the noodles with chopsticks to expose them to the air while they cook in the boiling water.
This is crucial for a chewy texture.
Then, pour the prepared 「Spring Sauce」, a soup made by mixing 「Dried Beef Meat」 in the right proportion, into the water you’ve already boiled.
Here’s where the fork in the road of cooking appears.
Should I add eggs?
No, the answer here is not to add them.
Instead, put this in.
A tiny amount of 「Ketchup」 that was prepared in advance for someday.
This creates the savory taste of the noodle dish.
This is a noodle dish full of flavor.
Ting.
「Ramen: It’s ramen. 」
“It’s ramen.”
The ramen was completed.
Originally purchased for Tteok-bokki, the noodles were.
However, Domina’s expression in front of the bubbling pot was not good.
“Victor, I distinctly remember asking for something yellow and red at the same time, firm yet soft, warm yet cold. This doesn’t fit that description.”
“It’s not red and yellow, it’s probably white and black. Do you even remember what you ordered?”
“…What?”
“And did I ever say I would make such a dish?”
I never agreed to Domina’s order.
I just made what I wanted.
And this is the correct answer.
* * *
Instructor Domina.
Now 27 years old.
Despite the cherry blossoms blooming beautifully on the Ludens campus, Domina’s heart was always heavy.
The same teaching routine every day.
The only interesting thing was occasionally tormenting the students who didn’t please her.
Every morning, she would reluctantly put on her clothes in the dark room, only looking at the calendar marked with payday.
‘Today’s Monday…’
Days she hated going to work even more.
Heading to school on an empty stomach.
On the way to school.
Looking at the students laughing happily on a Monday morning sometimes made her long for the days when she could rejoice at the start of the week.
‘Yeah, laugh as much as you can when you can. You’ll age quickly too. Soon, you’ll become an adult like me, with no dreams and no ambition…’
Yet, lunchtime.
Domina hoped to enlighten the youthful souls with “reality”.
Meeting Victor, a male student, she found him to be just as indifferent and rude as she had heard.
‘These kinds of boys need to be put in their place.’
So, as usual, she found a way to trick him.
Returning with a dish of steaming broth and wavy noodles.
“It’s ramen.”
It was ramen.
A food that anyone could cook with just noodles and soup.
An inexpensive dish with no special effects besides filling one’s stomach.
‘I never thought I would find this food here… Could it be that he was aiming for this?’
No, this happened five years ago.
There’s no way this second-year student Victor would know about Domina’s situation.
“Eat. I’m sure you haven’t had breakfast.”
Indeed, she hadn’t had breakfast.
With an empty stomach, she couldn’t resist the stimulating smell of ramen.
But Domina couldn’t yield.
Ramen.
Twenty years old. Just when Domina had become a teacher.
Living in a small, cramped room, she had eaten one of these every day when she was poor.
The memories of those days when she was struggling and broke came back, and suddenly she couldn’t bear to look at it. Yet, the dish was returned to her by the hands of the man who had tormented her.
“I didn’t even put an egg in it on purpose. You probably prefer it this way.”
Yes, back then, she couldn’t afford eggs.
Now it’s different.
She has the economic power to eat something other than ramen.
‘Even though I’ve always eaten expensive food in my tiny studio apartment, ramen?’
But her stomach growled.
She must not have had breakfast because she woke up late and rushed to work.
“Well, just one bite.”
No matter who cooks it, ramen tastes similar.
There’s nothing to expect, but if she criticizes it just enough to kill her appetite, it’ll be enough.
She picked up her chopsticks and took a sip.
“…!”
She stopped abruptly at the unexpected savory taste.
“This taste…”
“I added ketchup. A little luxury.”
Who would have thought of putting ketchup in ramen?
Thanks to that, it all came back to her.
‘Tomorrow’s payday. Should I buy some good meat and grill it instead of eating ramen? Well, my rent is still tight… but still, maybe just this once…’
Back in her youth, she had to make a big decision to buy one expensive meal.
But back then, she still had dreams.
She still had hope for tomorrow.
How did she end up becoming this gray adult when all around her were bright youths?
Looking around, all she saw were vibrant young faces.
If her younger self were to see her now, releasing stress on these youngsters, what would she say?
Lost in thought, Domina was interrupted by a male student.
“If you don’t eat quickly, the noodles will burn.”
“It’s better to let them cook a bit.”
“…?”
“That way, you get more. It’s better to fill your stomach with one than to try to make do with less.”
“I see.”
* * *
Domina appears elegant at first glance.
So one might think she prefers wine or steak.
But surprisingly, giving her the ordinary “ramen” was the best way to increase her favorability.
The story behind it can be learned after raising her favorability to a certain extent.
When Domina was still a fresh-faced new teacher.
Living on nothing but ramen at twenty years old.
“But back then, I still had dreams and hope. How did I end up becoming this adult?”
It’s a comedic story that gives dreams and hope to Domina, encouraging her to aim for a capable younger man.
When I was young, I thought it was just that.
But after playing the game for over ten years, I eventually reached Domina’s age and even surpassed it.
I couldn’t help but see Teacher Domina in a completely different light.
Twenty-seven.
Domina complained that it was already too late.
But at twenty-seven, I didn’t feel that old.
Still young, still knowing nothing.
The seemingly mature Teacher Domina was actually just a young, troubled youth.
And even at that age, I was in debt.
In my eyes, twenty-seven-year-old Domina was still at an age where she could try anything.
Especially as a teacher.
A stable job, right?
So it’s okay to live a little more hopefully.
“Until you’re buried in the ground, you’re always young, Domina. It’s never too late.”
“What are you saying, like an old man?”
An old man? Actually, I’m older than you.
Not now, though.
Anyway, Domina finished her ramen.
Students marveled at her appearance as she sweated over the hot food, even taking off her jacket to reveal a white shirt.
“That cold Teacher Domina…”
“Even though I’m sick of ramen, that ramen seems different…?”
Finally, after drinking up the hot broth in the pot and exhaling with a sigh, it was clear that Domina was someone who knew how to eat ramen.
I asked Domina.
“How was the dish I made, even though it wasn’t what you ordered?”
“What are you talking about? I clearly asked for a bowl of ramen. Orders should be taken properly.”
“Is that so?”
“But there’s still a lot to improve. Just putting a desk down and selling food like that… And cooking with a burner on the desk is dangerous.”
…That’s true.
But what can you do when you’re broke?
Domina continued.
“Especially you, Victor. What’s with your bad habits? Looks like you guys need more focused guidance. From now on, I’ll be your advisor.”
Well, it’s a familiar story.
Domina was originally assigned as the club advisor.
Having a club advisor means benefits like event inquiries or various scholarships and competition opportunities.
Since it’s come to this, why not build some favorability in advance?
“Domina. If you ever skip breakfast, come to the club room. I’ll let you eat at least a bowl of ramen before you go.”
“Hey, does he have no respect for the teacher?!”
“…?”
What do I do?
Anyway.
This is how Teacher Domina became an additional advisor to the club.
A smooth start.
At the same time, words appear before my eyes.
「Conditions have been fulfilled.」
「You are granted permission to use the club management system.」
