It did not take long before the chef dished out the house signature, the bowl that Kaido was served in had a radius that stretched over half his height, and the amount of toppings that came with it made a stockpile that covered the face of the chef as he carefully placed the bowl in front of Kaido.
'Eat up kid, before it gets cold.' the man, who later introduced himself as Mr. Saturn taunted.
Kaido stared blankly at the bowl, his mouth half-opened and drooling.
Mr. Saturn grinned, wiped off the sweat on his forehead and sat down next to Kaido.
'You know normally there's a time limit of 45 minutes, but I'll spare you the hassle and just let you eat til you drop. Honestly, I'll be impressed if a brat like you even finishes half of this monstrosity…'
'Itadakimasu.' Kaido picked up the pair of chopsticks.
Just 5 minutes later, Mr Saturn found himself eating his words.
The mounted pile of meats, eggs, vegetables and garnish was already half gone. The bony, brittle teenage boy that came into his restaurant had gone through a rapid metamorphism.
Mr Saturn watched in utter shock as Kaido swallowed and slurped and chewed down bigger and bigger bites at a faster and faster pace. The kid was insatiable, and his hunger was monstrous. With every bite, Kaido resembled a bit more like a ferocious beast.
Eventually, the chewing slowed Kaido's pace down, he started to swallow slower, and eventually he came to a stop. It had been 15 minutes since Kaido took his first bite, and the colossal bowl of ramen had now been reduced by two-thirds the size.
'You need to start drinking kid, your body can't down that amount of food without water to help you swallow.'
Kaido took the glass from Mr Saturn's hand, he gave him a cold stare.
It went silent for a second, then Mr Saturn started to laugh.
'Quite a prideful one aren't you? Alright, I'll admit that I underestimated you and took you too lightly, I apologise.'
'But the challenge still stands, you haven't finished the bowl yet champ. I can't let you go hands-free without a clean bowl.'
'I'll fin..ommm'
'It's rude to speak with your mouth full.'
Kaido chewed and swallowed his bite, 'Shut up old man! I'll finish this bowl just you watch!'
The fact was that Kaido was beyond full. He was feeling a sense of nauseousness that he never knew could be experienced. His belly was almost twice the size of what it had been before entering the shop. Any normal person would have quit.
But then a scene flashed over his mind, he remembered the time when he picked out the broccoli from his mother's cooking.
'You shouldn't waste food Kaido, it took Mommy a lot of time to prepare your delicious meal.'
Mother always had a sweet spot for Kaido, and likewise for him.
'If someone made the effort to prepare it, least you can do is put in the same effort to finish it.'
Kaido picked up his chopsticks, he reached for the bowl, 'I am hungry' he told himself.
'I am hungry.'
But then he found his movements stopped mid-way. Mr Saturn had caught his hand.
'That's enough, I don't need a customer risking their life and going into a food coma.'
'Let Go Old Man!'
'Enough! Food is meant to be enjoyed, not for torture!'
Mr Saturn carried the bowl with him into the kitchen, Kaido reached out for the bowl but collapsed onto the table.
'But what about the money? I don't have any on me!'
'You don't owe me anything.' Mr Saturn said coldly, his back turned against Kaido.
'If you do feel the slightest of remorse, come back on Monday, 8pm sharp.'
Mr Saturn returned from the kitchen, he handed over a leaflet to Kaido. Bolded and at the top of the poster were the words 'Doki Doki Competitive Eating Club'.
'It's world full of crazy people out there, and I want you to meet them.'