Three weeks later, a padded envelope arrived. Inside: the new issue (#8: The Pickle Resonance ), a handwritten note on pink paper (“Leo — your dreams taste like shiso leaves. Keep going. — NoodleGod”), and a single, dried ramune candy in the shape of a tiny octopus.
“What is this?” Leo asked.
He flipped the page. An interview with a reclusive bassist who only played using chopsticks as plectrums. A comic strip about a cat that ran a ramen cart on the moon, drawn entirely in soy sauce stains. A perfume advertisement for “Eau de Shoyu” — notes of caramelized garlic, old books, and regret. noodlemagazun