My Bright Red Penne

“This is a menu I only show to special people.”

The master, his mouth stained bright red, handed the menu to me.

◆

I first heard the rumor about two months after I started on note. They said there was a bar run by a master who had mastered the art of note. My own note had only a scattering of likes and a single comment. What was I missing? On a windy weekend, I decided to go there.

The bar is located in a back alley of the downtown area. First, you enter a narrow alley on the western edge. Turn right at the end. Go down the stairs, and there you will find an iron door. Knock three times—ton, to, ton—and wait thirty seconds. You will hear the click of a lock disengaging. Only by pushing that iron door with both hands can you finally enter the bar.

“Welcome.”

I gasped. A tall master greeted me. His mouth was stained bright red, and he was smiling with just his lips curled upward. Seeing my surprise, the master picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth carefully.

“Excuse me, I’m just fond of arrabbiata.”

In the master’s hand was a large platter. It was filled with red tomato sauce, and in the center was a mountain of penne. It was a more vivid color than the like mark.

The interior was small, with only counter seating. True to a bar, the counter was made of magnificent solid wood. I sat down as if drawn to it. I ordered a Grasshopper. The master began to shake the shaker slowly. The pleasant clinking sound gradually grew faster. When the sound stopped, the scent of mint, reminiscent of a meadow, spread through the shop.

“Master... actually, I write on note.”
“Is that so?”
“But, the likes just won’t increase at all.”

The master listened to me while nodding occasionally. Before I knew it, the ice flakes in my Grasshopper had melted. The master pierced one of the penne with a fork and brought it to his mouth. He savored it, swallowed, and began to speak.

“Imagine the feelings of the person reading.”

When they see the title, are they intrigued? Is there a hook at the beginning of the text that makes them want to read more? Does it leave room for imagination after they finish reading? Above all, does it make them feel like they want to tell someone about it? Try printing out the note you wrote, putting yourself in the reader’s shoes, and writing down your thoughts with a red pen. After finishing his advice, the master pointed to the iron door with his palm. I left the shop as if pushed from behind.

Earnestly, I followed the master’s advice. I printed out my own note and marked it up in red. I did the same with popular articles in the rankings. When I compared them, the differences began to emerge, albeit vaguely. I tried writing an article while unraveling, savoring, and scooping up those differences.

In no time at all, the red likes began to increase. The question, “Would someone want to talk about this?” was especially powerful. I felt increasingly fulfilled. Just like the bright red penne on the large platter.

Since then, my life on note became increasingly fulfilling. The time spent agonizing over posts and watching the likes grow became an important part of my life. However, there is a limit, after all. When the likes reached around 50, they began to stagnate again.

I want more likes. I pushed the bar door open once again. The master welcomed me warmly, creating a smile with his bright red mouth. I felt as if the large platter of red penne had grown larger. But that didn’t matter.

“Master, actually...”

The menu was handed to me before I could finish my sentence.

"This is a menu I only show to special people, you see."

Short, Tall, Grande.

Only those three words were listed on the menu. No prices or service details were written. However, I had a premonition. It was something that couldn't be returned like a library book. The master stopped eating his penne and was looking at me. I ——

"A Short, please."
"Right away."

As he said that, the master pointed to an iron door with his palm. Immediately after I left the shop, my smartphone started pinging with notifications. Notifications of 'likes'. After that, the notifications didn't stop, and by the next morning, they had exceeded 300. The hand holding my smartphone felt slightly red.

The following week, I opened the iron door again. The master, with his bright red mouth, formed a smile and, without saying a word, handed me the menu. I ordered a Tall without hesitation. That week, my note earned a 'congrats board'. It's a medal given to well-read notes. The likes had exceeded 1000. I want more, I want even more likes... A flush of red spread across my face. As vivid as penne.

And this week, too, I opened the iron door. The master with the bright red mouth handed me the usual menu. It's strangely hot. My vision is red. My breathing is ragged. I reach for the menu. I'm not feeling well. A Short would be best today.

"Short... no, make it a Grande size——"

Ding-a-ling

At that moment, the notification sound of my smartphone rang out. I was startled and looked at the blue screen of my phone. There was a comment. It was from someone who had commented back when I first opened my account.

"That's an amazing number of likes, I've been easily overtaken. Are you not writing that series you used to write anymore? I'm looking forward to it."

That's right, I hadn't been writing lately. It was my favorite adventure series that I wrote when I first started my note. I started my note because I wanted to write that, so why had I forgotten? I want to write. I have to write it right now. It felt as if the red was crawling out from my body.

"Excuse me, master. I'm going home."

As I stood up, I gasped. I was standing alone in a pitch-black alleyway.

There was no one in front of me. Furthermore, there was no large plate of penne or an iron door. There was only a dimly lit alley, and I could see the blue neon lights of the downtown area. How could such a thing happen? However, that didn't matter right now. I knew what I had to do.

I 'liked' the comment and slipped out of the back alley.

(End)

Penne goes well with an arrabbiata that has a kick of garlic, doesn't it?

■ Dialogue
"Short... no, make it a Grande size"
■ Three Topics
・Grassland
・Return
・Penne

• Submission Deadline (Optional): June 4, 2026 (Thu) 23:59

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https://note.com/valley_/n/n765fbdd87a9c