A trick anyone can learn with a bit of practice.

Our reporter Ikuna Kamezawa likes to dress in cosplay, so when the topic of pasta came up in the office this week, she figured it would be the perfect opportunity to whip out her maid outfit and share with us one of her special abilities.

You see, her parents have long been running a cafe that serves a variety of dishes, including pasta, and back in her student days she used to help them out by weighing out individual 100-gram (3.5-ounce) servings of dry pasta, tying them together with bands as part of the day’s food prep.

After many months of doing this, Ikuna began to develop a special power which she has taken into her adult years — the ability to know what 100 grams of pasta is without even weighing it.

▼ To prove her special powers, she enlisted two of her biggest fans, Masanuki Sunakoma (left) and Seiji Nakazawa (right), to watch her in action.

These lovable self-confessed nerds couldn’t hide their excitement at being able to watch this historic moment in front of their very eyes, but Ikuna had one thing to say to them: “Calm down, nerds”.

She needed her fanboys to calm down so she could concentrate on impressing them with her pasta powers. Carefully bundling up the sticks of dry pasta into one hand, she took a few out until she had what she believed to be…

▼ …100 grams of pasta! 

The weight and girth of the pasta bundle in her hand was a feeling developed through many years of experience, and is one that’s extremely difficult to explain in words.

▼ So let’s weigh out the bundle…

▼ …open your eyes, nerds!!!

▼ Uh oh…

Ikuna’s confidence in her abilities resulted in her dropping the ball, because the pasta that she thought weighed 100 grams turned out to be slightly over, weighing in at 114 grams!

▼ Ikuna’s fanboys couldn’t believe their idol had let them down.

Meanwhile, her photographer thought the whole thing was hilarious.

There’s a saying in Japan that goes “Even monkeys fall from trees”, indicating that even the most experienced professionals make mistakes every now and then. Though she was disappointed in herself at first, this was her first time flexing her pasta muscles in several years, so she decided to not be too hard on herself and get back on the saddle, determined to prove that she truly was a pasta queen.

Swallowing her pride, she went back to basics, once again drawing on her years of experience to become familiar with the feeling of 100 grams of pasta on her palm. Failure was no longer an option, and this time she was confident she wouldn’t let her fanboys down.

▼ Trust me, nerds!!!

This time, when she placed the pasta on the scales…

▼ …success!

This was a cause for celebration, and Ikuna and her fans immediately threw their hands in the air and wiggled their hips in delight at the pasta queen in their midst.

▼ Bow down to your pasta queen.

In hindsight, Ikuna should’ve dressed as a queen instead of a maid, but she was happy with the result regardless. Not only had she pleased her fanboys, she’d pleased herself by proving that her latent ability to weigh pasta with the power of her hand and mind was still as strong as ever.

Ikuna believes that with a little practice, anyone can acquire this ability, and it’ll come in especially handy for those wanting an edge on the competition when looking for restaurant work. So feel free to hone your own skills at home — cosplay outfit optional.

Photos © SoraNews24
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