The Ramen Guy Looks Up and Shouts a Question at You. You Have About Two Seconds.

Why this phrase

Counter of a big garlic-pile ramen shop. Hana plays the cook firing the call as the bowl is built; Kofuku plays the customer who freezes, then lands the safe default. The cook's call is 「ニンニク入れますか？」 and the answer is 「そのままで」. Accuracy guardrails from the Japanese verifier, these are load-bearing: NEVER have Kofuku answer 「はい、そのままで」. 「ニンニク入れますか？」 is a straight yes/no, so はい means yes, put the garlic in, and it contradicts the rest of the line. The correct answers are the terse counter form 「そのままで」 and the everywhere-else form 「そのままでお願いします」. Also: 「そのままで」 means the SHOP DEFAULT, not no garlic, and at some shops the default already includes garlic, so gloss it as just as it comes and never as no garlic. The call covers all the free toppings, not garlic alone. Worth landing at the end: 「そのままで」 travels beyond ramen, for example at a konbini when they ask 「温めますか？」.