The Sauce of Ten Years

Ju-nen-me no sosu (十年目のソース) is the 194th chapter of the manga it is also the first chapter of the Sauce of Ten Years Arc.

Ukyo finds out the sauce she has been aging turned out horrible. Ranma knows he's responsible for this and tries to fix it.

Failed Sauce
Ukyo opens the floorboard of her restaurant and takes out a sauce jar with a seal on it. After ten years of fermenting, her secret okonomiyaki sauce is finally ready. She samples the sauce with her pinkie and is stunned by the taste.

In school Ranma and Akane wonder about Ukyo's absence. The concerned couple head to Okonomiyaki Ucchan's to see if she's doing okay. When they arrive, they find the store closed and Ukyo resting in bed. She claims that she feels depressed because the sauce was a complete failure. Ukyo offers them a taste of her horrible concoction so they understand what she is going through and they quickly realize just how bad the sauce is.

Ukyo recounts her childhood where she borrowed her father's recipe for the secret sauce as young Ranma bounced around her for a taste. After sealing it perfectly she left it to ferment for 10 years and cannot remember where she went wrong. Ranma then nervously remembers his childhood where he found the hidden jar with Ukyo's sauce and opened it to have a little taste. His clumsy hands accidentally tipped the jar over and spilled the sauce, prompting him to frantically remake it from what he thought was put into it. The resulting concoction was the foul sauce that lay before them. Akane then attempts to cheer Ukyo by giving her some homemade soup, but Akane's horrible cooking makes the situation worse.

Hostile Hospitality
Soun is sympathetic to Ukyo's situation and offers his home for the time being. Ranma states that he will be taking care of her. Ukyo can't understand why he is being so kind, but Ranma can't bring himself to admit what he had done. With Ranma's help she moves in her belongings into the room amidst Akane's silent disapproval.

Outside, Akane questions why Ranma is being so nice all of a sudden. She suspects that he is hiding something but Ranma isn't saying much. He claims that he and Ukyo have been friends for a long time and such bond is not easy for her to understand. Akane cautiously accepts this explanation and ponders in her room.

Meanwhile, Ranma is in a bath thinking about a way to get out of the situation. As he prepares to leave, Ukyo suddenly comes in and offers to wash his back. He sinks back into the bath as she prepares the water. He tries to motion her to stop but Ukyo assures him that it's okay until Akane steps into the bath with a.

Ranma limps back with bumps on his head from Akane's rage to find Ukyo laying in his futon and beckoning him to join her. While Ukyo's intention is innocent and meant to relive their childhood days, Akane does not approve of this and hits Ranma with a mallet for wanting to sleep with Ukyo. As they're yelling at each other Soun chimes in and boots him out of the house for being unfaithful to Akane. Ukyo doesn't understand the drama outside and falls asleep contently while Ranma sits on the roof unable to come back in.

Cast in Order of Appearance

 * Ukyo Kuonji
 * Akane Tendo
 * Ranma Saotome (male)
 * Genma Saotome (panda)
 * Soun Tendo
 * Nabiki Tendo
 * Kasumi Tendo

Trivia

 * The chapter title page is actually two pages, with a large image of girl-Ranma on one side. Vol19Chapter4_full.png