Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 120: New Guest

Chapter 120: Chapter 120: New Guest

Time gradually approached evening.

As six o’clock neared, Xia’s shop was full to capacity.

"Sister Xue, is this the place?"

Inside the restaurant, two tables for four were pushed together, seating a group of eight young men and women, among whom were regulars of Xia’s shop, Shuigu Jun and Ren Xue.

The past few days also marked the start of the semester at Tokyo University, and as a senior, Ren Xue had welcomed a batch of international students from her homeland. Today, someone suggested dining out, and Ren Xue, pushing aside all other suggestions, led everyone to Xia’s shop.

"The ambiance is pretty good!"

Notably, among the group of international students was a sweet-faced girl holding a selfie stick, wearing headphones with a mic, sitting in a corner of the table as if talking to herself.

However, standing behind her, one wouldn’t find it hard to discover she was actually live streaming from her phone, and her popularity wasn’t too shabby, too. Although there were just over thirty thousand viewers, the barrage of comments was explosive, suggesting a large group of real-time viewers beneath the inflated data.

"Let me tell you..."

Ren Xue had the air of a big sister among the group, "Don’t think about Kyoto’s Japanese cuisine or Ginza’s upscale Western food. This place’s Chinese cuisine might be expensive, but the flavors are even more authentic than back home!"

Apart from Shuigu Jun, who was wearing a mask, the group of students newly arrived in Neon were all somewhat skeptical.

"Senior, is this place run by Neon people or by our own?" the sweet-faced livestreamer raised her hand to ask. Everyone called her Xuanxuan, and the comments referred to her using the same name.

"Of course, by our own!" Ren Xue said, winked mysteriously, "You guys definitely can’t guess what the chef looks like. I was shocked for several days when I found out the truth!"

The group of international students were instantly intrigued.

"Let’s order first—"

Ren Xue gestured grandly, "Remember, we agreed on going Dutch, okay? The menu is on the wall, take a look!"

She pointed toward the wall where the menu was hung, and everyone turned to look, visibly surprised.

"Let’s check out the menu!"

The livestreamer Xuanxuan adjusted the focus of her phone’s camera and fixed the live stream’s view on the wall-mounted menu, causing the viewers to burst into reaction.

"Oh my God, these prices!!"

"Cantonese cuisine—garlic sauce lettuce 2500 yen, steamed garoupa 4000 yen, and the third special dish? What the heck is Dinghu Shangsu, and it’s 5000 yen!"

"Su Cuisine—Jinling dishes 2500 yen, steamed crab meat meatballs 3500 yen, and the third special dish, Yang Fang Cang Fish? 5000 yen!"

The third type of cuisine was Sichuan cuisine, also featuring one vegetarian dish and two meat dishes, ranging from 2500 yen to the special dishes at 5000 yen.

"That’s too expensive!"

Livestreamer Xuanxuan was shocked, involuntarily covering her mouth, her mind beginning to calculate the cost.

Although she hadn’t been in Neon for many days, dining out during this time had given Xuanxuan a rough idea of Tokyo’s cost of living.

Visiting a modest ramen shop off the beaten path, one could have a full meal for 500 or 600 yen. Opt for something a bit nicer, and around 1000 yen would be sufficient for a hearty set meal.

Doing the math, the cost of one dish was equivalent to two to three days of food expenses. Urged on by comments decrying the place as a rip-off, Xuanxuan suddenly felt an urge to walk out.

"Eh, there are nine dishes we can order?"

Ren Xue was pleasantly surprised, her joy evident in her voice, causing a look of puzzlement among the group of international students.

"Sister Xue, should we maybe go somewhere else?" the female live streamer Xuanxuan whispered to Ren Xue, "Look, there are eight of us. We’d have to order everything on the menu to get full. Just think about it, ordering the whole menu would definitely cost over thirty thousand yen, which is around two thousand yuan. If we split the bill AA style, each of us would have to pay over two hundred yuan! That’s too expensive!"

Ren Xue ignored her junior’s advice, her gaze fixed on the menu on the wall.

"Cantonese cuisine, Su Cuisine, and Sichuan cuisine have all added a third special dish. They may be a bit pricey, but I trust his culinary skills are worth it!" Ren Xue mumbled to herself.

"We’ll eat here. Trust me!" she said as she turned back to the group of juniors, who looked hesitant. Immediately, she patted her chest and promised, "If you’re not satisfied, I’ll pick up the tab, and you all won’t have to pay a dime!"

"Well, then we’ll just have to trust Sister Xue’s integrity."

The female live streamer Xuanxuan laughed, taking the lead.

Ren Xue left her seat to order food.

At that moment, a barrage of comments suddenly urged Xuanxuan to point the camera inside the shop. It turned out that the side door had opened, and three high school girls in uniform stood there. A male high school student also in uniform was waiting at the staircase to greet them and lead the three girls upstairs.

Admittedly, the three high school girls were very striking, so it was no wonder that the audience in the livestream took notice of them.

The one leading the group, a tall high school girl with long black hair and black tights, exuded the air of a literary girl. The other two, one with blonde twin tails and another who seemed more reserved and quiet.

Ren Xue placed the slip of paper filled with their order on the bar counter. Although Xia’s Shop was full of diners, everyone was orderly and queued up to place their orders spontaneously.

"Sister Xue, are there any private rooms upstairs?" Xuanxuan asked.

"Private rooms?" Ren Xue was taken aback, then shook her head, "Upstairs are living quarters, that’s all the space we have."

"Really? I wanted to interview those cute girls who just went upstairs..." Xuanxuan expressed her regret.

Bang!

All of a sudden, from the direction of the kitchen, a high school boy who appeared to be a waiter brought out a large tray and served a customer seated at the bar two small dishes, a bowl of hot rice, and a complimentary bowl of miso soup.

"Please enjoy—"

The demeanor of the high school boy was beyond reproach. The young male customer scratched his head and smiled, "Thanks."

"Xuanxuan, focus the camera on that handsome guy!"

"He’s such a cool dude!"

More comments popped up on Xuanxuan’s phone. She, too, seemed to be drawn to the high school boy and a tinge of red appeared on her cheeks. It took her a few seconds to snap out of it, and then she covertly adjusted the camera angle to capture the scene.

Naturally, the male high school student was Sakamoto.

Both Sakamoto and An Yilun had stayed in Xia’s Shop since An Yilun had his own gathering to attend, and Xia Yu didn’t want to inconvenience him. So, he could only ask for Boss Sakamoto’s help. An hour earlier, in response to his request, Sakamoto had casually said, "Leave it to me—"

In the kitchen.

School had started at Far Moon, so the only kitchen helper, Hozoi Midori, had gone to Far Moon. Therefore, Xia Yu was now working alone in the kitchen.

However, compared to when he first took over the shop, Xia Yu was now quite relaxed. The specially modified kitchen with three high-powered stoves was cranked up with full flames: one pot was full of hot oil for frying, another was dedicated for stir-frying, and the third was for boiling.

Behind him was a vibrant red charcoal grill for cooking certain special dishes that required charcoal roasting. The guests waiting outside to dine probably had no idea that the chef working the kitchen with such multitasking ease was not feeling any pressure at all. In fact, he was in a great mood, humming a pop tune while he cooked.

"Sakamoto, table 4’s three dishes are ready. Serve them, please."

With a flick of his wok spatula, Xia Yu deftly arranged the dishes on the plates and called out to the waiting temporary waiter.