Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 388 - 387: The Guardian Deity (Part 1)

Chapter 388: Chapter 387: The Guardian Deity (Part 1)

Sumida River is a river.

The famous Sumida River Fireworks Festival is actually held on the riverbank, typically with two venues.

Xia Yu, Morioka Makoto, Tiqie Helinai, and Niho Hizaki didn’t need to rush to Ueno Station to catch a train since they had a car; otherwise, changing to the Ginza Line at Ueno Station at this time would be like a scene from a zombie siege, needing staff to push hard from behind, probably the only way to squeeze onto an overcrowded train.

However, as it attracted nearly a million people, this super-sized midsummer festival caused Niho Hizaki’s drive to Original Asakusa 1-chome to encounter constant streams of people, making the driving rather difficult.

White Seagull High School was located in this 1-chome area.

Passing White Seagull High School and continuing to drive towards Sumida River for ten minutes, the group finally parked the car in a building’s parking lot and abandoned the car to walk on the streets outside.

Ahead, a bridge crossing the river was densely packed with people, making it nearly impossible for vehicles to move through the crowd.

"We’re coming up to Stable Bridge!" Morioka Makoto said to Eriina, "Upstream from Stable Bridge is the second venue for the fireworks!"

Niho Hizaki, acting like a female bodyguard, closely followed the "Divine Tongue," shielding Eriina whenever someone pushed forward, with both loyalty and capability at max value.

Eriina, evidently not having much experience attending such large gatherings, was quite nervous, and Xia Yu could see her tightly clutching a small pouch in her palms.

But amidst her nerves, the young lady was full of curiosity and excitement, her cheeks flushed red from the lights of the street shops, occasionally turning her head to look at the shops along the street.

At this annual rare gathering of a million people, shops naturally set up stalls at the doors, and street food was everywhere, such as the commonly seen octopus balls, with the air filled with the scent of octopus and bonito flakes even causing Xia Yu to secretly swallow saliva.

There were some unusual snacks, like whole pickled cucumbers soaked in ice water for 200 yen each—Xia Yu could imagine the sour taste filling his mouth, coupled with the icy freshness.

The sourness combined with the ice was entirely refreshing, completely relieving the heat of summer—it was incredibly exhilarating.

These small roadside snacks should not be underestimated, as they showcased the intelligence of the cook.

At that moment, police maintaining order on the road started blowing their whistles.

The crowd was immediately herded to both sides as a parade of vehicles passed through. An elderly man with white hair, wearing strange attire and a headband that read "Sumida River Chef Association" on it, spoke into a megaphone to the crowd in a rapid-fire manner.

Tiqie Eriina and Niho Hizaki stopped and perked up their ears to listen.

Xia Yu and Morioka Makoto exchanged smiles.

"The Sumida River Chef Association’s annual gourmet awards are going on as usual!" Morioka Makoto pursed her lips.

"Yes!" Xia Yu shrugged.

The Sumida River Gourmet Awards were essentially a competition among restaurants, with the real ace restaurant being determined that night. The criteria for the competition were the voting tickets given to customers when they purchased food from the restaurants. If the food could easily capture the customers’ hearts, the restaurant naturally wouldn’t have to worry about votes.

In the end, the winning restaurant would receive support from the Sumida River Chef Association. Being the ace restaurant was not just a title—it carried substantial value, and over the years, the winning restaurants would see their business figures double in the following year.

The group continued walking, squeezed in the crowd.

They didn’t cross Stable Bridge, but walked along the embankment of Sumida River beside the bridge, which was well-landscaped.

Nearly half an hour later, they reached near Sumida Park.

The congestion worsened, with the famous tourist spot, Asakusa Temple nearby. The sound of Japanese conversations in the crowd gradually decreased, occasionally replaced by Mandarin, Korean, and English from the many tourists.

Xia Yu walked ahead of the three girls, arms crossed, maintaining a steady pace as he simply shifted his shoulders when people crowded him; whether intentional or not, those who pressed towards him were repelled by an unstoppable force. That was the benefit of martial arts practice, and Xia Yu practiced a style that involved leveraging the opponent’s force.

"Yu, let’s stop and rest for a bit!" Morioka Makoto called out.

"Alright!"

Xia Yu glanced around, noting even more tiny sparrow shops crowded around Asakusa Temple. He found a deserted street corner, with Makki, Eriina, and Hizaki trailing behind him.

Stopping and turning around, he saw the three girls were already dripping with sweat.

"Wait, I’ll go get you some cold drinks and snacks!"

As the only male in the group, Xia Yu knew his duty, and he left after dropping that line.

The lines were just too long.

Moreover, at the bustling food stalls, the quality of food wasn’t necessarily good. Xia Yu, searching around, unexpectedly entered a narrow alley. Here, there were a few izakayas which had also set up outdoor stalls to attract the crowd watching the fireworks festival.

"Bang!"

At this moment, a young man about Xia Yu’s age, wearing shorts and a T-shirt, casually placed a box full of beverages chilling in ice water next to the stall.

Seeing Xia Yu stop in front of his stall and wearing a mystical fox mask, the young man looked up and immediately flashed a refreshing smile, "What can I get for you?"

"I’ll have a look."

Xia Yu said casually, and the young man was momentarily stunned, recognizing from the voice that this customer was unexpectedly young and his tone oddly familiar.

He couldn’t help but take a few more looks at Xia Yu.

Xia Yu didn’t pay him any attention and squatted down to pick a drink, muttering to himself.

"Hmm, Makki likes green tea... What about Secretary and that tsundere? Might as well just buy green tea for everyone—I guess nobody dislikes it!"

For convenience, Xia Yu picked up three bottles of green tea and placed them on the small table by the stall, then looked at the food on the table.

Unexpectedly, it was quite a spread.

There were takeaway sushi in disposable boxes, and boxes of takoyaki.

Onigiri, skewers, pickled cucumbers, and others were also available.

"Let’s give it a try!"

Xia Yu handed a coin to the young man, picked up a box of mini takoyaki, and popped one into his mouth using the provided plastic fork. The more he chewed, the more pleasantly surprised he became, "Not bad!"

"The octopus is really fresh! The batter is crispy yet chewy. Hmm, using minced meat, konjac, wheat flour—quite traditional methods. And the soy sauce, tomato sauce topping must be a secret recipe..."

Hearing this, the young stall owner was slightly astonished but didn’t make much of it.

In this world that appreciates good food, it wasn’t strange for passersby to boast decent culinary critique.

Unexpectedly, Xia Yu took the box of mini octopus balls and turned to leave, not even taking the three bottles of green tea. Just as the young man was about to put the beverages back in the ice bucket, mixed footsteps came from the direction of the road.

Looking up, it was the young customer returning with three sweet and cute girls following him.

"Come in and have a seat."

Xia Yu told Makki and the others, "The food here is good! Personally verified by me!"

Makki pursed her lips and smiled, leading Eriina and Hizaki inside.

The storefront was empty, no other customers; Xia Yu was about to enter when he suddenly retracted his right foot mid-step as if he sensed something, and reflexively turned his head towards the dark part of the alley, eyes full of alert.

The young shop manager was startled.

"It’s okay, I saw a friend. You take good care of them," Xia Yu pointed towards the three women chatting inside and then turned to step into the darkness.

"Strange guy."

The young shop manager shook his head, then filled with enthusiasm, "But he’s right, I have to serve every customer well, make them satisfied! Uesugi Izakaya can’t fall into decline while I’m in charge!"