Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 646 - 645: A Different Kind of Red Leaves Hunting

Chapter 646: Chapter 645: A Different Kind of Red Leaves Hunting

"Let’s go—"

Dojima Yin stood at the bus door, shouting at Xia Yu, who was hauling her suitcase. Zhu Qing also waved from the front seat, "Quit dawdling and get to the venue early. I want to really soak in the atmosphere and calm my nerves!"

Xia Yu, with her luggage in tow, boarded the bus and turned to wave to the lined-up security guards and maids at the villa’s entrance.

The suitcase was too large to fit in the overhead luggage rack, so she had to place it on the ground. Xia Yu’s eyes swept the bus and happened to meet Eriina’s gaze. With a slight smile, she chose to sit in the empty seat beside the girl.

Eriina was listening to music when she saw him sit down, and reflexively turned her head away.

"What song are you listening to?"

Feeling unusually relaxed before the contest, Xia Yu even had the "impertinence" to take off one of the girl’s trendy red earphones from her right ear and pop it into her own left ear. A pleasing female voice filled her ear, and she hummed along, her fingers tapping on her thigh:

"The breeze blows under the shining sun..."

"Morning sprites settle by the window..."

"After drinking that lukewarm soup, come on, start the day with a fresh shirt!"

It was a warm and motivating song. As she watched the carefree humming of the boy, Eriina’s pretty face tensed with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance at having her earphones hijacked and feeling the occasional bump and friction on her shoulder. But to the others, her changing expressions seemed more like a layer of tsundere defensiveness.

Zhu Qing crossed her legs, observing the two with great interest.

"Is this what youth is like?"

Haha.

She couldn’t help but laugh mockingly at her own comment. Hearing the laughter, Eriina’s face turned red and the small fists resting on her plaid skirt clenched and then relaxed.

...

Three buses drove toward Hokkaido Shrine Pavilion from different corners of Sapporo.

In the cold of winter morning, the air was frosty. Yet be it TV, live internet streams, radio broadcasts, or various other channels delivering sound and image, all locked their focus on the Sapporo event’s finale due to start at 11 a.m. An intense wave of excitement had seemingly made the cold irrelevant.

The scene switches to Tokyo.

Xia’s Shopping Street.

"Ding-dong!"

The shop’s entrance bell rang as a group of Far Moon alumni arrived in a team and headed straight upstairs. Sure enough, Shigong Xiaoci Lang was already sitting at the bar. Shino’s waiters and chefs were also scattered about, their eyes glued to the large TV screen broadcasting live.

Xia’s Main Store.

The Yuchuan Sisters had turned on the TV, and Morioka’s parents also came over, sitting in the shop. Yuchuan Meisha handed them hot tea. The glossy, almost forgotten Hua Mao sat up on a wooden stool, its amber eyes reflecting the television on the wall.

Far Moon Campus.

Coincidentally, today was the day of Far Moon’s new "Red Leaf Hunting Festival." In reality, the festival served as an autumn platform for top students to mingle and interact with the current Ten Masters of Far Moon.

After a new round of "field study" eliminations, only 295 first-year students remained. Representing this elite group, Sen Tian Makoto led the notable achievers from the autumn selection, seated on a mountainside platform surrounded by maple trees. Soon, all active Ten Masters of Far Moon would arrive, except for the tenth, Tiqie Helinai.

"Quick, quick—"

The second seat, Kobayakawa Ryodan, called over the towering Saito Sohmei and Nakamuki Fuyosuke. Together, they moved a massive LCD TV and placed it on the platform of the meeting area.

Obviously pre-arranged by the Ten Masters, there were electrical cords and a TV box to catch the signal. The opulent Far Moon campus had complete Wi-Fi coverage, allowing for smooth online streaming of the competition even in the mountains.

"Uh!"

Xingping Chuangzhen was full of fighting spirit, ready to issue a challenge to one of the Ten Masters, but as soon as the TV lit up and the picture appeared, he was captivated. The others also sat up straight.

"Hmph! To think we have to watch the live broadcast out in the mountains!"

Koga Shoji, far from comfortable, switched his sitting position, looking quite displeased. "If it weren’t for the fact that we can watch the finals out here, I’d say cancel this year’s Red Leaf Hunting Festival! If you ask me, they might as well scrap this event after this year, and cancel it next year!"

Nikunokuni Ningning, seat number six, interjected, "But this is an event planned and decided by the General..."

"Can you not interrupt me whenever you like!"

"Enough!"

The ninth seat, Rui Shan Zhi Jin Ye, had a vein popping on his forehead, "If you want to make a scene, at least wait until after the finals are over, then do whatever you want!"

"Right, watch quietly!"

"Let’s enjoy some tea first!"

Ichise Hui, Kobayakawa Ryodan, and others said with grinning faces.

On the side of the first-year students.

Tiqie Ailisha looked at the empty stool in the middle, pouted her mouth, and showed a face full of grievance.

"Grandfather went to the Sapporo site without taking me! Damn it! It must have been Eriina who sabotaged me..." Ailisha was very aggrieved; beside her, Heimuzhang Liang and Niho Fuyuka watched the TV, hearing the grumbling but not even blinking, as if they heard nothing.

Ding!

Suddenly, the live broadcast switched from outside interviews to the overcrowded inner field. The mountain platform of the "Red Leaf Hunting Festival" instantly fell silent, even Ailisha, who had been murmuring complaints a moment ago, straightened her pale neck and stared intently at the TV.

"Everyone—"

"Good morning!"

The female host greeted.

Screams were heard, seemingly shaking down quite a few red leaves.

Faces flashed by, and the camera swept over the guest seats when faces familiar from the pages of newspapers and magazines, towering figures, politicians, and professional chefs, made the gathered elite students from Far Moon acutely aware of how terrifying the lineup of spectators for this final was.

"Such a stage, it’s simply exhilarating! Ahh, I can’t control myself anymore!"

Xingping Chuangzhen whispered excitedly, his face flushing red.

The spotlight cast onto the stage, the three cooking stations, where staff bustled in between, bringing in brand-new equipment, showing that everything was ready for the finals.

"Let’s introduce the important guests first!"

The female host directed the camera, "First, we welcome the Far Moon Commander Tiqie Xianzuowen to the scene!"

Cheers erupted.

Next, the camera focused on a person next to Tiqie Xianzuowen, a silver-haired old man wearing a white robe and seeming like a senior doctor.

"This person is..."

Clack!

Everyone on site stood up, and from Far Moon, Chief Si Yingshi spoke with a tone full of shock, "He, he is the ’Scalpel’ from the IGO headquarters, Wise Man Karl, a top Dragon Chef!"

Lei Zhe, Sta, Desani, Andrea, these ’Culinary Council’ giants from the Lin faction, were gathered in a corner of the guest seats, their expressions solemn.

"Karl himself has actually come!"

The words carried admiration but also a thick sense of wariness and fear.

"The third guest..."

At that moment, the camera shifted again to a heavy-weight guest dressed in black, with still jet-black hair and vivid eyes.

"This one, is the Chinese Cuisine World’s Chef Yan Qi!"

The exclamations were much quieter, the vast majority of people were clueless, unable to match this face to any information they had.

Yet anyone who knew of the Yan family, who knew of the Chinese Dark Cooking World, was stunned and petrified.

Backstage at the venue.

Zhu Qing said resolutely, "The Dark World leader, East Crossing, personally came to Japan to watch the competition?!"

"The Dark World leader?"

Hearing this, Xia Yu’s mind went blank.