Big eater, group photo, and yielding.
The food competition at the fireworks display was jointly organized by a nearby food street, with the aim of using the fireworks display as an opportunity to promote the shops and attract customers.
The organizers specially invited Yuta Kuriko, a famous competitive eater, to compete in the competition, which immediately attracted a large number of onlookers who came after hearing the news.
Seeing the crowd packed three or four deep at the competition venue, Tsurumi Kawakawa and his friends squeezed their way in and found the staff in charge of registration. After filling out the registration information, Tsurumi Kawakawa was led onto the field by the staff, while Nakahara Chuuya and Dazai Osamu took the opportunity to push their way to the front of the crowd.
Seeing Chuuya Nakahara and Osamu Dazai at the very front of the stage, Tsurumi Kawaru waved to them with sparkling eyes.
The competitive eating contest, which leaned towards entertainment, ended up with about twenty participants, who sat in a semi-circle facing the audience. Tsurumi Nagaru was assigned to the right side, and the second person to his left was the other competitive eater, Yuda Kuriko.
After the host introduced the rules and competition format, staff members brought out a variety of food items. Because it was a competitive eating contest organized by the food street, the food was not limited to a single type, and the portions were quite large.
Tsurumi Kawaru looked at the large portion of curry rice, fried chicken, takoyaki, and taiyaki in front of him... He swallowed involuntarily. The table was full of food, and Tsurumi Kawaru, sitting behind the table, looked rather small, especially with his very serious expression and wide, golden eyes that shone brightly in the light.
With his still slightly chubby cheeks, he looked very well-behaved.
After the timer started, the twenty-two contestants began to eat.
Tsurumi Kawakami didn't move immediately. His gaze lingered on the fragrant fried chicken and the red bean-flavored taiyaki on the table. After thinking for a few seconds, he reached out and touched the taiyaki, which was about the length of his forearm.
Unlike other players who eat regularly and carefully plan their meals to win the game, Tsurumi Kawakuri eats in the order he likes, and he doesn't rush. He seems to be enjoying his food, carefully tasting each dish in front of him.
Despite his slow pace, he eats just as fast as the others.
At the ten-minute mark, two of the twenty-two contestants had already given up. Of the remaining eighteen, six were already struggling to swallow.
As time went by, only five players remained on the field.
Tsurumi Kawaru had only one serving of takoyaki left in front of him; he had a habit of saving the best food for last. Just as he picked up the takoyaki to savor it, he caught a glimpse of Nakahara Chuuya pointing at his watch and gesturing to the gluttonous Yuda Kuriko next to him.
Tsurumi Kawaru chewed on a takoyaki ball and followed his gaze to his left. Across an empty seat, he saw that his most competitive opponent in this match had already finished his last dish.
Immediately, Tsurumi Kawakami's eyes widened as he realized what was happening, then he looked away and buried his head in his rice—takoyaki.
Swallowing the last bite of food, he quickly tapped the timer on the corner of the table.
A crisp ringing bell signaled the end of the match.
Without giving any acceptance speech, Tsurumi Kawakami, after receiving his prize—a free meal voucher—couldn't wait to go down to the stage and share it with Nakahara Chuuya and Dazai Osamu.
The speed was so fast that Yuda Kuriko, who originally wanted to get to know him, was stunned for a few seconds.
Tsurumi Kawaru showed the free coupon to Chuuya and Dazai, excitedly saying, "The free coupon is only valid for one week, so let's go out for a big meal in a few days!"
Chuuya Nakahara peeked out a few times and, sure enough, saw the expiration date in the bottom right corner of the coupon. He looked away and was about to say something when he saw Tsurumi Kawaru suddenly run towards a taiyaki shop.
Tsurumi Kawaru handed each of them a taiyaki, saying expectantly, "I thought it was delicious when I ate it earlier. The red bean filling inside is sweet and chewy, so I wanted you to try it too."
Chuuya Nakahara paused, then awkwardly reached out to take the taiyaki. It was still warm from the pan, and its sweet aroma filled the air. He lowered his head and took a bite of the tail, tasting the sweet red bean filling.
Dazai Osamu glanced at him, casually broke the taiyaki in half, took only the tail, and then waved his hand, saying, "This is enough for me, you can eat the rest yourself."
Hearing his words, a hint of emotion flashed in Tsurumi Kawakami's eyes, and he grinned foolishly, "Thank you, Dazai!"
Chuuya Nakahara, with a bite into the fish's belly, gave them a strange look.
While eating taiyaki, Tsurumi Kawakami held the top half, which had the most filling, and took a bite of the sweet red bean paste. He ate with a satisfied expression, then turned to them and asked, "How was it? Wasn't it just as delicious as I said?"
Dazai Osamu nodded indifferently, clearly not very interested in taiyaki.
After finishing the entire taiyaki, Chuuya Nakahara felt a bit cloyingly sweet in his mouth. However, after gazing into Tsurumi Ryu's bright and expectant eyes, he savored the moment and finally nodded.
The food received unanimous praise, and Tsurumi Kawakami became even more enthusiastic about sharing it, so he took them out for a bowl of takoyaki.
After a few attempts, Chuuya Nakahara was the first to call a halt. At that moment, he was holding a serving of fried chicken and oden in his right hand, and a bag of konpeito in his left.
“I’m full. Let’s find a place to sit and watch the fireworks for a while, then go back.” Chuuya Nakahara, looking rather miserable, gave Dazai Osamu a look. “What do you think, Dazai?”
Upon seeing Chuuya Nakahara's distress signal, Osamu Dazai's lips curled into a smile, a hint of pleasure flashing in his eyes. He shifted his gaze and casually said, "I think it's alright—"
Chuuya Nakahara's expression immediately changed. He glared at him angrily and elbowed him, interrupting his unfinished words.
Tsurumi patted his full stomach and did not refuse Chuuya's suggestion.
After finding a bench to sit on, Tsurumi Kawaru watched the fireworks explode in the distance and suddenly took out his phone, asking Dazai to take a picture. He walked to the bench, found a suitable angle, took a solo photo, and then pulled Chuuya along for a group photo.
After taking several group photos, Tsurumi Nagaru wanted a three-person group photo, so he looked around with his phone, trying to find someone to help him.
Just then, a figure standing in front of a streetlamp, backlit, came into his view. Tsurumi Kawakami said something to Dazai and Chuuya, then ran forward with his phone in hand.
"Could you please—" Upon seeing the person in front of him, Tsurumi Kawaru exclaimed with delight, "Eh, Randou, you're here to watch the fireworks too?"
Rando looked at Tsurumi Kawaru, who was looking up at him with a surprised expression, and his complicated feelings were slightly adjusted.
Even at the end of July, he was still wearing a black coat because he was afraid of the cold, and his long black hair was casually draped over his shoulders, which was out of place in the warm Yokohama.
Rando nodded slightly and then agreed to Tsurumi Kawaru's request to take a picture.
When he brought Rando back, Chuuya Nakahara, who was getting a little impatient, looked up and saw Rando behind him. A hint of surprise flashed in his azure eyes.
Tsurumi Kawakami waved to them, saying happily, "Rando is here to see the fireworks too, and he agreed to take pictures for us!"
Dazai Osamu sat on the bench, and upon hearing this, he looked up at the other person, resting his chin on his hand and glancing between him and Chuuya.
The photo shoot went very smoothly. Looking at the freshly taken group photo of the three of them, Tsurumi Kawaru happily thanked Randou and gave him a portion of the oden he had bought as a thank-you gift.
Rando thanked him while carrying the oden, then looked past Tsurumi Kawaru towards Nakahara Chuuya, who had ochre hair. He pursed his lips, and his eyes suddenly became firm.
He said in a deep voice, "I'd like to talk to you again about Arahabaki, is that alright, Chuuya?"
Upon hearing his words, not only was Chuuya Nakahara stunned, but Tsurumi Ryuu also paused for a second before turning to look at Chuuya.
Chuuya Nakahara's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a serious expression. He nodded to Tsurumi Ryu, then walked towards Randou, the two of them heading to a secluded corner.
A tense silence spread between the two. Chuuya Nakahara had his hands in his pockets, head down, his toes grinding against a pebble, his lips pursed and his jaw clenched.
Lan Tang looked at him with a very complicated expression. After a half-minute silence, he spoke: "Do you remember things from your childhood?"
The two had kept their previous interactions secret. Before this, Rando only knew that he was searching for his origins. Because their investigations overlapped in part with the explosion in Yokohama seven years ago, Rando had not asked Nakahara Chuuya about some key information.
Chuuya Nakahara paused, then looked up and stared directly at Randou, saying, "I remember very little about that explosion."
Sensing a hint of wariness in his expression, Lantang took a deep breath and said bluntly to him, "I know you are Huangbatu."
Chuuya Nakahara tensed up and took a step back: "You—"
Lan Tang glanced at him with some annoyance, then forced himself to calm down and said expressionlessly, "Back then, as an intelligence agent, I secretly infiltrated the Yokohama military's supernatural ability base and brought out a supernatural ability test subject. Because of the test subject's fate, Verlaine and I had a dispute. Later, in order to take the test subject away, I read its consciousness, which led to the explosion."
Upon seeing the secret document on the office desk, Lantang regained his memory and recalled the events of seven years ago.
His feelings for Chuuya Nakahara were complex; he had even considered killing him and taking him back, but then he thought about their previous meetings and conversations. Rando suddenly hesitated. He recalled his argument with his partner Verlaine seven years ago and began to doubt whether he had made a mistake.
Moreover, his partner Verlaine may have died in that explosion.
With this in mind, Rando decided to meet with Chuuya.
After Nakahara Chuuya finished speaking those words, his brain completely shut down.
He stared blankly at Lantang, trying to process the meaning of those words. Finally, somewhat dazed, he murmured, "So, the big hand that pulled me out in my earliest memory was you..."
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