Izakayas are packed with people as office workers get off work. While waiting for their food to arrive, you'll often see employees drinking and chatting after work. Even before their food arrives, their drinks are gone amidst complaints, their expressions and expressions filled with complaints about exploitation by their superiors and unpleasant interactions with their colleagues.
Sitting in the corner, Fujiwara Yuu enjoyed the ordinary time after work, chatting and laughing with others. He preferred to be an observer or listener, just like the days off he got after completing his mission in the United States. He would habitually sit in a coffee shop and practice sketching, depicting the appearance of passers-by and outlining their emotions, whether happy, sad or irritable.
At this moment, he was just a listener, occasionally agreeing with a few words, listening to his boss in front of him talk about the unhappy things in the process of handling the case without drinking.
Fujiwara Yu picked up the iced lemon tea in front of him, took a sip and frowned. The slight change in his expression showed his dissatisfaction. He had very high requirements for the taste and flavor of lemon tea. This one, which was obviously mixed with inferior tea powder, tasted really ordinary.
"There was a case at the beginning of the year that was supposed to be closed to everyone's satisfaction. However, the murderer's relatives, as if they had been kicked in the head by a donkey, actually paraded in the streets to force the victim's family to forgive them. Do you think this is something human beings would do?!" When Otaki Goro mentioned this incident, the veins on his forehead bulged with anger. If the oolong tea hadn't been cold enough, he wouldn't have been able to suppress his anger.
"As police officers, they have every reason to detain them for forcing protesters to protest."
"Of course! After the parade, these people thought they could avoid being caught by wearing masks and imitating robbers. They smashed the victim's family's car with stones, sent threatening letters, and rushed to people's homes. Our police acted quickly and arrested them all. They are all in jail."
Fujiwara Yu raised an eyebrow but didn't answer. He silently calculated the laws and regulations these people had violated. Just the two crimes of damaging property and illegally breaking into a house would take them a while to get out of jail.
But they deserved it, and there was nothing to worry about.
Otaki Goro wanted to talk more, but the waiter had already come forward with a tray of food. In order to enjoy the food properly, he had to remind him before being forced to turn off the "microphone":
"Takashi, try the octopus feet first. They're really appetizing."
"OK."
The octopus feet are served in a navy blue shell-shaped container and cut into bite-sized pieces. The chopped green onions mixed with yuzu vinegar are spread on top of the octopus feet with an oily texture, like a grass-green blanket woven for the octopus.
Fujiwara Yu picked up the bamboo shoots on the baking tray, picked up the octopus feet and put some green onions in them, which were not for decoration. The fragrance of yuzu vinegar aroused his appetite before he put it into his mouth. It was so delicious that he thought it tasted good before he even tasted it.
The elastic octopus legs bounce back and forth between the teeth. The more you chew, the more you can smell the special aroma of grilling on the iron plate. The Japanese-style yuzu vinegar has a moderate acidity and a soft taste that can lock in the original taste of the octopus. The fragrance of yuzu is even more unique.
The scallions also play their own role in the process of chewing. They are not as spicy as other onions. They are characterized by a soft texture and a refreshing taste. When mixed with grapefruit vinegar, they achieve the finishing touch, allowing people to easily finish this dish without feeling any burden.
The successful awakening of his taste buds also made Fujiwara Yu feel comfortable. The first dish brought a surprise. As the signature Hiroshima yaki that every table would order, it was definitely not bad.
Otaki Goro was always observing Takagi Sosuke's reactions while eating. He found that at first glance, the boy always had a poker face, but upon closer inspection, he could find that he had many subtle expressions. For example, after enjoying a delicious meal, his eyebrows would twitch upwards slightly, and his beautiful ultramarine eyes would become clearer and brighter than before.
He looked at Ying Si, who had already put three or four pieces of octopus feet into his mouth, and asked with interest:
"How is it? Doesn't this shop taste good?"
"Mm, it's unexpectedly delicious."
"Try this fried red leaves first. The best food should be saved for last. Besides, it's too hot to eat now, which is not good for your intestines."
Upon hearing this, Fujiwara Yu couldn't help but look down at the ordinary-looking fried red leaves on the porcelain plate. He really didn't understand why they had to use leaves to make tempura when there were so many other ingredients. What's more important is... the price was not cheap.
He didn't taste it with high expectations, but the crispy fried food tasted quite good after taking a bite, which proved the second half of the saying "everything can be fried": fried food is delicious.
"Maple leaves are actually tasteless. Their saltiness comes from pickling. During the Meiji era, agriculture and animal husbandry were very underdeveloped in Japan, and people were starving, so they came up with this method to fill their stomachs. The reason they're expensive is that processing the leaves is cumbersome and time-consuming, so they can't be considered delicious. It's just a way to reminisce about the past."
"So there's such a story behind the explosion of red leaves?"
“Every dish has a story behind it, just like the people who eat it have their own stories.”
After hearing Otaki Goro's explanation, Fujiwara Yu finally understood why he'd ordered this delicacy—perhaps it was part of Osaka culture. He wasn't particularly interested in the fried maple leaves, so after a quick taste, he turned his attention to the final dish, the highlight of the day—Hiroshima Oyaki.
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He picked up the small iron shovel in front of him and evenly divided the Hiroshima yaki into eight equal parts. After making sure that they were all the same size, his face was filled with a vague sense of satisfaction. This satisfaction came from the delicious food in front of him, and also from the comfort of his obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The combination of steaming noodles and thin buckwheat noodles is a collision of staple foods. The satisfaction brought by carbohydrates can make people excited, and the secret sauce with a constant combination of salty and sweet and mayonnaise is just the right taste.
The surface is so delicious, and the filling is so rich in ingredients that it has a strong sense of layering.
The pork belly is fried on the iron plate until both sides are golden brown and crispy. The shredded cabbage and bean sprouts remain crispy even under high temperature. The firm texture of the black tiger prawns even makes you feel that they were full of energy in life. The smooth fried egg is a perfect match with it.
The layers of deliciousness of Hiroshima yaki make people feel that the small iron spatula in their hands is not big enough, and they can't achieve the feeling of the taste buds galloping on the battlefield and killing all enemies in the army of food.
Otaki Goro was in a good mood when he saw that the dishes he chose were liked by Takashi Sosuke. He fished out his phone from his pocket, checked the time, and asked:
"Takashi, are you living with relatives in Osaka now, or are you renting an apartment?"
"No, I plan to find a hotel near the headquarters."
"What did you say?!"
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