Chapter 15 Hyotei Cultural Festival
Although Fengjian was dragged out of bed by Sister Ling before five o'clock, the heat still covered him like an airtight blanket in spring as soon as he left the air-conditioned room. The old man downstairs had already gotten up and was sitting at the door, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan and saying "Good morning" with a smile.
"What are you still dawdling about? Hurry up, the bus is about to leave!"
“Here it comes!”
She stuck her head out, answered, and then closed the door again with a snap. After lingering in the air-conditioned room for quite a while, Fengjian Siyue still sped up her hairdressing pace at Lingjie's urging.
"I must find time to cut my hair." Fengjian thought bitterly.
A fish-belly-white light lit up at the end of the street. The summer morning light was brighter than an alarm clock, and sporadic figures of people jogging could be seen on the sidewalk.
In the first rays of morning sunshine, the fully loaded van drove towards Tokyo.
The Ice Emperor's Cultural Festival arrived as scheduled with the early summer sun. The heat surged out from deep underground. The leaves on both sides of the road were wilted and drooped listlessly. The line for buying cold drinks stretched from the beginning to the end of the street.
"It's too hot, too hot..."
Taocheng slumped in the chair, his clothes shaking, a bitter look on his face.
The phone in his pocket burned like a small sun. Taocheng answered it and said, "Senior Gan, you said you saw Kazama at Hyotei... What? You were bullied by Hyotei's people? Wait a minute, I'll be right there."
The boy got on his bicycle and rushed across the long slope towards Hyotei Academy.
…
With the invitation letter that Atobe had given her before, Kazama entered Hyotei Academy unimpeded and came to booth number one.
"This is the best spot in the food court. President Atobe specifically ordered that this spot be reserved for you." A Hyotei student wearing the Hyotei Student Union badge on his shoulder led them to their destination and was about to leave. He was kept by the enthusiastic Sister Ling to have a bowl of green bean smoothie to cool down.
The entire food street was so long that it seemed as if there was no end in sight. It was packed with Hyotei students, as well as many students from other schools and people from the society.
The location chosen by Tezuka is indeed good, almost in the center of the flow of people. No matter whether they are new arrivals or those preparing to leave, they have to pass by their shop. Of course, it is also inseparable from Sister Ling's cool and eye-catching pan-flipping skills and the overbearing aroma of almond tofu.
Soon the shop was crowded with people. Feng Jian was busy stamping documents and handing out lunch boxes.
"Wow, it's the girl who talked to Atobe last time!" The boy's clear voice stood out from the noisy voice.
"Welcome, what would you like to eat? Our signature almond tofu, but we're out of seats right now. Expect a ten-minute wait. Do you need a stamp?"
After transforming into Ibu Shinji, Kazama muttered something, but the expected response did not come. Instead, the crowd of onlookers became agitated, and the girls' screams almost shattered her eardrums.
She looked up, and the boys stood out among the other students, all dressed in camel-colored uniforms, burgundy ties, and white shirts. They were the same people she'd met at the street tennis court last time, but Atobe Keigo wasn't there, and there was a serious-looking boy with a cap buttoned on.
"Well, Yushi, that's her, right?" The boy with short dark red hair on the far left was pointing at her and turned to talk to his partner.
"Yes, but Yueren, pointing at others is not a good habit." The lazy Kansai accent made it impossible to ignore it.
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Oshitari Yuushi stood aside, smiling apologetically at Kazama. She didn't really care about it, but the vague glances of the girls around her that were cast upon her and the boy made her feel ashamed.
It is said that Hyotei's tennis club cheerleading squad has over 200 members. In order to avoid being overwhelmed by them, it is better to keep some distance from the group in the tennis club.
Feng Jian lowered his head and continued to work, "Would you like something to eat? You'll have to wait ten minutes for a table."
"Is the signature dish almond tofu..." Oshitari muttered to himself, showing his signature smile, "Then I'd like a bowl, please."
"What about the others?"
"I want pudding cake."
"Today's main courses are only almond tofu, pan-fried buns, and sesame dumplings. The sesame dumplings have peanuts in them. There are many varieties of pan-fried buns, such as scallions, eggs, and sesame. Only five of them are sold out. You'll have to wait at least an hour to eat. Oh, but Sister Ling is frying a secret dish in the kitchen right now. If you want to eat, you only have to wait five minutes..."
Sister Ling poked her head out of the kitchen, shaking a wok, oil splattering on her apron. "April, you're calling out dishes like a machine gun. The customers are all confused by you!"
Feng Jian finished stamping the last piece without even looking up: "It's important to explain clearly so you don't order the wrong thing. Last time, someone mistook sesame dumplings for pan-fried buns..."
"Okay, okay, our April is the most attentive." Sister Ling smiled and threw an ice towel over. "Wipe your sweat off. You've been so busy that your nose is steaming."
Fengjian wiped the sweat off his face and turned around to see a group of people in front of him who were stunned.
"By the way, Kazama-san's lung capacity must be very poor." Ozuchi Yuushi laughed.
"It's just so-so," Sister Ling said. Modesty is a virtue, so Feng Jian waved his hand nonchalantly. "It's only about the level of carrying a bag of rice to the fifth floor."
"That's just..."
"Carrying a bag of rice..."
"Go up to the fifth floor!"
The boys' expressions were truly captivating, with Yuushi Oshitari muttering to himself, "No wonder Atobe gave her the VIP invitation. As expected of their Hyotei captain, her taste is unparalleled."
"By the way, what is this mysterious dish you were talking about?" the tall, white-haired boy who had been standing quietly behind the crowd suddenly asked.
"Since it's called a secret dish, it's all a secret until it's served, but I'm sure it won't disappoint."
Just as everyone was scratching their heads and preparing to rush into the kitchen, an unspeakable stench suddenly wafted out from inside. Not only the people sitting inside the store, but also the people outside the store retreated.
“What the hell is that smell!”
Oshitari Yuushi maintained a smile, but his fingertips secretly pinched his tie in front of his nose, thinking to himself: "If Atobe were here, he would probably have the logistics department dismantle the entire booth on the spot."
Xiangri Yueren jumped three meters away, covering his mouth and nose and yelling, "This is worse than Jilang's smelly socks";
Feng Jian stared at the dark mass on the plate, his nose twitching. The smell was very much like the stinky hairtail pickled in Sister Ling's hometown. Fresh from the jar, it would drive the neighbors away, but once steamed, it was so fragrant that you could eat three bowls of rice.
She threw a piece into her mouth. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The fermented sourness mixed with the spicy aroma of chili peppers exploded on the tip of her tongue. She couldn't help but squint her eyes: "Isn't it delicious?"
"Hyotei's Oshitari-kun, would you like to try a piece? It's delicious~~"
"Well, that..."
Yuushi Ozuki placed his hands on his chest, stepped back repeatedly, cold sweat broke out on his head, and the smile on his face could hardly be maintained. He never expected that the genius Hyotei who was so powerful on the court would be forced to have nowhere to escape by a small dish of food.
"Gakuto, don't you want to try new products?" Oshitari pushed his partner out without hesitation.
"That's too much! Yushi! I don't want to eat this!"
Mukai Taketo dove behind the group with a sudden, swift roll, causing the wooden table beside him to sway and the ten bowls of almond tofu on it to tip over. Fukama instinctively reached out to press on the edge of the table, his wrist exerting force to steady it, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
However, he still failed to stop the plate from slipping out of his hand, and watched it hit someone in the crowd on the head.
"No way..." Oshitari's surprised voice came from beside him.
"Shishido-senpai—"
.......
Without caring about the almond tofu that had not yet been baked, the members of the tennis club fled, dragging away the unconscious Shishido Ryo. Before leaving, Obusui Yuushi naturally did not forget his purpose. After all, he dared not disobey Atobe's orders.
When Momoshiro Kan and others heard that Kazama was being bullied in Hyotei and rushed to the scene, they only saw a circle of people lying on the ground. Kazama was not in the store, only a strange stench lingered for a long time.
"People from Hyotei don't pay attention to personal hygiene, meow" Kikumaru pinched his nose.
"Yeah, the smell is really unbearable."
"Hey, you're April's friends, right?" Sister Ling noticed the people standing by the door. "Would you like to try some freshly fried Chinese food? It's delicious."
Realizing that the mysterious smell came from the object in front of them, Qing Xue and the others retreated.
“No thanks!! Thank you!!”
He only adjusted his shining glasses, and the corners of his mouth curved into a strange arc.
It is said that even Atobe couldn't stand the smell and didn't even have time to attend the final cultural festival dance that day.
——
"One week left until the Kanto Tournament."
On the third day after I saw Senior Gan in the store, he came in with a bulging bag on his back and bowed to Sister Ling as soon as he entered the store: "Please give me another portion of the mysterious dish from that day, preferably with some soup."
Sister Ling packed it up with a smile: "Besides April, you're the only one who dares to want this thing."
Later, Katsuro secretly said that Gan-senpai mixed the cooking soup with the new Gan sauce, which doubled the potency.
It is said that even senior Lian Fuji took a sip and frowned, which was rare for him, and drank three bottles of mineral water.
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