Chapter 291: The Complex Relationships Between Tourists!
Complex Building, Second Floor Kitchen—
"Hey, Ryohei-kun."
"What is it?"
"What kind of noodles are Knocked Fish Noodles? Do you knock the fish out and then cook the noodles?"
(´･ω･`)?
The cuffs of her kimono were rolled up, revealing two snow-white, lotus-root-like arms. Yusa stood before the stove, working nimbly while casting a curious glance sideways.
"Why would you think that?"
Ryohei Tanaka looked over with a surprised expression, then couldn't help but chuckle:
"Although, without understanding the context, hearing that name could indeed lead to misunderstandings..."
He poured the pork belly, which had been stir-fried until caramelized, into a clay pot, moved it onto a charcoal stove to simmer slowly over low heat, and said gently:
"This is a specialty delicacy from my hometown!"
"Eating fish but seeing no fish, called noodles but aren't noodles—that is the so-called Knocked Fish Noodle!"
Please forgive him for being mysterious!
Hearing this, Yusa felt it sounded impressive even if she didn't quite understand. She blinked her beautiful ice-blue eyes, adopting a posture of 'listening attentively and eagerly awaiting the explanation.'
Ryohei Tanaka was very satisfied with her reaction. With a slight smile, he busied himself while introducing the so-called Knocked Fish Noodles—
"Choose fish with few bones and thick meat. Remove the bones and keep the meat. After drying the moisture, mix it with sweet potato starch and repeatedly beat it with a wooden mallet into thin sheets. Then, place it in a frying pan to bake without oil until half-cooked. Finally, cut it into strips, and the fish noodles are ready."
"So that's what 'Knocking Fish' in Knocked Fish Noodles means?"
A look of surprise appeared on Yusa's face. She felt she had gained some knowledge; she had never eaten such noodles before!
Ryohei Tanaka said considerately: "Let's eat Knocked Fish Noodles tonight too. You can help me knock the fish then."
"Okay~~." Yusa's beautiful eyes lit up, and she responded expectantly.
"Let me tell you—"
Getting excited, Ryohei Tanaka continued: "Those noodles taste incredibly fresh, perfectly combining the savory flavor of the fish with the tender texture of the noodles..."
"Speaking of which, I haven't eaten it in a long time either! (¯﹃¯)"
"..." Yusa looked at Ryohei Tanaka, who was speaking with such enthusiasm that he made himself crave it, and couldn't help but smile.
...
Camping Area—
"Yosh—! The tents are set up!"
"It's only 11:15 now, and the restaurant doesn't open until 12... Shall we have some dessert first?"
"Let's eat, let's eat!"
"Takumi, get the picnic cloth out!"
"Okay!"
"..."
Takumi Ito dug out the picnic cloth from his bag and spread it between the two tents.
The other three took off their shoes one after another and sat down with the desserts they had just bought.
"So beautiful! Blue Starry Sky—!"
"Yeah, it's just that the sunlight is a bit too strong. If we ate this at night, it would definitely be super romantic!"
"Ah... true! We bought it too early; what a miscalculation!"
"But eating it early is good too. I'm really curious about what the super famous online 'Blue Starry Sky' tastes like!"
"Chotto matte, let me take a picture first! (* ＞ω＜)"
"Emmm..."
With several crisp "click, click—" sounds, Natsuki Suzuki put away her phone contentedly and sat back down.
Then, the group began to distribute the desserts.
The two girls each took a 'Blue Starry Sky,' while their boyfriends shared the other two types of desserts.
There were too many delicious desserts!
Choosing different ones and sharing between couples was both romantic and allowed them to taste more delicacies—
Simply killing multiple birds with one stone!
"Itadakimasu!"
Natsuki Suzuki lifted the transparent lid covering the box and said cheerfully.
Then she used a hard plastic spoon to scoop up a spoonful of 'Blue Starry Sky,' expectantly put it into her mouth, and gently closed her lips—
In that instant, the smooth, sweet, soft, and dense texture of 'Blue Starry Sky' exploded in her mouth!
It wasn't a monotonous sweetness!
It cleverly incorporated the fresh tartness of blueberry jam, the mellow bitterness of coffee liqueur...
And within the starry glaze, the tipsy aroma of vanilla and citrus, the rich wheat scent of ladyfingers, the dense creaminess of cheese...
The layers of texture were rich, and the flavor was mellow and deep!
The interplay of softness and texture instantly stunned Natsuki Suzuki's taste buds!
"Mmh-hmm—!"
She unconsciously tilted her chin up slightly, emitting an enticing hum, closed her eyes, and enjoyed: "Super delicious!"
"It makes one powerless to resist, as if even consciousness is being swept away..."
"..."
Natsuki Suzuki saw it!
She saw the dazzling galaxy described online, saw the winding magpie bridge made of cake magpies, saw the figure slowly walking from the other side of the magpie bridge...
However, what surprised her was that the person walking slowly towards her wasn't Takumi Ito, but her ex-boyfriend, who was also her best friend's current boyfriend...
"..."
Consciousness returned to reality!
Natsuki Suzuki subconsciously glanced at her ex-boyfriend, then retracted her gaze as if electrocuted, landing back on her current boyfriend, Takumi Ito. Suddenly, she felt guilty!
"..." Takumi Ito was completely oblivious to this, almost immersed in the deliciousness of the dessert!
"..."
"Ah... it's gone!"
"Same here!"
Soon, the desserts in the hands of the four were finished!
"Worthy of being glowing desserts made by the Cooking Sage; makes you want to eat more after finishing! (´﹃｀)"
Natsuki Suzuki licked her pink lips, looking unsatisfied.
"Natsuki, bear with it for now. Mealtime is coming soon, and the glowing cuisine is also worth looking forward to." Takumi Ito looked at his girlfriend with a smile (‾◡◝).
"Yeah, that's true!"
Natsuki Suzuki flashed him a charming smile.
"By the way..."
Friend ♀ picked up the check-in manual from the side, flipped to a certain page, pointed to a line of text with her slender finger, and suggested:
"How about we settle lunch ourselves and go to the restaurant for dinner... I want to try the hidden delicacy 'Knocked Fish Noodles' mentioned here!"
"Since we're here, after all..."
Their original plan was to eat at the ranch restaurant for lunch to taste the 'legendary' glowing cuisine, and cook for themselves in the evening.
What kind of camping doesn't have a picnic! Would that even be called camping? They had even prepared the ingredients!
Currently stored over in the storage room...
"Hidden delicacy?"
Natsuki Suzuki's curiosity was piqued by Friend ♀'s words. Leaning her right hand on the picnic cloth, she turned her body and leaned in to look at the manual.
"Umm... need to fish?"
"Hand over the catch to the staff before 4 PM, and in the evening, you can taste the hidden delicacy Knocked Fish Noodles in the restaurant... seems interesting!"
Natsuki Suzuki's eyes lit up, interested.
"Then let's go to the restaurant tonight!"
The Ex-boyfriend-kun sitting opposite Natsuki also leaned forward slightly, looking at the check-in manual in his current girlfriend's hand:
"Since we're here, let's taste the hidden delicacy! Otherwise, it would be too much of a pity."
"Yeah, let's swap the order of going to the restaurant and cooking ourselves!" Takumi Ito said with a cheerful smile.
With that, the four reached a consensus—
Settle lunch themselves, go fishing together in the afternoon, and go to the restaurant in the evening to taste the ranch's hidden delicacy, Knocked Fish Noodles!
Afterward, they quickly divided the work:
Natsuki Suzuki and the other girl went to get the ingredients, then wash and prepare them.
Takumi Ito and the Ex-boyfriend-kun went to borrow a bucket and fire tongs, then went into the ranch to pick up free cow dung for fuel.
The group of four quickly separated!
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