Chapter 15: The Glowing Onigiri Ignites the Crowd!
After sending Suzuki Akane on her way, Ryohei decided it was time to try the other onigiri he'd made. He opened a different container and took out one of the classic salmon-filled ones. While it didn't glow as brightly as the beef specialty, it had its own gentle, pearlescent sheen.
Jashin-chan, who had already wolfed down three of the beef onigiri, immediately followed his lead and grabbed one.
"Hmph, how good can a plain old salmon onigiri be?" she scoffed, but she took a large, expectant bite anyway.
In the next second, her body began to twist and sway as if she were boneless, performing a mesmerizing water serpent dance.
"This is so delicious!" she exclaimed. "It's completely different from the beef onigiri! The salmon is so flaky and perfectly salted, and the rice… the rice is so fluffy and sweet! It's simple, but it's perfect! It's amazing! Truly amazing!" Jashin-chan was completely in love.
Ryohei just smiled. "That's the charm of perfecting the basics."
Yurine watched this from the side, her gaze unconsciously drawn to the container of classic onigiri. Is it really that good? she wondered.
Although she thought a simple salmon onigiri was a bit plain compared to the glowing beef version, seeing Ryohei and Jashin-chan enjoying it so much—especially Jashin-chan's over-the-top reaction—made her incredibly curious.
She reached a hand toward the container.
"Well, well, Yurine," Jashin-chan cooed, sidling up to her with a sly, teasing grin. "Didn't you say you weren't interested in the simple stuff?"
"I don't recall ever saying such a thing," Yurine replied coolly, not even looking at her as she picked up a salmon onigiri.
"Hmph, you may not have said it, but I know you were thinking it, right?" Jashin-chan turned to Ryohei, looking for support.
"You're so annoying," Ryohei said, and promptly stuffed another onigiri into Jashin-chan's mouth. "She wants to try one, what's it to you? Mind your own business!"
"Mmph-mmph!" Jashin-chan's mouth was now completely full. All she could do was chew and glare daggers at Ryohei. You traitor! You always take Yurine's side!
"Hmph. Finally, some peace and quiet," Yurine snorted, seeing Jashin-chan silenced. She then took a bite of the salmon onigiri.
Instantly, her reddish-brown eyes lit up.
Delicious! It was unexpectedly delicious!
The fluffy, sweet rice wrapped around the perfectly cooked salmon created a feast of flavor on her tongue. With every chew, the rich taste of the rice and the savory flavor of the fish spread through her mouth, as if a thousand tiny hands were massaging her taste buds. She was completely captivated, unable to pull herself away.
"Ahhhh~!"
Though she was an "ordinary" university student who had hardly ever traveled, Yurine felt as if she had been transported across the world. She had stepped into a mysterious, ancient land, into a pristine forest. Barefoot, wearing a simple straw hat, she walked along the bank of a crystal-clear stream. All around her, a vast and ancient forest stood silent and serene. The sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, dappling the ground with light. The rich scent of damp earth and fresh leaves filled the air, calming her mind and filling her with a sense of boundless freedom.
"..."
Yurine had been completely conquered. "Truly delicious," she sighed.
"They're even better if you alternate between them," Ryohei said with a smile, taking a bite of a beef onigiri.
Yurine and Jashin-chan both wholeheartedly agreed with that.
"Wow, what's that amazing smell?"
Among a group of passing salarymen, one man stopped in his tracks, sniffing the air and looking around.
"Hey! Looks like there's a new food stall over there," another man with sharp eyes pointed out, being the first to spot Ryohei's cart.
And then—
"Wait a minute! That girl isn't wearing a top… Kids these days! I wonder what her parents would think!"
"Huh? Is it just me, or is the food they're eating… glowing?"
"Haha, Sudo, you haven't even started drinking yet and you're already seeing things?"
"No, no, I'm serious! It looks like it's glowing to me, too…"
The air suddenly fell silent.
The group of salarymen rubbed their eyes, and finally confirmed that they weren't mistaken. They were completely and utterly shocked. Food that glowed? Was that scientific? Was that even possible? It was… unbelievable!
As one, the group of salarymen swarmed the stall.
"Good evening, gentlemen. Care for some onigiri?" Ryohei greeted them with a smile, seeing a new flock of fat sheep arrive. "Classic fillings are 150 yen. The glowing specialty ones are 1,000 yen."
"A thousand yen for one?"
"Boss, why is your food glowing?"
"I'll take two of the specialty ones to try!" Sudo, who was always a bit of a foodie, looked at the glowing onigiri and swallowed hard. Now that he was closer, the aroma was even more intense and tempting. While 1,000 yen was steep, it glowed! He had never eaten glowing onigiri before and he had to try it.
"An excellent choice," Ryohei said, bagging two of the glowing beef onigiri for him.
"Here you go, 2,000 yen," Yurine said, holding out her hand for the money.
"You're really splurging, Sudo," one of his work friends teased.
"Haha, you know me, I can't resist good food," Sudo laughed, paying without a fuss and taking the bag. He examined the glowing onigiri. It looked incredible. He decided to start with one. It was a beef onigiri, and he could smell the rich juices inside. Not wanting to waste a single drop of his expensive purchase, he popped the whole thing into his mouth.
In the next second—
Sudo's head snapped back, his eyes closing as he chewed, a look of pure bliss spreading across his face.
"Mmmmmm~! This taste…"
"This is… so, so, so, so, so delicious! Sugoi!" It was so good he felt like he was going to swallow his own tongue. Sudo was ecstatic, waving his arms around as he exclaimed, "This is unbelievable! The beef filling is so rich and tender, and the rice is just perfect! It's so savory, but not greasy at all!"
"Gulp!"
Seeing his reaction and smelling the intoxicating aroma, the other salarymen all swallowed hard and turned their gazes to Ryohei.
"I'll have two as well! The specialty ones!" one of them called out, and the others quickly followed suit.
"Right away," Ryohei replied, efficiently bagging up the orders while Yurine handled the cash.
Jashin-chan just kept eating.
"..."
"Whoa—! This flavor is insane!"
"How can something be this delicious?!"
"I feel like I'm on a vast grassland, surrounded by herds of cattle!"
"..."
"Hey? What are they selling over there?"
"Is that a new stall?"
"I-I-I-I-It's… it's glowing! The food they're eating is actually glowing!"
"Sugoi!"
"Let's go check it out!"
"..."
Suddenly, their business exploded, far faster than Ryohei had ever imagined.