Chapter 93: Everything is Ready!
The light of day was fading, the last rays of the sunset painting the horizon red. In the distance, the silhouettes of tall buildings grew sharper against the twilight. One by one, the streetlights flickered on, illuminating the endless stream of traffic.
In front of the restaurant in Higashi-Yukigaya, Ryohei, following local tradition for a grand opening, had placed several large, celebratory flower baskets by the entrance. He had also used stanchions to rope off a small area, placing a table in the center, ready to catch the fried rice when the time came. Another set of ropes formed a long, winding queue for the customers. It was a necessary measure to prevent chaos, as he knew his small restaurant couldn't possibly serve everyone at once.
And already, the line stretched far beyond the designated queuing area, with more people arriving by the minute. Minos had been assigned to act as a bouncer at the entrance, holding the line back until the official opening time. The area in front of the restaurant was a noisy, bustling scene, partly thanks to several internet celebrities who were live-streaming the event.
"Mina-san, there's only five minutes until six o'clock! Airi will be taking you all to see the Cooking Immortal's Glowing Cuisine!" a petite girl with light blonde hair in twintails said, winking playfully at her stream. "And I'll be revealing the new menu and prices!"
Her live chat was scrolling at an incredible speed.
'I'm here in person, and I can tell you that Airi is more fragrant than any food!'
'So many people! It's crazy!'
'It's so loud over there!'
'I'm so jealous of you guys in Tokyo! I'm all the way up in Hokkaido, I can't go!'
'I'm really curious, is the Glowing Cuisine actually that good?'
'I've seen so many people hyping this up online, and they all talk about having some 'unbelievable experience,' like a shooting star falling from the sky and turning into a delicacy on a plate… I just really want to ask, are you guys eating fluorescent powder and hallucinogens?!'
Airi's face flushed with excitement as she saw her real-time viewer count. It had shot up from her usual three to five hundred to over 3,000. She made a mental note to come back here several more times.
Inside the restaurant's open kitchen, Ryohei stood before a massive, restaurant-grade wok, wielding a giant, long-handled spatula that was moving in a blur. Blue flames licked at the bottom of the wok, and the rice and vegetables inside sizzled loudly. The fresh aroma of vegetables, rice, and a hint of egg filled the air.
This was the third iteration of his Miracle Comet Fried Rice. The core ingredients were, of course, spinach and bok choy, which gave it its vibrant green color. But he had also had Jashin-chan coat the rice in egg wash before frying, which made the final product fluffier and richer. He had also added diced shiitake mushrooms for flavor, corn and carrots for texture and sweetness, and some dried shrimp for an extra touch of umami.
A fresh, eye-pleasing green glow began to emanate from the wok. After another thirty seconds of tossing, Ryohei turned off the heat, added a handful of chopped green onions, and used the residual heat of the wok to mix them in.
"Lucoa."
"Hai!"
The tall, voluptuous woman standing nearby gracefully hooked a slender, pale finger in the air. The entire contents of the massive wok—every single grain of rice—flew up and joined the previous four batches, all suspended together in a giant, transparent bubble.
"I'm counting on you for the next part," Ryohei said, putting down the giant spatula and shaking out his sore wrist. Cooking five massive portions of fried rice like that was exhausting.
"Leave it to me," Lucoa said, patting her chest with a reliable smile. She then opened a portal in front of her, stepped through it, and instantly appeared ten thousand meters in the sky above the city.
"It's 5:59," Yurine called out from the counter.
"Okay," Ryohei replied. He pointed at the now-empty wok. "Jashin-chan, clean this up first, then follow the plan." They would need the wok for steaming later.
"You got it," Jashin-chan, now wearing a clean white chef's uniform with her hair tied up in a high ponytail, replied with an OK sign. Ryohei had forced her to wear the uniform; her original idea had been to just wear an apron over her bare torso, which he had immediately vetoed.
"Yurine, let's go outside," he said, taking off his own apron and smiling at her. He also glanced at Koji, who was sticking close to Yurine's side. Yusa and her sister had arrived that morning and were already settled in their new apartment.
"Okay," Yurine nodded, and handed him the megaphone she had been holding.
Ryohei took it, then turned to the other staff. "Yusa, Poporon, could you two bring the plate out to the table?"
"Right," the angel and the demon replied in unison.
"It's not dark yet," Yurine noted.
"I know, but it's close enough. Let's get it in position," Ryohei said, and headed for the entrance.
"Excuse me!" The customer at the very front of the line was a professional food critic. He held up his phone, showing Minos that the time was exactly 6:00 PM. "It's six o'clock. Can we come in now?"
"Please wait a little longer. It's not dark yet," Minos replied, glancing up at the sky. In mid-to-late May, the sun in Tokyo didn't fully set until a little after six.
"Eh?" The people in line who heard her were confused, and some began to complain.
"We have to wait until it's dark?"
"But the sign says you open at six!"
"Why do we have to wait?"
Just then, the restaurant door chimed, and Ryohei stepped out. Hearing the customers' complaints, he raised the megaphone to his lips. "Everyone, please be quiet for a moment!" The crowd, recognizing the chef, gradually fell silent.
"First of all, thank you all for coming to the grand opening of my restaurant," he began. "I apologize, but I have to ask you to wait for another ten minutes or so."
"Eh? Why?"
"Why the delay?"
"What's going on?!"
The crowd immediately started murmuring again.
Yurine stood by the door, holding it open. At that moment, Yusa and Poporon came out, carrying a massive, two-meter-wide platter. The sight of the giant plate instantly captured everyone's attention. What are they going to do with that?
Seeing the plate was in position, Ryohei raised the megaphone again, his voice calm and clear. "The reason for the delay is that I have prepared something special, something that can only be presented to you after the sky is completely dark. I believe that when you see it, you won't regret waiting these extra few minutes."
"Furthermore, as an apology, and to celebrate our grand opening…" Ryohei held up his other hand and made a figure-eight with his fingers. "All food tonight will be 20% off! However, this is for dine-in customers only, no takeout. That is all!"
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