Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from Sekiro

"I can't see through him, young master."

"This resume is far too ordinary. An S-rank is someone like this... an ordinary person?"

Genjiro originally wanted to say "such a useless person", but it would be foolish to draw conclusions too early.

"What do you think is his purpose in coming to Japan?" he asked again.

“Maybe he’s just here for tourism,” the crow said. “He’s a freshman, or maybe he hasn’t even enrolled yet. I think he just wants to go to the maid cafe in Akihabara and have a bowl of omelet rice that’s been enchanted with love.”

“That makes sense.” Genjiro nodded. “His resume says that his favorite things to do are playing video games and staying at home watching the latest Japanese anime.”

Genji stood up and looked out at the Tokyo Tower in the distance from the high-rise building. "That makes sense, but I thought S-class people were all strong and domineering men like Principal Angers, not... otaku who like anime characters."

"Perhaps he still needs more experience."

"Geniuses don't need honing; from the day they're born, they're announcing their meteoric rise to fame. I'd rather believe they're like a sword whose edge has been concealed."

"But he looked more like a freshly dug potato, covered in mud."

"Keep an eye on his movements and report any unusual activity to me. If he is really here for tourism, then don't disturb him and let him enjoy the beauty of the Cherry Blossom Country."

"Yes, my lord."

The crows flew away, and Genji turned back to look at the file again, seemingly lost in thought.

...

Near the subway entrance, Lu Mingfei found a ramen stall, which was a small wooden cart with only two wheels.

Two middle-aged men pushed the cart one after the other and stopped it on the side of the street.

Unlike the street stalls in China, their wooden carts look very old, but they are not dirty or oily, giving people a sense of the changing times.

Lu Mingfei doesn't like going to high-end places; it doesn't suit his temperament. He should be sitting on a small stool at a street stall, eating street food.

However, the food carts sold at street stalls in Japan all have business licenses, so in most cases you can eat there without worry.

The cart was parked on the side of the street, its iron frame firmly fixed to the ground. The uncle took down a red flag and hung it horizontally on top of the cart, with large white characters on it, which should be the stall's sign.

The uncle took several stools out of the cart, put down the wooden board in front of the signboard, revealing the pot for cooking noodles and the seasonings.

The stall can't accommodate too many people because there are only five stools.

A whiteboard displays the prices: "Standard Ramen 700", "Char Siu 900".

This price isn't expensive, but it's not cheap either.

Fortunately, Lu Mingfei was wealthy. He stepped forward and asked in broken Japanese, "Do you have any recommendations?"

"Just one regular bowl of ramen, a standard bowl of ramen." The uncle said as he cleared the dishes and took out the pickled radish and chopped green onions.

"The kind without char siu?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"The char siu noodles taste good, but you know, they're a bit pricey."

"Haha, are you worried about me?" Lu Mingfei laughed heartily.

Surprisingly, some people complained that the customer bought expensive noodles.

"It doesn't seem necessary." The uncle fished a whole piece of char siu tied with a net rope from the steaming pot of soup. "Would you like a bowl of char siu noodles?"

"Of course, add another serving of noodles."

"Please sit down and wait."

Lu Mingfei sat in front of the stool watching the uncle skillfully make ramen.

The dining area is that wooden board that's been lowered down. Sitting here, you can directly watch the entire process of ordering and preparing your ramen.

The uncle took out the noodles he had prepared earlier from a drawer and threw them into the rich, hot soup. Then he took out a braised egg, cut it in half, and easily cut the char siu's netting with blue safety scissors.

By the time he finished slicing the char siu, the noodles were almost ready.

Scoop the yellow dough into the soup with a slotted spoon, and after rinsing it briefly in water, the dough is placed into a bowl with the prepared sauce.

Sprinkle with chopped green onions and pickled radish, then place the char siu and chopped braised eggs on top, and the steaming hot ramen is ready.

"Please enjoy your meal." The uncle held the bowl of noodles in both hands and placed it in front of Lu Mingfei, along with a pair of disposable chopsticks.

"I'm starting to eat." Lu Mingfei thought to himself that this was really similar to Ichiraku Ramen. He took apart the chopsticks and began to savor the taste.

People moved around him, some sitting down to order. The stall seemed like a temporary haven, allowing busy people to stop and rest for a while.

Chapter Twenty-One: Sakura's First Encounter with Erii

At eight o'clock at night, darkness enveloped the city once again, and countless bright lights lit up. Men carrying briefcases headed to izakayas with their colleagues, while women with heavy makeup swayed their hips as they left. Handsome male hosts from host clubs lined up, waiting for their customers.

This is a city of extravagance and debauchery, where many people lose themselves in its dazzling lights and vibrant atmosphere.

"Nothing to show for it." Lu Mingfei sprawled out on the bed.

In the afternoon, he went to Meiji Shrine and asked the priests and shrine maidens some questions, but still didn't get any useful clues.

Ashina Castle is the center of Ashina Country. Ashina is a country, not a small village.

If it truly existed, it would undoubtedly have left a significant mark on history, but he couldn't find out even a single myth or legend about it.

Therefore, it seems that either someone is deliberately concealing the truth, or Ashina simply does not exist.

"Sigh." Lu Mingfei knew that this trip was unlikely to be fruitful.

"Oh well, I'll just consider this a relaxing trip!" He patted his face and exclaimed, "Tomorrow I'm going to Akihabara, the holy land of otaku!"

Akihabara has thousands of electronics stores, where the trendiest games and electronic products are launched, and there is also a special maid café.

Every otaku who watches Japanese anime wants to go to the holy site to worship. There is a legend that if you kowtow all the way from your home to Akihabara, the god of otaku will bestow upon you a girl and limited-edition game and anime bonuses.

Lu Mingfei naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity; he had wanted a Mikuru Asahina figure for a long time.

The senior student has a great figure, a gentle personality, and most importantly, she's easy to bully. In "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya," this is Lu Mingfei's favorite character.

He also fantasized that one day, a beautiful woman from the future would sit next to him.

The female characters in anime are always so beautiful, making the little boy's imagination run wild.

Lu Mingfei turned on the TV screen and picked up the PS3 controller again.

He didn't continue playing Yakuza because that would take up a lot of time. He also had to get up early tomorrow to visit the holy site, so he would just play a few online matches.

As he slid the joystick, games flashed across the screen, and finally, he chose Street Fighter IV.

This is a classic old game; it's found in every coin-operated arcade machine in China.

Even people who haven't played the game know Chun-Li's long legs.

Street Fighter on PS3 allows online multiplayer, where you can battle against opponents from anywhere in Japan, or even from across the ocean.

Although he hadn't played for a long time, Lu Mingfei's muscles naturally started to move when he picked up the controller.

"Has it become a conditioned reflex? I'm such a genius." He said with a smug look on his face.

This is a new account. It seems like the person has never played Street Fighter before. The people he matches with are all noobs, and he almost always manages to get a 3-man kill with Chun-Li.

His ranking soared, and he soon encountered formidable opponents.

The disadvantage of being out of practice came at this moment. Before long, someone defeated his starting Chun-Li. However, when he switched to Ken, he still managed to knock out all three of his opponents without any major incident.

The intense and exciting battle made time fly by. Lu Mingfei's fingers skillfully manipulated the characters in the game, his touch became hot, and his ranking soared.

The opponents I encounter are becoming increasingly skilled, and sometimes I have to switch to a third character, Ryu, to end the battle.

However, he remains undefeated so far, maintaining a perfect record of 39 wins.

He has had a great talent for games since he was a child. No matter what type of game it is, he can learn it and master it very quickly. Picking up Street Fighter, which he used to be obsessed with, is a piece of cake for him.

I glanced at the time; it was almost midnight. I played 10 games an hour, averaging 6 minutes per game, which is an extremely fast pace.

"That's about enough." He stretched and prepared to log off, but suddenly, another account sent him a battle invitation.

The account name is "Erii no PSN", which sounds like a name a girl would choose.

Girls are less talented at gaming; they are naturally inferior to boys. The world's top e-sports players have always been men.

Lu Mingfei didn't want to bully newbies, but he felt that the name looked familiar. When he checked the leaderboard, he found that it was actually the number one account!

Is Erii the girl the account owner has a crush on?

He didn't believe that the person on the other end of the screen was a woman. There are many people online who pretend to be transvestites. He had been scammed out of a monthly card when he played 4399 DDTank before.

We agreed to exchange wedding rings, but that guy just confessed he was a man. He took the gift and then deleted and blocked me as a friend. What a heartless bastard!

The money for the monthly card and the ring was all painstakingly saved from his breakfast money.

After that, he never dated online again. Who knows if the person calling him "brother" in the channel is actually sitting on a bench, greasy and picking at his smelly feet?

Getting back to the main point, Lu Mingfei accepted Erii's invitation.

His username is "Sakura," the English word for cherry blossom.

When he came to Japan, he would think of cherry blossoms, and when he thought of cherry blossoms, the giant cherry dragon would appear before his eyes.

Sakura Dragon and White Serpent were his most memorable opponents, both of whom were hundreds of times larger than him. Sakura Dragon's slashes could pierce through the clouds and cut through the heavens and earth; it was also the source of the Dragon's Blood's immortal power.

To commemorate Sakura Ryu, he named himself "Sakura".

Upon entering the game, his starting pick was still Chun-Li, while his opponent's was Ryu.

Playing against skilled opponents is a great experience; nobody enjoys playing against idiot-like AI.

Both sides unleashed a series of combos, but neither gained the upper hand.

"The first place winner is really skilled."

Lu Mingfei straightened his back and focused intently. There would always be an opponent who could make you leave the backrest.

The two fought back and forth, giving it a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

A good opponent can ignite one's fighting spirit.

Ultimately, both sides used their last character.

Lu Mingfei took out his trump card, Ryu, while Erii used Chun-Li.

Chun-Li swayed from side to side in her blue cheongsam, her long legs exuding power without appearing bulky.

"Fight!!!"