In crossover anime, who isn't a childhood friend?

Shihua took back the business card: "In that case, we'll just have to go and see for ourselves."

Yuan Qianye took out his phone: "Hmm, let me search for the specific address..."

A short while later.

"...Found it."

As he spoke, he placed his phone on the table and pushed it to the center.

The other two leaned their heads in together.

He spread two fingers and zoomed in on the search results on the map, which indeed showed the words "Yukihira Restaurant".

Opening Google Street View again, I did see a restaurant sign with the same words, and the contact number displayed in the lower right corner of the sign was the same as the phone number on the business card.

"It looks like an izakaya (Japanese pub)." Miyoko commented after looking at the actual photo.

"It seems a bit far." Toka noticed the restaurant's address; it was in Ota Ward, close to Yokohama.

“It’s alright, it’s not far, it’s only a little over an hour’s drive.” Miyoko often travels around and is very familiar with the road conditions in Tokyo: “There might be some traffic at this time, but it should be fine once you get out of the city.”

Yuan Qianye nodded: "In that case, let's set off without delay."

Shika was still a little worried: "I hope it's okay for Rokuka to be home alone."

"She's going to Eriri's house for dinner tonight. If we get back early, we'll pick her up. If it's too late, we'll tell her not to wait and to stay overnight at her parents' house."

Yuan Qianye had already thought this through.

Shihua nodded. No problem.

"Since we're visiting someone, it would be better to bring a small gift," Miyoko suggested.

Shihua was a little troubled: "We have too little information and don't know the other person's personality or preferences. What should we give them?"

Yuan Qianye said, "Let's send fruit. It's suitable for most social occasions. Sending fruit might not be the best decision, but it certainly won't go wrong."

Shihua thought he was right.

Before setting off, the three of them went to the nearest supermarket.

We encountered some minor accidents on the road. There was a rear-end collision, with bumper and taillight fragments scattered all over the ground, blocking the main road. The time spent on the road was much longer than expected.

As a result, the journey, which was originally expected to take until a little after seven o'clock, did not take until eight-thirty.

It's no longer mealtime.

At least for this somewhat secluded street.

After driving here, I could see through the car window that many restaurants had few customers left, and some were preparing to close.

But the Yukihira restaurant in front of us is completely different.

The store was brightly lit, and many bicycles and motorcycles were parked in front of it.

Even standing at the shop entrance, you can hear the lively chatter of people clinking glasses inside; it's incredibly bustling.

"This comparison is really exaggerated. I was just saying that after turning in from the street corner, I haven't seen any other restaurants besides this one," Miyoko exclaimed.

There was a look of eager anticipation in Shihua's eyes.

"Alright, let's go in and take a look."

Yuan Qianye spoke, and the three of them lifted the curtain and entered the shop together.

"Welcome!" A cute girl with short hair stepped forward to greet us: "Are there three of you?"

Just as Yuan Qianye was about to state his purpose directly, Shihua preemptively answered, "It is indeed the three of you."

“Okay…” The girl stared at Yuan Qianye’s face for a moment, lost in thought. “…This way, please, all of you.”

Gen Chiya glanced at Toka, understood her thoughts, and without saying anything else, obediently followed the waitress to the innermost table against the wall.

This is also the last empty seat in the store.

The waitress quickly served them iced water, then brought them the menu so they could look at it at their leisure. Once they had decided what to do, she called her over and then turned and left to serve other customers.

Instead of looking at the menu, Yuan Qianye first observed the environment inside the store.

The restaurant is quite spacious, about 100 square meters, with a large open kitchen equipped with all kinds of kitchen equipment. It can accommodate several chefs at the same time without feeling crowded, but at this moment there is only a young man with spiky hair wearing an apron, who is busy inside.

The open kitchen was separated from the rest of the restaurant by a long bar table, a common feature in ramen shops. The other areas inside were furnished with small square tables, just like where they were sitting. In addition, there was a small counter with a cash register near the entrance, but no one was there at the moment.

Toka was also observing the situation inside the store, but unlike Chiyo, she wasn't observing as comprehensively. She was more focused on the young chefs who were busy preparing food in the open kitchen.

The other person's movements were methodical and steady. The iron pot was as light as a feather in his hands. With a flick of his wrist, the ingredients, wrapped in flames, soared into the air, drawing a perfect arc before falling precisely back into the pot without spilling a drop of juice.

After setting the pot down, he still had the energy to go to the counter and wield his knife with lightning speed. With a flash of cold light, he properly prepared the ingredients and threw them into the pot. He even had time to lift a spoon and pour the broth into a small dish to taste its saltiness.

While multitasking is perfectly normal for commercial chefs, his cooking style was just too fluid and effortless, making watching him cook an unparalleled visual treat.

Not to mention that the chef looks almost exactly like Chiya, which makes him even more special.

"When it comes to cooking, just looking at it is far from enough."

Yuan Qianye's words brought Toka back to her senses. She nodded slightly and looked at the menu.

The menu, like the restaurant's business card, is simple and unpretentious, wrapped in waterproof plastic, and consists of only one sheet.

The front side features some common set meals, while the back side offers snacks and drinks, all priced reasonably.

Based on the current situation, this restaurant is indeed positioned as a popular, affordable canteen-style restaurant.

"I'll choose this seafood udon," Miyoko quickly decided.

When she entered the store, she saw that other customers had ordered this. The large soup bowl contained shrimp, squid rings, and half-cooked fish slices, which looked quite tempting.

"Then I'll order fried rice with egg." Shihua had an extra thought in mind.

Although fried rice is simple, it is not easy to make it truly delicious; it requires attention to many details.

Seeing that the two of them had made up their minds, Yuan Qianye beckoned to the waiter, told him what dishes they had ordered, and ordered a fried pork cutlet rice bowl for himself.

"OK, just a second."

Gen Chiya pulled out a tissue from the table and wiped the table back and forth.

This is a subconscious action he takes whenever he goes to a popular or chain restaurant, regardless of whether the table is clean or not.

In most cases, the tissues used for wiping will turn gray or yellowish when you pick them up and look at them.

But this time, that didn't happen; the tissues used to wipe the table remained clean and white.

Miyoko said to Toka,

"This place is really popular. We were so lucky to get the last available seats. It looks like there's already a line outside. It's almost nine o'clock."

"Perhaps the food here is really delicious, otherwise there wouldn't be so many regular customers."

Shi Hua nodded. He saw a customer walk directly to the bar, ask the young chef for directions, and then casually carry his meal back to his seat while chatting and laughing. The whole process was quite natural.

"I'm getting more and more excited. The other customers in the store also seem to be enjoying their meal. It's just a bit strange, though. How come there are only two kids in such a big store? One in the kitchen and one in the dining room. They look like they're high school students."

Gen Chiya happily joined the chat.

"What's wrong with high school students? Aren't they working together to run this restaurant very well, and so far there don't seem to be any problems?"

"It was just a subconscious feeling, boss, please don't nitpick..."

Ten minutes later, the egg fried rice that Shihua had ordered was served first.

Each grain of rice is plump and distinct, with golden egg flowers scattered among them like scattered gold, and emerald green scallions added as the finishing touch. The steaming rice releases a rich aroma of caramel and egg that wafts straight into your nose.

A good dish should be visually appealing, fragrant, and delicious.

At first glance, this fried rice at Shihua's place already meets all the standards in terms of color and aroma, even reaching an excellent level. All that's left is the taste.

When Shihua picked up the spoon, she couldn't help but swallow, and she couldn't explain why she did that.

Perhaps it's because I ate lunch around 11 a.m. last time, and now I'm just hungry.

Or perhaps it was because the plate of fried rice in front of her looked too tempting, making her appetite surge uncontrollably.

Finally, under the watchful eyes of Chiya and Miyoko, Toka scooped up a little rice with a spoon and put it in her mouth.

chew--

Shihua's eyes opened slightly, and as she swallowed, she suddenly froze, as if she had been struck by a pressure point, and remained motionless.

"No, why are you spacing out? How does it taste?" Yuan Qianye asked from the side.

Don't just eat, say something too.

Shihua didn't say anything, but silently moved the fried rice to the center of the table: "Try it yourselves."

Since she had said that, Miyoko and Chiyo didn't stand on ceremony.

There was a chopstick holder on the table, containing disposable chopsticks.

Although fried rice with each grain separate isn't ideal for eating with chopsticks, you can still pick out a few grains by using your chopsticks together with a little skill, which is enough to taste and feel the flavor.

"Wow, this is delicious!" Miyoko exclaimed in surprise!

Yuan Qianye was a little more reserved, but like Toka, her eyes widened slightly, flashing with disbelief, and after a moment she also spoke up, saying, "It really is delicious."

The rice grains are dry and fragrant, releasing a warm aroma as you chew. The fluffy egg is coated with just the right amount of oil, and the savory flavor spreads in distinct layers. The soy sauce and salt work together to bring out the deepest umami, with the occasional hint of scallion's spiciness that cuts through the richness and enhances the flavor!

The most wonderful thing is the "wok hei" hidden within, a smoky aroma born from intense heat and rapid cooking, which gives this seemingly ordinary fried rice its soul.

“But if it were you, Toka, you could also make fried rice of this caliber,” Gen Chiya said.

Shihua shook her head: "If I take my time and do it slowly, I can indeed replicate a similar level, but under such a busy situation, I'm not confident that I can achieve such a standard of production."

Following her words, Miyoko and Chiyo looked towards the open kitchen together.

The young chef moved swiftly through the smoke and steam in the kitchen, simultaneously controlling the heat of several woks. His movements were so fast they almost left afterimages, yet he showed no sign of panic. His actions—retrieving ingredients, seasoning, tossing, and plating—were precise and fluid.

Indeed, considering this point, there is still a gap between the two of them.

Later, Chiyo's pork cutlet rice and Miyo's seafood udon were also served.

The main ingredient of pork cutlet rice is pork cutlet, which is fried until crispy on the outside and juicy and flavorful on the inside!

The seafood noodles were incredibly fresh, and Miyoko even drank every last drop of the soup after finishing the noodles!

Furthermore, she didn't feel thirsty at all afterwards, which shows that the soup base of the noodles must have been made with great care and without any artificial seasonings.

Miyoko wanted to order some more snacks, but considering herself a lady, she felt a little embarrassed to eat so much so late at night, especially in front of the owner who was so likable to her.