Tokyo: Am I the only male tenant?

"I see. Our situations are similar. Before I moved to Tokyo, I hardly ever traveled far either."

Ginjo Sosuke sympathized with her on this point.

"So now that I have a stable income, there are many places I want to visit and many things I want to try."

"Instead, time has become the biggest problem. Sometimes I wonder if we will be busy like this until we retire."

Kana Kobayakawa said somewhat self-deprecatingly.

"Don't think too much about the future. After all, who can guess what will happen in the future? It's better to seize every minute and every second of the holiday and enjoy it to the fullest."

Ginjo Sousuke leaned his hands on the railing and looked out at the sea in the distance.

"Yeah, Sosuke is right. I've discovered that I love planning travel itineraries. Leave the trip to Otaru to me this time."

Kana Kobayakawa puffed out her chest proudly and smiled at Ginjō.

The scorching sun hanging high in the sky quietly set in the west with the sound of the ship's whistle arriving at the port. On the train to the destination, Yincheng's longing and thoughts about his first visit to the land were running freely.

"Huh, it still feels a bit cold."

It was almost evening when they arrived at Otaru Station. The moment she stepped out of the car, Kana Kobayakawa shivered without warning.

"Maybe I've been in Tokyo for too long. I'm a little unaccustomed to the summer in Hokkaido."

Ginjo gently held her in his arms and rubbed her exposed skin with his palms.

"Yeah, it will be fine in a while, let's go."

Kana Kobayakawa was covered by Ginjo's temperature and quickly warmed up.

Kutchan-cho, where Sato Mika's aunt's hometown is located, is actually about an hour's drive from Otaru.

The two decided to see the night view of Otaru first, and then set off there early tomorrow morning.

“It would be great if I could be lucky enough to find my aunt’s current residence in Kutchan.”

"Well, it sounds like it's not a very big place, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Even if we don't meet her in person, even if we don't find that dreamy croquette, we can still try other local delicacies and have a good time!"

Ginjo Sousuke said as if he was trying to comfort Kobayakawa Kana.

"That's right. As long as Sousuke is with me, it will be fun wherever I go."

Just as Kana Kobayakawa was smiling, a bus just drove into the boarding area.

After getting off the bus, the two strolled along the Central Road promenade connecting the station and the canal.

"Wow, that's the night view of the canal over there, no wonder mom suggested we come here in the evening."

Kana Kobayakawa pointed to the light in front of her and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Yeah, it feels like there are already a lot of people gathered there."

Yincheng looked in the direction she pointed and saw a bustling crowd of people.

Otaru is a peaceful city with Western brick buildings everywhere, which has an incredible exotic atmosphere.

After walking for about ten minutes on Central Road, we arrived at the canal. The twilight extended from the sky to the water, the gas lights of the famous attractions were lit, and two people stood on the Central Bridge across the canal.

"Sousuke, this place is so beautiful..."

Kana Kobayakawa exclaimed again, then took out her mobile phone to take pictures.

The red light of the gas lamps and the particularly bright blue lights on the street swayed on the water.

The brick walls of the densely packed warehouses also look soft and warm because of the illumination of the gas lamps.

There was still some blue left in the distant sky from the daytime, and the blue and warehouses that were gradually being dyed with the color of the sunset were reflected on the water, as if there was another Otaru there.

They are deeply moved by the emotions of their journey, across oceans, to faraway places, to amazing lands and unfamiliar streets.

"I heard that during the development of Hokkaido, Otaru was an outbound port for Sapporo, so it was very prosperous."

The night grew darker, and under the bright lights, Kana Kobayakawa spoke softly.

"That's why a railway connecting Sapporo and Otaru was built here. It's the third railway in the country."

"There are also air links to Europe, and there are many banks and trading companies here, so it's even called the Neon Wall Street."

"That's great, Kana. When did you learn all this? You're very well prepared. It makes me feel like I have hired a tour guide."

"Hey, actually I looked up information online when I was on the bus just now. Otaru also has volunteer tour guides. If you have time, it would be a good idea to apply for a tour."

"Huh? Is there such a service? I've never heard of it."

"Yeah, it was a friend of mine who first mentioned it to me. When she went to Gifu, she invited a volunteer who was still in college, and she excitedly explained the streets of Gifu and Gifu Castle to her!"

As Kana Kobayakawa was speaking, a ship appeared before her eyes passing through the Chuo Bridge. It was a night sightseeing boat cruising the canal.

The sightseeing boat was moving very slowly, cutting through the water surface covered with reflections of streets and warehouses little by little, and gradually moving away.

The two of them enjoyed the scenery in front of them. When such a scenery that has never been experienced before comes into view, people always deeply feel that it is a great pleasure to embark on a journey.

"Ah, ah... s-sorry."

Such emotions were shattered by the sudden gurgling sound, and Ginjo Sousuke couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You must be hungry, Kana, so let's go have dinner first."

"Well, sorry, we've already checked out all the food in Otaru, so Sousuke will choose."

"If you come to Otaru, how about sushi?"

"Okay, let's go to the store near the station. I heard the mantis shrimp sushi there is very famous."

Let's go! Ginjo followed behind Kobayakawa Kana who raised one hand, but she walked in a different direction from the way she came.

"Wait Kana, aren't we going back to the station?"

Kobayakawa Kana turned around and didn't answer immediately. She just looked mysterious and let Ginjo look at her clenched fist...

Chapter 395 Seems a bit drunk

"Have you hidden anything good in there?"

Ginjo Sousuke stretched out his hand and tried to peel open her clenched fist.

“Ding ding~ the answer is revealed!”

Kana Kobayakawa opened her palm before him, and a small round badge like a badge soon appeared.

"what is this?"

Ginjo Sousuke leaned closer and asked curiously.

"Just now when Sosuke was taking pictures on the bridge, someone was handing out free tourist guides on the side of the road, so I got one, and there was a medal like this inside."

Kana Kobayakawa held up the sign, and under the dim street light, she could vaguely see a row of small words printed on it.

“It’s a replica, but it says “National Croquette Competition Gold Medal” on it, and the store address is also written below it.”

"What do you think, Sosuke? Let's go check this out before we eat sushi. It feels like a place we must visit~"

"Gold medal in the croquette contest?"

Ginjo Sosuke looked confused, he had never heard of such a competition.

"Because whenever I hear the word croquette, I feel like I shouldn't miss it. Aren't we here to find the dream croquette? And it's a gold medal, a gold medal! Oh, don't worry, just eat one."

With food in front of her, no one could resist Kobayakawa Kana's greed, and since it was such a big national competition, even Ginjo began to have a lot of expectations.

Walking along the canal at dusk, when we got near the station, we saw a shop selling croquettes from a distance.

Although it is a small shop with only one window, it has a red sign that reads "Winner of the National Croquette Competition Gold Medal". There is probably no more eye-catching advertisement around here.

There are several tables and chairs in front of the store, and it seems that take-out customers can also eat here directly.

However, when they arrived, it seemed that it was time to close the stall and the owner was preparing to remove the menu from the store.

"Oh, excuse me, can you give me one please?"

Kana Kobayakawa bowed desperately and begged for help, and soon she came back with a croquette wrapped in wax paper in each hand.

"Although it's not freshly fried, luckily I still bought it. Please try it, Sosuke."

"Didn't you say you only eat one?"

"There are only two left. If you can't finish them, I can eat them all."

Kana Kobayakawa took a photo of the croquette with her mobile phone and then took a light bite along the edge.

"Hmm! Delicious!"

With her mouth covered in bread crumbs, Kana Kobayakawa shouted with a satisfied smile on her face.

Ginjo didn't hesitate to try and put another croquette into his mouth. He soon tasted the light and refreshing texture of the crispy bread crumbs crumbling in his mouth.

The croquette is filled with potatoes and minced meat. The batter is very thin. Although it is not freshly fried, it still retains a slight residual temperature in the middle and has a slightly sticky feeling.

Because she was hungry and the portion was small, Kana Kobayakawa finished the whole croquette in a flash.

After a lot of practice and training in recent days, her mouth skills have evolved to a great level. She can swallow larger foods in one gulp, let alone this small croquette.

"Compared to the potato croquettes I usually eat, the taste seems to be a little sweeter. I wonder if it's because of the "Awakening of the Inca"? The sweetness goes well with the taste of the minced meat."

Ginjo Sousuke turned his gaze to Kana Kobayakawa who was muttering something there.

"Inca's Awakening? What is that? Kana seems to be saying something I don't understand today."

"Haha, sorry, Sosuke, actually I learned this when I was helping my mom in the kitchen these past two days."

"There are also special varieties of potatoes that are cultivated to be sweeter, and in Hokkaido, the most famous one is the "Inca Awakening."

"Although the name is a bit confusing, this variety of potato tastes like chestnut or pumpkin, with a slightly sweet taste and a softer texture."

After listening to Kana Kobayakawa's explanation, Ginjo felt more and more impressed by the level of middle school student status of this country. She was just a potato, but she made her name sound like a special move from some boys' comics.

"I see. But regardless of sweetness, a potato is yellow when it is cross-sectioned."

"And Ms. Sato said that the croquettes made by my aunt are white in the middle, which makes them look different from "Inca's Awakening."

Ginjo recalled Sato Migo's description of the fantasy croquette and gave his own analysis.

"Sosuke is right. I thought of that, but since there is an example of "Inca's Awakening", could it be that her hometown has other less famous sweet potatoes?"