"Nobody expected that Xia Yu, who started the latest and with the grandest display, would be the first to present her dish."
A rich aroma mixed in the wind and drifted in all directions.
With her nostrils fluttering, Qian Rixiangzi immediately wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, like a puppet controlled by a Puppet Master, following the scent directly to the dining table.
Soon, the table was surrounded by layers of people.
"Can we start eating now?"
Qian Rixiangzi stared at the grilled crucian carp on her plate, swallowing saliva continuously, accompanied by similar sounds of swallowing from others around her.
Dojima Yin and Liangzi Lina simultaneously raised their hands to stop her.
"Please let the Chiyoda Witch taste it first!"
The crowd spontaneously cleared a path, the ice-faced witch helping the old woman make her way through.
A dozen villagers also came in, forming a civil group to maintain order, and the crowd stepped back step by step, eventually forming a scene similar to a campfire dinner. The Chiyoda Witch, independent of the younger witch’s support, snapped open a fan.
One side of the fan was gold, the other silver; gold represented the sun and silver the moon, the two paths of Yin and Yang.
Without the sound of orchestral music, the scene was silent, only the old witch, silent, held the open fan, dancing gracefully within the circle.
Later, the young witch joined in, handing over the Shenle Bell to the old witch and wandered the outermost edge.
"There are more and more people."
It was not an illusion—Tanaka Hikari and Morioka Makki, amidst the crowd, distinctly felt more people squeezing in from behind, and their position ironically became the innermost.
The nearby police finally arrived by car, and the visitors who heard the news, under the guidance of the police, entered the site in an orderly manner.
The lighting was no longer limited to campfires. The lights shone over the visitors’ seats. IGO staff arranged viewing seats, which were near a road slope at the back, terraced like stadium stands, well-adjusted to accommodate many seated people.
When the Kagura dance ended, Tanaka Hikari and Morioka Makki followed the Far Moon graduates to the VIP seats and looked around. They realized that in just half an hour, the lakeside had become a true festival site, crowded with people as far as the eye could see.
Amid the noisy sounds, there were many conversations in English, those blond-haired, blue-eyed Western tourists, each craning their necks, exceedingly curious about the so-called ’Chiyoda Festival.’
A nondescript business van quietly stopped by the roadside.
"Miss Dubian, we’ve arrived!"
In the back seat, a young female with neatly trimmed medium-short hair immediately exited the vehicle, followed by several staff members wearing work badges who quickly jogged after her.
Taking the DSLR camera carried by an employee, Dubian Yuuki stood on high ground, targeting the three altars by the lakeside, focused, and took several high-resolution pictures before waving to her subordinates, commandeering briskly, "Disperse and follow the work plan, conduct targeted interviews, and after returning tonight, compile the articles—"
Having said that, Dubian Yuuki proceeded alone to the guest seats.
The police maintaining order stopped her, but Dubian Yuuki, smiling, pointed to her work badge on her chest and the police glanced at it briefly before allowing her through.
Just reaching the guest seats, Dubian Yuuki’s eyes lit up.
There were several young teenagers in their high school uniforms, very noticeable in the guest area.
Anyone with a bit of understanding of the Neon Food World could tell from their uniforms which school they were from. As Dubian Yuuki walked over, she fished out a black voice recorder from her accompanying lady’s handbag.
Her crisp, gentle voice stopped Tanaka Hikari.
Tanaka Hikari shifted her gaze from afar, blinked, and found a professional woman, dressed in a white uniform skirt suit, slightly made up, her beautiful eyes subtly upturned, giving an impression of competence and decisiveness, standing next to her seat.
"Hello!" Tanaka Hikari whispered.
"I’m an editor from ’Taste Weekly’ magazine. May I take a few minutes of your time?"
Tanaka Hikari covered her mouth, clearly having heard of the magazine, and stammered in response, "Is it the one that’s the top-selling food magazine across all of Neon?"
As a Far Moon student, Tanaka Hikari naturally read professional food newspapers and magazines.
Among a pile of professional magazines, ’Taste Weekly’ was the most professional and most popular among chefs and gastronomes. Of course, the magazine that consistently topped the sales charts wasn’t only about professional content; the general public was also deeply attracted by its interesting content.
For instance, ’Taste Weekly’ had launched a travel destination column in the last two years, which extensively introduced noteworthy food streets, food shops, and food programs at famous tourist spots.
The ’Chiyoda Festival’ was well-known in the Hakone area. It was normal for ’Taste Weekly’s’ staff to conduct on-site interviews.
Tanaka Hikari wasn’t stupid, just not confident enough. After a brief thought, she figured it out.
But it was too late for her to refuse. The female editor, who introduced herself as Dubian Yuuki, had already extended a voice recorder toward her and was staring intently at her.
"You can ask, my name is Tanaka Hikari." Tanaka Hikari was a bit shy. It was her first time being interviewed, especially by the renowned ’Taste Weekly’ magazine.
"Miss Tanaka, are you a first-year student at Far Moon?"
"But as I understand, the residential training for Far Moon freshmen ended this morning. All first-year students should have returned to the Tokyo campus. Why are you all here?" Dubian Yuuki asked directly.
"It was President Dojima who asked us to stay!"
Tanaka Hikari weakly pointed to the bustling Dojima Yin nearby.
Hearing that Dojima Yin was also there, Dubian Yuuki’s eyes gleamed, and after coughing and apologizing to Tanaka Hikari, she quickly ran toward the burly man moving plates between the altar and the dining table.
"Mr. Dojima, Mr. Dojima..."
Dubian Yuuki was chasing after Dojima Yin.
Dojima Yin paused briefly, just after placing two dishes of grilled fish on the dining table. He glanced at the woman who had called him and was immediately surprised, "Is ’Taste Weekly’ always known for its keen sense of smell?"
"Actually, I arrived in Hakone two days ago." Dubian Yuuki smiled, "It’s also thanks to the information from my family that I knew the schedule for the major and minor exams of this training session."
A distant voice faintly called out.
Just as Dojima Yin was about to exchange pleasantries with the female editor, his expression changed slightly, and he quickly walked toward an altar.
Across the fiery barrier, Dojima Yin shouted toward the inside of the altar.
"I’m fine, the Crucian Carp are gone; continue to bring some more."
Dojima Yin, with a trace of lingering astonishment, watched the barriers piled up at the edge of the altar.
The firewood had mostly burned up, but what was left were not remnants, but red-hot charcoal continuing to emit high temperatures. Dojima Yin knew the next step was to lay dry firewood on top, and the Fire Dragon would roar to life again.
But could the young chef, also staked in the fire, keep going?
Dojima Yin felt a tinge of regret.
He had known Xia Yu’s recipe since noon but hadn’t stopped it; instead, he had become an accomplice in preparing the fuel.
To some extent, he too harbored a fire in his heart.
The ’Soul of Fire’ that devoured everything. Perhaps this time, it could break the shackles of human limits.
"Perhaps, all I can do is hope for a miracle, wishing he can overcome himself..."