Just a little something to drink.
This was the catchphrase of many 996 corporate slaves when they came to an Izakaya!
However, this statement was pure nonsense, much like the phrase "Alright, I'll just say a few words" spoken by leaders in China. These corporate slaves, once at an Izakaya, would often drink cup after cup!
And they would often find excuses to convince themselves: "This is the last cup, I'm going home after this!"
But what was the result?
They would drink over a dozen cups and still be chatting and laughing at the Izakaya.
Of course, there were also some corporate slaves who, after work, didn't actually want to go home and just looked for excuses to linger outside.
Therefore, places like Izakaya naturally became favored by many!
One must know that the character "I" in Izakaya means "to be at," implying that this is a place where one can stay for a long time!
It's just that Zhang Fan was a bit willful; his Izakaya would close promptly at 12 AM!
...
Tonight.
The arrival of heavy rain was accompanied by a special atmosphere!
A humid aura constantly permeated the air, and raindrops falling on the ground splashed up strings of water.
Finally.
As the sound of the rain grew louder and louder.
The entire nocturnal world seemed to be enveloped by the rain!
Even though it was still raining outside, some customers continued to patronize the Izakaya after Erina had arrived!
Hmm!
It's just that.
The number of customers was fewer than usual.
Furthermore, these customers, after finishing their drinks and food, no longer lingered and chose to leave.
This left the Izakaya in a rather desolate state tonight, and Zhang Fan was relatively much more at ease!
At this moment, Zhang Fan began to pick up a corner of a knife cloth, gently pressing it onto the blade, allowing the cloth to completely cover the blade.
Then, starting from the tip, he carefully wiped along the spine of the knife towards the back, following the direction of the blade.
After wiping one side, he flipped the knife cloth over and continued to wipe the other side using the same method.
The entire motion.
Was visibly very gentle.
Finally, as the action of wiping the chef's knife concluded, the blade of the chef's knife became sparkling!
And Erina, who had not yet left, sat quietly by herself, chin resting in her hands, continuously staring at Zhang Fan!
Her watery eyes seemed to be filled with thoughtful light, and she wondered what she was thinking in her mind at this moment?
...
"Hey!"
"Why are you staring at me?"
Subsequently, Zhang Fan put away his chef's knife, turned his head, and looked at Erina, who was always staring at him.
He seemed to understand that the Reincarnation Spring Roll dish earlier had greatly impacted her, and he couldn't help but ask with a smile.
"Ah?"
"No!"
"With your appearance, I wouldn't bother looking at you!"
Nakiri Erina, hearing Zhang Fan's words, quickly turned her head away in fright.
"I say."
"You've already finished my best new dish!"
"And you're not old enough to drink, so why are you always staying at the Izakaya?"
At this point, Zhang Fan felt very strange.
A small place like an Izakaya, the young lady of Nakiri should disdain to visit.
Yet, she was like the gluttonous Kobayashi Rindo; it seemed that after tasting his dishes, she would always refuse to leave!
Although an Izakaya itself is a place that provides food and drinks, where one can fully enjoy delicious food and social fun!
Moreover, Erina was a customer, a "God" of the Izakaya.
At the moment.
It wasn't closing time yet.
So, upon reflection, Zhang Fan truly had no reason to make her leave.
But right here, he and Erina kept staring at each other. If she wasn't embarrassed, he would feel awkward!
...
"This..."
"Didn't I just tell you?"
"My visit to the Izakaya this time wasn't for your dishes at all, but... but to shelter from the rain!"
Understanding Zhang Fan's meaning, Erina could only avert her gaze and continued to reply guiltily: "It's still raining heavily outside right now, so I'm definitely staying here!"
"Once the rain lightens or stops, I'll go back!"
Well!
She said so!
What else could he do?
But looking at her coming up with such a clumsy excuse, Zhang Fan's eyes couldn't help but become very suspicious.
Could she have really predicted this heavy rain tonight? Otherwise, why would she use such an excuse to fool him?
And seeing Zhang Fan's gaze turn suspicious, Erina felt even more guilty. She quickly found a topic to say: "Besides, who said you can't stay at an Izakaya if you're not old enough to drink? Can't I drink something else?"
"Like your flower tea last night, I thought it was quite delicious. How about... you brew me a cup of flower tea?"
"Oh!"
"You're really refusing to leave!"
Hearing this, Zhang Fan could only smile helplessly a few times.
But then he didn't say much more; instead, he really did go and brew two cups of flower tea, placing them in front of Erina and Hisako!
...
Indeed.
Just as Erina said.
His Izakaya also had many customers who were "not old enough to drink."
And for these customers, he couldn't offer alcoholic beverages, so Zhang Fan would additionally prepare flower tea, herbal tea, sour plum juice, other cold drinks, and even inexpensive sugar water every day!
At this time.
Erina picked up the cup of jasmine tea.
A gentle sniff, it was still the familiar scent, still the familiar recipe.
Although it contained a faint fragrance, when drunk, it had a rich aftertaste!
To say it wasn't luxurious, it was indeed an ordinary cup of jasmine tea. However, to say it was luxurious and noble, its flower tea fragrance was enough to attract Erina!
"Hey!"
"Longdan!"
"The Izakaya you mentioned, is it here?"
At the same time, Kobayashi Rindo and Akikubo Momo, who had come to the Izakaya through the heavy rain, stood outside holding umbrellas.
A few small drops of water slowly slid down Akikubo Momo's forehead to the tip of her nose, then dripped onto the ground.
When she looked up at the Izakaya in front of her, she couldn't help but be a little bewildered! Evidently, she had not expected that someone like Kobayashi Rindo, the Second Seat of the Elite Ten, would frequently visit such a small place during this time!
"Yes!"
"It's right here!"
"Don't worry, the Shopkeeper of this Izakaya used to be a five-star hotel chef."
"Just let him show you a few tricks, and I guarantee you'll gain some insight into the Souffle problem."
After speaking, Kobayashi Rindo quickly pushed the door open and walked in.
Akikubo Momo, behind her, hesitated slightly, but because it was still raining heavily and she thought that since she had already come, she could only grit her teeth and follow closely behind!
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