Chapter 422: Festival (2)

For a moment, all eyes turned toward Sui.

"Who's this? Hojō, when did you have a son? Is he an illegitimate child?" Tomita Hiroshi asked with a frown, eyeing Sui up and down.

"Haha, Sui isn't my son. He's Miyoko's classmate!" Chef Hojō laughed, deliberately emphasizing the word "classmate."

Immediately, everyone misunderstood the situation.

Since Sui was representing the Hojō House, and Chef Hojō referred to him as not being an outsider, it was easy to assume he was the future son-in-law.

"You sly old fox! When did you sneak in a son-in-law without telling anyone?" Tomita Hiroshi muttered under his breath.

Tomita had always liked Miyoko. She wasn't just beautiful but also had a kind heart and was incredibly talented. Marrying her would mean gaining a virtuous daughter-in-law and potentially inheriting the Hojō House in the future.

"No, don't get the wrong idea!" Miyoko's cheeks flushed red as she glared at her father, clearly frustrated.

Seeing the disappointed look on Tomita Hiroshi's face, Chef Hojō burst into hearty laughter, feeling utterly pleased with himself.

Having a potential son-in-law felt wonderful! Who would dare say in the future that he only had a daughter? The thought filled him with pride, although there was one tiny regret—Sui wasn't officially his son-in-law yet. He'd have to nudge Miyoko to make more progress on that front, or else he'd never hear the end of it from others.

Stroking his chin, Chef Hojō began plotting quietly.

Meanwhile, Sui, observing the situation, felt a bit speechless. Suddenly, he noticed a faintly hostile gaze directed at him from Tomita Jōji. When Sui met his eyes, Jōji gave him a polite smile.

Could it be that this guy is interested in Miyoko? Sui thought, somewhat surprised.

At that moment, Hiroshi Tomita remembered something. "Ah, let me introduce our special guests for this food festival: Mr. Yu-Cheng from Taiwan's famous Longyinju(Abode of the Dragon's Roar) restaurant and his young disciple, Chih-Hao."

He quickly gestured for the two men standing behind him to step forward.

"Longyinju?" Chef Hojō exclaimed in surprise. Longyinju was a renowned restaurant in Taiwan with a history spanning hundreds of years.

This was Sui's first time encountering chefs from Taiwan, and he couldn't help but examine them curiously.

Yu-Cheng was over eighty years old, with gray hair, a frail frame, and a slight hunch. Yet, there was a gentle kindness in his demeanor. His young disciple, Chih-Hao, was in his twenties. He appeared humble, slightly stooping, and followed closely behind his master with his head bowed.

"It's a great honor to have Master Yu-Cheng here in Japan," Chef Hojō said solemnly. Yu-Cheng was a legendary figure in the gourmet world, and his visit to Japan and being a judge here is a tremendous privilege.

Yu-Cheng smiled, waving a hand dismissively. In somewhat stiff Japanese, he replied, "No need for such formalities, Chef Hojō. In fact, we should thank you for promoting our cuisine here in Japan. Our hope is that through this event, more people will come to appreciate and enjoy our food."

He then glanced over at Miyoko and Sui, seemingly intrigued by the two.

"Did I hear correctly that your daughter and her… fiancé are students at Totsuki Academy?" he asked.

"Haha, they aren't officially together yet," Chef Hojō responded, his tone filled with pride.

Miyoko rubbed her temples, feeling utterly helpless. Her father was truly a handful.

"Totsuki is the best culinary school in Japan," Yu-Cheng said with a smile. "Chef Hojō, it's clear your legacy will continue."

Chef Hojō's grin only grew wider.

"By the way, I've arranged for a dragon and lion dance team to add to the festivities," Tomita Hiroshi announced with a smile.

Soon enough, two teams appeared from opposite directions. One held a large dragon head high, led by a young boy, while the other consisted of two playful lions. Accompanied by the sound of gongs, drums, and firecrackers, the performers brought a lively, festive atmosphere, reminiscent of a New Year celebration.

Tourists gathered around, pulling out their phones to take pictures, clearly intrigued by the traditional art form.

Sui was equally impressed. Such dragon and lion dance performances were now rare, yet they were still prevalent in overseas towns like here.

After the excitement, the Yokohama Town Food Festival officially began. There were two main segments: a knife skills demonstration and a cooking demonstration.

The restaurants representing the Yokohama town were set to display their talents in front of the audience, and the most popular restaurant would be chosen based on the votes cast by the attendees.

Initially, this event was simply a competition between the major restaurants in Town. Over time, it had evolved into a tourist spectacle. While it was mostly for entertainment now, there was still some rivalry between the competing restaurants.

"Sui," Chef Hojō whispered as he leaned close to Sui's ear, "it doesn't matter what place we get—just don't let that old thief beat us!"

Sui chuckled to himself but responded, "Got it."

He was determined to secure first place, especially to complete the task at hand.

As the competition began, the chefs representing the various restaurants, along with the guest chef Chih-Hao from Longyinju, stepped up to their respective kitchen counters to begin their knife skills demonstrations.

Chef Hojō gave his daughter a knowing look. Though slightly exasperated, Miyoko naturally followed Sui to act as his assistant.

"Sui, what kind of knife skills are you planning to showcase? If you need any tools, just tell me," she said.

"I've got everything I need," Sui replied. He had come prepared and brought his trusty Cinderella knife with him.

Last time, he demonstrated his skill by cutting Silk Threads Tofu. This time, he had decided to create an ice sculpture. 

The hardness of ice required precise knife skills, much like cutting tofu, and he figured it would leave a lasting impression on the crowd.

Soon, the staff brought over a large block of ice.

"An ice sculpture, huh?" a voice commented nearby.

Sui turned his head to see that it was Chih-Hao from Longyinju.

Earlier, Chih-Hao had kept his head lowered, following his master, so Sui hadn't paid much attention to him. Now, he was surprised to hear that Chih-Hao spoke fluent Japanese.