Saitama is one of the prefectures of Japan and it is very close to Tokyo.
Just in case, Haru didn't go on a date in Saitama city, but the Saitama prefecture since both city and prefecture had similar names.
Unlike his date with Sakura in the past, this time Haru used his car rather than using a train to go on this trip.
Looking at Erina's sleeping face, Haru knew that it was the right decision since he could see her cute sleeping face.
Along the way while listening to the old rock music, Haru was wondering where he should eat in the afternoon since he felt hungry.
"Hmm...."
"You've woken up, Erina?"
Erina wiped her eyes and yawned. She felt comfortable after sleeping for a bit and asked, "Have we arrived?"
"Not yet. I feel a bit hungry, what is the local food in Saitama prefecture?" Haru asked.
Hearing about food, Erina, of course, became excited. It was because of her education during her childhood that she came to hate food since her father forced her to stay in a dark room to enhance the ability of her tongue, but she was a gourmet and she loved to eat, her feeling was very contradictory.
"How about Konosu Kawahaba Udon?" Erina said.
"Konosu Kawahaba Udon?" Haru thought for a while and checked the information on the internet quickly. He nodded and felt quite curious about this dish. "Have you tried it before?"
"Not yet, but it is unique udon, right? I want to try it," Erina said excitedly. Seeing her figure at this moment, she was similar to a child who was being brought by her parents for the first time to the theme park, waiting to play on various
"Alright, let's have an early lunch there."
Haru didn't hesitate and drove to the most popular udon restaurant among locals with the app that was developed by Ritsu. He had used this app during his trip to London before and this time, he used it to be used on this trip to see whether it was really useable or not.
"But your taste is quite different now," Haru suddenly said.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Erina asked.
"I mean, this is B-kyu Gurume (B Rank Cuisine), right? In the past, you wouldn't even think to eat this kind of food, don't you remember?" Haru said.
B-kyu gurume refers to the kind of cuisine that is popular with the masses and does not use high-quality ingredients. On the whole, it is Japanese fast food with a strong taste, eaten both at home and out at restaurants. B-kyu means "second rank" in English, whereas gurume refers to the word "gourmet". For example, yakisoba, monjayaki, okonomiyaki, etc.
It was also the reason why Haru was surprised since Erina usually didn't want to eat this kind of food.
Erina's tongue was very sensitive and because of her education, she had always regarded those masses foods with disdain since all the foods which she had eaten were made from high-ranking ingredients.
"It's different." Shaking her head, Erina said, "It's a local food after all and I know a shop which prepares this udon with very high class ingredients. Let's go to that place. With my identity, we can eat for free."
Erina also worked as a "gourmet taster" after all and as long as she came, any restaurants would welcome her and even pay her to come. Her reputation in the restaurant industry was very high and she was also the owner of "God of Tongue", as long as she praised the restaurant, that restaurant would be full of people the next day without doubt.
In other words, Erina was really the Queen of restaurant industry and with one word from her mouth, she could decide the fate of a restaurant whether it would become prosperous or destroyed in a single moment.
Haru sighed and thought that the Nakiri family was really great at building the brand of Nakiri and also the God of Tongue so that they could be so revered in the restaurant industry.
"Well, we can go to that place, but let's keep our identity a secret since I don't want people to know that we're coming here," Haru said.
"Alright."
Erina knew the only thing her fiance didn't lack in this world was money so she didn't care much whether she needed to hide her identity or not.
Along the way, they talked to each other and teased each other since this girl seemed to be quite thirsty and wanted to drink that white liquid.
---
Haru and Erina ordered the food and saw the famous Konosu Kawahaba Udon.
The brainchild and inspiration for this dish came from Saitama prefecture's Arakawa river. Reportedly Japan's widest river, it inspired some locals to create these udon noodles which are 8 cm in width.
Haru and Erina had to admit that the noodles were very wide which made them speechless.
"Let's eat."
Erina nodded, but didn't immediately eat the food first. First she looked at the visual of the food and felt that it was acceptable. She also could tell that the soup was on the light side, but she needed to try it first. She took a spoon and slurped the soup.
Then for a moment, Erina felt that she was blown away by the water. She tried to protect herself, but a clam attacked her at the same time, which made her suck a deep breath after tasting the broth.
Erina had to admit that she underestimated the taste of this food and felt that it was quite good.
"It's acceptable."
Haru looked at Erina with a speechless expression and continued to eat. He thought that he needed to do something about her view of food so she could grow further later.
Then both of them ate their lunch and continued to tour around Saitama prefecture.
Haru had to admit there were a lot of things in this prefecture, but the first thing he wanted to check out was Mitsumine Shrine, Chichibu City.
---
Walking next to each other, Erina asked, "Why did you decide to visit this shrine?"
"Well, I own a shrine after all, so I want to see what this popular shrine is about," Haru said.
"So what is so popular about this shrine? Why are there a lot of people here?" Erina asked.
Mitsumine Shrine was sitting at an altitude of 1102 meters, it was thought to be one of the shrines closest to the gods and was also known as one of the foremost power spots in the Kanto area. Standing on both sides of the stone steps that overlook the front shrine, are two tall cedar trees that look as though they were planted in order to unite into one tree.
"Those two tall cedar trees are also very special." Haru smiled and said, "These trees are called the sacred trees of marriage, anyone who touches them will be married to their loved one forever."
"!!!"
Erina was surprised and her eyes were burning, looking at the trees in front of her.
"Do you have an interest in these trees?" Haru asked with a tease.
"N - No! I don't have an interest in these stupid trees!" Erina denied it and showed off her usual "tsundere" style.
"Really? If you mock the tree then you might not be able to marry your loved one," Haru said.
"........"
Suddenly Erina's complexion became pale and she became afraid. "W, what should we do, Haru? Is, is it impossible for us to marry?" She was crying and panicked at that moment.
Looking at Erina who was almost crying at this moment, Haru knew that he might have teased her too much.
"Stupid. Do you believe in such superficial things? I was joking."
"...."
Erina was speechless and she became angry. "D, don't scare me like that! It - It isn't funny!" She was annoyed and looked away, but then she was hugged.
"I'm sorry, alright? I know that that joke is a bit too much, but you're so cute that I can't help but want to tease you."
Erina blushed and her ears became red, but she kept looking away and tried to ignore him.
"You're my woman now. In the present and in the future, of course, I'll take responsibility to marry you, even if I have to fight God itself." Haru said while caressing Erina's cheek.
"Haru..." Erina stared at Haru and couldn't look away.
Haru knew that to make his shrine more popular, he needed to make a power spot or something that could be used to make people come to his shrine, but he didn't care about any of that since his lips were kissed by Erina.
Erina couldn't control her emotions and at the same time, she was very shy at this moment, staring at him with misty eyes.
"I love you, Haru."
"I love you too, Erina."
Luckily, there weren't many people here or else with Erina's thin face, so it was impossible for her to do this kind of act in public.
Though, he had to admit that "tsundere" was the best!