The next evening at 7 o'clock sharp,
Zane lit up the red lantern sign outside.
The "tavern" advertisement looked warm and bright, like a quiet harbor under the night sky!
Upon pushing the wooden door, a complex blend of aromas instantly filled the air, a mixture of sake, grilled skewers, fresh seafood, and other appetizers.
This fragrance seemed to transport people to a "small world," far from the hustle and bustle of the city.
The tavern's customers were of all kinds, from different age groups, professions, and interests.
They included young and old, office workers, business owners, teachers, scholars, artists, and aspiring musicians.
Despite their diverse backgrounds, in the specific setting of the tavern, they could set aside worldly distractions and share their stories and emotions with each other.
After all, most people are humble, like a tiny drop in the ocean, unable to contend with the world.
But at night, they could find some comfort for themselves!
...
Food.
Drinks.
Always the soul of the tavern and the means through which people connect with each other!
"Come, come, let's use tea instead of sake."
"Congratulations to our dormitory's Isshiki Satoshi-senpai for being promoted to the seventh position of the current Top Ten!"
At this point, in the tavern, Yūki Yoshino lifted her tea cup and joyfully shouted to everyone.
After toasting with everyone, she quickly couldn't wait to take a sip of the fragrant tea.
As soon as it touched her lips, she found the tea to be delightfully fragrant and sweet at the same time, giving a natural and refreshing aftertaste.
"Wow, I never thought the flower tea offered by this tavern would be so sweet!"
"Indeed, to brew such good flower tea, you not only need high-quality tea leaves but also need to pay attention to water temperature, brewing time, and so on."
Sakaki Ryoko, who also took a sip, said thoughtfully.
"So, I can't understand why an event like this celebration couldn't just be hosted in any restaurant, why did it have to use my room?"
Wearing glasses, Zenji Marui began to sound quite unhappy as soon as he set down his tea cup.
...
Polaris Dormitory.
This is the only lodging facility in the entire Totsuki Academy.
Therefore, there are some resident students, but the number of resident students is very small, probably less than ten, a number that can be easily counted by extending all ten fingers.
The reason for this small number is that the current manager of the dormitory is a person named "Fumio Daimidō."
And any student who wants to live in Polaris Dormitory must undergo the unique dormitory entry test set by this dormitory manager.
Even students like Megumi Tadokoro spent three months barely passing the entry test.
Maybe Megumi's strength is not that great at the moment. But to some extent, it also indicates that it is not easy at all to become a resident student in Polaris Dormitory.
And among all the rooms of the resident students, Zenji Marui's 205th room is the largest in size.
In addition to his meticulous nature, he always keeps his room clean.
Therefore, when the resident students of Polaris Dormitory wanted to have a gathering, they would "use" his room.
...
"It's really frustrating."
"Chef Sonoka's Shunkatei Restaurant actually closes after 6 o'clock!"
Speaking here, Satoshi looked embarrassed as he looked at everyone. In the previous year's residential training activity, he was invited by Totsuki Academy as an assessor.
Satoshi with excellent performance naturally interacted with her.
Of course, all of this was a year ago.
Things have changed, and he has become the seventh seat of the Top Ten.
To celebrate his promotion to the Top Ten, the resident students of Polaris Dormitory proposed to hold a celebration party.
At first, they wanted to celebrate in Marui Zenji's 205th room, but they met with strong opposition. Helpless, Soma, as the "protagonist," remembered this Shunkatei restaurant!
As a result, their plan was thwarted. When they arrived at 7 o'clock, the restaurant had already closed.
However, fortunately, there was a tavern next door, so they had no choice but to come here and make do with a celebration party.
Little did they know, it was precisely this choice that set the wheels of fate in motion from then on!
...
"Megumi, let's toast too."
"Congratulations on ascending to the high school section with the last ranking!"
Just when the atmosphere seemed very lively, a slightly mischievous Yuuki, looking at Megumi, was always quiet with some thoughts in her mind. So, she took the initiative to start a conversation.
"Yuuki, are you praising me or making fun of me with that comment?"
Seeing Yuuki approaching her, Megumi couldn't help but awkwardly smile. TheTotsuki Culinary Academy is especially known for its tough graduation exams in the tea restaurant cooking school.
Different from the practical emphasis in the senior department, the various assessments in the middle school section are actually simple theoretical knowledge like cooking theory, nutrition, public health, cultivation principles, and even business and management studies!
Therefore, students just need to master these basic theories to easily pass the exams.
Megumi, despite her usual appearance of timidity, had a solid foundation.
However, for some reason, as soon as she entered the exam room and received the paper, her mind turned to mush, feeling confused.
In the end, she could only manage to move up by being last in the results.
...
Tempura.
The dish may sound fancy, but it's just vegetables or seafood dipped in batter and fried.
Zane first prepared fresh seasonal vegetables like dried persimmons, dried bananas, as well as seafood like conger eel, squid, and oysters.
Then, a batter was made using flour, eggs, and water, using low-gluten flour with less than 10% protein content, with the ratio of 15% eggs, 35% flour, and 50% water.
After preparing the batter, the vegetables and seafood were coated with it, then promptly fried.
Since the batter is not very thick, low oil temperature can cause it to fall off. High oil temperature can burn the ingredients, making the most crucial skill in making tempura the control of heat.
Finally, don't discard any leftover batter-coated ingredients. Dip them in egg wash, coat with breadcrumbs, fry until golden and crispy, and everyone loves them!
"Your tempura is ready."
"Other dishes will take a bit longer."
Later, Zane placed a plate of tempura with various ingredients in front of the boarding students.