It was nine in the morning, and the sun was scorching. The air, bleached white by the heat, shimmered like an overexposed photograph. In the central square, the crowd waiting in line grew restless.

"It's so hot—!"

"I'm melting! This is just like being at Summer Comiket!"

The speaker was an otaku, and he had come well-prepared. He wore a sun hat, carried a folding fan, and had a bottle of ice water in his bag. He was, without a doubt, one of the most comfortable people there. Looking at the unprepared young people around him—empty-handed and with no head coverings—he couldn't help but puff out his chest with a hint of smugness. This was a rare victory for the otaku!

"It's already nine o'clock. Why isn't the line moving?" someone in the crowd muttered, constantly checking their watch. As the hands of the clock ticked past nine with no movement from the front, a sense of anxiety began to ripple through the queue. People stood on their tiptoes, craning their necks to see what was happening, but to no avail. All they could see was a sea of heads, completely obscuring any view of the stall. They couldn't even tell if anyone had come out to man it yet.

But someone had. Minos was already at the stall, boiling water. The sight of this immediately lifted the spirits of those who could see.

"They're starting to boil the water!" one person exclaimed, overjoyed. He had been waiting in line since before seven in the morning. Was he finally going to get to eat? The effort to get a taste of this food was no small feat!

"I wonder what Chef Ryohei will be selling today... I heard it's a new dish. I'm so excited!" said a long-time customer. Some of the older patrons called him "Chef Ryohei," while the newer ones mostly referred to him as the "Culinary Sage."

"It looks like some kind of steamed dish... That's how Chef Ryohei got his start. I used to rush over to get in line right after work. Ah, the nostalgia!" his friend reminisced softly, his voice filled with longing. He had hoped that Ryohei Tanaka would open a restaurant, but he never imagined it would be by reservation only, making it incredibly difficult for him to get a taste of the glowing cuisine now. It was frustrating!

"Tell me about it!" his friend chimed in, equally nostalgic. He had been a regular back then, too. The two of them launched into a conversation, weaving a tale of "The Food We Chased Together in Those Years," which drew the attention of many around them.

In the aisles at the front and sides of the queue, Eri and a group of online influencers held up their phones, interacting with their followers. The Culinary Sage's participation in the food festival was a massive event, and no influencer worth their salt would miss it. There was even a television crew on standby, officially invited by the event organizers for promotion.

CCG investigators, led by Senior Investigator Take Hirako, were also present to maintain order. Unseen, however, were a significant number of ghouls lurking in the shadows.

The relationship between the CCG and ghouls had become quite delicate recently. The ghoul and half-human faction, led by Kisho Arima, was far stronger than the CCG, yet weaker than humanity as a whole. The CCG, having been rocked by the Washu clan's betrayal and the mass defection of half-human investigators like Arima, was now significantly weaker than Arima's group. While they could call for outside help, it wasn't a simple matter; it required complex negotiations and exchanges of benefits. It was during this time that Arima had proposed the idea of coexistence to the CCG.

Take Hirako's current orders were to turn a blind eye as long as no one was harmed.

...

"Oh, oh—! Miss Minos is bringing out the steamers... Are they going to start steaming now?"

"The Culinary Sage is out, too!"

The atmosphere in the crowd instantly became more cheerful as they watched Minos carry out a stack of steamers and place them on the stove.

Then, all eyes fell on Ryohei Tanaka. He hung a small blackboard on the stall, on which was written: 'Ascending Dragon Dumplings: 2000 yen per serving. Limit one per person.'

Curiosity immediately rippled through the crowd.

A new dish called Ascending Dragon Dumplings? What a strange name. Does it have some special meaning? And they're steamed?

In Japan, "gyoza" usually referred to pan-fried dumplings; steamed ones were typically only found in Chinese restaurants. Many people in the crowd had never tried them before, which only heightened their anticipation. They glanced at the small steamers and made a bold guess: was one serving a whole steamer? They wondered how many dumplings were inside, thinking that 2000 yen seemed like a pretty good deal.

Meanwhile, in the aisle to the left, as soon as Ryohei appeared, Nanako Shinno, the female host of Tokyo TV's food program, gave a brief introduction to the camera before turning the lens towards Ryohei's stall to interview him. The event organizers had already arranged this with him, and he answered her questions as cooperatively as possible.

As they spoke, the aroma of the steaming Ascending Dragon Dumplings began to waft from the bamboo steamers.

"Haaaah—!"

Taro Yamada, a food critic standing near the front of the line, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the lines on his face softening.

"This enticingly sweet seafood aroma, with a hint of oceanic freshness... without a doubt, it's the smell of shrimp! And fresh, live shrimp at that... mixed with a subtle fragrance of fat... The filling must contain fatty pork, or perhaps lard... And then there's the faint scent of wheat and oats... It smells absolutely delicious!" Taro Yamada's eyes shot open, glowing as he stared at the steaming baskets on the temporary stove.

His words were captured live on Eri's stream, and a barrage of comments like 'Stop talking, I can't take it!' scrolled across the screen, interspersed with drooling emojis. Someone even commented in surprise:

'So Ascending Dragon Dumplings are just shrimp dumplings?'

'I see! There's a Chinese restaurant near my office. I'm going to have shrimp dumplings for lunch... I hope they have them.'

'I'm so jealous of everyone there...'

'I'm so jealous of Eri!'

'I want to eat Eri! Eri is the best!'

'Huh?'

'Hey, you upstairs! Something's not right with you! Fess up, are you a ghoul?'

'Everyone, report him!'

Eri's mouth twitched as she read the comments, which had suddenly gone off-topic. She paid them no mind, her beautiful blue eyes fixed on the steamers in front of her.

At the very front of the line, someone, inhaling the increasingly rich and tempting aroma, had a look of pure craving on their face. They couldn't help but call out to Ryohei, "Excuse me... are they ready yet? How much longer?"

"One minute," Ryohei replied with a smile, mentally calculating the time.

One minute later—

He placed his hand on the lid of the steamer. Facing the camera and the countless eager eyes of the customers, he smiled. "And now... ladies and gentlemen, please watch closely! My Ascending Dragon Dumplings are about to awaken!"

~~~

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