blogombal Chapter 62 The Eating Contest: Reencounter with the Main Characters
Chapter 62 The Eating Contest: Reencounter with the Main Characters
It was said that Wang Yueling was taking them to explore the shops, but in reality, it was the two little gluttons who led him through the streets and alleys, specifically looking for hidden dessert shops.
The Mumu Ting commercial street was overwhelmed by the smell of strawberries.
A giant pink neon sign blinked in the twilight. The air was filled with the sweet aroma of baked pastry and candied strawberries, and the sound of "GG" echoed from one end of the street to the other.
Xiang Ri skipped and hopped along at the front, her short red hair swaying with her movements. She pointed to the bustling shops at the end of the street and turned back to call out to her two companions.
"That's it! The newly opened strawberry-themed buffet, and they're even having an eating contest today!"
Jiro walked in front, turning back to explain to Mochizuki Ryo as they went: "Ryo, this place's strawberry daifuku is said to be even softer and more glutinous than that century-old shop in Ginza. The strawberries inside are imported, and it has a secret-recipe cream. The outer skin is so thin you can see through it..."
"No, that's not it."
Xiang Ri immediately stopped in her tracks, turned around, put her hands on her hips, and said with certainty, "This place's strawberry Napoleon is their signature dish. The crust is so crispy it crumbles, and the cream is light vanilla flavored. It's a hundred times better than daifuku."
"Daifuku tastes even better!"
"Napoleon!"
Cilang turned and glared at him defiantly, and Xiang Ri returned the glare.
The two huddled together, chattering away incessantly. Their clear, lively voices drew the attention of passersby.
Wang Yueling walked in the middle, sandwiched between the two. Helplessly, she raised her hands and pressed down on their heads, gently separating them.
He casually twirled the blue-purple hair tie at the end of his hair, his lazy tone laced with undisguised pride: "Stop arguing. Neither Dafu nor Napoleon can compare to what I make."
Both small animals turned to look at him at the same time.
Cilang blinked and nodded seriously: "That's true. Ling's Napoleon pastry is the best I've ever eaten."
Xiang Ri, unusually, didn't argue. He just hummed in agreement and added, "The canelé from last week was the same."
Wang Yueling's lips curled up, her little tiger teeth were faintly visible, and the hint of childish smugness in her eyes could not be hidden.
"Naturellement."
(Of course.)
He raised his hand to straighten the collar of his sports jacket, and his steps became more relaxed than before.
The three of them chatted and laughed as they turned the corner, and stopped in their tracks when they saw the scene in front of the dessert shop.
This store is even more popular than expected.
The long queue stretched from the store entrance to the street corner, packed with people, mostly students and young women, the noise mixed with sweet aromas in the air.
Two promoters in pink uniforms held megaphones and played promotional messages on a loop, their voices so loud they drowned out the traffic on the street.
Inside the transparent floor-to-ceiling shop window.
A giant strawberry cake model, about half the height of a person, is displayed.
Fluffy pink cream encases layers of cake, topped with a dense pile of fresh strawberries, which gleam enticingly in the warm light.
Just looking at it makes your mouth water.
Right in the center of the store entrance stands a pink GG sign shaped like a cake, with the words prominently displayed in gold lettering:
The 4th Strawberry Eating Contest officially kicks off tonight!
Two people per group, 40 minutes time limit, 10-minute extra round in the final.
The winner is the one who finishes the giant strawberry cake!
The champion enjoys a lifetime 20% discount + free desserts all year round!!!
Jiro and Mukahi stared at the "GG" sign, their eyes lighting up simultaneously. The next second, the two grabbed Mochizuki Ryo on either side and squeezed towards the registration area.
The two were like two small animals fighting over food, neither willing to let go.
"Ling ling ling! It really is a competitive eating contest! And it's in pairs!"
Xiang Ri, clutching Wang Yueling's sleeve, jumped around excitedly, "Wow, a giant strawberry cake! Let's participate! I want to be in your group!"
"No way! Ling should be in my group!"
Jiro immediately pushed Xiang Ri aside, clung tightly to Wang Yue Ling's left arm, and rubbed his head against his arm. "Ling, let's be together! I can eat a lot of sweets! We'll definitely win!"
"I was the one who brought it up first!"
"I caught Ling first!"
……
The two of them each grabbed one of Wang Yueling's sleeves and pulled back and forth.
Wang Yueling stumbled as she was pulled, almost losing her balance. She looked at them helplessly, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.
He's quite skilled at making desserts, but he doesn't have a sweet tooth and isn't good at this kind of binge-eating competition. Forcing him to devour cake in forty minutes is less enjoyable than spending an afternoon practicing serves on the tennis court.
"stop."
Wang Yueling spoke up to stop them, holding down the two noisy little ones and raising her hands in a gesture of surrender, "I can't eat that many sweets, and I'm not good at this, so I won't participate."
The excitement on Cilang and Xiangri's faces instantly vanished, and they looked at him with pitiful expressions, their eyes welling up with tears.
"But……"
"It's so boring if Ling isn't with me..."
Wang Yueling chuckled, raised her hand and ruffled the heads of the two girls, her tone gentle yet firm: "You two can participate as a group. I'll cheer you on from the sidelines and take photos of you."
The two little animals looked at each other, and although they were a little disappointed, they knew that Wang Yueling's decision would not be easily changed, so they could only nod dejectedly.
"Oh well……"
"Ling, you must cheer us on!"
"Of course." Wang Yueling nodded and pushed the two of them out. "Let's go, the registration deadline is approaching, let's register first."
The registration area was set up in a temporary shed on the left side of the store entrance, and there were several long lines of people.
While Jiro and Mukahi were filling out their registration forms, Mochizuki Ryo stood idly by, scanning the crowd around him. He heard a somewhat familiar voice coming from the side.
"Hey! Echizen, the strawberry cake at this shop looks really good."
"Senior Tao, you ate so much barbecue last time you almost threw up, and you said you wanted to challenge yourself to a competitive eating contest?"
"That's different! Barbecue is barbecue, and dessert is dessert!"
Wang Yueling turned his head and caught two familiar figures in his peripheral vision behind him. He clicked his tongue softly.
Mon dieu, what great luck today!
Takeshi Momoshiro and Ryoma Echizen were squeezing in from the other side. The two were wearing sports jackets worn by regulars from Seigaku, and Ryoma was holding a can of grape-flavored Fanta in his hand.
The moment their eyes met, the air suddenly went quiet.
When Momoshiro saw Mochizuki Ryou, his expression changed drastically. His previously cheerful face instantly darkened, his brows furrowed tightly, and the anger in his eyes was undisguised.
He stopped, stood two steps away, staring intently at Wang Yueling, his clenched fists trembling slightly.
Since the St. Rudolph incident, Mochizuki Ryo's remarks, which directly targeted Seigaku and Fuji Syusuke, have been widely discussed among those present.
The entire Tokyo middle school tennis community is talking about it.
Seigaku's double standards, Fuji Syusuke's selfishness and disregard for his younger brother, and the fact that Seigaku members blindly take sides without distinguishing right from wrong.
A barrage of mockery, ridicule, and malicious comments followed, and the Seigaku tennis club was constantly being pointed at and gossiped about wherever they went. Fuji Syusuke's reputation plummeted, with some even publicly calling him a "hypocrite" on forums.
all of these.
In Momoshiro's view, it was all the fault of the transfer student from Hyotei University in front of him.
After Jiro and Mukahi finished filling out the watch and turned back, they immediately saw the expression on Momoshiro's face.
Jiro blinked, shoved the registration form into Xiang Ri's hand, and stepped forward to block Wang Yue Ling's path. Xiang Ri also stepped forward, her red bob reaching just to Wang Yue Ling's chin.
Two little ones, each about 1.6 meters tall, tried to protect a person who was 1.83 meters tall.
To be honest, nothing can stop it.
But they stood firm.
Momoshiro gave the two Hyotei a cold glance, and his lips moved slightly.
Ryoma Echizen, however, didn't seem to care about the atmosphere between them.
He stood beside Momoshiro, one hand in his pocket, his cat-like eyes looking over Jiro and Mukahi's heads, landing directly on Mochizuki Ryo. His gaze lingered on Mochizuki Ryo's face for two seconds, then moved down, settling on the tennis bag behind Mochizuki Ryo's shoulder.
Those defiant eyes suddenly lit up.
This is the instinctive reaction of someone who grew up in the professional tennis world when they sense the presence of a top player.
Echizen stared at him for a long time, confirming that the person in front of him had a sharper, more stable, and heavier aura of a strongman than his old man.
That's the aura that only those who have truly fought on the world stage possess.
He didn't know who this person was, but his intuition told him that this person must be very strong.
Ryoma Echizen's competitive spirit was instantly ignited.
He wanted to fight this person right now.
Then defeat him.
……
Wang Yueling looked down at the two little ones blocking her way, a warm feeling washing over her, and she couldn't help but chuckle.
Neither of them was particularly tall, and even standing on tiptoe, they couldn't completely block him out. Instead, they looked like two little kittens with their fur standing on end, seemingly harmless but incredibly earnest.
He looked over their heads and at the furious Momoshiro Takeshi opposite him, the anger surging in his eyes was crystal clear to him.
Speechless.
It's also somewhat ironic.
It's nothing more than the last time he publicly humiliated Seigaku in front of everyone.
According to Shinobu's gossip, Seigaku has been repeatedly ridiculed on the forums for this incident, which has also affected Fuji Syusuke's reputation.
This is nothing!
When the Seigaku members were maliciously speculating about others, they didn't think they had done anything wrong.
When the boomerang of public opinion hits you, you can't take it anymore.
Their mental fortitude is ridiculously poor.
Moreover, every word he said last time was the absolute truth; not a single word was fabricated.
That wasn't the only disgraceful thing Seigaku had ever done.
The plot takes even more unexpected turns later on. In reality, compared to what others have suffered, this controversy is nothing.
As for Echizen Ryoma...
Wang Yueling's gaze lingered on those cat-like eyes for a moment.
That haughty, arrogant gaze.
It's as if every strong person he encounters is naturally meant to be his opponent, his stepping stone, or a ladder to higher places.
To be honest, seeing this kind of "taken-for-granted" attitude for too long can be quite annoying.
Wang Yueling sneered inwardly.
Watching it on DVD is one thing, but standing face to face with it is quite another.
The fighting spirit emanating from those eyes carried an innate arrogance that had never truly been shattered.
Ryoma Echizen always felt that he could surpass everyone, believing that he could trample someone standing at the top of the world under his feet simply because of his talent and desire for challenge.
Unfortunately, he... Echizen Ryoma was nothing.
The so-called "genius second-generation samurai" is nothing more than a "copy" living in his father's shadow, and has never truly broken through his own limitations.
He respects everyone who works hard to play, but he despises those who are arrogant because of their fame and treat everyone else as a stepping stone.
Ryoma Echizen is not even worth his attention.
He, Mochizuki Ryo, did not need a ridiculous benchmark like Echizen Nanjiro to measure himself.
The fact that he is standing here is itself the pinnacle.
These thoughts flashed through his mind for only two seconds. He looked away, raised his hand and patted Cilang and Xiang Ri on the shoulders, his tone relaxed: "Don't block the way, the match is about to start, let's go."
After saying that, he led the two of them past the two Seigaku members and walked straight out.
Jiro and Mukahi obediently handed the forms through the window. Mochizuki Ryo followed them and turned to leave the registration area, but when they reached the exit of the tent, they ran into another group of Seigaku students.