NOVEL NEXT Chapter 350: The Second Night in Hakodate
November 4th, five o'clock in the morning.
The sky over Hakodate was still dark, a single light shining on the hotel sign.
Dubian Che ran continuously to a narrow inlet on the south side, then turned back.
Whenever he ran, he remembered his solitary mornings in Shinjuku Yotsuya, sitting alone in front of the steps of "Suga Shrine", and the taste of summer Ramune soda.
The black characters of "Bamboo Leaf New Leaf Pavilion" in front of the hotel could be seen from afar.
"Good morning, sir." As he walked into the wooden building, a kimono-clad staff member greeted him.
"Good morning." Dubian Che replied.
"I thought you went to see the Morning Market, but you went for a jog instead." A young waitress said with a happy smile.
"First time seeing a guest go for a morning run." Another waitress remarked.
"I had no choice." Dubian Che said.
"What happened? Didn't sleep well?"
"No, I slept quite comfortably. It's just that when I first started dating, I was physically weak and got bullied by my girlfriend every day, so I started running."
"Really?" The waitresses were astonished, all saying it must be typical of Tokyo women.
"Do you still get bullied now?" The waitress who first greeted Dubian Che asked.
"Still do." Dubian Che nodded.
"Wow, it's completely useless."
"You seem like a person who really dotes on his girlfriend."
Amidst their chatter, aside from their fragrance, Dubian Che also caught a faint wooden scent from the hotel itself.
'Vacation, I wonder if Kiyono is up, Jiutiao Meijie must still be sleeping soundly, that lazy bug.'
Past six o'clock, Xiaoquan Aonai, Mayi Asuka and the others gradually got out of bed.
They decided to skip the hotel's sumptuous breakfast to save room for fresh seafood at the Morning Market.
Akiko looked pained, complaining 'it's a loss' until they reached the Morning Market.
At six or seven, the sky over Hakodate was dimly lit, and the Morning Market was already bustling.
In the water tanks, ugly live fish;
Crab legs as long as half of Little Lian's body laid on ice blocks;
Sea urchins with bowls as shells, clean and clear, priced at 1000 yen per piece;
Northern red salmon cut into chunks, half a body per box, priced at 3000 yen to 5000 yen;
Squid the size of Dubian Che's two palms sizzled on the iron plate, sold whole for 1500 yen;
Skewers of eel brushed with sauce, 700 yen per skewer;
...
"Ho ho ho!" Akiko let out a strange laugh, pulling out a piece of crab meat.
Thick, long, and white, she took a bite, filling her mouth with crab meat instantly.
"Mmm—" She closed her eyes, her face full of bliss, "Mmm mmm, mmm mmm mmm!"
"I can't understand what you're saying, finish eating before you speak." Miyazaki Mieko said with a look of disdain.
"You can fish for squid here too!" Akiko said while eating the crab leg, pointing at a squid shop.
"Let's give it a try." Dubian Che suggested.
"Mmm!" Akiko nodded enthusiastically.
Miyazaki Mieko, Akiko, and Dubian Che each took a mini fishing rod.
"Senpai," Dubian Che turned to ask Mayi Asuka with a smile, "Wanna join?"
Just like in Kyoto Uji, places visited only once, he would not restrain himself and would laugh whenever he wanted.
"I don't know how." Mayi Asuka said.
"I'll teach you." Dubian Che handed her the fishing rod, gently holding her soft hand as they placed the bait into the tank together.
"Let's see who catches one first, loser pays up!" Akiko proposed.
"No problem." Miyazaki Mieko nodded.
"Get ready to pay!" Dubian Che declared confidently, "Senpai, don't worry, I've caught tuna taller than a person in the Pacific Ocean before."
"Mmm!" Mayi Asuka wasn't interested in squid fishing, but was happy to do it with Dubian Che.
"Aonai, help me with the crab legs." Akiko rolled up her sweater sleeves, "Today you'll see how awesome your teacher is!"
"Have you read 'The Old Man and the Sea'? It's based on me." Dubian Che said, unwilling to be outdone.
"Young man," Miyazaki Mieko said, "I'm starting to doubt your tuna fishing story."
"That guy is definitely lying." Akiko asserted.
"Mayi Senpai, do you believe me?"
"Mmm, I do..."
"Huh?" Miyazaki Mieko pulled the mini fishing rod, a squid was hanging from it.
"Senpai," Dubian Che said seriously, "next time, let's go fishing for tuna."
"Che," Mayi Asuka tilted her head, her hair swaying along, "I want to fish for squid."
"...Alright, squid fishing it is."
Mayi Asuka looked at Dubian Che with a bright and happy smile.
Seeing her like that, Dubian Che couldn't help but smile sincerely as well.
Xiaoquan Aonai watched them from behind, knowing it was normal, that Dubian Che was taking care of Mayi Asuka, but couldn't help attributing it to last night's events in her heart.
Indeed, people unconsciously favor those they have deeper connections with.
Xiaoquan Aonai took a deep breath.
The squid they caught, after being handled by the owner, turned into squid rings in a matter of minutes.
The translucent meat was served in a small silver dish, but to Dubian Che's taste, there was no desire to eat it.
They strolled around and found a seafood restaurant.
They ate tuna rice bowls, sea urchin rice, and emperor crab leg rice.
The tuna piled high like hills, crab legs so many that you couldn't see the rice, very generous portions.
Seeing these, Dubian Che was reminded of Jiutiao Meijie—two days before their arrival, she had already made Dubian Che sample Hokkaido's seafood rice in every possible way.
"Akiko," Dubian Che asked, "where are we going today?"
"Yesterday was the city tour, today it's mountains!" Akiko replied while eating.
Huisan during the day, and Hakodate Mountain at night.