Chapter 522: It

If Ma Sai and Nakamori Akina went shopping together alone, if they were photographed, they wouldn't even have an excuse.

Now that he is shopping with Tsuruko and Akina, everything is easy to explain... What's more, several people are wrapped tightly, and they didn't go to prosperous commercial streets like Ginza or Shibuya.

The three came to Kagurazaka, a place known as Tokyo's Little Paris. It was the flower street of Tokyo during the Taisho era, and now it is a characteristic district full of Edo-style buildings and various high-end culinary pavilions.

The blue stone paths are intricate. In the past, geishas often appeared here. The narrow stone stair paths and wooden black fences, together with some old buildings, created the atmosphere of the Edo period.

Kagurazaka, the Bishamonten Zenkoku Temple in the Kagura area, Kagurazaka Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine, Fushimi Fire Prevention Inari Shrine, Tsukudo Hachiman Shrine, Anyo Temple, etc., all kinds of shrines make this place even more full of customs and cultural atmosphere related to gods.

Just from the name, you know that this is also a region famous for "slope roads." Simply put... there are many steps. To shop here, besides spending money, you also need physical strength...

However, everyone knows that the physical strength of girls when shopping is not at the same level as usual.

In the cold winter, Ma Sai was already sweating all over from walking, while the two little girls in front were still jumping around, urging themselves to be faster from time to time.

"Nii-chan, don't you exercise every day... How come you are tired after shopping for only an hour!" Tsuruko mocked on the side, while Akina stood on the side secretly laughing, seemingly having the same feeling.

"... Do you want to share the things in my hands before you say that?"

Ma Sai made the posture of a Shaolin monk carrying water with bare hands, showing the shopping bags in both hands. Inside were various fruits from the Kinokuniya dessert shop, bread from Kameido, as well as snacks and other souvenirs.

Looking at it, it's not much, but it's very heavy!

Tsuruko looked left and right: "It's been so long today, I'm a bit hungry. Let's find something delicious nearby!"

Saying that, she pulled Akina and continued to run away.

"It's still better when shopping with Akina!" Ma Sai complained in his heart. "At least she will hold hands and help carry things..."

In such a strange small alley, they actually found a tempura old shop hidden inside—Tenko.

Ma Sai had seen the name of this shop in the Tokyo Gourmet Manual, but he had never had time to come over to eat. This time he really wanted to try it.

"Tsuruko, Akina, let's eat tempura today~" Ma Sai pointed to the door with only a wooden sign, "It's so cold, it's just right to eat something hot."

"Eh? Here?" Both girls were very surprised.

"Hmm, let's go. It's a famous old shop." Ma Sai led them in.

The shop owner was a clean-looking uncle. After seeing the three people come in, he kindly asked about the ingredients they liked, and then took them into a separate private room.

This restaurant is a "Goza-shiki" dining method. The private room has tatami mats, and there is a semicircular dining counter in the middle. Later, a separate chef will come to serve the guests.

After waiting for a while, the chef in white clothes came over, with fresh ingredients and a bucket of rapeseed oil...

The first dish was fresh shrimp tempura. The lively shrimp were processed on-site, dipped in tempura batter, and then put directly into the pot. After it was cooked, it was clamped directly in front of you with long, thin silver chopsticks.

"Wow, so bouncy!" Tsuruko said after taking a bite.

Akina also nodded in agreement on the side.

Ma Sai also put the tempura in front of him into his mouth,

The thin outer layer was slightly golden, and you could see the shrimp meat inside. There was no oil stain, but it carried the unique rich fragrance of rapeseed oil; the freshly fried shrimp were still a bit hot. When the teeth were slightly forced, you could feel the white and tender shrimp meat bouncing on the teeth. The crispy, tender, fresh, and sweet shrimp meat seemed to be still alive, making people feel the freshness of the ingredients; even the tail of the tempura was scorched and crispy, which could be easily eaten, with a feeling of eating a crispy cake.

"Sure enough, it's delicious!" Ma Sai praised the chef.

The reserved chef didn't say much, but started the production of the next dish.

In this private room, Ma Sai, Tsuruko, and Akina tasted squid that was softer than other shops, fresh and sweet buds, tender sillago fish, conger eel with bones and meat connected, and crispy and sour ginger...

The final staple food was tempura mixed rice. The distinct white rice was combined with grass shrimp tempura, making people feel a refreshing and delicious taste.

This simple but not simple tempura delicacy made the three people shopping in Kagurazaka feel very satisfied.

After walking out of the restaurant, the warm feeling spread from the stomach to the whole body, and even the cold wind outside didn't feel too much.

"The sky seems to be overcast~" Tsuruko said looking at the sky outside.

"Hmm, maybe it will rain..." Ma Sai nodded and looked at Nakamori Akina beside him. "Akina, in the afternoon, should I send you home, or to the place where you record the program?"

"Better go home first... Fusoku-san will come to pick me up!" Nakamori Akina looked at her boyfriend, and then looked at the sky outside with some expectation. "If it rains later, that would be great... Then there will be no need to shoot outdoor scenes in the afternoon."

"How can it be so easy~" Tokyo's winter has always been sunny and rarely rainy.

Carrying a pile of things back to the parked Toyota Century, Ma Sai drove Akina and Tsuruko toward Sumida Ward.

The two people in the back row started whispering again, making Ma Sai a bit depressed~

Tsuruko was coming to Akina's high-end apartment for the first time, and naturally was taken by Akina to visit everywhere. However, it was a coincidence that after a while, Akina Fusoku called and was waiting for Akina downstairs.

"Tsuruko-chan, Naoki-san, I have to go first." Akina said after hanging up the phone.

Ma Sai comforted: "Daijobu, after all, Fusoku-san is already waiting. We will remember to lock the door when we leave later~"

"Hmm~" Although Akina was a bit reluctant, she still changed her clothes and went downstairs.

After waiting for a while, Ma Sai took Tsuruko and walked out of the apartment.

"Nii-chan, do you come here often?" Tsuruko saw Ma Sai's familiar appearance and looked at her brother with her eyes.

"Akina is my girlfriend, of course I come often~" Ma Sai said frankly. "You will know when you fall in love~"

"..." Tsuruko always felt that Ma Sai was implying something.

Ma Sai, who walked out of the gate, walked toward where he parked the car, and Tsuruko beside him was thinking about how to talk back, when suddenly a gust of wind blew their collars crooked...

Then he felt something white falling from the sky...

A bit of ice cold in the neck...

Tsuruko stretched out her hand and stopped in mid-air,

A small white ice bead fell on her palm,

It melted quickly,

Then another one,

And another one,

It's snow~

"Nii-chan~ It's snowing~"

End of chapter ===== CHAPTER 523 =====