Chapter 240: The Dessert Shop Opens!
August 6th. Tokyo Weather: Sunny.
Today's temperature: 27°C~36°C. South-southwest wind, level 3.
Today was the hottest day in Tokyo since the beginning of August.
The daily high had been holding at 34 degrees, but today it jumped by two degrees, officially classifying it as a "scorching day." There was also no wind, making it suffocatingly hot and muggy.
Even so, the new commercial street in Seijo 3-chome, Setagaya, was packed with people. It was even more crowded than its own grand opening!
Two foreign tourists, who happened to be visiting Tokyo, followed their phone's navigation to the street's entrance. The moment they arrived, they were confronted by a massive, dark line of people that stretched beyond the eye's limit.
"Oh my god! Please don't tell me all these people are here for that dessert shop!"
The woman, who had short, straight blonde hair, delicate features, fair skin, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, stared at the line in disbelief.
"They probably are..." her fiancé, Luis, replied, his own shock evident as he recalled the online hype surrounding the shop.
They were both North American and currently on their pre-wedding trip. Japan was their third stop, and their visit here was pure coincidence.
They had only landed in Tokyo yesterday. While scrolling on their phones in the hotel, they'd accidentally stumbled upon information about the "Culinary Sage," "glowing food," and a "dessert shop." They were stunned and couldn't believe it.
After some quick research and a brief discussion, they decisively scrapped their original itinerary to join the excitement.
After all, how could they not be curious about desserts that glowed and came with an "unbelievable experience"? They even wanted to try the glowing restaurant, having gone so far as to download the specialty app and register an account.
Unfortunately, they hadn't been able to snag a reservation. How tragic!
...
Olivia and Luis followed their navigation until they stood in front of a yet-to-open dessert shop named "Meet You." Their last sliver of hope died.
"...This is just insane!" Olivia said, looking from the shop back to the line, feeling completely numb. "Aren't Japanese people afraid of the heat? Are they all this patient? Aren't they worried about heatstroke?"
It was a high-temperature day!
My god!
The people of this country were truly gluttons! How could they stand in a line hundreds of meters long in 36-degree weather, just for a bite of food? It was absurd!
Luis was equally dumbfounded. He looked at his fiancée (90% new) and suggested, "Honey, maybe we should skip it? There are too many people. Who knows when we'll finally get in."
He wasn't opposed to waiting in line, but this queue was just too long, and the weather was unbearable.
"...Honey, we're already here," Olivia said, conflicted but unwilling to give up. She was intensely curious about the glowing desserts. Since they were here, they couldn't just miss it. It would be too much of a pity!
"This will definitely be a wonderful memory later!"
"...Alright, darling. As you wish," Luis said, gazing at her for a few seconds before giving a helpless, yet doting, smile.
Olivia immediately beamed, wrapped her arms around his head, and stood on her toes to give him a passionate kiss.
In the line.
Hairu Iheiri, wearing a sun hat, glanced at the foreign couple before looking down at her phone.
9:50 AM. Ten minutes until the shop opened.
'Almost time!' Iheiri thought, her spirits lifting. She looked up at the "Meet You" dessert shop with eager anticipation.
At the same time.
A small truck pulled into the alley behind the shop. Ryohei Tanaka and Lucoa unbuckled their seatbelts and hopped out.
Yurine Hanazono, who had arrived earlier and was waiting by the back door, immediately led a group out to help unload the desserts.
JII and Koji, along with Binchotan, also rolled up their sleeves, lining up behind the others, full of fighting spirit and ready to help.
Ryohei Tanaka couldn't help but smile at Koji and Binchotan. He waved the two little ones over. "Koji, Binchotan, you two are excused. You can just be the mascots."
The two kids were only about 1.2 meters tall, shorter than the shop's dessert counters. JII was at least 1.45 meters, which rounded up to 1.5 meters with shoes.
"I... I can carry things," Binchotan said, looking up at him, embarrassed. She was here to work, after all. How could she just stand by as a mascot?
Koji also whispered his agreement.
"It's fine, we have enough people," Ryohei said with a smile. "You two are a huge help just by standing here."
He wasn't just being polite. One of them released cold air, and the other purified the air. As mascots went, they were perfect.
...
By the time all the desserts had been moved from the truck into the shop, and the display cases and freezers were fully stocked, the time had come to 9:59 AM.
Ryohei left Jiang Jiang and Lan Lan on the second floor to manage the customers there and to handle restocking. He brought the rest of the staff down to the first floor.
(At that moment, Minos was busy at the construction site, while Jashin-chan, Yusa, and Pino were at the Stardew Valley Ranch's temporary building, helping with prep work.)
Ryohei assigned Pekola and Poporon to handle the first-floor customers and restocking.
Yurine and JII were assigned to packaging and the cash register. Binchotan and Koji were their backups.
With the staff in position, he picked up the small blackboard standing by the entrance. It read:
"20% Off All Items Today! Store limit: 20 people. As some leave, others may enter. Thank you for your cooperation!"
He pushed open the dessert shop's main door and walked outside.
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