Neither Rinne Yoji noticed the people who walked in.
Upon seeing that he was a foreigner, the old man spoke in slightly accented English:
"Welcome, this is the first time I've seen Miss bring a friend here."
His eyes swept over Cedric and Rolf, and his smile widened. "Have a seat, Grandpa will go prepare the meal now."
They served a few side dishes, then pulled back the curtain and went into the warehouse.
Rinne noticed everyone's confusion and whispered:
"Yoji is my grandfather's younger brother. He didn't inherit any magical talent; he's like the Squib from your side."
Not only in Japan, but also in the Eastern Wizarding World, Squib are generally not considered a disgrace.
Even if they could stay, their positions would still be unequal.
They will serve the family as servants until their descendants are once again blessed by magic.
Even Neville sensed the gravity of the topic.
"Sorry to keep you waiting—" Yoji peeked out from behind the curtain, holding a salmon that was as long as his arm.
"These were just caught yesterday, so everyone is in for a treat today."
Before processing the 5-kilogram salmon, he first started a pot of kelp broth.
Hermione gasped in surprise as she skillfully removed the scales and bones, just as the color of the fish flesh was revealed.
A vibrant orange-red color, with exceptionally fine fat lines.
"Yoji, could this be New Zealand King Salmon?"
"Yes, miss."
Yoji looked up with slight surprise as he removed half of the fish meat intact, then flipped the whole fish over.
After removing the fish meat, he cut off a small piece of bone with a thin layer of meat on it and put it into the boiling soup.
The fish belly bones were removed very quickly; they were almost completely removed as soon as the tweezers touched them.
Hermione puffed out her chest slightly. "Not all salmon are worthy of being called King Salmon..."
It is very sensitive to the environment and has extremely strict requirements for water quality and temperature.
Kenny didn't understand the language, but he knew the fish was expensive.
A five-kilogram fish was gone in no time, with a dozen or so people sharing only three or five slices.
And there was also an owl that, after delivering the goods, refused to leave and insisted on eating half a month's worth of his allowance.
After finishing the kelp soup made from salmon bones, the fish meat had already been cut in half.
It's fatty but not greasy, melts in your mouth, and has a tender and glutinous texture.
The knife work is superb; each piece is almost the same thickness.
Vincent watched as Kenny rudely stuffed bite after bite into his mouth, only managing to eat one piece before stopping.
It's not that I have no appetite, but rather that I'm not used to it.
Yoji, who was washing his hands to prepare the next dish, asked with some doubt, "Young master, is it because the ingredients don't suit your taste?"
"No, no." He quickly picked up a piece of fish.
Yoji nodded slightly, lifted the curtain, and walked into the warehouse.
When he returned, he was carrying a basket of frozen Arctic shrimp.
Remove the heads and shells, leaving only the shrimp tails. Coat them with a batter of low-gluten flour and eggs, then deep-fry in oil at a low temperature until they turn just golden brown.
"Please." Yoji respectfully placed the Tempura in front of Vincent.
If the batter and oil temperature are slightly off, Tempura will turn into ordinary fried shrimp.
The outer layer is very thin and crispy, but the shrimp meat inside is not fully cooked.
While retaining its fresh and sweet taste, it was also surprisingly warm.
Vincent slapped away the chopsticks Kenny was offering him. "Fried food is greasy, are you sure?"
Arctic shrimp and King Salmon – even a fool knows which one is more expensive.
Cedric and Rolf, who were the most knowledgeable, secretly shook their heads.
Exquisite ingredients are only one aspect; the key is the chef's skill.
Top chefs can cook up the most exquisite delicacies even using the most ordinary steak.
Conversely, even the rarest and most exquisite ingredients will become ordinary dishes when they fall into the hands of an ordinary chef.
When they ate the Grilled Eel, they both subconsciously wiped the corners of their eyes.
I wouldn't say I burst into tears, but there were definitely tears in my eyes.
Compared to meat, girls prefer sukiyaki with vegetables such as carrots, celery and enoki mushrooms.
The broth is light and sweet, not greasy at all.
Most of the beef dipped in raw egg ends up in Gu Gu's stomach after it's cooked.
It resolutely refuses to eat rice, and even on several occasions, together with its good friend of similar size, Leif, it secretly steals the side dishes from the top of James and Alfred's sushi.
"Lord Gu Gu, could you leave me a little bit?"
"Neville, if you don't do something about Leif, I'm going to call the enforcement team."
Their attitudes toward the two adorable pets were completely opposite.
But with Leif backing Gu Gu up, it turned into outright robbery after a few times.
Yoji chuckled and added more side dishes to their sushi.
This dinner took a long time; they were still having dessert two hours later.
Kenny, clutching his belly, went to the small seating area with Jennifer early on.
The couple stood very close together, and several girls glanced at them curiously several times, only to shyly turn their heads away.
Only Rinne remained expressionless, though she noticeably increased the speed at which she ate her chopsticks.
"Burp—" Hermione let out a very unladylike burp.
While she was feeling embarrassed, Marietta also started burping.
Perhaps it's contagious; even Neville, who was eating Japanese cheesecake, started fighting.
For a chef, the greatest happiness is seeing diners enjoy their meal.
Amidst laughter and cheers, Yoji bid farewell to everyone.
He carefully put away the check that Rinne had just stuffed into the letter.
This small shop named "Maple" was actually specially left by Hayahiko for his retirement.
After all, blood is thicker than water, and he has worked hard for the Shingu Family for most of his life.
Compared to Filch, who is still waiting for the Mandrakes to mature at Hogwarts Hospital Wing, the Squib in the Japanese Wizarding World is undoubtedly fortunate.
The streets of Shibuya are very lively at night.
Kenny's motives for suggesting a walk to digest his food were certainly not pure.
As he entered a Regensburg Bar, he shouted a phrase in fluent Japanese to the approaching waiter:
"Ms. Jingu will be footing the bill for tonight's entire meal!"
Rinne on her face.
The tone was strange, but the pronunciation was extremely accurate.
I've practiced in front of the mirror at least a hundred times.
"Miss Jingu?"
"That's her!" Kenny turned around and pointed, only to find that even Jennifer was gone.
The middle-aged man he was pointing at was a little confused.
"Uh—this is a misunderstanding!"
After he went out without changing his expression, he found that everyone was indeed waiting outside.
"You--"
"I'm 12 years old." Vincent shrugged nonchalantly. "Using Confundus Charm on them would violate the 《Wizarding Law》."
Kenny's big eyes looked across the street.
I miscalculated; I should have prepared some Polyjuice Potion in advance.
At this time of day, the most expensive entertainment options in Shibuya are either bars or shopping.
There are even more expensive options in Ginza, just a few kilometers away.
But from Rinne's utterly disdainful gaze, he knew that if he dared to utter this suggestion, the enforcement team would take him away immediately.