Azuma Yukishiro/The Charm and Temptation of Lanterns

Drinking Date Companion

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2

Azuma	Thank you for accompanying me today, Yuki.
Yuki	Don't mention it. I finally got the chance to do some shopping, too.
Azuma	I think I've bought all the things I want for now. We've walked quite a bit, so let's take a break and have some tea.
Yuki	...Ah, then, I want to drink that.
Azuma	Bubble tea? That sounds nice, if Kazu were here, he would probably say this is very Inste-worthy.
	Yeah, this is delicious.
Yuki	Come to think of it, Azu-nee is going to participate in the upcoming Lantern Festival.
Azuma	Yeah, Guy has decided to open a food stall there for a business trip, and I'll be the waiter.
	If you like, you can come and visit us on the day.
Yuki	Muku and the others were really excited to hear about it, so we'll go if our schedule allows.
Azuma	Fufu, I'll be waiting.
Yuki	We're back.
Izumi	Welcome back, guys.
Taichi	Welcome back! Did you guys go out somewhere?
Azuma	Yeah, we went out shopping.
Yuki	What's this? Paper lanterns?
Taichi	Yeah!
Muku	I heard that Azu-nee-san and the others are going to participate at the Lantern Festival soon, so I did some research...
	It seems that you can easily arrange it by hand, so I made it with Taichi and the others.
Azuma	Heh, that looks like a lot of fun.
Izumi	We made the lanterns from paper and other materials that could be used in the storage room.
Taichi	See, it looks just like one of those displayed in-store! A lot of these are already on display, so I'm looking forward to the festival~!
Azuma	Director's lantern is very well-made.
Izumi	I got really into it the more I decorate it.
Yuki	Heh, Muku's lantern is also cute.
Muku	Ehehe, thank you.
Taichi	Yuki-chan, take a look at mine too!
Yuki	Yeah, yeah.
Muku	How about we decorate the dorm with these lanterns?
Taichi	Sounds good! Mankai Dorm Lantern Festival will be held ahead of time!
Yuki	Too enthusiastic.
Azuma	Looking at the lanterns like this reminds me of the local Lantern Festival. How nostalgic.
Muku	You've been there?! That's amazing. I wonder how the real thing is like...
Azuma	On the night of the festival, all the artificial lights are turned off, so the whole town is lit only by the lantern lights, it's very magical.
	We can eat at restaurants and cafes along the river to watch the lanterns float down the river, too.
Taichi	Uwaa, that feels like a grown up date!
Izumi	What's the local meal like?
Azuma	Of course pho and gỏi cuốn are popular. The Vietnamese style okonomiyaki called bánh xèo is also very popular.
Izumi	That sounds delicious, I'd love to try some.
Yuki	Speaking of food, what will Guy's food stall serve?
Azuma	Pho has been decided for now, but I thought we should serve other stuff too. I've been thinking about it for a while now.
Muku	Then how about that gỏi cuốn and bánh xèo you mentioned earlier?
Azuma	That's an option, too. I'm still trying to decide because all the Vietnamese food are delicious.
Izumi	You can always just go eat at a restaurant and decide.
Azuma	You have a point...that might be perfect.
Taichi	I'm looking forward to the Lantern Festival and Guy-san's dishes~!

Izumi	(Phew, I guess I can stop at this part for the time being.)
	*knock knock*
	Come in.
Azuma	Director, is it okay to bother you at this time?
Izumi	Ah, Azuma-san. It's fine. What's up?
Azuma	I'm planning to go to a Vietnamese restaurant as a reference for the upcoming festival menu.
	If you like, why don't you join me? It seems like you were quite interested in Vietnamese food.
Izumi	Is it okay? I'll go for sure!
	Wow, the interior has that Asian touch to it, it's very stylish! Ah, there are lanterns, too!
Azuma	No wonder it's so popular among women.
Izumi	There's a lot more variety on the menu than I expected, so I'm at a loss.
Azuma	Fufu, everything looks delicious.
Izumi	Ah, I wonder what this one is. It's cute and colorful. Are those fruits in it?
Azuma	Oh, that's chè. It's a traditional Vietnamese sweet. There are different varieties of chè, but they taste like Japanese zenzai.
Izumi	They taste like zenzai, huh... I'm curious to know what it tastes like.
Azuma	It seems like they also offer take-outs here, so we should bring some home after our meal.
Izumi	Sure, I look forward to it!
Employee	《Excuse me, are you ready to order?》
Izumi	Huh?!
	(They're not speaking Japanese...! Is this Vietnamese?)
	U-um...
Azuma	《Then we'll have this one and this one. Do you have any recommendations?》
Employee	《This one is really good at this time of year.》
Azuma	《Thanks. We'll have that one too, then.》
Employee	《Understood.》
Izumi	Thank you very much...! Azuma-san, I didn't know you could speak Vietnamese.
Azuma	Fufu, it's just day to day conversation. Rather, I ended up ordering on my own, is that okay?
Izumi	No worries! If anything, you really saved me there. The waiter was speaking the local language and that made it feel very authentic, so you can expect the food to be just as authentic!
Azuma	Yeah, I look forward to it.
Izumi	I'm stuffed! That was so delicious! Thank you for inviting me out today.
	This chè is really cute! It looks delicious too!
Azuma	Thanks for hanging out with me, too. Can you still drink that chè even though you're so full?
Izumi	Desserts are a different story! Itadakimasu.
Azuma	Then, I'll have some as well.
Izumi	Yep, it's delicious! It's a mixture of tapioca and fruits and all sorts of other flavors, it's really like zenzai!
Azuma	I'm glad you liked it.
Izumi	Chè is similar to tapioca milk tea, plus it's cute and trendy, so it seems that it's popular among women.
Azuma	...I see.
	I think I'll suggest serving chè to Guy.
Izumi	Chè, huh? I thought it would be one of the dishes we just ate...
Azuma	Everything was indeed delicious, but—
	As you said, chè is cute to look at and it would be popular with the ladies.
CHOICE 1: It will definitely be popular. [+] Izumi I think it will definitely be popular. It's cute and delicious, on top of that! Azuma You're right, I'll have to do something to thank you, then. Izumi There's no need...you were the one who taught me about how delicious Vietnamese food are. Azuma But it's my way of expressing gratitude. Will you come with me then? Izumi If you say so... Azuma Thanks. I look forward to us traveling to Vietnam together. Izumi Huh? A trip to Vietnam as thanks?! Azuma Fufu, I'm kidding. I do want to go there with you, though.
CHOICE 2: What kind of chè will you serve? [+] Izumi What kind of chè will you serve? Azuma Hmm, the one I'm drinking right now is really delicious. Maybe I should suggest this one. Izumi Does yours have mango pudding in it? Azuma Yeah, with jasmine syrup. There are so many different combinations that would be interesting to try out. I think I'll talk to Guy about that. Everything that Guy makes is going to be delicious. Izumi That's true. I look forward to Guy-san's version of chè! Azuma Make sure you come visit and have a taste.
Azuma	...To be honest, there's another reason why I chose chè.
Izumi	Another reason?
Azuma	Yeah. It was fun to have a leisurely dinner with you, but—
	If it's something you can enjoy while strolling, you can have a date while talking and walking like this.
	Don't you think so too, Director?
Izumi	A date...I mean, it is fun to be able to talk while drinking like this...
	(It's kind of embarrassing to be told that to my face...)
Azuma	Hm, are you possibly embarrassed by that? How adorable.
Izumi	Geez! Please stop making fun of me.
Azuma	Fufu, sorry.
	Oh, that's right. If you have time on the day of the festival, would you like to join me for a cup of chè and go around the Lantern Festival?
Izumi	You'll be the waiter for Guy-san's food stall that day, so please do your job properly.
Azuma	Fufu, how cold. What a shame.

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