「ヴーッヴーッヴーッ……ヴーッヴーッヴーッ」.ZYQDchalou02.1643

[-] Buzz--Buzz--
[player] Hello...?
[???] From the sound of your voice, I take it you're still in bed?
[player] Ume?
[Ume] Correct.
[Ume] I'm calling to inform you that something's come up in relation to Magical Dream's acceptance of the tea association's challenge. Take a look at this.
[-] I receive a screenshot from Ume--It's today's trending searches.
[Ume] Based on the angle, this photo was likely taken by someone in the tea house that day. It seems they're not just opinionated about Magical Dream, but also have quite a bit to say about Bamboo Cloud switching suppliers.
[player] Do you need me to find out who took the photo?
[Ume] No need, I'll handle whoever pulled this little stunt under Bamboo Cloud's nose myself.
[Ume] The key issue now is that we've been inextricably tied to Magical Dream--meaning their fate is our fate. So, your job today is to ensure that Magical Dream wins the competition.
[player] But I don't have any experience in this sort of thing. How am I supposed to...
[Ume] Hello? Hellooo? Did you lose signal or something? ...Whatever, if anything comes up, just get in touch with Ran. Hanging up now.
[player] I understand, it's my job to share the boss's load. I should be able to come up with something on my own.
[-] With everything happening so suddenly, all I can do is get to Champion Street as early.
[Ichihime] Nyaa! Master, it's you!
[player] Ichihime... and Mai? What are you two doing here?
[Mai Aihara] Ichihime said she wanted to watch the drama, and... when I heard it had to do with you... I got a little worried.
[Ichihime] In other words, we're here to cheer you on, nyaa!
[-] When she finishes speaking, I instinctively scan the area around them...
[Ichihime] Nyaa? Looking for something, master, nyaa?
[player] Nope, nothing.
[player] (whisper) At least Kaguyahime isn't here. Otherwise, it would definitely make matters worse...
[Ichihime] Nyaa! It's packed, we can't even get in, nyaa!
[-] There are already so many people at the entrance to Magical Dream that nothing's getting in or out at this rate.
[???] (whisper) Kind soul! Over here!
[-] I follow the sound and see a head poke out from around the corner--it's Yuan Xiao.
[Yuan Xiao] The entrance has been packed since early this morning, and not just with people from Champion Street. A lot of outsiders to this street even came to spectate... Huh? Who are these two?
[player] Um... Spectators from out of the street.
[Yuan Xiao] What?! {var:Shake}
[player] It's okay! They're actually friends of mine.
[Yuan Xiao] Whew--That's good. You three can go in with me through the back door.
[???] I said PLAYER wouldn't come alone. Hehe, popular as ever, I see!
[-] I hear a familiar voice as soon as I walk in and look around the tea room. Other than Yuan Feng, who promised yesterday that he'd be here, I see an unexpected face--Fu Ji.
[player] Fu Ji, you're here too?
[Fu Ji] I wasn't about to miss out on the fun.
[-] Fei Ming's always acting like he's above it all. How could I pass up the chance to see what kind of trouble he's suddenly gotten himself into?
[Fu Ji] But don't mind me, just do what you have to do.
[player] Speaking of Fei Ming, he's not here, is he?
[Yuan Xiao] He still hasn't returned since he left yesterday. I asked him about the competition this morning, and he just told me to follow procedure...
[Yuan Xiao] Sigh... You'll get used to it. Our bosses are always acting on whims and completely ignoring the dumpster fires we end up in.
[Yuan Feng] Just a reminder, everyone, our punctual friends from the tea association will be arriving soon. I suppose Yuan Xiao will have to rise to the occasion on her own?
[Yuan Xiao] Um... actually...
[Fu Ji] Since it's a tea competition, you'll need to put your tea serving and preparation technique on display. You won't get a high score with just a routine brew, I'm afraid.
[Yuan Xiao] So...
[Yuan Feng] That's right. Pretty much everyone on this street has some skill in this area. If you don't show some genuine ability out there, the results won't be pretty.
[Yuan Xiao] Wait...
[-] I notice Yuan Xiao casting me repeated glances, seemingly wanting to say something. But--
[Mr. Li] Everyone, thank you for your support. Today, we at New Moon specially invited Champion Street's esteemed elders, Mr. Dong, Mr. Wu, and Mr. Wang to serve as our judges for this tea competition...
[Mr. Li] I assume the owner of Magical Dream doesn't mind?
[-] The competitors from New Moon has already arrived in the main hall with the judges. Now, apart from Mr. Li, Mr. Zhao, and San Niang, there are also three graying, yet spry elderly men.
[Yuan Feng] (whisper) Those three do have a good reputation on this street. I believe they'll remain impartial.
[Yuan Xiao] The owner of Magical Dream hasn't returned yet, but he sent a message... Ahem.
[Yuan Xiao] As long as you're happy.
[player] (whisper) Is that really what your boss said?
[Yuan Xiao] (whisper) No, he just grunted, but I could tell what he meant and that was my loose translation. He can't hear it anyway...
[player] (whisper) You're definitely a good translator...
[Mr. Dong] Since neither side objects, shall we go over the rules, Mr. Wu?
[Mr. Wu] Sure, I'll keep it simple.
[Mr. Wu] Ahem, your attention please. For this competition, the competitors will each brew the best tea they have in stock, and the three of us will score your entries. The one who wins the best two out of three will be the final winner.
[Mr. Wu] Everybody clear on the rules?
[Mr. Li] Crystal clear.
[Yuan Xiao] Understood.
[Yuan Feng] Oof... Under these conditions, it'll be three against one. With so much at stake, I'm afraid Yuan Xiao will have to work a miracle to win.
[Ichihime] Steak? Where, nyaa? Can I have some?
[player] Stake, not "steak." Be good and go play with the tea leaves over there.
[Ichihime] Nyaa? This tea all smells like plain old tree leaves.
[Yuan Feng] Haha, you're not wrong. Tea is essentially just leaves from tea shrubs. This is their natural smell before undergoing any processing.
[Fu Ji] Back to the matter at hand, does this mean that some of us will be chosen to help Yuan Xiao...? Because I for one won't be doing any free work for Fei Ming.
[Yuan Xiao] Hold it!! This is what I wanted to discuss with you all from the beginning!
[player] You mean, you already have someone in mind?
[Yuan Xiao] Yes! Well, actually, the boss did.
[Yuan Xiao] He said, "If you're short-handed, get that little moth from yesterday to help."
[Yuan Feng] I see.
[Fu Ji] I see!
[-] Yuan Xiao, Yuan Feng, and Fu Ji simultaneously run their eyes over the faces of Ichihime, Mai Aihara, and then stop on me.
[player] Then... the "moth" he was talking about yesterday wasn't New Moon tea house, but me?
[Yuan Feng] Will you help me, kind soul?
[player] Hold on, I...
[-] Before I can get my sentence out, Yuan Xiao grabs a book from a table to the side and shoves it into my hands--Its title reads: "Grandpa's Secrets to Perfectly Brewed Tea."
[Yuan Xiao] Cramming is better than nothing. Good luck!
[Ichihime] You got this, master! Nyaa!
[Mai Aihara] We'll all be cheering you on. You can do this.
[player] But...
[Yuan Xiao] The boss also said, "If Bamboo Cloud can't even manage this, tell them there won't be any partnership."
[player] ...Please don't keep talking like him, you're scaring me. How does he sound just as corporate as my boss?!
[Yuan Xiao] You'll get used to it. Our corporate overlords--I mean, employers, are all alike these days.
[Mr. Wang] Is there a problem, Magical Dream?
[Yuan Xiao] No, no. We've confirmed our team...
[-] Yuan Xiao reaches out and grabs firmly ahold of my arm.
[Yuan Xiao] It'll be us two.
[-] And so, before I can protest or object, the tea competition has already begun...
[-] Naturally, Yuan Xiao takes the lead in the first round.
[-] I watch as she lines up the tea-making utensils and then, seemingly unsatisfied, rearranges a few of them. This is repeated several times, but the ideal arrangement is still not found.
[player] Yuan Xiao, are you...?
[Mai Aihara] Is she... nervous?
[Yuan Feng] Yuan Xiao isn't the kind of person that can relax and make tea. Fei Ming clearly has been tempering her character while teaching her the tea ceremony.
[Yuan Feng] I'm afraid she has suddenly realized that the work she usually does for her employer is now a test of her ability. She must be feeling the pressure.
[Ichihime] Nyaa, it's just like the students who don't study enough and come to the Mahjong Soul Shrine to make a prayer before a test.
[-] As we're talking, a sharp sound rings out from where Yuan Xiao is--She's accidentally broken a piece of the tea set.
[-] As her "colleague" for all intents and purposes, I should jump in to assist. After taking a deep breath, I grab one of the backup pieces and walk over to her.
[player] Let me help.
[Yuan Xiao] Thank you...
[-] Yuan Xiao turns to look at me. To my surprise, her eyes are red.
[player] Hey, hey, it's okay...
[Yuan Xiao] Waaaah! You are such a kind soul. I just accidentally rubbed my eyes with the hand I was preparing the chili peppers with, and it hurts so freaking much! Could you help me peel the rest of them?
[player] What kind of tea has chili peppers in it?! {var:ShakeScene}
[Yuan Xiao] Hehe, you'll see soon enough. Oww, ow, it hurts... I'm gonna go wash my eyes, I'll leave this pile to you!
[-] Yuan Xiao then dashes off upstairs, leaving me flabbergasted. Bracing myself, I look over at the ingredients on the table--cone peppers, dried chilis, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, and star anise...
[player] Nanxiang Beef Noodle Restaurant next door doesn't even use this many spices to cook their beef...
[-] Yuan Xiao has left me the task of peeling a small pile of fresh green chilis, removing the white seeds, and placing them into a small bowl.
[-] I grab a chili and give it a good cut...
[player] AHH! My eyes!!{var:ShakeScene}
[Yuan Xiao] Huh? Why are you crying? I only just got back, what happened?
[player] Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that tea ceremony would be more dangerous than Kendo... Good luck, I need to go wash my eyes out too.
[-] By the time I get back to the first floor, the tea competition has already begun.
[-] Yuan Xiao looks completely slack, like...
[-] If I had to compare Yuan Xiao with her opponent, Mr. Li is a hard worker who puts in the extra hours, while Yuan Xiao has trained herself not to smile too hard when playing online mahjong, lest her boss realize she's slacking off right next to him.
[-] After all, how many people actually come to work with a smile on their faces?
[Yuan Xiao] A small spoonful of salt, two strips of dried orange peel, ginger... Hm, maybe a little less than that...
[-] Hearing Yuan Xiao's mumblings, I look curiously into the pot in front of her. A viscous, green liquid bubbles slightly in the wide-mouthed teapot over the small stove...
[player] The judges... They're in pretty good health, right?
[Fu Ji] Pfft--They'll be fine, don't worry. Still, I sure did miss it...
[Fu Ji] This way of making tea was all the rage over a thousand years ago, but you almost never see it nowadays. Fei Ming's actually dropping some legit knowledge...
[Mai Aihara] Now that you mention it, Ichihime and I had a milk tea like that the other day. It had sticky rice and sea salt in it, and we had to eat it with a spoon... It was interesting.
[Ichihime] But I've never seen anyone add chilis. I'll have to get a taste of it later, nyaa.
[player] Careful. Curiosity killed the cat, you know.
[-] The first round of the competition ends, and we move into the judging phase.
[Mr. Dong] Excellent, just excellent!
[Mr. Wang] It's rare that someone so young possesses such a deep understanding of a technique this ancient. Very rare indeed!
[Mr. Wu] You're a role model for today's youth.
[-] Unexpectedly receiving the unanimous praise of the judges, Yuan Xiao emerges from this round victorious.
[-] The surrounding tea enthusiasts begin divvying up the remaining tea, one after another exclaiming in delight.
[Ichihime] Isn't this congee... nyaa?
[player] Yeah, pretty sure it's congee.
[Mai Aihara] It is... isn't it?
[-] We're clearly the odd ones out here as we all stare at the "tea" snatched back by Ichihime, each with a different expression on our faces.
[-] Fine slices of ginger rest atop the thick green liquid and a closer whiff reveals the strong aroma of cinnamon. If you give it a stir using the small spoon from the tea tray, you'll see some small white seeds.
[player] These aren't the chili seeds we removed earlier, are they?
[Yuan Feng] Well spotted! You have good eyes.
[-] Yuan Xiao has just returned to my side after tidying away the tea set.
[Yuan Xiao] Well? How does it taste?
[Yuan Feng] I read my fortune before going out this morning, and today isn't a good day for tea... Let someone else have it.
[Fu Ji] Oh no, where's my fan pendant? I need to go look for it...
[-] When Yuan Xiao's eyes turn to me, Mai Aihara and I step back simultaneously... leaving Ichihime standing alone before the teacup.
[Ichihime] Nyaa? You want me to drink it... nyaa?
[Yuan Xiao] Yes, please!
[-] Seeing the expectation in Yuan Xiao's eyes and the sympathy in ours, Ichihime solemnly throws back the tea in one gulp...
[Ichihime] NYAA! M-My tongue... Water, water, water... nyaa...!!{var:Shake}
[-] I watch Ichihime as she disappears around the corner. When Yuan Xiao looks at me again, I take the initiative... to strike up a conversation.
[player] I didn't realize you knew ancient tea brewing techniques.
[-] Huh? Ancient tea?
[player] You know, this... tea you just made.
[Yuan Xiao] Oh, that... Hehe, actually, I just made it that way because I thought it tasted good.
[player] Huh?
[Yuan Xiao] When I asked the boss this morning what I should do, he just told me to follow my heart, so that's what I did. I didn't expect it to go over this well.
[Yuan Feng] ...Some people are just blessed, I guess.
[Mr. Dong] If everyone's ready, we'll proceed to the second round.
[Yuan Xiao] Uh oh. Careful, your opponent is that grouch from the other day.
[player] Haha... It's a competition, not a battle. It's not like he's gonna pour scalding hot tea on me or anything.
[Yuan Feng] Tsk tsk, I wouldn't be so sure, my friend. I just read your fortune... You face a hostile adversary today, prudence is strongly advised.
[player] ...
[Mr. Zhao] Unbelievable. This is a tea competition! What are you hemming and hawing for? You're like a talking parrot that doesn't know when to shut up. Forfeit already if you're so scared, then we can all go home early.
[Tea Drinker A] Yeah, that's right! Just give up if you're too chicken. Haha!
[Tea Drinker B] You'd better hurry, kid. Mr. Zhao is famous around Champion Street for his impatience!
[Yuan Feng] See, what did I tell you? Anyway, just keep calm and relax. There won't be any bloodshed.
[player] That isn't helping me relax!
[-] In spite of my trepidation, the second round begins.
[-] Yuan Xiao prepared an oolong tea for me. According to "Grandpa's Secrets to Perfectly Brewed Tea," there are 18 steps in total, the first nine of which are dedicated to brewing the tea, while the last nine focus on serving etiquette and interacting with guests.
[-] For today's competition, I just need to ensure that I carry out the first nine steps.
[-] Round two officially begins.
[-] To my great surprise, the moment the competition begins, the cantankerous Mr. Zhao instantly becomes quiet. Even his overall aura has changed. It would seem that, in this moment, it's just him and the tea.
[Tea Drinker] Mr. Zhao's looking more deeply into the tea leaves than he would into his lady's eyes...
[player] Seriously...
[Yuan Xiao] Don't just look at other people, look at your tea too! Gently caress it with your eyes!
[Ichihime] Master, shuw em wo'chu got, nyaa! ...Nyaa, my tongue's killing me, and noo I can't cheer yo paperly, nyaa!
[Mai Aihara] You have to look at it like it's your wif--er, a person you love. The way you're looking at it now is more like you're looking at an exam paper.
[player] How is this not like an exam...? I need to remember what the first three steps for brewing oolong tea are...