Zhi Lao

四郎

A mischievous 12-year-old travelling companion. He is half Japanese and half Chinese, as his mother is Japanese. He first met Mei Li and Mao when they discovered him passed out in the forest from hunger (in the manga, he ran into Mao after stealing food from people). He left his village at age 10 to fulfill his promise of becoming a Super Chef. However, during his two years of travel, he did not achieve this status, so he pretended to be one upon returning to his village (which happened just before meeting Mao and Mei Li). His deception was quickly revealed when a cooking official declared his Super Chef badge to be fake. After learning that Mao was a Super Chef, he made himself Mao's apprentice and decided to travel with him. He often teases Mei Li and constantly grabs her breasts, which results in him being constantly hit by her. He may not be a cooking genius, but he knows more about cooking than Mei Li and is only somewhat average in skill. Shirou often gets into trouble and also causes trouble for the other group members. He later becomes a chef-in-training at Yang Spring Restaurant.