874 It Must be Because Father“s Smile is Too Handsome, Right?
Through the use of the omniscient door, Mag could see all of the ailments that his customers were suffering from, but he didn’t go around handing out diagnoses to everyone. After all, there were no perfectly healthy people in the world, and it was only normal to have a few niggles here and there.
Furthermore, he was a chef and a restaurant owner, so he really wasn’t qualified to practice medicine. Just because he could diagnose everyone’s conditions, it didn’t mean he knew how to cure them.
However, if there were some regular customers with extremely severe conditions that had to be addressed as quickly as possible, then Mag would commit these customers and their corresponding conditions to memory. He didn’t know how to cure them, but he would find chances in the future to issue a few gentle warnings to them. After all, it went against his character to remain silent despite having knowledge that could help others.
During the cooking process, Mag would cast an occasional furtive glance at Firis, and he was very pleased to see the earnest look in her eyes. Her attitude made it very rewarding for him to continue to teach her.
Mag had once seen a quote that went along the lines of “not all successful people are geniuses, but most of them work extremely hard.”
In the art of cooking, he was a complete noob. Even with the system’s assistance and all of the perfect experience bags he’d been given, the true key to his success was his ability to grind and put in all those hard hours in the test field for the God of Cookery.
Firis clearly possessed far superior aptitude compared to him, and it appeared that her attitude was very commendable as well.
“Miss Miya, is there really no way for us to order stinky tofu for lunch? Can you get Boss Mag to make a portion for me? After tasting it yesterday, it’s been the only thing that I can think about, and I can’t even concentrate on anything else that I’m doing,” Harrison said as he looked up at Yabemiya in a hopeful manner.
“I really want to eat it too. That flavor is simply unforgettable.”
“If Boss Mag is willing to serve stinky tofu for lunch, then please give me a portion as well!”
A few more customers immediately chimed in as they turned to Yabemiya with expectant looks in their eyes.
Yabemiya was always quite pleasant and accommodating, but on this occasion, she shook her head firmly, and replied, “I’m sorry, but I can’t. Boss says that stinky tofu can only be served during the dinner service, and only 100 portions will be served in total.”
Harrison and the other customers were all very dejected to hear this, and they were already beginning to think about coming back early for dinner so they didn’t miss out on the 100 portions being served.
Abraham was just enjoying a portion of sweet tofu pudding when he overheard this conversation, and he asked, “Stinky tofu? What’s that? Why isn’t it on the menu?”
Generally speaking, dishes that were so unforgettable to customers were always exceptional dishes; this was something that he’d deduced during his years as a veteran foodie.
Vicennio replied, “It’s a dish that Boss Mag only just released yesterday, and it’s only sold during the dinner service. I’ve heard that it really stinks, so I don’t plan on ever trying it.”
“It stinks?” Abraham was rather surprised to hear this. He had tasted delicious cuisine all over the continent, but he’d never had anything that stank before.
A truly exceptional dish had to excel in appearance, aroma, and taste; how could a stinky dish possibly fit under that category, and why was it so unforgettable to those customers? Abraham was becoming more and more curious as he followed this train of thought.
“That’s right, I’ve heard that it’s a flavor that you’ll never forget after eating it once. All of the people who’ve ordered it have displayed extremely strong reactions. There was one guy who tried to rush out the door, and Little Amy almost took his head off with a fireball, thinking that he was trying to get a free meal.” A hint of lingering fear flashed through Vicennio’s eyes as he thought back to the intense sequence of events that had unfolded the day before. If it weren’t for the fact that the customer in question had turned around just in time, that fireball would’ve struck him on the back of the head.
“That’s very interesting.” Abraham was only becoming more intrigued by the second. Just how stinky would a dish have to be to evoke such a reaction.
“It sure is.” Vicennio also wore an intrigued look on his face. After all, everyone liked delicious food, but it was the first time he’d ever seen anyone enjoy stinky food.
“You haven’t had it, so you wouldn’t understand. The stinkiness only stems from an extremely rich fragrance, so when a dish is stinky to a certain point, it goes back to become fragrant. This is something you’ll only be able to interpret after you eat it,” Harrison said in a slow voice, but from the glazed-over look in his eyes, it was quite clear that he was already somewhere else in his mind.
I have to try this dish for dinner! Even if it really does smell absolutely abhorrent, so be it; I can’t afford to miss out on a dish like this, Abraham thought to himself. At this point, he’d already finished his tofu pudding, which was the last of the three dishes that he’d ordered. Even though he still wanted more, he could only reluctantly pay the bill before departing.
After walking out of the restaurant, he turned back to look at the sign hanging above the door as he sighed. “I haven’t set foot outside of Rodu for 45 years, but it looks like I’ll be staying for the rest of my life in Chaos City now.”
The busy lunch service concluded, and Mag put down the pan in his hand as he turned off all of the stovetops. He heaved a faint sigh, and just as he was about to wipe the sweat from his forehead, a warm towel was handed over to him.
Mag faltered slightly upon seeing this, and then turned to discover Firis offering the towel to him with a faint blush on her face. After a brief hesitation, he accepted the towel and wiped his hands and forehead with it before handing it back to Firis with a smile. “Thanks.”
“Y-you’re welcome.” Firis’ blush became even more pronounced as she quickly rushed out the door with the towel in her hands. This was the first time she’d served anyone aside from the princess, and it was a man. Just the thought of this made her feel as if her heart were about to jump out of her throat.
However, she was doing this purely out of the admiration in her heart. She couldn’t imagine how a normal human had been able to bring so much joy to so many customers during a short span of less than two hours.
In her eyes, Mag was practically glowing with radiance.
“Big Sister Firis, why is your face so red?” Amy asked with a curious expression as she held Ugly Duckling in her arms.
“I…” Firis was at a loss for how to respond.
“It must be because Father’s smile is too handsome, right?” Amy asked with a smile.
Firis immediately thought back to Mag’s warm smile upon hearing this. It was indeed very handsome.
“It’s alright, Father smiles like that at everyone, so he doesn’t feel anything special for you,” Amy reassured.
Firis: “…”
Thus, the lunch service drew to an official conclusion after Sally used her water-type magic to clean up the entire restaurant and the kitchen.
Yabemiya strapped her little bag to her back, and then smiled at everyone as she said, “See you later, Boss, Amy, Firis. We’re going to the ice cream now.”
“I’m going to back to sleep and read. See you soon.” Babla also left with Miya and the others.
Thus, Mag, Amy, and Firis were the only ones left in the restaurant.
“I…” Firis was feeling rather awkward, but there was no place for her to go. As time passed, she was only beginning to feel more awkward, and she could only look down at her shoes, not daring to look up at Mag.
Mag appraised the anxious Firis with a smile, and he was able to guess the thoughts that were running through her mind as he said, “If you don’t have any place to go, you can stay and rest in the restaurant. I’ll be teaching you some things that you can do in the afternoon. Oh, I almost forgot; tomorrow is a rest day for the restaurant, so your official first day on the job will be delayed for a day. However, the restaurant is going to be expanded and upgraded soon, so you can truly begin cooking once you officially start.”
Firis immediately looked up upon hearing this, and a surge of warmth flowed through her heart at the sight of Mag’s trusting eyes. She nodded in an earnest manner, and said, “I’ll be sure to work hard.”
Firis? Why is she here? A figure outside the floor-to-ceiling windowpane was looking into the restaurant, surprised.