Chapter 112: Online Reservations!
Wednesday morning.
The shop application Yurine had submitted to the "Tabelog" platform was finally approved.
Around that time, Ryohei Tanaka and the others arrived at the restaurant after finishing their grocery shopping. Even though it was just past eight in the morning, a long line had already formed at the entrance. The past few days, people had been lining up earlier and earlier. Ryohei had even overheard some customers at the counter talking about scalpers showing up.
He had Yurine use the Tabelog merchant portal to set up reservations for the counter seats, the small private rooms, the medium rooms, and the large room. He also had her upload the menu.
Meanwhile, Ryohei wrote on the small blackboard he had bought earlier, announcing that the restaurant was now live on Tabelog and would only offer online reservations, ordering, and payment from now on.
He thought for a moment, then added the time when reservations would open each day—he set it for nine in the morning.
After writing, Ryohei carried the small blackboard out to the restaurant's entrance. The people waiting in line immediately looked over with curiosity. Someone shouted excitedly:
"We can make reservations online now? That's amazing! We finally don't have to line up at the crack of dawn!"
"Reservations start at nine? On the Tabelog platform?"
"Nani!"
Those further back who couldn't see the blackboard heard the commotion. They immediately broke from the line and walked up to confirm the news themselves.
Then, they too began to cheer.
"This is fantastic! It's so much more convenient now!"
"Yeah!"
...
Ryohei watched the jubilant crowd from the side, a smile playing on his lips. He then turned and went back into the restaurant to start prep work with Jashin-chan.
Not long after, the news that the "Culinary Saint's" restaurant was now accepting online reservations on Tabelog shot to the top of the trending charts. In the past few days, Ryohei's popularity had remained consistently high, and it had even boosted Tabelog's download rate.
The staff at Tabelog noticed the trend. The information was reported up the chain of command until it reached the desk of the managing director in charge of that division. This director was a capable and sharp-witted man. He made a swift decision and personally contacted Yurine, offering an exclusive contract in exchange for heavily reduced fees, charging them only for basic operational costs.
Yurine relayed the offer to Ryohei and handed him the phone, but he didn't take it. He just told her to accept the deal.
There was nothing to hesitate about.
When he had asked Yurine to apply on Tabelog, he had also looked into other platforms. Most of them took a percentage cut. In comparison, Tabelog, which only charged a fixed monthly fee, was already the most cost-effective option. He had never planned to open reservations on any other platform anyway. With Tabelog offering such favorable terms, Ryohei naturally had no reason to refuse.
This turned out to be a win-win situation. Ryohei reduced his expenses, and the Tabelog platform increased its market share. Both parties came out on top.
...
Time quickly passed, and evening arrived.
Jingle—!
The crisp sound of the door chime rang out.
Pekola, who had just come out of a small private room, looked toward the entrance. A warm smile instantly blossomed on her face, and she walked briskly to the door.
"Welcome!"
"Konnichiwa!"
Banjo Kazuichi, a man with a distinctively styled beard, held his phone out to Pekola and pointed at the screen. "I have a seven o'clock reservation for a small private room."
Aside from the one spot permanently reserved for Lucoa, the other two small rooms, three medium rooms, one large room, and all eight counter seats were fully booked. Successful reservations granted customers a one-hour dining slot. For the upcoming work week, Ryohei would only be serving three rounds of customers each day, significantly reducing everyone's workload.
This was especially true for the wait staff, who no longer had to take orders, making their jobs much easier. It was a far cry from the past few days, especially during the opening rush, when they were constantly running around without a moment's rest.
Pekola glanced at the phone presented to her and, maintaining her angelic smile, said, "It's only six-thirty right now, and both small rooms are currently occupied. Could you please come back a little later?"
She paused, then added, "At six forty-five, you'll be able to place your order in advance online. That way, your food will be ready much faster once the room is free."
"Got it."
Banjo Kazuichi nodded, put his phone away, and led his new boss, Kirishima Ayato, and his underlings, Ezumi Yuusuke and Akino Satoshi, out of the restaurant.
Before leaving, Kirishima Ayato took a deep breath of the enticing aroma that filled the air, his throat bobbing.
Last night, the hapless subordinate he had sent had ultimately failed to get him into the restaurant. Today, he had sent other underlings over first thing in the morning, only to learn that the restaurant was now online-reservations-only.
When the reservation window opened, the site lagged for a few seconds, and by the time it loaded, every single slot was gone. The competition was just too fierce.
Neither Kirishima Ayato nor his underlings had managed to get a reservation. In a stroke of luck, however, Banjo Kazuichi, who had just been assigned to his squad, had managed to secure one.
And so, Kirishima Ayato had invited himself along.
The small private room only had four seats. Banjo had originally wanted to bring Terashima Souta, never forgetting a friend who had helped him. But he had no choice. His new boss had spoken, and if he wanted to get by in this new squad, he had to bring him.
There was some good news, though—Kirishima Ayato had generously offered to pay for the meal tonight.
...
"It's six forty-five! We can order in advance now!" Akino Satoshi, who had been watching the time, immediately brightened up and looked excitedly at Banjo Kazuichi.
"Mhm. Boss Ayato, you go first," Banjo said tactfully, handing his phone to Kirishima Ayato.
"Right."
Ayato didn't stand on ceremony. He took the phone and ordered what he wanted. He had already decided long ago, and he didn't hesitate for a second.
Next was Banjo, followed by Akino Satoshi and Ezumi Yuusuke.
Of the four ghouls, three had only ever been to the food stall, having tried the Steamed Rice-flour Noodles, Pearl Meatballs, and Braised Pork Buns. The last one had never tasted any of it. After placing their orders, they were all dying with anticipation.
The wait felt agonizingly long, as if every second were a year.
When they finally made it to seven o'clock, the four of them eagerly entered the restaurant. Pekola quickly cleared the dishes from the previous customers, wiped the table clean, and then served the cold appetizers they had ordered.
"Itadakimasu!" a unified voice called out in the private room.
Kirishima Ayato, now wearing sunglasses, picked up a piece of the shimmering sashimi with his chopsticks, full of anticipation. He dipped it lightly in the sauce and brought it to his mouth.
The next moment—
Beneath his sunglasses, his Kakugan flashed wide open, his face a mask of pure shock.
The shock then melted into satisfaction. His expression softened, and it felt as if the entire world had become a beautiful place in that single instant...
~~~
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