Kitagawa Marin turned her head and noticed a strange look in Hoshino Sora's eyes. She felt a momentary panic but didn't avert her gaze, instead curiously sizing him up.
This, in turn, made Hoshino Sora feel embarrassed.
Kitagawa Marin had a pair of bright black eyes, always wearing red contact lenses in public. She had long, waist-length golden hair with coral-colored highlights at the ends, styled in an ear-revealing side part.
She wore a black fabric choker around her neck, had a tongue piercing, and four removable ear studs and one earring in each ear. Her slender fingers had long, square-shaped manicures, and she wore one ring on her left index finger and another on her right pinky, expressing her individuality to the extreme.
Moreover, this girl was enthusiastic, and her overly forward way of making friends often made Hoshino Sora shy. One could only say that her direct approach was too hard to resist, even if he knew she didn't mean it that way.
"Let's eat quickly, the food's going to get cold."
"Oh, by the way, Master Chef, can I wear a maid outfit tomorrow? Since they're launching a price war against us, we'll counter with maid outfits."
"As long as it doesn't affect your work, you're free to wear whatever you want. Our shop is all about fashion freedom."
Looking at Kitagawa Marin, who hesitated for a moment before speaking, Hoshino Sora shrugged and didn't refuse. He knew she liked these things, so he let her be. Besides, the people in the shop seemed to like it too.
"Really? I love you, Master Chef!"
Hearing Hoshino Sora's agreement, Kitagawa Marin immediately showed a surprised expression, happily spreading her arms and cheering, almost hugging him directly.
In fact, if Aka-ri and Rika weren't glaring at her from the side, she might have actually done so. Of course, that would be a sign of extreme happiness.
"Speaking of which, Master Chef, do you want to develop some new dishes? I feel like the customers are getting a bit tired of the same old things every day. Even putting the staff meals on the menu would be good, even if the taste isn't as good as our signature dishes."
In fact, although the foot traffic hadn't decreased, most of the customers frequenting his shop were new, with only a relatively small proportion being regulars from nearby companies.
After all, eating almost the same thing every day, no matter how good it tasted, would eventually become tiresome. That's why Hoshino Sora changed the staff meals every day. Although they were all unfamiliar dishes, his skill level was undeniable, making it difficult for him to make a dish taste bad.
Now, he could skillfully master various dishes. He could even immediately start replicating a dish as long as he had the recipe, and the taste wouldn't be much worse than that of a large restaurant.
"I've been considering it, but I don't plan to implement it yet. For now, my skill level isn't quite enough.
Besides, in about a month, we'll temporarily close for business. When we reopen next time, we'll introduce a customer self-selection model: bring your own ingredients, and I'll cook whatever you want."
"You must call me when you reopen! Seriously, after eating such delicious food, how am I supposed to eat those cold convenience store bentos anymore?
You've made my stomach big, Master Chef, so you have to take responsibility!"
"Don't say things that could be misunderstood!"
Hearing Kitagawa Marin's bold statement, Hoshino Sora responded with extreme shyness. Who knew this girl, seeing his reaction, would subtly curve her lips upward, a triumphant smile appearing on her face.
"Hehehe, Master Chef is unexpectedly weak in this area."
"Sora is mine, don't flirt with him casually."
"What do you mean 'yours'? He's clearly mine!"
"Sora, whose are you?" *2
Seeing Hoshino Sora a bit shy, Aka-ri and Rika, who were sitting beside him, immediately became displeased. They almost started arguing, one after the other, and finally both turned their gaze towards him.
"I'm not anyone's possession; I am my own master."
Hoshino Sora raised his hands and gave a gentle tap to each of their heads, speaking with a hint of exasperation. If these two didn't learn to restrain themselves, who knew when he might just devour them completely.
In fact, his restraint was entirely due to his parents being home, with a sense of social ethics constraining him, and also because the two of them always came at him together, making him feel at a loss as to where to start.
Furthermore, although they had been together for over a month, their intimacy had increased slowly. Perhaps what was missing was a truly heart-to-heart event, so that their closeness wouldn't remain superficial.
Of course, a heart-to-heart event could also be replaced by accumulated time together, but that required enough time, and a little over a month was clearly not enough, not even enough for Hoshino Sora to understand the two sisters' past.
This was also why Hoshino Sora acted cautiously. He wasn't sure if, should he make a move on his two older sisters, the family would still be as harmonious and warm as before.
He was not a saint, nor was he Liu Xiahui; he naturally felt something for beautiful girls. Moreover, with them actively clinging to him every day, he had already taken care of himself countless times in secret.
Therefore, maintaining the status quo was his solution.
"Ouch."
"Such a cunning answer."
"Sorry, I've made a spectacle of myself."
Glancing at Aka-ri and Rika, who were pouting a bit unhappily, Hoshino Sora awkwardly spoke to the two in front of him. His two silly older sisters truly loved to show him affection regardless of the occasion.
It was a bit like declaring ownership. While he didn't dislike it, saying it in front of so many people really was a bit awkward.
"That's not true."
——————
[Triggered Quest]: Defeat Ruishan Restaurant
[Quest Description]: Attract customers with exquisite deliciousness, making your shop's sales twice or more than that of Ruishan Restaurant. Different levels of item rewards will be provided based on the completion degree.
[Quest Time]: 1 month
[Quest Rewards]: Bronze-tier — Gold-tier
"It's a multiple, not a fixed value, but the timing is perfect. Just enough time to knock them down, then close up shop myself. It's a total mockery."
Looking at the time on the quest prompt, Hoshino Sora nodded thoughtfully, then showed a sarcastic smile. Some time ago, Eizan personally visited to invite him to join, but he refused.
He probably couldn't think of a good solution for a while, which is why he opened a similar type of shop nearby, trying to steal his customers.
After all, his restaurant was booming, and many customers who came specially because there was no available seating often left disappointed. The excessively long waiting time was also their most core problem.
The fundamental reason for this was Hoshino Sora's unwillingness to lower the quality of his dishes, insisting on stir-frying only one portion per wok, because this made it easiest to control the heat.
If too many ingredients were added, some areas would inevitably be neglected, while others would receive too much attention, naturally resulting in a significant decrease in taste.
However, since the system introduced a task to compete on sales, his policy had to change. If those customers who couldn't get in went to Eizan's place, he would feel bad.
Looking at the rewards on the virtual screen with burning eyes, Hoshino Sora's heart was filled with greed. He wanted it, he wanted that golden-tier reward radiating golden light!
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