Chapter 19

I enter the restaurant to be greeted by a grey stone feature wall with the name of the restaurant "Parallax Restaurant". As I enter the main dining area, I take time to scan the interior of the restaurant.

The dining area was grand, holding around 25 tables covered by white formal tablecloths. The overall feel of the restaurant was warm yet modern, with multiple paintings and plants scattered around the room, which added to the modern feel.

"Hello Yamashita-san, I am Yamamoto Daichi and I am the head manager of the restaurant. Nice to meet you" I am greeted by a small friendly looking old man as I walk through the main dining area.

"Nice to meet you! I'm sorry I arrived a bit earlier than schedule."

"That's no problem. But I hope you don't mind waiting a few minutes. She is finishing up in the kitchen. Meanwhile, I can answer any questions you have" Daichi says to me with a smile.

"I know nothing about this restaurant. Could you fill me in on the general details?" I rub the back of my head and flash a sincere smile at the old man.

"You know nothing?" He says with his eyes wide open.

Noticing that he could come across as rude, he says "Well the restaurant specialises in Italian and Japanese food and holds 27 tables in the main hall. I imagine Sofia will introduce you to the main kitchen staff seen as you are Akari-sama's son."

We continue to talk for a bit before the kitchen doors open and a tall brown-haired lady walks out in uniform, signifying that she's the head chef.

I scan the lady and guess that she was in her mid-thirties and see that she is clearly of foreign descent because of her white skin and green eyes.

'Analyze'

__________________________

Name - Sofia Esposito

> Cooking level - 8/10

> Gastronomy level - 8/10

> Management level - 9/10

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[Rin, get her to teach you!] I hear Amara's voice ring through my head.

"Rin-kun, it's been so long since I last saw you, you've grown so much" the lady was clearly happy as I sensed the excitement in her voice.

'So this is Sofia. The old Rin didn't really have any memories of her. I wonder why?' I think whilst still examining the lady.

"You must be Sofia-san, nice to meet you again" I say to her whilst slightly bowing as a greeting.

"Don't you remember me Rin-kun?" she must have realised the lack of presence she's had in my life and stays silent.

"Sorry, I only remember seeing you a kid"

'She's being quite unfair. How am I supposed to remember her when the last time I saw her was 5 years ago?' I complain inwardly but don't speak out in fear of upsetting her.

I notice her silence and look at the lady's eyes only to see deep sadness and I could see it she was on the verge of crying.

"Sorry for not seeing you in the past few years" She changes her tone and then bows deeply.

"I've been a coward."

'I wonder what's going on in her head' I stay silent and think for a moment.

"Don't bow. I understand you must have been busy with the restaurant" I say and flash a smile at her.

"It still doesn't excuse me from not seeing you since your mother and father died" She looks at me with a guilty look.

"It's fine, it wasn't your duty and I'm happy that you have maintained the restaurant to a level where my mother would be proud" I smile at her as I tried to extinguish the guilt she has.

I see a bit more warmth in her eyes as she walks up to me and gives me a deep hug. I hear sniffling whilst my shirt becomes wet from her tears.

"I'm sorry Rin" she repeatedly apologizes as she hugs me.

She continues the hug for a while before pulling out and looks at me with tears running down her face.

'And I'm supposed to be the kid' I look into the eyes of the emotional woman.

"I told you don't worry about it. If they're watching right now, they would both tell us to move on and enjoy our lives" I whisper gently to her.

*Sniff* She uses a handkerchief to wipe her eyes as she stops crying "Sorry for what you had to see, Akari really would be proud to see how you've grown up" she says now with a slight smile on her face.

"Alfred told me you were the best friend of my mother. I want to know more about her and you" I say as i try to change the mood of the conversation.

"Well, let's sit down first" she leads me to the table and then continues to talk.

"I met Akari in southern Italy where we both worked together" she tells the stories of her and my mother as I stay silent and listen.

'So Sofia is from Italy, I guess that makes sense considering her appearance' I listen to the lady whilst she continues to talk.

"After all the time in Italy I followed her back to Japan. We both opened this restaurant together and it can be seen as the product of both myself and your mother's blood, sweat and tears throughout the years."

"Your mother really was a genius and this restaurant wouldn't be anywhere near the quality is it now without her capabilities" She smiles but I could see clear sadness from the look in her eyes.

We continue to talk about my mother and then the restaurant.

'So a fusion of Japanese and Italian food, sounds interesting' I think as she talks about the food served in the restaurant.

"The ownership of the restaurant went to me after she died because there was no information regarding it in the will."

'That's weird considering that all of her other possessions went to me' I think of the reason that there was no mention of the restaurant.

She notices my expression.

"I've always suspected she did this on purpose. Your mother always told me she wanted you to find your own path. I think this was her way of doing it."

"Sofia" she stops talking and waits for me to continue.

"The main reason I came to the restaurant is to learn more. Please teach me" I bow my head slightly after saying this.

[Sofia POV]

"Sofia" I hear the silver-haired boy halts me from continuing.

"Please teach me" I hear the boy say sincerely.

"I would lo.." just before I was going to accept him I stop 'I should test him'.

"Why do you want to cook?" I ask him as I put a serious face on.

The boy's face goes blank before he answers, "In order to not live in regret, and to make the most of my life" he says in all seriousness.

"You're ambitious and I can see that. What will you do if you're rejected in the cooking world? there are many aspiring cooks who fall from their path" I say to him in a serious tone.

"I have had many people who have come to me in the past who also want to be my student. If I was to accept you, then why do you think you're more worthy than them?"

I look at him and see a smile on his face before it turns serious

"I'm not sure about the other people asking to be your student."

"But to answer your first question, failure isn't an option for me" the boy smiles confidently.

"Failure from my perspective only happens when someone gives up" he says seriously.

"I'll never fail" his eyes brimmed with confidence as he said this.

'Those eyes.. even if they are a different coloured, that striking gaze clearly came from Akiri.'

"Prove it to me" I recover and say to him this time with a slight smile.

"How?" Rin asks me, lightly confused.

"First, let me introduce you to the kitchen staff. They'd kill me if I didn't introduce Akari's son to them."

[Rin POV]

"How?" I ask with slight confusion and curiosity.

"First, let me introduce you to the kitchen staff. They'd kill me if I didn't introduce Akari's son to them" Sofia then gets up from the chair and leads me towards the back kitchen.

I walk through the kitchen door to be greeted with the sight of several cooks chatting to each other oblivious to our entrance as they were at the other side of the entrance.

"Oi! I leave you for 5 minutes and you're already ignoring me" she says in English loud enough to catch the attention of the cooks.

"This is Rin Yamashita, Akari's son. Some of you weren't at the restaurant during her time but you should know she was my partner in this restaurant" she says to the cooks with a smile as we continue to walk towards the cooks.

"Is it easier for us to speak in English, Sofia-san?" I ask her as I notice that most of the chefs in the room were clearly from western.

She looks at me when she hears me speak perfect English. "If you're okay with it Rin, also just call me Sofia".

A woman aged around 30 steps forward "Hello I am Emma, the sous chef of the restaurant".

The woman was quite short and had a British accent. "So you're Rin then? I worked under your mother for several years so it's finally nice to meet you" the woman says with a smile.

'Analyze'

___________________________

Name - Emma Hart

> Cooking level - 7/10

> Gastronomy level - 8/10

> Management level - 7/10

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"Let me introduce you to the rest of the cooks.."