Chapter 89: The Nakiri Family Queues Up, Kirishima Touka Also Comes to Help

To be honest.

As the Demon King of Food, Nakiri Senzaemon had always possessed unique intuition and competitive instincts.

When he saw a chef.

Subconsciously, he could sense that chef's abilities and judge what level the restaurant's chef was at based purely on sixth sense.

Besides his powerful subconscious.

There was nothing else - just practiced hands.

So yesterday, by chance.

The suddenly popular midnight diner caught his attention.

Looking at everyone's praise and recommendations.

Nakiri Senzaemon also clicked on that strong restaurant recommendation from Kirishima Touka's friend.

Looking at the decor, the food, the chef.

Nakiri Senzaemon had a very strong sixth sense.

At that time, more and more recommendation posts were being found.

Some people even had videos of themselves eating there.

That intoxication and spring-like bliss.

Nakiri Senzaemon could tell at a glance this was a state where cuisine was so delicious it reached the soul!

But... these were all his guesses.

Deep down, his subconscious told him he must go there, otherwise as a chef...

He would definitely regret it for life!!!

So today.

He came.

And brought his granddaughter with the God Tongue along.

The black car stopped at the alley entrance.

As Nakiri Erina's personal secretary.

Arato Hisako turned and said: "Senzaemon-sama, I'll go check first."

"Mm."

Arato Hisako got out of the car.

She went alone to look inside the alley first.

She confirmed the diner opened at 6 PM and operated until 2 AM.

Besides that, the sunflowers at the entrance didn't look like ordinary plants either.

And at this time, there were already people taking photos and checking in at the entrance.

After confirming.

Arato Hisako returned to the car and reported.

"Senzaemon-sama, it's confirmed to be that diner, and it opens at 6 PM. There are already people queuing at the entrance, and there are three sunflowers in the yard that don't look like ordinary plants."

"Oh?" Hearing they weren't ordinary plants, Senzaemon became a bit interested.

In any chef's eyes.

Culinary skills were certainly important, but good ingredients were also indispensable.

"Well, it's boring in the car anyway. Let's go take a look."

Nakiri Senzaemon got up, opened the car door, preparing to go see, and also asked his granddaughter.

"Erina, you come too."

Nakiri Erina didn't really want to go.

She shook her head: "I'll just rest in the car. Call me when it opens."

"Mm."

After hearing this, Senzaemon said nothing and got out.

He and Arato Hisako walked one after the other to outside the diner's yard.

Upon seeing the three large, verdant sunflowers, they were immediately very surprised.

"This is..."

To the naked eye, they were sunflowers.

But this appearance was clearly not ordinary plants.

"New organisms from genetic cultivation?"

Nakiri Senzaemon looked carefully.

Even to see more clearly, he leaned against the wall, bending forward to look inside.

Pochita, lying beside the sunflowers, heard the commotion.

He lifted his head and squinted at the old man.

His canine teeth showed slightly at the corner of his mouth, then retracted.

Meaning: What do you want! You better be careful!

Nakiri Senzaemon was warned by a dog, but far from being angry, he looked at Pochita happily.

"Is your master home?"

Pochita: Woof~

Yes.

Senzaemon couldn't understand like Hayashi or devils could.

But he seemed to grasp the general meaning.

"Did your master plant these sunflowers?"

Pochita: Woof~

"How is your master?"

Pochita: Woof! (Good!)

"How is your master's cooking?"

Pochita: Woof!! (Super delicious!)

The two had a question-and-answer session in the yard.

One could understand what the other was saying but couldn't respond.

One couldn't understand the responses but was willing to ask.

Their conversation.

Also attracted Hayashi over.

"What's wrong, Pochita?"

He opened the window from inside the house and asked Pochita: "I heard you barking several times."

Pochita turned around and gestured toward Senzaemon.

Hayashi looked at Senzaemon and didn't recognize who he was at first glance.

He just felt this art style definitely wasn't an ordinary character.

Very different from the NPC art style nearby.

But he couldn't remember.

However, after seeing the quietly standing Arato Hisako beside him.

Then looking at the old man again.

"Ohhhh~~~"

Hayashi suddenly remembered.

Wasn't this Nakiri Senzaemon?

Gray-white hair, messy and wild, like an aged lion.

A scar over his eye, combined with his arms-crossed posture.

Once remembered, he was quite recognizable.

"Was I found out?" Nakiri Senzaemon saw Hayashi's expression and knew he'd been recognized.

After all, he wasn't some unknown person.

In the culinary world, he was the Food's Demon King.

So being recognized by a chef was very normal.

Sigh, how troublesome.

If he was recognized, what if the chef tried to curry favor with him wholeheartedly?

Would he cook with care?

Or rather...

"Opens at 6 PM. With so many people, remember to queue. If you can't get in, come back next time."

After Hayashi finished speaking, ignoring the instantly petrified Senzaemon, he turned and left.

Senzaemon: ...

The Demon King of Food fell silent.

Arato Hisako beside him widened her eyes, not even having time to shout: "How rude!"

If you didn't recognize me, that would be one thing.

But your expression clearly showed you recognized me!

And this is how you respond?

Or is it that after recognizing me, the greatest respect you can give is reminding me to queue up, otherwise there's nothing to eat?

After Senzaemon was petrified.

He immediately smiled with relief.

To put it bluntly.

He suddenly realized why the other party wasn't flattering him.

Arato Hisako beside him was slightly dissatisfied: "A bit dis..."

"As expected." Before Arato Hisako could finish.

Senzaemon slowly said.

"In the past, the chefs we encountered were all chefs within the Totsuki system. Their respect and flattery toward me was natural."

"But that chef just now operates completely independently, self-taught and self-made. Not flattering is normal."

"And precisely because of this, I'm even more curious about what kind of cuisine he can make."

Hearing Senzaemon explain it this way.

Arato Hisako suddenly realized that the man just now was more natural, more self-possessed.

"Go call Erina to queue up. We'll start queuing now to be the first ones in."

Arato Hisako was shocked and widened her eyes.

Then immediately nodded: "Yes, I'll go right away."

A moment later.

Arato Hisako brought over a slightly dissatisfied Erina.

"Huh? It's only after 4 o'clock. We have to queue for over an hour?" Erina was very confused.

This was also normal.

In the Totsuki chef system, who would dare make them queue, and for so long!

Did you still want to work?

Just one dissatisfied review from either of these two.

Any chef within the Totsuki system would be finished!

But for Hayashi.

Useless!

Senzaemon looked at his granddaughter and said indifferently.

"Queue up. If you're not satisfied, I won't care about you anymore."

"?!" When Nakiri Erina heard this, she immediately became interested: "You said it, Grandfather. Then I'll wait patiently for a while."

People outside were waiting.

People inside were preparing ingredients.

Hayashi prepared everything in advance - rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea, and such.

Rice, broth, all prepared in advance.

Ingredients were also processed beforehand.

Tohru helped Hayashi on the side, specifically moving things around, arranging and placing them, bustling about.

As she busied herself, she suddenly started laughing.

Hayashi looked at her questioningly.

Tohru wiped the corner of her eyes while laughing: "Hayashi-san, don't you think this is very much like the co-op kitchen game we played before? You cook, I move things."

Hayashi couldn't help but laugh too: "It really is, exactly the same."

In the game.

They played like this too.

At 5 o'clock.

More and more customers were queuing outside the door.

Soon the entrance to the diner was completely surrounded.

Tohru went out to look and immediately ran back saying.

"Hayashi-san, there are too many people. I feel like they're all very hot."

Very hot...

Hayashi thought for a moment, looking at the crowd outside.

His system mission was to achieve a good review rate, reaching the effect of rave reviews.

But there were no rules on how to get good reviews.

"Hmm..." Hayashi thought and said: "How about this, I'll make lemon tea. One cup for each person queuing, served until 6 o'clock."

Tohru nodded: "Good!"

Lemon tea was thirst-quenching and refreshing, and most importantly, had no real cost.

There weren't that many people outside, just dozens. If they drank lemon tea before coming in, it would also whet their appetite.

These little tricks of Hayashi's.

Would definitely get rave reviews!

Soon.

Hayashi quickly made several large buckets of lemon tea!

Tohru directly moved them all to the entrance, then brought several stacks of disposable cups and began distributing water.

"This is lemon tea distributed in advance by the shop owner, free of charge! Refreshing and cooling, everyone queuing gets some, one by one."

Tohru began distributing lemon tea to everyone.

Kanna saw this: "Kanna will help."

She also ran over to help pour lemon tea.

So one big and one small began helping.

People receiving the distribution outside began praising.

"It's free? The shop owner is really generous."

"It's lemon tea! I absolutely love drinking it!"

"Don't cut in line, you guy!"

Tohru saw someone cutting in line.

She casually picked up a stone, crushed it with a crack, then bared her teeth at the crowd.

Crowd: "..."

Seeing the stone crushed.

The crowd immediately became well-behaved.

Even Nakiri Senzaemon widened his eyes to look.

Erina did the same.

In her eyes, such a small girl could actually crush a stone!?

Next.

Lemon tea was distributed to everyone's hands.

Those who got it first drank it immediately.

After one sip, their eyes immediately widened, and they gulped it all down!

"Super delicious!"

"Wow~! Really good, this lemon tea is super delicious!"

"Who hasn't drunk theirs yet? Can I buy it!"

"You guy, it's just one cup, I don't even have enough for myself!"

"Stop arguing everyone, it's almost my turn!"

Everyone tried it from front to back.

Nakiri Senzaemon, Erina, and Arato Hisako also tasted the lemon tea immediately.

Senzaemon took a small sip, and his eyes slightly opened, muscles bulging.

"Hmm!?"

But it quickly subsided.

Erina also just tasted a small sip.

"?!"

But this one sip made her open her eyes wide, looking at the cup in disbelief.

"How could... this is just a drink..."

Erina couldn't believe it.

A drink could actually reach such a level.

After one sip, the sweet and sour taste first touched her tongue tip, and the deliciousness immediately transmitted to her brain.

When the drink filled her mouth.

That feeling of saliva production, the mouth automatically savoring, brought nothing but deliciousness!

For a moment.

Erina's God Tongue automatically began analyzing.

The lemon flavor, water ratio, white sugar, etc., all components appeared in her mind.

Yet she couldn't find any flaws!

When she came to her senses.

Erina and Senzaemon looked at each other and both nodded satisfactorily.

That is to say.

If a Totsuki chef could serve such a drink, for both him and her, it would be a qualified work.

For a moment.

Both became more and more anticipatory of the main meal.

Erina even frequently checked the time.

This countdown of less than an hour felt more torturous than the previous two or three hours!

At the same time.

In Anteiku coffee shop.

Kirishima Touka, Fueguchi Hinami, and Fueguchi Ryouko looked at the midnight diner from Anteiku's entrance.

Watching more and more people at the entrance.

Watching people frequently walking toward the alley.

Fueguchi Hinami was genuinely happy: "Shop owner big brother's business will definitely be especially good from now on!"

Fueguchi Ryouko looked at the crowd, calculating in her mind.

And Kirishima Touka, as a shop employee.

She looked at the number of people in the crowd, then thought about the diner's staff.

Only Tohru alone...

"Won't they be too busy to handle it?"

"Rize could help... um, never mind about her."

Kirishima Touka quickly realized.

Hayashi's shop might not have enough manpower!

She turned to look inside Anteiku. Today, Anteiku actually had fewer customers because they were diverted by the coffee shop next door opening.

After all, which was better could only be known after tasting.

At this time.

Irimi Kaya had nothing to do and came out from inside.

She and Kirishima Touka looked into the alley together.

Seeing so many people.

Irimi Kaya looked at the somewhat anxious Kirishima Touka and understood what she was thinking.

"Touka."

"Hmm?" Touka turned around.

"If you want to go help, then go. I'll talk to Manager Yoshimura." Irimi Kaya patted Touka's shoulder: "I believe Manager Yoshimura will agree too. Manager Hayashi is our food god - we definitely can't let him get exhausted."

"Mm!" Touka nodded in agreement.

Fueguchi Ryouko also said: "After eating so much delicious food, we should give back a little."

Hearing this, Fueguchi Hinami also raised her hand: "I want to help shop owner big brother too!"

"You." Irimi Kaya touched Hinami's head and smiled: "You just go cheer them on and play with Kanna."

"..."

Kirishima Touka looked at the time - it was almost 6 o'clock, less than 10 minutes left.

She nodded and waved as she left.

"Then I'll go help first. Please take care of the shop."

"No problem." Irimi Kaya shook her head: "There aren't many people anyway."

Soon.

Kirishima Touka brought the two Fueguchis to the midnight diner.

Because there were too many people at the entrance.

Touka looked around and could only take Hinami and Ryouko out of the alley entrance, climb over the wall from the other side, and circle into the back yard.

In the kitchen.

The other door and window of the kitchen faced directly toward the back yard.

When Hayashi saw Touka carrying Hinami and Fueguchi Ryouko climbing over the wall to get in, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"Wait, why are you here? And climbing over from there?"

Kirishima Touka put down Hinami.

Fueguchi Ryouko politely explained: "We came to help."

Fueguchi Hinami raised her hand and said: "Touka-chan saw you had too many people, so she decided we'd come help shop owner big brother!"

Touka also nodded: "Yes."

"This..." Hayashi admitted that having people come to help during these few days would indeed be great.

Otherwise, having dozens of customers in the shop with only Tohru doing everything would be too cruel.

He had just been thinking about whether to temporarily hire some people.

Like bringing Himeno and Power over.

But he didn't expect Kirishima Touka and her group to show up.

At this point.

Hayashi didn't act coy either.

He nodded: "The shop really needs confirmation. Thank you all. I'll pay you extra wages."

After hearing this, Touka and Ryouko wanted to refuse, saying helping was just their way of giving back.

But Hayashi said business was business - the shop would need them for three days.

Only then did the three agree, but they only wanted normal wages.

Hayashi said no problem.

And meals were included too.

This made them all very happy.

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