"Excuse me, when does your shop open?"
A tall, broad figure stood before him, easily half a head taller than Sora—who, mind you, was 180 cm in this life. This guy had to be at least 195 cm. Eyes wide with shock, Sora unconsciously swallowed. But the moment the man spoke, his tension vanished, and a professional smile returned to his face.
"We'll be ready in about 20 minutes. If you don't mind waiting, you can take a seat here. Just a heads-up: our menu is limited today—only braised pork trotter rice and miso soup."
Whew. So he was just a customer after all. For a second there, Sora thought it was a yakuza coming to collect protection money. Nearly gave him a heart attack.
"No problem. Sorry to trouble you—and thanks for having me."
"No trouble at all! Just sit tight, and I'll serve you a legendary meal!"
With a sunny, confident grin, Sora welcomed the man and led him to a seat. Seeing the expectation in his customer's eyes, Sora gave a thumbs-up before heading back into the kitchen, feeling newly energized.
This was going to be exciting.
Takeda Harumi, stomach still groaning, rested his head on the table and waited. From the kitchen came occasional scolding from Sora and the rhythmic sounds of a knife striking the chopping board.
Twenty minutes passed—no more, no less. Sora himself brought out the braised pork trotter rice and set it before Takeda. The dish was covered with a metal lid, yet the rich fragrance still escaped from the edges.
Yes. This was it!
His mouth flooded with saliva. As the lid was lifted, it felt as though a beam of holy light burst from the bowl. The deep, rich aroma practically took physical form and flooded the room. He inhaled it all—absolute satisfaction.
"I'm digging in!"
Pressing his hands together in thanks, he picked up his chopsticks and gazed at the meal: bright red in color, glossy in appearance, with evenly sliced pork trotters placed over fluffy rice. He picked up a perfectly balanced piece and popped it into his mouth.
In that instant, the tender meat exploded with flavor. The braising sauce seeped deep into the pork, and the combination of salty, savory, fragrant, and soft textures played like a symphony across his tongue. No bones, no dryness—just pure melt-in-your-mouth goodness. For a moment, it felt like he'd left reality.
He imagined himself as a wild boar charging through a forest, breaking into a field of medicinal herbs, devouring everything, and finally crashing into a cellar filled with aged wine.
"What a rich herbal aroma… You used medicinal herbs in the broth, didn't you?"
"I did—bay leaf, star anise, cinnamon, dried tangerine peel... All premium ingredients with health benefits. You're unlucky you came early. A few more hours of simmering and it'd be even richer."
Sora smiled as he explained. For any chef, there was no greater reward than seeing a customer genuinely happy with their food.
"To be the first to eat this pork trotter rice—I already feel blessed. Asking for anything more would be a sin. …Actually, give me another bowl!"
He scarfed down the first serving in no time—but of course it wasn't enough. With food this delicious, he could probably eat ten bowls.
"You got it!"
Sora happily obliged, heading back to the kitchen. He fished out another pork trotter, deboned and sliced it, blanched some greens, halved a marinated egg, and placed it all atop rice—a perfect Traditional-style pork trotter rice.
Turning back, he saw Ako and Riko eyeing the dish with extreme hunger. He let out a sigh and pulled out two giant pork trotters, placing them before the girls.
"There you go. Eat up—but once you're done, it's time to start working."
"Sora!"
"Sora!"
Moved nearly to tears, the two girls looked at the same boy who'd been scolding them for sneaking bites earlier. They were just about ready to smother him in kisses—if he hadn't dashed off so quickly, they probably would have.
"Thanks for waiting! Piping hot pork trotter rice is ready!"
As Sora spoke, he noticed a large crowd had gathered outside the shop without him realizing. Yet no one had entered—they all seemed to be waiting.
He stared in confusion, then smacked his forehead in realization. He rushed out and flipped the "Closed" sign hanging on the front door.
Immediately, people began pouring in.
"I'll have the set meal."
"Same for me."
"Me too!"
"Got it! Please take a seat—there's plenty of pork trotter rice for everyone!"
The irresistible aroma had drawn in all the hungry people nearby. Customers flooded in, and Sora was instantly overwhelmed. But right on cue, the two sisters—now finished eating—stepped in.
They efficiently directed customers to their seats, recorded orders, handed out number cards, and began running in and out of the kitchen. Every time they returned, they brought out another silver-covered plate of pork trotter rice.
Why the cover? According to Sora, it helped trap the aroma, and lifting the lid in front of the customer delivered a burst of sensory impact—and added a touch of class.
"The aroma is insane! And the pork is so tender!"
"So much collagen! Just one bite made me feel ten years younger—pure bliss!"
"One bowl isn't enough. Another, please!"
"Same here! One more!"
[Mission Complete]: Open for Business
[Mission Description]: Open your own shop in Tokyo—a city where every inch of land is gold—and earn positive reviews from local customers. Establish a foothold.
[Reward]: Crystal Mirage
[Crystal Mirage]: Watch a chef's cooking process and perfectly replicate their dish. Also grants partial insight into their culinary techniques.
As the praise continued from the dining room, Sora—still chopping pork trotters—heard the familiar ding of the system notification. His expression lit up with joy.
Holy crap, that was way easier than expected!
With the notification came a new item in his inventory: a translucent, pale-purple diamond-shaped crystal that shimmered with mystery.
[New Mission Triggered]: Local Fame
[Mission Description]: Build your name in the local shopping district. Achieve a daily customer count of 500.
[Reward]: Proficient Knife Skills
[Proficient Knife Skills]: Master diagonal slicing, horizontal slicing, and other advanced techniques. Easily cut fine, uniform strips.
Before he could take a good look, another notification rang out. This time, it was a follow-up mission—one level higher than before. The only challenge seemed to be the 500-daily-customers requirement.
But at this rate, that might not be so hard.
As for the knife techniques… Sora's eyes lit up at the detailed description. Even though he'd been cooking for a year, his knife skills had remained average.
Sure, he could make things like shredded potatoes or sliced peppers, but advanced techniques like rolling cuts and perfect angled slices were still a bit beyond him.
Can't be helped. After all, he'd still been a student, freshly heartbroken after a breakup (breakup with Yukino), with no motivation to really study knife work.
However, this actually works out—the system will find a way to solve the problem.