Chapter 352: Chapter 350: Girls in Love Are Really Strange
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Kanna swallowed the bouquet of flowers given to her by the Combees in one gulp, leaving behind only bare branches. She innocently handed the twigs back to the bees and remarked, "They were delicious."
The bees stared in disbelief at the empty branches, while Chansey and Miltank stood frozen, equally stunned by Kanna's behavior.
Sui coughed lightly to break the awkward silence and said, "Kanna, those flowers weren't meant to be eaten."
Kanna looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes, her voice as sweet as ever, "Really? But they tasted so good."
Sui sighed, a little exasperated. "Alright, just… try not to eat them next time," he said, giving in.
Reaching into his pocket, Sui pulled out a thick stack of coupons and handed them to Tohru and Kanna. "Here, make sure you behave today, and don't cause any trouble. If you do, I won't bring you along tomorrow."
Tohru nodded seriously, taking the coupons from Sui. "Don't worry, I'll keep Kanna in line."
Sui shot her a skeptical glance. His real concern wasn't Kanna—it was Tohru herself. Kanna, though naive and unfamiliar with the human world, was well-behaved as long as she had food to occupy her. Tohru on the other hand, could be mischievous and reckless.
"Kanna, let's go now. Don't disturb Sui's work today, and make sure you behave yourself," Tohru instructed with an air of authority as she held Kanna's small hand.
"Yes, Tohru-sama I'll be good," Kanna responded obediently, nodding her head.
Sui watched them leave with a slight smile, his initial plan of encouraging them to save some money quickly forgotten. At the end of the day, as long as they enjoyed themselves, that was what mattered most. He didn't have much time to spend with them anyway, so why not let them have some fun?
Besides, his restaurant was now turning a tidy profit every day. Guests might pay with food vouchers during the school festival, but these could easily be exchanged for money afterward, once the event ended. After deducting fees for the venue, management, and other expenses, the remaining vouchers would be converted into cash and returned to the research institute or credited to the individuals who had earned them.
However, there was one catch: if the final accounting showed a loss, it could mean expulsion from school.
When Sui arrived at his restaurant, he found Erina lingering near the entrance of the restaurant next door, glancing around as if waiting for someone.
The moment Erina spotted him, her face lit up with delight. She hurried over and asked, "Sui, have you had breakfast yet? I just made some, and I haven't eaten either. Would you like to join me?"
Standing nearby, Hisako looked on, baffled. Yesterday, Erina had been upset with Sui and had refused to talk to him, yet here she was today, acting gentle and affectionate again. Hisako couldn't help but wonder: 'What on earth happened between them last night?'
Sui, too, was taken aback. Yesterday, Erina had been her usual tsundere self, but overnight she had transformed into a tender, doting girlfriend.
"Thanks, but I think Miyoko and the others haven't had breakfast yet. I'll eat with them," Sui replied.
Erina's expression faltered briefly, her disappointment evident, but she quickly composed herself and nodded. "Okay. Be sure to work hard today," she said softly.
"You too," Sui said with a nod before walking off.
As soon as Sui was out of sight, Erina noticed Hisako giving her a strange look. Blushing, she hesitated before asking, "Hisako, why are you staring at me like that?"
Hisako shook her head with a sigh. "It seems like falling in love has changed you, Erina-sama. Is this how all girls act when they're in love?"
"Wh-who said I'm in love?!" Erina stammered, her face flushing a deep red as she spoke in a flustered whisper.
Meanwhile, back at his restaurant, Sui found that once again all twenty seats were fully booked. The phone hadn't stopped ringing all morning, with guests eager to reserve a table for the following day. Some callers even offered to pay half a million yen for a single seat.
"Two hundred people have called this morning alone. Sui, should we add more seats?" Miyoko asked.
"If we add any more, I'm not sure we'll be able to handle the volume," Sui replied, deep in thought. The restaurant was already packed to capacity.
"We could always start offering lunch service," Megumi suggested with a smile. "And we could raise the prices a bit."
The other girls nodded in agreement, feeling proud of the restaurant's growing popularity.
"It's worth considering," Sui said thoughtfully. His mind drifted to the two dragons in his care, who easily devoured millions of yen worth of food each day. It was a sobering thought.
What Sui didn't realize was that in just two days, the fame of his restaurant had spread far beyond the school festival and was making waves in Tokyo's foodie scene. The restaurant's extraordinary dishes and rare ingredients were drawing the attention of countless celebrities eager to sample Sui's cooking.
On the black market, the price of a reservation had skyrocketed from one hundred thousand yen to as much as five hundred thousand yen per seat. And yet, despite the high demand, no one seemed willing to part with their reservation.
Elsewhere, Tohru and Kanna had made their way to Sōma's stall once again.
"Hey! You two are back!" Soma greeted them with a grin, clearly excited to see his two biggest customers. "How about trying our newest dishes today? Sorta Dan Zai Noodles!"
"Oh wow!" Kanna exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the steaming bowl of noodles.
"Hehe, these two bowls are on the house," Soma said with a wink.
Kanna wasted no time. She tilted the bowl to her mouth, slurping up both the noodles and the soup in one gulp, licking her lips when she finished.
"How is it? Pretty good, right?" Soma asked confidently.
Tohru however, was less impressed. "Not bad," she said. "But it's not as good as 'his'."
"His?" Soma asked, scratching his head. "There's someone who cooks better than me? Who is it?"
Tohru replied with a proud smile, "He's about your age, but far more capable."
Soma blinked in surprise. "Really? Another young chef from Totsuki?"
And so the day continued, with Sui's restaurant remaining packed well into the evening. Unlike the previous night, many of the diners were now well-known figures in the culinary world, drawn in by the allure of Sui's incredible cooking. Some of them were even as famous as the Sendawara sisters and Osaji Kita who had been drawn to the restaurant by word of mouth, eager to experience the food for themselves.