"Hello, may I help you?"
The group had just gotten off the bus and were standing at the villa entrance when Hoshino Sora's phone rang. It was an unknown number. After hesitating for a few seconds, he still answered the call.
"Hoshino, where are you now?"
"General Manager? I'm home now, not far from Totsuki. Is there something you need me for?"
Hearing the familiar voice from the other end of the phone, Hoshino Sora responded with a smile, then was the last to enter the villa, finding a chair in the living room and leisurely sitting down.
"Come over tomorrow morning. By the way, the guy who attacked you was a thug from the Dark Cuisine World. He suffered a comminuted fracture in his arm and was sent to the hospital early the next day.
Unfortunately, although we found him, we couldn't keep him by force because there was no concrete evidence of his actions, and he was also injured."
Senzaemon Nakiri's voice carried a hint of apology, clearly blaming himself for not handling the matter well. His grandson-in-law was attacked on his own territory, yet he couldn't bring the culprit to justice, which was truly frustrating.
If it were someone from a normal force, it would be fine, but the key was the Dark Cuisine World. Those people were very crazy, so he couldn't act without evidence.
"That's fine. Anyway, that guy was just a small fry, catching him is useless. I originally wanted to lure out the mastermind, but I didn't expect to lose track of him in the residential area."
Hoshino Sora smiled and shook his head. The other party was just a small fry, and catching him was useless. He had originally wanted to use a sting operation to lure out the other side's boss, but the guy was as slippery as an eel.
"Yes, the other party is not important in the Dark Cuisine World, which is why we didn't force him to stay. You'll know the details when you come tomorrow. Oriental Academy wants to talk to you.
But you don't need to be too nervous. Our Totsuki and Oriental Academy have cooperated for many years, and there are many of our Totsuki chefs at Oriental Academy, such as your father, who is still working there."
Perhaps worried that Hoshino Sora would be too nervous, Senzaemon Nakiri gave him a heads-up beforehand, but he was overthinking it. Hoshino Sora didn't care about these things at all.
Oriental Academy? To him, it was merely a school. Having extraordinary power and a system, Hoshino Sora was destined not to be nervous about joining a school or participating in some competition. Those things were too childish for him.
"Was that a call from Grandpa? What did he want with you?"
Hearing the voice from the other end of the phone, Alice Nakiri didn't say anything, just curiously leaned her face closer. Only after Hoshino Sora hung up the phone did she ask curiously.
Hearing her voice, the surrounding girls, though playing around, clearly paid a lot of attention, obviously curious about the content of Hoshino Sora's call.
"It's about Oriental Academy. I need to go there alone tomorrow. He's probably going to talk to me about the Gourmet Continent, which I mentioned to you earlier. You can look forward to it a bit."
Looking at Alice Nakiri, who was so close, Hoshino Sora unceremoniously grabbed her arm. With a slight pull, he drew her into his embrace and doted on her fiercely, making the young girl's cheeks flush crimson and her breathing quicken.
"Hoshino-kun, you're bad~"
Her voice trembled slightly, and her eyes seemed to shimmer with moisture. Being 'teased' in front of so many people, with countless gazes on her, it was impossible for her not to feel a shred of shame!
But! Along with the shame came an intense thrill. This feeling of pain and pleasure coexisting made her body tremble slightly, and the subtle changes in her body also gave Hoshino Sora a better experience.
"Can't you handle this much? Where was all that wildness from last night~"
Hoshino Sora teased her playfully, his actions growing bolder as he spoke, directly performing in front of everyone. Alice Nakiri's sense of shame also reached its peak at this moment.
Why was it like this?
Because today, only she was'suffering.' Everyone else was watching her from the sidelines. Normally, they would all be together, and when everyone was in the same situation, there was naturally no shame.
But…
Why wasn't anyone joining in at a time like this?!
The intense shame made Alice Nakiri curl her toes, and a layer of moisture appeared in her eyes. At this moment, Hoshino Sora also stood up and led her to a mirror.
And then…
————————
The next day, Hoshino Sora woke up early, gently pried away the hands that were tightly clinging to him, quickly changed his clothes, and then left home, heading towards Totsuki.
More than ten minutes later, Hoshino Sora arrived at the General Manager's office. Senzaemon Nakiri was waiting for him inside. Although he was no longer the General Manager, in the hearts of Totsuki's staff, he was far more formidable than the current General Manager. If he wanted the General Manager's office key, who would dare refuse him?
"You're here. Have a seat and some tea."
Looking at Hoshino Sora who pushed open the door and entered, Senzaemon Nakiri lifted his head slightly, then lowered it to continue brewing tea. Once the other party sat down, a cup of clear tea was placed before him.
Ten minutes later, footsteps were heard from the doorway, then the door opened, and a group of people walked in. Leading them was Mr. Li, and besides him, Hoshino Sora also saw Dragon BuFan and others.
Upon seeing him, these people smiled amiably, then took their seats at Senzaemon Nakiri's invitation. The two elders sat together, and the remaining young people sat together.
Whether intentional or not, Feng Xuanya and Mo Huang occupied the seats to Hoshino Sora's left and right, clearly having a natural boost in favorability towards handsome men.
"It's been a long time, Nakiri. Seeing you still so healthy, I'm relieved."
"You too, Old Brother Li. It's truly been a long time since we last met. You're still as spirited as ever. I reckon no one would guess you're already over eighty."
After a long separation, the two old men chatted in front of the younger generation, holding each other's hands and gossiping. They talked for nearly an hour, all about trivial household matters.
Despite this, no one present showed any impatience. They simply leaned back in their chairs, drinking tea and listening, appearing very calm.
"You're Hoshino Sora, right? It's been so long, and you've grown so much!"
As he spoke, Mr. Li turned his gaze to Hoshino Sora, his eyes revealing a hint of tenderness, then he said something that left Hoshino Sora a bit confused.
"Hmm?" Hoshino Sora tilted his head, looking puzzled.
"Your father is Hoshino Tani Ren, isn't he? He was quite a prominent figure at our Oriental Academy back then. You were born at Oriental Academy, and I even held you when you were little. Don't you remember?"
Looking at Hoshino Sora's puzzled expression, Mr. Li joked playfully. What kind of memory does a baby have? He said these words just to build rapport.
"I see. However, I can't remember anything from my childhood. I apologize for my lapse."
Hoshino Sora gave an awkward laugh. How could he possibly remember such a thing? But since the other party said so, he would just go along with it. Anyway, he was going to Oriental Academy next, and more connections meant more opportunities.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"