"Are you going to eat my dishes?" Soma Yukihira looked somewhat confused.
"Yeah, your food is delicious, and I can also help point out your flaws."
"I see..." Soma Yukihira was slightly tempted.
He had already lost to his dad nearly five hundred times... yet he still saw no hope of victory...
If this person could help him improve his dishes... perhaps he could make some progress.
"Alright!" After a brief thought, Soma Yukihira accepted the suggestion and asked Lexon, "So, how did you know the flaws in my dish so easily?"
After observing the other party closely, Soma Yukihira no longer believed he was a formidable chef.
Because his hands were as delicate and fair as those of a woman who had never done manual labor; he didn't just look unlike a chef, it seemed he hadn't done much work at all.
"Because my sense of taste is extremely sensitive..." Lexon explained.
This wasn't something worth hiding.
"I see," Soma Yukihira said in realization.
Then, he extended his hand to Lexon and said, "My name is Soma Yukihira. Nice to meet you."
"I am Lexon." Lexon shook his hand.
"Lexon? Are you Chinese?" Soma Yukihira asked curiously.
It was his first time meeting a Chinese person; he only knew that the ancient civilization with its long heritage possessed a deep and profound culinary culture.
"Yes," Lexon nodded in response.
"This is the first time I've met a Chinese person... no wonder you could taste the flaws in my dish so easily..." The fifteen-year-old Soma Yukihira couldn't help but look amazed at something so rare.
Next, he kept asking Lexon many questions about Chinese culinary culture, but Lexon's knowledge of gourmet food was limited, so he couldn't provide many answers.
Despite this, the boy remained tirelessly enthusiastic.
But before they could talk much more, a distinctly arrogant female voice drifted over.
"Is this shop... not closed yet?"
Lexon and Soma Yukihira looked toward the door at the same time.
The moment he saw the visitor, Soma Yukihira's face darkened.
"Is the owner not here?" The visitor was a career woman wearing a form-fitting uniform with a hot figure and a beautiful face, wearing sunglasses. She looked around the shop and voiced her confusion.
Behind her stood several burly bodyguards.
'The plot of the first episode of the Food Wars anime?'
Thoughts churned in Lexon's mind as he witnessed this scene.
Yaeko Minegasaki, a minor female character.
She was here to make the Yukihira father and son sell the shop to build an apartment complex...
"Dad is out on business," Soma Yukihira responded coldly. "What would you like to order? Today's recommendations are Splendid Alfonsino Sashimi and..."
'So Joichiro went out...'
Hearing Soma Yukihira's words, Lexon finally understood why he hadn't seen Joichiro Yukihira in the shop.
"My purpose for coming today is the same as yesterday, all for the plan we discussed... to build an urban apartment complex based on the concept of high-end garden residences in the city..." Yaeko Minegasaki took off her sunglasses and said with a smile.
"No need to say more," Soma Yukihira interrupted her directly, staring at her with cold eyes. "Just like our previous answer, we aren't leaving."
"Then I'll leave my business card. If you change your mind, feel free to contact me anytime." Yaeko Minegasaki maintained her professional smile and placed the card on the table.
"Please leave, hurry up..." Soma Yukihira naturally showed no friendliness toward a guest who didn't come to eat but only to cause trouble.
"Heh... little shopkeeper... running a shop is a difficult task... in this day and age, the survival space for small shops like this should be getting smaller... getting supplies must be very difficult too..." Yaeko Minegasaki's voice gradually deepened, as if implying something.
"'Yukihira' has no problems at all, no need for your concern."
"Is that so... 'Yukihira' provides the food that customers want to eat. How wonderful... a true model for the service industry..." The smile on Yaeko Minegasaki's face was bright, but it turned gloomy in an instant. "But... if you fail to provide the food a customer wants... how... will you take responsibility?"
"When that happens, I'll clean the shop out." Soma Yukihira picked up the business card she had left, threw it in the trash, and said with full confidence, "Closing down or anything else, I'll be at your disposal."
"A word spoken by a gentleman cannot be taken back even by a team of four horses?" Yaeko Minegasaki tossed out a Chinese proverb.
"Of course," Soma Yukihira replied. "Now go... don't interfere with me serving my customer."
"Oh~" Yaeko Minegasaki finally noticed Lexon sitting nearby. She drew out her voice and leaned closer to him, teasing, "He's quite a handsome young man... though his taste is a bit poor... coming to eat at a restaurant like this..."
As she spoke the last part, her volume gradually lowered, and she leaned her head closer to Lexon.
However, this volume was clearly within the range where Soma Yukihira could hear her, which caused his expression to darken.
"But it's fine, after all, this restaurant won't exist anymore... eat your last..." Yaeko Minegasaki continued, but before she could finish, she was interrupted by Lexon, who pushed her face away with his hand.
"Don't get too close to me, thank you." Lexon's tone was flat, and his action was simple, seemingly pushing Yaeko Minegasaki's face away with a hint of disgust.
"You!..." Yaeko Minegasaki was momentarily speechless.
"Pfft..." Soma Yukihira couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.
Yaeko Minegasaki felt a bit embarrassed at this moment. She couldn't help but put her sunglasses back on and said with a mocking tone, "As expected, those who come here to eat are all just..."
"Miss Minegasaki!" Before Yaeko Minegasaki could finish, one of the bodyguards behind her suddenly cried out in alarm.
"What?!" Hearing the bodyguard's alarm, Yaeko Minegasaki finally reacted. Seeing the chopsticks hovering just inches from her eyes, cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and she stumbled back a few steps.
"Please don't say such rude things anymore..." Lexon withdrew the long chopsticks and gave a gentle smile.
"Madman..." Yaeko Minegasaki whispered, her words carrying a hint of lingering panic.
"Miss Minegasaki... should we..." Several bodyguards rushed forward to stand in front of Yaeko Minegasaki, asking in a low voice.
"No..." Yaeko Minegasaki still seemed a bit shaken. She stopped the bodyguards from trying to trash the place and replied in a volume Lexon and the other couldn't hear, "Just trash the shop when no one is around... don't get into a direct confrontation..."
"Understood, Miss Minegasaki," the bodyguards replied.
With that episode over, Yaeko Minegasaki stopped provoking Lexon. She only said to Soma Yukihira, "I hope you keep your word. When you can no longer serve the food a customer wants, you will hand over the shop willingly."
"Of course!" Soma Yukihira replied confidently.
Subsequently, Yaeko Minegasaki and her bodyguards didn't linger and left immediately.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]