Melony came to Eliphas Park for her morning jog today, the same as always.
She ran lap after lap, and every time she passed through that corner, she stopped to look for a while.
Strange. Why had he still not come today? Was he not coming today?
Her Hitmonchan tugged at her clothes with confusion.
Cha~ Cha~~
Hitmonchan did not come yesterday, so it did not know what its Trainer expected.
"Oh." Melony returned to her senses, then quickly said, "Nothing. Let us keep running."
Hitmonchan nodded. It turned its head toward the place its Trainer just stared at. Its face was still full of confusion. What was there? Why did its Trainer stare every time she passed here?
Right after Melony and Hitmonchan left, Ange's food truck slowly arrived.
He parked, opened the side window of the vehicle, and placed Komala on the platform, just like yesterday.
"Komala, be good."
Then he started working.
Ange checked the dough and the filling. They were both ready, so he started wrapping buns.
He was extremely fast. Soon, white round buns appeared on the stove. They were almost the same size. Each bun had exactly twenty-five pleats, looking as if they were made from the same mold.
After wrapping some, Ange started steaming them first so that when customers came later, he would not be too slow.
He just started steaming, then a sweating young girl ran over.
"Boss, good morning." The girl greeted Ange.
"Good morning. You are early." Ange greeted her friendly.
"Yes, morning exercise." Melony was not very talkative, so she answered with short words.
Ange saw her stare straight at the steamer, so he smiled and said, "Not done yet. You need to wait."
Melony shook her head. "It's fine."
Hitmonchan's brain froze. Was this really its Trainer who valued time more than gold?
Normally, would she not rather run more laps than waste time waiting for breakfast?
Cha~~
Hitmonchan tugged Melony's clothes again.
Melony understood her Hitmonchan's confusion, so she calmly explained, "If we leave and come back later, more time would be wasted."
She knew a long line would appear here soon.
Hitmonchan: ???
As time passed, steam rose from inside the steamer, along with a strong aroma.
"The smell got stronger," Melony whispered.
Hitmonchan thought its Trainer was speaking to it, so it tugged again, like it was asking: What did you say?
Melony shook her head calmly. "Nothing."
Soon, Hitmonchan's attention was taken away by the aroma.
As the smell spread, customers gathered and soon, a long line formed.
"Boss, ready yet? I am starving." Someone asked.
"Soon, soon. Good food takes time." Ange smiled. His hands never stopped. One bun after another formed in his hands.
Amazing! Melony got dizzy just by watching and began to silently admire him.
"Boss, your buns are so good. Yesterday I only bought two. I regret it so much."
"Yes, yes. Same here. When I came back to buy more, there was no line space."
Ange smiled. "Then buy more today."
"I will eat ten."
"I want twenty."
"Can you finish twenty?"
"I could eat with my wife."
…
The strong aroma, the heat, the laughter… Ange's stall became the liveliest place in Eliphas Park.
Finally, the first batch finished. When he lifted the steamer lid, steam billowed upward, the smell spread, and the line started stirring.
So good.
Melony, first in line, said immediately, "Boss, fifty buns, fifty Mantou."
Ange was surprised. "So many? Can you finish them?"
Hitmonchan was shocked. Those buns were not small. One hundred? Could they really finish them?
"Yes." Melony nodded with no hesitation. She lowered her head and spoke to Hitmonchan, "We will go home and eat with everyone."
Alright. Hitmonchan nodded silently.
"Wait a bit." Ange smiled, then packed buns quickly.
Luckily, today he was prepared. Otherwise, if he only used Rom leaves, people who buy many might not be able to carry all of them.
The day before, the people were all first-time buyers, so most bought only one or two. A few bought three or five. Rom leaves were enough.
Today, he expected large orders, so he spent Happiness Points to buy packaging bags from the System Store.
He wrapped the buns with Rom leaves, then put them into bags, making them easy to carry.
After she received the buns and Mantou, Melony immediately started eating, and also placed one in Hitmonchan's hand.
Hoo ha~ hoo ha~
The buns were very hot, but Melony could not wait. She bit it directly.
Mmm… It was delicious.
Her eyes squinted. Hitmonchan had never seen that expression before.
With confusion, Hitmonchan took a bite too. Then it understood everything.
***
The buns and Mantou sold out quickly. Ange shouted to the people behind, "Wait a bit. This batch is gone. The next batch is not steamed yet."
When people heard that, they groaned.
"You people in front should buy less."
"Yes, yes, do not eat so much."
"Boss, are you trying to torture us?"
***
An old man came with his Growlithe, and he was shocked by the line. "Whoa, so many?"
Ange only took cash. Many wanted to buy yesterday but did not bring cash, so today they brought cash. They wanted to taste the delicious smell that tortured them yesterday.
So, many more people came today.
"If I knew, I would have come earlier." The old man hugged his Growlithe and lined up. He had nothing else to do anyway.
A similar shock happened to Fiona, who had just arrived.
She promised Princess to bring good food today, so she came early, but she never expected to find such a big crowd.
Fiona checked her phone and thought she still had time, so she joined the line quietly.
Soon, the next batch finished, and the line started moving.
Too busy. Too busy. Ange almost began to see blurry afterimages. He packed food for customers while still kneading the dough and wrapping buns nonstop. If he stopped, the next steamer batch would not catch up.
Komala was also busy. Its eyes stayed closed. But its small hand quickly grabbed banknotes one after another. It did not make a single mistake.
Soon, it was finally the old man's turn. He waved his hand and said, "One hundred buns of cabbage filling, radish filling, and chive filling. Fifty Mantou."
Ange got shocked. "Sir, aren't you buying too many?"
The old man waved with a smile. "Not too many. Not too many. I have many children. We can finish them."
His Growlithe kept nodding.
Growl~ Growl~~ Yes. Yes.
"Alright, but this batch was not enough. You needed to wait." Ange said helplessly.
"It was fine. It was fine." The old man said. "This old man has plenty of time."
Ange packed the remaining part first and handed it to the old man. Then he said with a smile, "Alright. Please wait."
The moment the old man got the buns and Mantou, he and Growlithe ate immediately. The customers behind them swallowed nonstop.
This old man was too selfish. He bought so many at once.
Once the bun entered his mouth, the old man immediately noticed the difference from yesterday. "Young man, why did these buns suddenly taste so much better?"
"You're very perceptive, sir," Ange explained while busy working. "I adjusted the filling recipe."
The old man understood. "No wonder." He gave Ange a thumbs-up. "Young man, you are amazing."
Yesterday, his Growlithe clearly preferred Mantou. But today, it drooled at the bun instead.
While the old man and Ange talked, Fiona looked at Ange. With just one glance, she froze.
This boss, why did he look so familiar?
Fiona stared at Ange for a long time. She still could not remember who Ange looked like.
Because Ange wore a chef's hat, his blonde hair was hidden, so Fiona never connected him to the royal family or even associated him with the man she had seen in front of the palace.
A new batch of buns and Mantou got steamed. The old man carried a full bag. He hummed a tune and walked away happily. His Growlithe struggled, jumped to the ground, and followed him.
Seeing Growlithe drooling, the old man said with love, "Alright. Alright. We will go home to eat with Grandma and Skitty."
Not long after the old man left, it was finally Fiona's turn. "Boss, five buns of each filling and Five Mantou."
"Alright. Please wait." Ange said without raising his head. He packed food quickly for Fiona.
Fiona stared at Ange's side face without blinking. She tried to remember who he looked like.
"Here." Ange handed the packed Mantou and buns to Fiona.
After Fiona took them, she asked, "Could I take the side dishes out?"
Ange answered, "Yes. The side dishes were on the table. Customers could take them."
"Alright. Thanks."
Even when she turned and left, Fiona still did not remember who the boss looked like.
Carrying a bag of buns and Mantou, Fiona entered the royal palace. She went straight to Princess Lila's office. The princess was working.
Knock knock knock~~~
Fiona knocked and entered. "Good morning, princess."
Lila looked up with a smile. "Fiona, you arrived later than usual today."
Fiona placed the buns and Mantou on the table. "I promised to treat the princess to breakfast today."
Lila froze. "You were serious?" She had already eaten her breakfast.
"Of course," Fiona said while opening the packaging. In an instant, rich aroma filled the whole office.
"This was…" Lila swallowed subconsciously.
"These were buns and Mantou. Many people lined up. I almost failed to buy them." Fiona said.
"So fragrant." Lila leaned forward to smell. She immediately forgot she had already eaten breakfast. No one said breakfast could only be eaten once.
"Princess, call out your Gardevoir and eat together. I bought many." Fiona said and released her Pokémon.
Her Pokémon was a Florges. She got it after she became the princess's private secretary.
"Alright." Lila nodded and released her Pokémon. Her Pokémon was a Shiny Gardevoir.
"Fleur~"
Voir~~
The two Pokémon were attracted by the food the moment they came out.
"Sit down and eat." Lila invited them. She almost could not wait.
So two humans and two Pokémon sat at the table. They held a bun each.
Lila held the soft elastic bun and marveled inside. What a magical food. Even the softest bread could not compare.
She took a bite. Juicy cabbage rushed into her mouth. Each chew mixed crisp vegetables and chewy dough. They combined into a unique flavor. It was irresistible. One bite and she got hooked.
Hoo~~ Lila took a big breath and finally recovered from the delicious taste.
At this moment, the guards, maids, and officials passing by the office stopped.
What smell was this? They sniffed the air.
At the same time, Prince Romeo in his research room also smelled the aroma.
He looked toward Minister Jarvis. "Jarvis, what was this smell?"
Jarvis froze, took a sniff, and shook his head. "Prince Romeo, please do not get distracted. Keep researching."
Romeo hesitated for a moment. Then he pushed his chair back, stood up, walked straight to the door, opened it, and walked out.