[ Bonus Chapter - 100 P.S ]
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"Oh, Wise, why are you such a buzzkill? We already have... that kind of relationship, don't we?"
'What kind of relationship? Could you be any vaguer? Kasa's glare is already getting dangerous!'
Wise let out a helpless sigh and flicked Burnice on the forehead. She yelped and instantly let go of him, clutching the sore spot with watery eyes.
"Oww! I came all the way here to help you come up with ideas for Cheesetopia, and this is how you treat me?"
Burnice looked genuinely aggrieved for a moment, though her spirits bounced back almost immediately.
"After carefully studying gourmet magazines from New Eridu, watching thirteen food documentary previews, and building up an extensive theoretical foundation in food culture and restaurant marketing, I created a flawless promotional strategy guaranteed to make Cheesetopia explode across the New Eridu network overnight!"
She puffed out her chest proudly and raised a finger with theatrical confidence.
"And that strategy was inviting several famous food bloggers to come film restaurant reviews!"
Wise nodded thoughtfully. The idea had crossed his mind before, though he hadn't expected Burnice to act on it first.
"Hmm, that actually sounds pretty good," he admitted. "So how did it go?"
"The bloggers were really excited once they heard about the restaurant's unique theme. Some of them even lowered their appearance fees! Oh, but just deduct those from the restaurant's future earnings later. No need to thank me."
That part didn't surprise Wise.
What concerned him more was the awkward smile slowly forming on Burnice's face.
Under his suspicious stare, she scratched her cheek before finally confessing.
"Uh... well, there was one tiny little issue."
The moment she said that, Wise felt a headache coming on.
"The food critic went missing on the way to Blazewood. The last signal we got placed him somewhere near a Hollow in the Outer Ring."
Burnice rested one hand on her hip while rubbing the back of her head with the other, forcing out an embarrassed grin.
"It couldn't possibly have anything to do with the bottle of Special Nitro-Fuel I slipped to the driver before they left... right? Hehe..."
She let out another awkward laugh, clearly trying to defuse the tension.
Unfortunately, this was far beyond a "tiny little issue."
"That's... incredibly unlucky," Wise muttered.
After a brief pause, he added, "I wonder if there are any other food critics available."
"Hey! Shouldn't you be more worried first?!" Burnice shot back immediately.
"I'm only acting calm and joking around so you don't panic, but you can't seriously be this indifferent, can you? Besides, the food critic hasn't even been confirmed dead yet! Why are you already thinking about replacing him?!"
She invited food critics to Cheesetopia so they could enjoy Wise's cooking. Not so they could become food inside a Hollow.
Then again, food critics spent their lives eating delicious meals every day.
Would that make them taste better too?
Burnice sank into serious contemplation over the absurd thought.
Meanwhile, Wise stared at her in complete disbelief.
Really... only Burnice could think about something like that right now.
What exactly went on inside this girl's head?
"Cough, cough... anyway, if a food critic goes missing in a Hollow because of us, Cheesetopia's reputation in New Eridu is finished! No, forget the reputation, they might revoke our business license on the spot for unsafe operations!"
"Burnice, are you trying to help the restaurant, or secretly trying to destroy my life?"
For the first time in quite a while, Wise was genuinely speechless.
At this point, there was only one thing they could do.
He and Burnice would have to enter the Hollow themselves and rescue the missing food critic.
"That's great, Wise! You're seriously a lifesaver!" Burnice instantly perked up. "I'll come too! They haven't been missing for that long, so there's definitely still time to save them!"
Not long after, the two headed into the Hollow together.
With the help of a nearby Bangboo, they quickly managed to trace the food critic's location.
Thankfully, the rescue went surprisingly smoothly.
The critic was completely unharmed physically, but mentally... Well, judging by the look in his eyes, he probably wouldn't recover from this experience anytime soon.
To make matters worse, after being rescued, he somehow became convinced the entire incident had been staged by Cheesetopia as some outrageous publicity stunt designed to force positive reviews out of him.
The outcome was obvious.
Not only did he refuse to taste a single dish, but he also treated the restaurant like some shady underground operation before immediately driving back toward the city with his assistant, completely ignoring Burnice's desperate attempts to explain.
Watching the vehicle disappear into the distance, Burnice lowered her head and glanced guiltily at Wise beside her.
"I'm sorry, Wise..." she mumbled quietly. "I caused trouble again..."
She awkwardly poked her index fingers together in front of her chest, looking so pitiful it was almost impossible to stay upset with her.
And honestly, this situation wasn't entirely her fault to begin with.
"Don't blame yourself too much, Burnice," Wise said gently.
"You were only trying to help, and you already warned them beforehand. If anything, the real problem is that the guy insisted on drinking and driving."
As he spoke, Wise reached over and softly patted her head.
Burnice immediately looked up at him.
[Ding! Target Burnice: has increased her favorability toward the host by 10. Her current favorability is now 80. Additionally, 1500 Emotional Value has been obtained.]
[Current Emotional Value: 33000]
"I'll figure out a way to fix this!" Burnice declared, suddenly fired up. "And if it really comes down to it, then maybe on their way back to the city..."
"Don't even think about doing anything dangerous," Wise cut in immediately. "Otherwise, Cheesetopia really will end up looking like some shady underground operation."
"Relax." Burnice waved him off with a grin.
"We Sons of Calydon aren't the type to rob people or hurt innocent civilians. I'll just go ask Caesar if she has any good ideas."
"No need." Wise shook his head lightly. "I'll handle the food critic situation myself. Caesar's already busy enough as it is."
Naturally, the "solution" he had in mind was asking Fairy to quietly erase any malicious reviews before they had the chance to spread online.
After all, none of the accusations were actually true.
If those reviews mysteriously disappeared a few times, the influencer would eventually realize he'd provoked the wrong person. And if he was smart, he'd know when to stop.
Wise didn't really want to resort to that, especially since Burnice had invited the man with nothing but good intentions.
Still, if the other party insisted on making trouble for them... Then he couldn't exactly be blamed for responding in kind.
"Oh? So you already have a plan?" Burnice blinked in surprise before flashing him an admiring smile.
"Seriously, you're amazing... but I still want to help somehow. Is there anything I can do?"
Wise thought for a moment before answering casually, "Honestly, I've been so busy with the restaurant these past few days that I haven't even had time to properly rest..."
Belle hadn't come with him today, but with Fairy helping suppress the side effects caused by his physique, things hadn't gotten too difficult.
"I see..." Burnice's eyes suddenly widened, as if she'd just received a revelation from the heavens. "I understand it now!"
Before Wise could ask what exactly she understood, Burnice spun around and hurried off with suspicious enthusiasm.
Wise could only stand there in confusion as he watched her disappear into the distance.
At first, he'd assumed she was going to tell him to head home and rest while she handled everything herself.
But judging by that reaction...
Burnice had clearly misunderstood him entirely.
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