The morning after the restaurant's busiest day, Vash woke up with sore arms.
His legs felt heavy.
Even his shoulders hurt.
For several seconds, he remained in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Then yesterday came back to him.
The crowded restaurant.
The empty ingredient shelves.
The customers waiting.
The gang members running to the market.
And the enormous gang boss eating noodles as if he had discovered treasure.
Vash slowly sat up.
The system appeared.
---
[PHYSICAL CONDITION]
Fatigue: Moderate
Recovery Recommendation:
Rest and light activity.
---
Vash sighed.
"Light activity?"
He looked toward the restaurant.
"That's going to be difficult."
He got dressed and carefully walked outside.
The smell of cooking immediately reached him.
Grandma was already preparing breakfast.
"You're awake."
"Yeah."
She looked at him.
"How are you feeling?"
"Tired."
"Then sit down."
Vash obeyed.
Grandma placed breakfast in front of him.
As he ate, he noticed Grandpa sitting behind the counter with a calculator, a notebook, and several receipts spread across the table.
Vash finished his breakfast and walked over.
"What are you doing?"
Grandpa looked up.
"Counting yesterday's sales."
Vash immediately became interested.
"How much did we make?"
Grandpa smiled.
"You're interested in that now?"
"After yesterday? Of course."
Grandpa moved the notebook toward him.
Vash looked at the numbers.
There were several columns.
Dish.
Quantity.
Price.
Total.
Vash frowned.
"That's a lot."
"Yesterday was unusual."
Vash looked at him.
"How unusual?"
Grandpa leaned back.
"Normally?"
He thought for a moment.
"Before all this started, we usually made around $300 to $400 in total sales on a normal day."
Vash's eyes widened.
"$300 to $400?"
Grandpa nodded.
"Some days were better. Some were worse. It depended on customers."
Vash looked around the restaurant.
That suddenly made the size of yesterday's crowd more meaningful.
For years, Grandpa's Noodles had survived on a few hundred dollars of daily sales.
They weren't a big restaurant.
They weren't famous.
They simply had regular customers who liked their food.
Then everything had started changing.
First, the gang boss had come.
Then his men started eating there.
Then more people began hearing about the restaurant.
And yesterday, the restaurant had been packed.
Vash looked at the notebook again.
"So how much did we make yesterday?"
Grandpa turned the notebook around.
"Yesterday's total sales were $710.50."
Vash stared at the number.
"$710.50?"
"Yes."
Vash smiled.
"That's almost twice what we normally make."
Grandpa nodded.
"That's why we need to be careful."
Vash's smile faded slightly.
"Careful?"
Grandpa pointed toward the notebook.
"Sales aren't the same as profit."
Vash paused.
"I know."
"Do you?"
Vash hesitated.
"Not completely."
Grandpa laughed.
"Then sit down."
Vash pulled a chair closer.
Grandpa began explaining.
"Yesterday we sold a lot of food. That means money came into the restaurant. But every dish we sold required ingredients."
He picked up another sheet.
"Chicken costs money. Noodles cost money. Eggs cost money. Vegetables cost money. Oil, spices, sauces..."
He continued listing expenses.
"Everything costs something."
Vash nodded.
Grandpa wrote on the paper.
Sales: $710.50
Then underneath:
Food ingredients: $310
Then:
Other operating expenses: $70
Vash calculated quickly.
"$710.50 minus $380..."
He paused.
"$330.50."
Grandpa nodded.
"That's approximately what remained from yesterday's business after those expenses."
Vash stared at the number.
"So we sold more than seven hundred dollars of food, but we didn't actually earn seven hundred dollars."
"Exactly."
Vash leaned back.
"That's more complicated than I thought."
Grandpa smiled.
"That's business."
Vash looked at the menu.
Suddenly, every dish seemed different.
A bowl of noodles wasn't simply a bowl of noodles.
It had a selling price.
It had an ingredient cost.
It required cooking fuel.
It took time to prepare.
It occupied kitchen space.
And if ingredients were wasted, the restaurant lost money.
Vash looked toward the kitchen.
"So yesterday's crowd was good..."
"But?"
"We need to know whether it's actually profitable."
Grandpa smiled.
"Now you're thinking."
Vash picked up the calculator.
"Can I see the prices?"
Grandpa handed him the menu.
Vash began writing.
---
GRANDPA'S NOODLES
Vegetable Noodles — $4.00
Egg Noodles — $5.00
Chicken Noodles — $6.00
Chicken Soup — $4.50
Chicken Fried Rice — $7.00
Fried Chicken — $8.00
Special Chicken Noodles — $9.00
---
Vash looked at the list.
"Where's Golden Noodles?"
Grandma immediately looked toward him.
"We don't sell it."
"I know."
Vash smiled.
"I'm just asking."
Grandma shook her head.
"That recipe is special."
Vash nodded.
He knew.
Golden Noodles wasn't an ordinary menu item.
It was their family's secret recipe.
Something that had been passed down through generations.
Something that couldn't simply be added to the menu because the restaurant needed more money.
Vash returned his attention to the other dishes.
He began calculating.
"If Chicken Noodles cost us about $2.50 to make and we sell them for $6, that's $3.50 before other expenses."
Grandpa nodded.
"Correct."
Vash continued.
"So if we sell more Chicken Noodles, we make more."
"Generally."
"Generally?"
Grandpa pointed toward him.
"Don't forget labor, waste, fuel, and other expenses."
Vash nodded.
"Right."
He continued calculating.
The more he worked with the numbers, the more interesting it became.
Then something occurred to him.
"Grandpa."
"Hmm?"
"If we used to make $300 to $400 every day..."
"Yes?"
"And now we're making more..."
Grandpa smiled.
"Then the restaurant is growing."
Vash looked around.
"But our kitchen isn't."
Grandpa's smile disappeared.
Vash pointed toward the shelves.
"Yesterday we nearly ran out of everything."
Grandpa looked toward the storage area.
"You're right."
"We need more ingredients."
"We do."
"And we need more storage."
Grandpa nodded slowly.
"And possibly another supplier."
Vash looked surprised.
"Another supplier?"
"Yes. If our current supplier can't provide enough, we need someone who can."
As if on cue, a familiar vehicle stopped outside.
An older man stepped into the restaurant carrying several empty containers.
Vash recognized him immediately.
It was the uncle who normally supplied their ingredients.
"Morning!"
Grandpa smiled.
"Morning."
The supplier placed the containers down.
"I heard yesterday was busy."
Grandpa laughed.
"Very busy."
The supplier looked around.
"I've been supplying you for years, but I've never seen this place this crowded."
Vash looked at him.
"We're going to need more ingredients."
The uncle raised his eyebrows.
"How much more?"
Vash looked toward Grandpa.
Grandpa answered.
"Increase our regular order."
The supplier smiled.
"How much?"
Grandpa thought for a moment.
"About fifty percent more for now."
Vash immediately interrupted.
"Maybe more."
Everyone looked at him.
Vash explained.
"If yesterday wasn't just a one-time event, we'll run out again."
Grandpa considered it.
The supplier nodded.
"He's right."
Vash smiled.
The uncle looked toward him.
"You've changed."
Vash raised an eyebrow.
"How?"
"You used to steal chicken from the kitchen."
Grandma laughed.
Vash's face turned red.
"That was years ago!"
Grandpa laughed.
The supplier shook his head.
"Now you're worrying about inventory."
Vash looked at the shelves.
"I'm learning."
The supplier nodded.
"All right. I'll increase the deliveries."
He began writing down the new quantities.
"More chicken. More noodles. More vegetables. More eggs."
Vash watched carefully.
Then the supplier added,
"If business keeps growing, we'll need to discuss regular bulk deliveries."
Vash's eyes lit up.
"Bulk?"
The uncle nodded.
"Buying larger quantities can reduce the price per unit."
Vash immediately looked at Grandpa.
"Then our ingredient costs could go down."
Grandpa smiled.
"Exactly."
Vash suddenly understood.
More customers could mean more sales.
More sales could mean more ingredients.
But buying ingredients more efficiently could also improve their profit.
Everything was connected.
The system appeared.
---
[BUSINESS MANAGEMENT]
New Concept Understood:
Revenue
Cost
Gross Profit
Operating Expenses
Inventory
Supplier Management
Understanding: Basic
---
Vash stared at the interface.
"So this is what Business Management means."
The system didn't answer.
It didn't need to.
Vash was beginning to understand it himself.
Grandpa closed the notebook.
"For now, don't get too excited."
Vash looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because one busy day doesn't mean we've become successful."
Grandpa pointed toward the entrance.
"We need to see whether customers continue coming."
Vash nodded.
"Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow."
"And the day after?"
"And the day after."
Vash smiled.
"Then let's keep track."
Grandpa handed him the notebook.
"Why don't you do it?"
Vash looked surprised.
"Me?"
"Yes."
"You're giving me the accounts?"
"I'm letting you learn."
Vash looked at the notebook.
Then at the restaurant.
Then toward his grandparents.
He smiled.
"Okay."
He opened to a fresh page.
At the top, he wrote:
GRANDPA'S NOODLES — DAILY SALES
Underneath, he wrote:
Previous normal daily sales: $300–$400
Then:
Yesterday's sales: $710.50
Vash stared at the numbers.
Yesterday hadn't simply been a busy day.
It might have been the beginning of something.
But Vash knew better than to celebrate too early.
One day wasn't enough.
They needed another day.
Then another.
If the customers kept coming, Grandpa's Noodles would have to change.
More ingredients.
Better inventory.
Better planning.
Maybe more tables.
Maybe even another worker someday.
Vash looked toward the entrance.
"I wonder how much we'll make today."
Grandpa smiled.
"We'll find out tonight."
Vash closed the notebook.
For the first time, he wasn't simply helping his grandparents run a restaurant.
He was starting to understand how a business actually worked.
And tomorrow would provide the next set of numbers.