Refusing was futile, so Hoshino Sora simply stopped resisting, letting them lie beside him. A pleasant scent wafted to his nose, and his heart rate quickened slightly.
Normally, if things developed like this, it would inevitably turn into a scenario from a novel, but Hoshino Sora, due to his daily exhaustion and a moral bottom line, endured it...
These days lasted for half a month, until his parents returned from their honeymoon. Only then did Ya Xiang and Rika stop visiting. For some reason, Hoshino Sora felt unaccustomed to it.
He stared at the door with a sense of loss, then retrieved the treasured publications from under his bed. Because he had been surrounded by Ya Xiang and Rika during this time, he hadn't indulged his natural desires for a long time.
"Phew..."
After an unknown amount of time, Hoshino Sora looked at the full wastebasket of tissues with a refreshed expression, as if he had no worldly desires. Lying on the bed, he felt completely relaxed.
"Sora, it's your turn to shower."
"Got it, Asaka-nee."
Hearing the call from outside, Hoshino Sora responded loudly, then found his clothes, unlocked the door, and went out. What he didn't notice was that just as he entered the bathroom, Ya Xiang, who had just finished showering in the next room, came out and stealthily slipped into his room.
"Ah, Sora~"
"Pervert, there's a pervert here."
Looking at Ya Xiang lying on the bed, frantically sniffing the air, Rika appeared out of nowhere.
"Rika... when?!"
Looking up and seeing the familiar face, Ya Xiang's expression immediately became awkward, and her caterpillar-like movements suddenly stopped.
"What are you doing here? Sniff, the room smells a little strange."
"Sniff, this... could it be?"
Because she had smelled a similar scent early last week, she initially thought something had gone bad. When she asked Hoshino Sora, he stammered, making her a bit angry. Later, they asked a classmate and finally found out what it was.
"No mistake!"
Rika's gaze swept the room like a radar, then noticed the wastebasket hidden in the corner, full of crumpled paper: "There's already so much trash, it should be cleaned up."
"Let me do it, Rika, you go back and rest."
"Ya Xiang, you usually do the cleaning. Let me do it this time. I'll take it out and throw it away."
"It's okay..."
——————
"Hmm? Was the trash taken out?"
Half an hour later, looking at the empty wastebasket in the room, Hoshino Sora's expression was subtle, but he didn't delve into it. He just pulled out the desk chair, opened the notebook on the table, and began to record.
[Task]: Exceed Turnover
[Task Description]: Achieve 1 million in store turnover within 15 days to unlock Bronze-level rewards, 2 million for Silver-level rewards, 5 million for Gold-level rewards, and 30 million for Platinum-level rewards.
[Current Task Reward]: Universal Seasoning Bottle
[Grade]: Bronze-level Cooking Utensil
[Universal Seasoning Bottle]: Contains an interdimensional space, capable of holding various types and forms of seasonings. Can be switched at will during use, possesses an automatic grinding function, can adjust the particle size of powdered seasonings, and can control the dispensing amount of seasonings.
Unfortunately, he hadn't encountered any rich patrons during this time. Under normal operating conditions, Hoshino Sora, despite his best efforts, only managed a turnover of 3.83 million, still a long way from five million.
This was related to the location of his shop. Sanhe Street was in a commoner district, and his customer base primarily consisted of office workers and students, whose consumption levels were limited. High prices would significantly reduce customer traffic.
Of course, because Akame and Kuroame had posted reviews of his restaurant online, it attracted a group of online friends and tourists, which to some extent also boosted the store's economic development.
Nowadays, Hoshino Restaurant had people waiting at the door before it even opened each day. He also introduced a breakfast section, for which he didn't do anything fancy, just the simplest soy milk, fried dough sticks, and fried dough pancakes.
Unfortunately, even with all his efforts, he still didn't reach the Silver-level reward. The task would be settled tonight, and the Universal Seasoning Bottle, judging from its description, seemed to have ordinary effects but was convenient.
It wasn't a loss.
After simply jotting down the bills on paper, Hoshino Sora went to bed to rest. He woke up early the next day, and the first thing he did was check his taskbar.
Sure enough, the "Exceed Turnover" task was already marked as complete. A seasoning bottle appeared in his storage backpack, and a new task also appeared below.
[Trigger Task]: Sanhe Street Chef King Competition
[Task Description]: Recently, Sanhe Street will hold its annual chef competition. Over a hundred shops will participate in this competition, and the top three will receive the Sanhe Street Golden Signboard.
[Task Requirements]: Win a top-three spot in the Chef King Competition to receive one reward. Additionally, for each rank higher, an additional reward will be granted.
[Task Rewards]: ① Cooking Skill: Spice Equation ② Silver-grade Ingredient: Fiery Mountain Pork 1kg ③ 10 Million Yen ④ Recipe Encyclopedia (Incomplete) ⑤ Magical Spices (Small Amount)
Seeing the rewards this time, Hoshino Sora instantly became excited. He shot up, tapped his fingers in the air, and an unnatural smile spread across his lips.
However, after the initial joy, Hoshino Sora couldn't help but ponder. To get the rewards, he had to secure a top-three spot in the Chef King Competition, which was a bit difficult.
Although Sanhe Street was just a commoner food street with frequent shop turnovers, there were still many century-old establishments. These shops often had their own unique secret recipes, which was why they could operate for so long.
Among them, the eel rice from Tiger Gate House, the sushi from Sukiyaki House, the yakitori from Ihei House, the sashimi from Heisei House, and the desserts from Kurawei House were all famous old brands of Sanhe Street!
Through his understanding during this period, Hoshino Sora had a general grasp of the Commercial Street's layout. There were over a thousand various shops, with one-fifth of them related to dining.
This was a world centered on cuisine; food was absolutely the primary productive force in this world!
Of course, when many people do an industry, it inevitably leads to internal competition, which is also why the cuisine in this world tastes so excellent. Another reason is the high quality of raw ingredients and the abundance of seasonings.
Isn't there an old saying, with these seasonings, even a slipper sole tastes good?
The quality of raw ingredients greatly influences the final taste of a dish. Just like steak, why can the same cut have a price difference of dozens of times?
There's certainly commercial hype involved, but its inherent value must also be acknowledged.
Looking at his sunny and handsome reflection in the mirror, Hoshino Sora's face was full of vigor. After a quick wash-up, he energetically prepared breakfast.
Everything was ready by six in the morning. Hoshino Sora woke his family for breakfast. After a twenty-minute meal, he departed with Ya Xiang and Rika.
The ingredients needed for the restaurant had already been prepared last night. Now, he just needed to rush over and start working immediately. If he was quick, he could open for business around seven.
After all, he mainly sold fried dough sticks, fried dough pancakes, and soy milk. These items, as long as they were prepared in advance, were not dishes that required a long time to serve.