After lunch, Erina Nakiri left with Hisako since she had no work. To facilitate contact, they exchanged contact information.
At this moment, Hoshino Sora stood in the kitchen, lost in thought as he looked at the pots, bowls, and ladles in front of him. He was thinking about how he should proceed with his path.
Large-batch cooking clearly could no longer improve his cooking skills. Should the restaurant undergo a transformation? From a set meal format to à la carte stir-fries, and ideally, open a reservation function.
However, this would lose a group of customers who could only eat at specific times. Although he didn't care about money, he felt it would be unfair to them.
Then, he would temporarily retain the set meal format while introducing some quick-to-prepare dishes, gradually transitioning. This would also increase customer acceptance.
Logically, the time from ordering to serving should ideally not exceed fifteen minutes, but this is difficult to achieve during peak hours. However, for delicious food, he believed many people would be willing to wait.
However, if he were alone, serving dishes within fifteen minutes would be somewhat difficult, as he was catering not to one person, but to an entire restaurant's worth of people.
He would need Hisako's assistance, having her help cut vegetables and prepare ingredients, so his attention could truly focus on the pot, allowing for precise control over the heat.
Currently, he couldn't multitask, preparing ingredients for the next dish while cooking the previous one. He had to constantly monitor the changes in the dish to take it out of the pot at the perfect moment, completing his practice of heat control.
Once he became proficient later, he could consider advancing. For now, it was important to take one step at a time.
With a decision made, Hoshino Sora's expression relaxed a bit. After tidying up the kitchen slightly, he picked up his tote bag, ready to go out. However, just as he reached the door, two sets of footsteps came from beside him.
"Are you going out?"
"Take us with you! We can help you carry things."
Surrounding Hoshino Sora from both sides, Aka-ri and Rika pulled on his arms, shaking them energetically, their eyes pitiful, as if they would burst into tears if he didn't take them.
"Ah, this…"
"It's so rare to have a day off, we want to go shopping with our little brother."
"Exactly! Otherwise, we won't have any motivation for our upcoming work."
"Alright, then let's go to the mall."
Thinking of the two sisters' hard work recently, Hoshino Sora decided to take them to the mall to relax and buy them some nice clothes and things they liked as a reward.
After all, Asaka-nee and Rika-nee were a bit too frugal, not spending the money he gave them. Money, when not used, was just a piece of waste paper.
"Yay!"
"Then let's hurry, Sora~"
"Change your shoes first."
After some playful banter, Hoshino Sora set off with Aka-ri and Rika. Because of the crowds, he specifically reminded the two not to cling to his arm outside.
Although they grumbled quite a bit, Aka-ri and Rika still accepted his suggestion. The main reason was that if they didn't, he wouldn't walk with them, which was something they absolutely could not accept.
"Boss, a skewer of candied hawthorn, please."
Walking along the newly built Commercial Street, the foot traffic here was clearly several times that of Sanhe Street. People were everywhere, densely packed, and these people spawned numerous street vendors.
Most of them focused on food, with all sorts of snacks filling travelers' stomachs: takoyaki, oden, four-joy meatballs… all kinds of snacks were available here.
Not only were there local Japanese snacks, but also many foreign ones like sachima, candied hawthorn, cotton candy, water chestnut cake, etc., dazzling the eyes and making one sigh, 'It really is Tokyo!'
Noticing Aka-ri and Rika staring at the candied hawthorn for a long time, Hoshino Sora took the initiative to buy some, which naturally brought happy smiles to their faces.
"Mmm, this sour and sweet taste is so good, Sora, you should try a bite too."
She raised a hand to cover her bulging cheeks, her jaw moving slightly. The sweet and sour taste instantly filled her mouth, bringing an unparalleled sense of happiness.
Seeing this, Hoshino Sora didn't shy away. He bit into the candied hawthorn she extended to his mouth. A 'crunch' sound echoed in his ears. The outside was caramel, the inside slightly sour hawthorn; combined, they made for a sweet and sour candied hawthorn.
Moreover, the candied hawthorn vendor thoughtfully removed the hawthorn seeds and inserted an almond, enriching the texture of the entire skewer and making it layered.
[Analyze Dish]: Candied Hawthorn
[Quality]: Black Iron (Medium)
[Analysis 40%]: Dish ingredients include hawthorn, almond, white sugar...
After this period of research, Hoshino Sora understood that the 'Analyze Dish' function essentially began analysis after a certain amount of food was consumed, and then required continuous consumption to complete the analysis.
The higher the quality of the dish, the more food needed to be consumed. And the 'watch video' after analysis was not literally watching a video.
It was an immersive experience, allowing him to enter the creator's body, watching and feeling how they made the dish step by step. This process could be repeated infinitely.
If he had money, he could completely go to various restaurants to secretly learn their techniques, acquiring all their signature dishes without anyone knowing. Though it was a bit underhanded.
After strolling through the Commercial Street for a while, Hoshino Sora took the two sisters into the largest local mall, then went straight up to the second floor and entered a well-known local women's clothing store, which was his destination this time.
"Let's go, the clothes here are so expensive."
Ya Xiang, who had been excited, immediately wilted the moment she entered the store and saw the prices of the clothes. Then, she quietly urged Hoshino Sora to leave.
"It's fine, I'm buying you clothes, you don't need to pay. Although this store is a bit pricey, the clothes are good quality, and there are many styles that follow the latest trends, very suitable for you."
His eyes held a hint of nostalgia. He and Yang Nai used to come to this store often, or rather, this mall was the place where he and Yang Nai had the most dates.
On the eve of their breakup, he bought her a knitted scarf and was teased, 'Why didn't you knit it yourself? Other people's boyfriends all give handmade scarves.'
That winter was the last time they saw each other.
"This dress is so cool."
"Isn't it a bit too daring? Although it's summer now, isn't it too revealing? Everything below your chest will be seen, you know."
Looking at the confusing dress that barely covered the chest, Hoshino Sora's expression was subtle. He would welcome others wearing it, but not Rika-nee.
"How can you possibly wear this kind of dress out?"
"You can wear it at home just for Sora to see, and it's very cool, isn't it hitting two birds with one stone?"
"You still can't wear such vulgar clothes!"
"What's vulgar about this? Ya Xiang, you're too conservative."
"Let's go look over there."
Watching the two sisters bickering, Hoshino Sora chuckled. Their bond was truly good. As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to the summer special section nearby, where complete outfits were displayed.