"How about this one?"
A black tank top maxi dress with a knitted short-sleeved dress, paired with silver shoes, looked very fashionable.
"What about mine?"
A white T-shirt with black wide-leg pants, paired with canvas shoes, and sunglasses on her face. Standing there with her hands on her hips, her whole demeanor transformed into a cool girl.
"And this one…"
A chiffon blouse paired with a lace mini skirt and high heels. This combination gave the person in front of him a maturity beyond her age; her youthful face clearly couldn't quite pull it off.
"I like this set."
It must be said, when girls try on clothes, there's no end to it. Hoshino Sora felt a bit aesthetically fatigued watching Aka-ri and Rika change into dozens of outfits, but he still tried his best to maintain a smile and praise them.
"Enough, enough, let's just buy these few sets."
Selecting a few sets of clothes that suited the two of them very well, Hoshino Sora quickly raised his hands in surrender. If they kept trying on clothes, he would turn to stone there. It had already been several hours since they arrived in the afternoon.
He hadn't said anything only because he saw how excited they were.
"Alright…"
Hearing Hoshino Sora's call, Aka-ri and Rika, though still not quite done trying things on, realized they had spent quite a lot of time. Although they hadn't gone outside, it must be dark by now.
"Next, let's go buy ingredients for dinner. Mom and Dad are probably coming home soon, so I need to make dinner quickly."
Checking the time on his phone, Hoshino Sora stated his plan. Although it was getting late, this was a large mall, so ingredients certainly wouldn't be lacking, and the quality was quite high, though the prices weren't so appealing.
After buying clothes, the three of them wandered through the fresh produce section.
Because he had eaten Erina Nakiri's eel rice in the afternoon, Hoshino Sora became interested in seafood. And in the entire seafood market, what attracted him most were shrimp and crabs.
Half land, half water, a total of ten dishes.
This was Hoshino Sora's thought. Looking at the lively shrimp in the tank, the napping crabs, and the agile fish, he quickly searched his mind for suitable dishes.
He already had an idea for shrimp, a simple garlic shrimp. For crab, there wasn't much meat, so the point was the fresh flavor. He would coat it in batter and make golden crab shells.
"Take that!"
Just as Hoshino Sora was intently picking live shrimp, Rika suddenly placed a large hairy crab in front of his face, which truly startled him.
"Be careful, it might clip your nose. Stop playing and hurry up and pick out the ingredients. We don't have much time."
"It won't. Mr. Hairy Crab's claws are all tied up. How can he commit a crime without his tools?"
Startled, Hoshino Sora grumbled in annoyance. Then he heard Rika muttering to herself, her eyes seemingly glancing downwards at him, wondering what she was thinking.
After browsing the seafood section, they moved on to the meat section, selecting several good cuts of lamb, some pork belly, and buying some spices. Only when his hands could no longer carry anything did Hoshino Sora finally leave, satisfied.
"Asaka-nee, Rika-nee, want some watermelon?"
Looking at the sliced watermelon at the mall's fruit stand, Hoshino Sora tilted his head to look at Aka-ri and Rika. The two sisters were whispering to each other. Hearing his question, they first froze, then nodded.
"Watermelon? Sure, let's buy half."
"Half won't be enough. These two look good, let's get them."
He patted the watermelon and put his ear close, hearing the 'thump-thump' sound from inside. Hoshino Sora showed a satisfied expression, then heard Ya Xiang's words and immediately said with disdain.
"So many, won't it be too expensive…?"
Ya Xiang's expression was a bit hesitant, because this mall specialized in high-end goods, and things sold for more than outside. These two watermelons combined would cost almost ten thousand yen.
"Open your mind, Asaka-nee. We earn so much money every day. If we're still timid when spending, then what's the purpose of earning money?"
Hoshino Sora said as a matter of course. He wasn't a 'second-generation negative'; his family background was good. If he worked hard every day to earn money and couldn't spend it as he wished, that would be too miserable.
"But… you're right."
Perhaps it was because she had been accustomed to a frugal life, so being extravagant was difficult to accept at once. Yes, they had money now, there was no need to be so petty like before.
Looking up directly at Hoshino Sora's beaming smile, Ya Xiang gently sighed, then nodded in agreement. As long as he was there, no matter how much money they spent, they could always earn it back.
"Alright, let's go home."
Carrying the heaviest bags of ingredients, the three of them rushed home with big and small bags. People around them, seeing this scene, couldn't help but wonder how many people were in their family.
They actually eat so much stuff.
--------------
More than ten days later.
"Delicious! This garlic shrimp and cumin lamb are absolutely amazing!"
"This golden crab shell is also very good. It's crispy and fragrant, and the crab roe is ridiculously abundant. The boss is really good at picking crabs."
"Isn't the braised pork also great? Damn, I almost forgot this was originally a pig trotters rice shop."
"I forgot too. I was initially attracted by this shop's pig trotters rice, but now not many people order it anymore."
"Boss, one serving of pig trotters rice. It's not bad, actually. I feel like the taste of this pig trotters rice is much better than before. It's braised more thoroughly, and the flavor is very suitable. The chef's skill is improving."
"Indeed! The dishes here taste different almost every day. Since my company is nearby, I come almost every day. I've seen the chef; he's a young lad. To have such cooking skills at his age, his future achievements are immeasurable!"
The atmosphere inside the Hoshino Restaurant was lively, with both regulars and new customers. Naturally, some acquaintances started chatting, and new people would join in as the conversation progressed.
That's how chatting is; it spreads very quickly.
Especially when there aren't enough tables in a restaurant, requiring people to share.
Because of its affordable prices and delicious cuisine, Hoshino's Restaurant enjoyed extremely high popularity in the vicinity, with even people from other districts coming to visit.
While it couldn't compare to those long-established restaurants, in terms of liveliness alone, it was unique on Sanhe Street. What was most worth mentioning were the three beautiful female waitresses.
Especially the blonde girl, who had an astonishingly hot figure and liked to wear a maid outfit to greet customers, yet she didn't act like a maid at all. Her voice was cold, and her movements were very impatient.
And this kind of behavior also attracted some people with special preferences. They enjoyed terrible service attitudes, finding it incredibly satisfying to be looked down upon by a beautiful girl, so they always specifically requested her service.
Such people are usually referred to as masochists. Erina Nakiri displayed her value in a strange way.
"Crab shell."
"Coming!"
"Lamb."
"Right away."
It's often said that working with both genders makes the work less tiring. After half a month of working together, Hoshino Sora and Hisako Arato had become close partners, and their work efficiency was incredibly high.
Among them, Hisako Arato was responsible for the cutting and seasoning of the ingredients, while Hoshino Sora focused entirely on cooking. His control over the heat had now reached a masterful level.
Although he couldn't always get the dishes out at the perfect time, the error would not exceed a few seconds, which had little overall impact on the taste of the food, especially for these ordinary diners outside.
They wouldn't even notice any difference.
But if it were Erina Nakiri, she could tell the condition of the dish with just one bite, and even clearly state all the ingredients used in it. This is the so-called God Tongue!