"Lord Chen, breakfast is ready. Come quickly and try it."
Seeing Shi Chen approach, Tohru happily spun around, then presented the breakfast she had made to him, full of anticipation.
"...What is this?" Shi Chen looked at the contents of the plate, twitched his mouth, and asked dryly.
A piece of meat lay quietly on the plate. Its shape resembled the large chunks of meat found in comics, except the bone in the middle was missing.
It was bright in color and glossy with oil, looking quite appetizing... Not!
"This is my tail meat! Pan-fried Dragon Tail Meat!" Tohru replied proudly.
"..."
Shi Chen glanced behind Tohru and realized her thick, green, large tail was gone.
She actually cut off her own tail to make him breakfast!
Shi Chen opened his mouth, unsure what to say. Facing this personally made him realize how speechless he was.
If it were an ordinary dragon that couldn't speak or transform, just a regular beast, it would be fine, and Shi Chen might want to try the taste of dragon meat.
But since this was Tohru's own tail, he really had no desire to eat it.
Drinking dragon milk, however, might still be possible.
"Lord Chen, don't you like it?" Tohru noticed Shi Chen's difficult expression.
"...Do you think I can eat this?" Shi Chen countered.
"Is something wrong? It's very delicious, you know. It tastes even better with white rice."
"My biology can't handle it..." Shi Chen couldn't help but press his forehead.
Tohru still needed a deeper understanding of human common sense.
"Can't handle it biologically?" Tohru tilted her head, confused. "Is Lord Chen a picky eater?"
"Are you an idiot?" Shi Chen took two steps forward, stood before Tohru, and irritably chopped her on the head with a hand gesture.
"Oof... Lord Chen, why did you hit me?"
"I ask you, if I cut off my own leg and offered it to you as food, would you eat it?"
"Of course not! I see! I understand now!" Tohru realized.
"Sigh, it looks like I'll have to properly teach you human common sense over the next couple of days." Shi Chen sighed, shaking his head.
"But isn't this meat a waste? It's highly nourishing, and it took a lot of time to remove the toxins."
"I don't need nourishment!"
"Alright."
Tohru turned around, facing away from Shi Chen, and somewhat helplessly ate her own tail in one bite. That cute, young girl's face could actually open that wide.
And after she swallowed her tail meat, a miraculous scene occurred: her large tail instantly grew back with a whoosh.
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It even flicked around flexibly twice.
It truly was self-sufficiency.
This miraculous scene somewhat comforted Shi Chen's feeling of helplessness.
"I'll make breakfast after all."
"Huh? Please give Lord Chen me one more chance!"
"You can make lunch."
"I understand. What would Lord Chen like for lunch?"
"Just something normal."
"Mmm..."
Shi Chen walked into the kitchen and searched the refrigerator for ingredients. He had checked yesterday and found quite a few expensive items.
Since Tohru had already cooked the rice, he planned to pan-fry a few steaks to eat with the white rice. The combination of meat and rice would surely be delicious.
"Tohru, how many steaks do you want?"
"The same amount as Lord Chen will be fine."
"Is that enough?"
"What does Lord Chen take me for?" Tohru pouted playfully.
"Aren't you a dragon?"
"I am a Dragon Maid now!"
"Alright then."
Shi Chen took out four bags of steak, one piece per bag. Two pieces each should be enough for the two of them.
"Lord Chen, let me help you tie your apron." Seeing Shi Chen preparing to fry the steaks, Tohru took off her own apron and came behind him to tie his.
Shi Chen didn't refuse and focused on frying the steaks. These were high-quality cuts; the marbling looked like marble, and the heat had to be controlled perfectly.
Tohru quickly finished tying Shi Chen's apron, but smelling his unique scent, she couldn't resist and wrapped her arms around him from behind.
"Hehe~ Lord Chen smells so good."
"Are you a pervert?" Feeling the softness pressing against his back, Shi Chen didn't struggle, however.
Tohru was quite tall, nearly 1.8 meters. The previous Shi Chen would have been slightly shorter than her.
"I am not a pervert! I just need to replenish Lord Chen's energy." Tohru refuted, pressing her face against Shi Chen's back.
Her warm breath penetrated the clothes and hit Shi Chen's skin, making him feel ticklish.
"Replenishing energy, you say? If that's the case, you better work hard later."
"No problem! As long as Lord Chen lets me hug him a little longer."
"Suit yourself."
A simple hug didn't affect his ability to fry steaks, and it certainly wasn't because he was reluctant to let go of the feeling on his back.
Tohru didn't hug him for long, as Shi Chen finished frying the steaks quickly.
Steak paired with rice was indeed delicious. The meat juices spilled onto the distinct grains of rice, combining the aroma of meat and rice, stimulating the appetite and making the mouth water.
Shi Chen and Tohru each ate two large bowls of rice and still weren't satisfied.
Sure enough, high-end ingredients often require only the most basic cooking methods.
After breakfast, Tohru was responsible for cleaning the kitchen while Shi Chen prepared to open the shop.
The opening time was ten o'clock. After all, nobody drinks coffee first thing in the morning unless they are addicted.
This coffee shop also came with a menu that included desserts and main courses, in addition to several types of coffee that required manual brewing.
Calling it a coffee shop was inaccurate; it was more like a combination of a cafe and a restaurant, which explained why the refrigerator held so many ingredients.
Fortunately, these were all dishes Shi Chen excelled at, even if they were part of the free welfare privileges he received.
After Shi Chen finished preparing everything and hung the 'Open' sign outside the door, the shop officially opened.
This was his first time opening a shop, and he felt inexplicably nervous, but half an hour later, he realized his nervousness was pointless.
Not a single person came during that time!
He had even prepared baked cookies and desserts, filling the shop with fragrance, and had brewed a cup of coffee for himself and Tohru to test his technique.
Didn't this shop have any special charm set up to attract customers?
Shi Chen didn't necessarily need customers; he had a large vault with enough money to spend for now, and he could even set up a study or a game room. He only needed Utaha Kasumigaoka to come.
But since it just opened, shouldn't at least one or two customers show up as a gesture?
The heavens reward those who try. Around eleven o'clock, someone finally pushed open the shop door. It was a man and a woman who looked like college sweethearts.
"There aren't many customers," the man muttered quietly.
"Isn't it nice that it's quiet? Besides, I think the environment is great. It gives me a strange sense of peace." The woman indicated she was very pleased.
"Fine, if you like it... then it's good."
"Welcome! What would you like to order?"
Just then, Tohru stepped forward to greet them, causing the man to widen his eyes, unable to speak.
After all, she was a maid, a dragon maid, cosplaying, and a beautiful blonde girl. With multiple factors at play, how could any normal man remain calm?
"Wha! Are! You! Look! Ing! At!" the woman asked in a fierce whisper, pinching the man's weak spot.
"Hiss—Nothing at all!" The pain brought the man back to his senses, and he quickly averted his gaze.
"Hehe~ Do you have seating for two?" The woman immediately changed her expression and asked Tohru with a beaming smile.
"Yes, please follow me this way." Tohru turned to lead the way. Her large tail behind her was particularly conspicuous, yet neither customer showed any strange reaction.
In this era, eccentric clothing or strange appearances had long been universally accepted; no one would suspect they were real.
Soon, Tohru came back to report what the two had ordered. They hadn't come for coffee but for lunch, or perhaps they changed their minds after seeing the menu.
Shi Chen went to prepare the food, and Tohru stayed at the counter to watch the shop.
The atmosphere in the shop was indeed good. Although small, the quiet and elegant decor and the comforting air made people reluctant to leave once they sat down.
The woman was very satisfied with the shop's environment and messaged her best friend to share the location, adding the crucial detail that the shop owner was a super handsome man.
The man was also satisfied with his girlfriend's choice, though he kept stealing glances at Tohru from the corner of his eye, probably planning to come here alone later.
Both had their own thoughts.
After Shi Chen finished preparing the couple's order, he had barely sat down for a few minutes before more customers arrived. Following that, he became busy.
Some came specifically for coffee, while others changed their minds and ordered food after seeing the menu.
The food was delicious, the environment was excellent, and with a Dragon Maid and a handsome guy present, the customers instantly fell in love with the place.
Seeing the satisfied expressions of the customers as they left, Shi Chen knew they liked the place and that he might be busy in the future.
This wouldn't do. It was fine for him, the shop manager, to be the head chef when the shop first opened, but a shop manager shouldn't be the head chef forever.
The manager's duty was to be a hands-off boss, and he felt it was necessary to let Tohru take on the major responsibilities.
Lunchtime was hectic, but the afternoon was much more relaxed. Although many people came, they were primarily there to drink coffee and rest.
And by evening, Utaha Kasumigaoka, whom Shi Chen had been eagerly waiting for, finally arrived.