After lunch, since there was no more work to do, Erina left with Hisako. To stay in touch, they all exchanged contact information before parting ways.
At that moment, Sora stood quietly in the kitchen, staring at the pots, pans, and utensils before him, lost in thought.
He was pondering—what path should he take from here?
The mass-produced set meals he had been relying on clearly could no longer help him improve his cooking skills. Should the restaurant undergo a transformation? Should he switch from set menus to made-to-order dishes? Perhaps even open up a reservation system?
But if he made such a change, he might lose a significant group of customers who were only able to eat during specific times. Although he didn't care much about money, it still felt like he'd be letting those people down.
In that case, he would temporarily retain the set-meal system while gradually introducing dishes that required less time to make. Through this gradual transition, he could improve his cuisine while helping the customers adapt naturally.
Generally speaking, the best time from ordering to serving a dish should be no more than fifteen minutes. But during peak hours, that was often hard to achieve. Still, he believed that many people would be willing to wait if the food was delicious enough.
But if it was just him alone, trying to serve each table within fifteen minutes was simply too difficult. After all, he wasn't just preparing food for one customer—he was serving an entire restaurant full of them.
That meant he absolutely needed help—Hisako's assistance in prepping vegetables and ingredients would allow him to fully focus on cooking. Only then could he accurately control the heat and timing of every dish.
At this stage, he still couldn't multitask. He wasn't yet capable of preparing ingredients for the next dish while simultaneously cooking the current one. He had to keep his eyes on the stove, watching for every small change in the food so he could remove it at just the right moment—only then could he train his mastery of heat control.
Once he became more proficient, he could think about upgrading further. But for now, what mattered most was taking things step by step.
Having made up his mind, Sora's expression relaxed a little. He lightly cleaned up the kitchen, then picked up his tote bag and prepared to head out. But as soon as he reached the entrance, he heard two sets of footsteps approaching.
"Heading out?"
"Take us with you! We can help carry stuff!"
One on each side, Ako and Riko flanked Sora, each clinging to one of his arms. They swayed his arms back and forth with pleading puppy-dog eyes, as if he'd make them cry if he didn't agree.
"Ah, uh..."
"It's our rare day off! We want to go shopping with our dear little brother!"
"That's right! Otherwise, how are we supposed to stay motivated for work?"
"Well... alright, let's go hang out at the mall for a while."
Thinking about how much effort the two sisters had put in recently, Sora relented and decided to take them out to relax. He also figured he could buy them a few cute outfits or things they liked as a reward.
After all, both Ako and Riko were overly frugal. Even when he gave them money, they wouldn't spend it. But if money wasn't being used, wasn't it just a pile of useless paper?
"Yay!"
"Let's go, Sora~!"
"Put your shoes on first!"
After some playful bickering, Sora headed out with Ako and Riko. Because they were going to a crowded place, he reminded them not to cling to his arms in public.
Although the girls clearly didn't like it, they still agreed. Mainly because if they didn't, Sora said he wouldn't walk with them. That was absolutely unacceptable for the two of them.
"Boss, one candied hawthorn skewer, please!"
They walked along a newly built commercial street, which was clearly far busier than Sanwa Street. The crowds were dense, and with those crowds came endless vendors lining the sidewalks.
Most of them sold food—takoyaki, oden, meatballs, and all kinds of snacks for filling up hungry passersby. The variety was overwhelming.
There were not only traditional Japanese street foods but also snacks from other cultures—sachima, candied hawthorn, cotton candy, horseshoe cakes, halo-halo and more. It was a feast for the eyes and nose. One couldn't help but sigh: "No wonder this is Tokyo!"
Sora noticed Ako and Riko eyeing a candied hawthorn stall for quite a while, so he took the initiative to buy them each a skewer. What he got in return were two blissful smiles.
"Mmm~ It's sweet and sour! Sora, try a bite too!"
Holding her cheek with one hand and raising the skewer toward Sora with the other, Ako's cheeks were puffed out adorably as she chewed. The sweet and sour taste exploded in her mouth, flooding her with happiness.
Seeing her like that, Sora didn't hesitate. He leaned forward and took a bite from the skewer she held out. A loud crunch echoed—the outer caramel was crisp, and the hawthorn inside was tart. Together, they created the classic sweet-and-sour flavor of candied hawthorn.
Even better, the vendor had removed the hawthorn seeds and replaced them with almonds, giving the snack a layered texture and richness.
[Dish Analysis]: Candied Hawthorn
[Quality]: Black Iron (Mid-tier)
[Analysis Progress: 40%]
[Ingredients Detected]: Hawthorn, Almond, White Sugar...
After researching for some time, Sora had come to understand how his system's "dish analysis" worked. Basically, it required him to consume a certain amount of the food before the analysis could start. After that, he needed to keep eating it to complete the analysis.
The higher the quality of the dish, the more he needed to eat to analyze it fully. And once the analysis was complete, what he got wasn't just a video in the traditional sense.
It was more like a fully immersive experience—he would enter the body of the dish's creator and see and feel everything they did while making the dish, step by step. And he could replay the experience endlessly.
If he had the money, he could literally go to top restaurants and secretly "copy" their signature dishes. No one would ever know. Though, admittedly, that felt a little shady.
After hanging out on the shopping street for a while, Sora led the two sisters into the city's largest mall and headed straight to the second floor, where he entered a well-known women's fashion store. This was his real destination.
"Let's leave. The clothes here are way too expensive."
Ako, who had been full of excitement earlier, suddenly drooped the moment she saw the price tags. She leaned toward Sora and whispered for them to get out quickly.
"It's fine. I'm buying, not you. This store might be a bit pricey, but the quality of the clothes is great, and the styles are trendy. They're perfect for you two."
There was a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. He used to come here often with Yukino. Actually, this whole mall had been a frequent date spot for them.
He even remembered that just before they broke up, he'd bought her a knitted scarf here. She had teased him at the time, complaining that other boyfriends would've knitted one themselves.
That winter had been the last time they saw each other.
"This outfit feels so breezy."
"Isn't it a bit too daring? I mean, sure, it's summer, but this is way too revealing. Everything below the chest would basically be on full display!"
Looking at the baffling outfit that barely managed to cover the bust, Sora's expression turned complicated. He wouldn't mind if someone else wore it, but if it was Riko—he'd rather not.
"There's no way you can wear something like this outside."
"I could just wear it at home for you, Sora. It's nice and breezy—doesn't that kill two birds with one stone?"
"You still shouldn't wear something so indecent!"
"What's so indecent about it? Ako, you're way too uptight."
"Let's go check out that section over there."
Watching the two sisters argue, Sora couldn't help but chuckle. Their relationship really was close. As they bickered, he raised his hand and pointed toward a nearby summer-exclusive section that featured complete outfit sets.