(Dante P.O.V)
After being dumbfounded, I slowly close my hanging opened mouth. Exiting the dish-washing room, I went towards the grandma to express my thanks and bid farewell, afterwards I walked out the restaurant and searched for a park with a bench so I can contemplate what path to walk.
After a few minutes of asking directions to the nearest park, I arrive at a park where you can see people walking their dogs, beautiful big sisters jogging while giggling, couples doing lovey-dovey stuff. Ahhh youth!
While laughing at myself for being a 15-year-old thinking like an old man, I spot a free park bench near a tree to sit on. As I sat at the bench, I ponder on what to do now that I am 'free'. I used my special mental 'technique' to bullet point which points out my advantages and disadvantages.
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*Advantages*
• I can cook very well, on the level comparable to a head chef that recently gained his restaurant a Michelin 1-star, ( One star signifies "a very good restaurant", two stars are "excellent cooking that is worth a detour", and three stars mean "exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey" )
• I can taste dishes and precisely criticise and inform others on what is wrong with their dishes.
• I have vast knowledge on theories about cooking different cuisines.
• I can wash dishes like a boss.
•I can speak basic; (Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, French, Italian) and mastered; (English, Japanese)
*Disadvantages*
• I am 15 years old, so most people will not take me seriously.
• I only have my $10,000 on my savings card, due to 11 years of saving weekly allowance.
• I do not have enough fame
• I have lots of knowledge about cooking but no experience on cooking most of them.
• No work experience.
• Home schooled, no high school diploma yet.
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As I list my pros and cons in my head, I was distracted by a group of high school students loudly conversing.
(General P.O.V)
Student #1 said with an outraged tone " Are you kidding me?! Nami-chwaan is my number 1! She's fierce, hot and cute! What can your Robin do?"
Student #2 replied with a tone full of disdain" Fool! What can a greedy thief give you? If she said that she likes you, I'm sure she's only saying that for money! Besides even if she wants your money, I'm certain she'll just directly steal it instead of wasting time on your ugly monkey face!
What can Robin do? Hahaha, since you asked! Robin-chwaan won't betray you! If she really like someone, she won't abandon them! She will only leave you when she knows you're in danger because of her… Fierce? hot? cute? Ha! My Robin-chan is beautiful, hot, calm and intelligent! So, what are you talking about you uncultured monkey!"
Student #1 replied with a scoff " Bah! I'm tired reasoning with an oinking pig! You know I'm bad at words, yet you still bark like an overweight dog!"
Student #3 softly said with a tone like whisper" Uhm.. I like Tony Tony Chopper.. he's so cute."
Student #1 & 2 just looked at student #3 strangely...
But inside of student #1 & 2's mind, they can't help but imagine the cute Chopper and silently agree.
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(Dante P.O.V)
Curious to what they are arguing about, I was about to stand up and ask when I overheard them saying "One Piece is the best anime in history!!!".
Oh an anime... I've always wanted to watch an anime, but I feared that I'll hate it if my family forced a boring cooking anime on me. Mmm...
That's it! I once heard an interesting news broadcasted on the local channel back then! It's about a group of people called "Otakus" living in a hotel like internet cafe where there's a library full of manga, computers full of games, mini-shop selling instant noodles and a room for sleeping with an affordable price.. The only demerit living there is the room which is small as f*uck.
(A/N: The otaku internet cafe/hotel is true, I will give the link in this particular comment)
I unknowingly smiled for being a genius. Perfect! I only have $10,000 and that cafe/hotel is cheap as f*ck, I can live comfortably for a while. I took my phone and searched if there's one in this city..
A few minutes of searching and closing shameless clickbaits later, fortunately there is one in the middle of the city. I activated google maps and walk there instead of calling for a cab to loosen up and reorganise my mind because there was a lot of things that happened today; me leaving my family, the Ron Burgundy look alike, the sad grandma and the perverted high schoolers.
As I arrived in the cafe, I noticed the sun is about to go down and dusk is approaching.
I enter the cafe and check with the receptionist if there is any available rooms, fortunately there are available rooms as the cafe is built like a small hotel. As there wasn't any option of renting a fancier room, I rent a room that was similar to every room in this hotel then pay the receptionist for the room price.
After paying the receptionist, instead of exploring the otaku cafe, I decided to go in my room and sleep because even though the dusk just appeared, I am mentally exhausted with today's event. Searching for my room took a couple of minutes before arriving in front of my room's door. I opened the room, just to see a room so small that I think people with claustrophobia go on a strike to close this otaku-hotel.
Inside the small room, I saw a decent computer and in front of the computer is a comfortable looking recliner leather chair with a thick blanket on top, I look around and saw a small heater in case it's too cold. After looking around I reclined the chair to make it flat then took the blanket to cover myself and sleep.
*Heavy snoring*
*Heavy snoring*
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---5:AM---
(General P.O.V)
Inside a small room, you can see a youth sleeping in a starfish position and you can hear him angrily mumble something like " No mom... I'm tired... I don't want to cook... I want to sleep.."
Suddenly, the youth woke up like a person escaping from a nightmare, he stood up from his 'bed' and yawn lazily while scratching his ping pong ball sized organ. After scratching his eyes, he went downstairs to the decent looking public bathroom and washed his face to freshen up.
(Dante P.O.V)
After washing up, I exit the public bathroom and walked up to the mini-store to buy 2 instant cup noodles and a bottle of orange juice, then I went back to my room and turned on the computer to search for 'One Piece' because the arguing high schoolers truly piqued my interest. I found a few anime websites which let you view for free then I picked a good website according to website reviews.
Clicking 'KissAnime', I typed in 'One Piece' in the search bar, and found the 'eng sub' one instead of the dub one, coz I can perfectly understand Japanese and even if I don't understand Japanese, I can read the text (Shout out for those who watch it in sub! I salute!). After clicking the first episode, I quickly got annoyed by the pesky ads, invisible clickbaits, and the never-ending 'CAPTCHA', but then as soon as the ads finished, I find the animation quality decent so I started eating the instant noodles while watching 'One Piece'.
After finishing the first episode of 'One Piece', the first impression that I got was 'meh'. Finding it quite boring, I question myself why those high schoolers like this anime. After thinking for a while I concluded that maybe the story gets better as the story goes on, so the first thing I do is throw the empty cup of noodles and the bottle to the mini trash can, then I search the coolest moments in 'One Piece' in YouTube.
---- A few hours later ----
'Damn! is that his brother?! That's cruel, killing him in front of his brother.. Oh what a sad moment, seeing him cry like that sent me goosebumps.. F*ck, why is there sweat in my eyes?! Are there invisible onion ninjas in this room? I need to stop watching in case I get more spoilers..'
'I'm disappointed in myself, judging the first page without even having the patience to see the second... Oh well, I'm just going to continue the second episode but before that I need to see if there's a kitchen here I can use... after all, I can't skip practising cooking can I?.'
Going downstairs, I asked the receptionist if there is a kitchen that I can borrow, she said there was, but I must pay for the ingredients. I agreed and proceed to the kitchen to make myself some authentic stir-fried noodles, which I learned from my Asian grandparents. Looking around the kitchen, I gather the ingredients needed for the noodles.
After gathering the ingredients, I first mixed the all the dry ingredients together then separately mixed all the wet ingredients. After mixing the wet ingredients together, I skilfully mixed the dry and wet ingredients together and kneaded it for 1 minute before letting it rest for 30 mins..
With 30 mins to wait, not wasting any time I gathered the ingredients for the noodle's sauce then in a small bowl, I whisk the ingredients in the bowl then… Vualá!
A pleasant fragrant from the ingredients mixed in the small bowl, tickled my nostrils. After I finished whisking the sauce, I grabbed a pan-bowl then put water in it and I place the pan-bowl in the stove to boil it, then I grabbed a chopping board to chop some vegetables.
After chopping some vegetables, I searched the fridge and found some tiny prawns to add into the noodles. 30 mins passed and the dough was ready to be knead again, I kneaded the dough again for 3-5 mins before letting it rest for another 30 mins.
I put the vegetables aside then grabbed the tiny prawns and place it in the chopping board to remove its shell. After skilfully removing its shell, I mentally counted the time I finished removing the prawn's shell and found out my skills didn't degrade at all.
I remembered my dad saying that I was faster than any Michelin 1-star chef in removing seafood shells... It wasn't a compliment though, because my dad wasn't even trying to hide his disappointment in his face. Removing any messy irrelevant thoughts, I seasoned the tiny prawns and let it rest for a few minutes.
After a few minutes, I grabbed a wok and put it on the stove, then I grabbed a bottle of oil to drizzle the wok with oil and heat it up. I set the heat for the wok in low-medium to warm it up, then after a few minutes I took the small prawns and put it inside the wok.
*Sizzle*
*Sizzle*
The amazing aroma of the seasoned prawn really triggered my stomach to growl. After a few minutes of cooking the prawn in low heat, mainly to cook the inside and outside evenly. I took the small bowl of mixed sauce, then drop the chopped vegetables inside the bowl and I held the bowl to slowly dripped it inside the wok.
*Sizzle*
*Sizzle*
*Sizzle*
*Sizzle*
I mixed the sauce, vegetables, and the prawns together. Thinking that the wok isn't that hot, I let it stay in the wok, then I covered it with the lid to let the aroma slowly merge into the depths of the dish. 30 mins is up, I touched the dough and it felt ready, so I rolled it with a rolling pin multiple times, then I cut the dough into long strips of noodles.
I grabbed the long strips of noodles, then gently dropped it into the boiling water inside the pan-bowl. I let it simmer for less than a minute, then I grabbed a strainer to let the noodles drop the remaining water droplets. After dropping the remaining water droplets, I gently dropped the noodles in the wok. mixing it thoroughly.
After a few minutes of mixing, the dish is ready to eat.
(A/N: Picture is in this particular comment if anyone wants to see it)
Grabbing the dish, I was about to go back to my room when I see a chubby person staring at my dish.
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(Cafe Owner P.O.V)
'Sigh, It's so lonely in the top.. everything I invest in is successful.. Oh how I wish to taste defeat..
Even this Otaku-Cafe that I invested in was successful. I mean a 'nerd' cafe? Who would have expected that this cafe is successful? I wasn't even serious when I invested in this cafe. Sigh, the dilemma of the rich.' As I enter the cafe, I immediately noticed something is weird...
The receptionist and the customers are vigorously sniffing the air, just as I was about to laugh at the weird scene.. An intense aroma, upper-cutted my nostrils when I was inhaling.
'F*ck! who dares make me sniff like a dog! But it smells good though.. No, it smells too good! There is obviously a master chef cooking, but who? I don't remember my subordinate hiring a master chef. Aahhh! Forget it, the aroma is making me hungry to think. I'm just going to take a peek...'
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(Dante P.O.V)
I absently stared at the chubby bastard who was eyeing my food and said with a vigilant tone " Who are you?"
"Me? I'm Dio-, I mean I'm one of the owners of this cafe, who are you?" the chubby bastard replied
Owner? Looking at him from head to toe, I thought he does dress like one, I replied with the same vigilant tone " I'm just a customer, and in case you're wondering. I paid for the ingredients myself. Nice meeting you, I'm going now" I stepped in the side then continue walking back to my room
"W-wait! Can I get some of those noodles? he quickly said while stopping in front of me.
"No" I said, then I quickly stepped in the side again to get away from him, then I continue walking forward.
"F*ck, wait for me! I can pay for it." He replied heavily gasping.
Hmm, I only have less than $10,000 at the moment, should I let him buy it? Ha! Nope.
But there's an opportunity! I didn't notice but there was a predatory look in my eyes, staring at him gasping for air, I said with a playful tone " I won't sell it to you but.."
"But what?" the owner felt chills and replied followed by an audible gulp.
" After I eat, I can make you another bowl later but only if we can talk about business." I replied with glint in my eyes.
"Deal!" the manager said, clearly not worried about his wealth.
'That was fast, I thought he would at least take a moment to think but this is good for me too.' I replied, " Okay meet me in the lounge after 1 hour."
The manager agreed, so I went back to my room and resume watching 'One Piece' while eating.
50 minutes later, I finished eating as well as watching the second and third episode of 'One Piece', I went back to the kitchen to cook the noodles requested by the owner. 10 minutes later, I meet the owner with a bowl of noodles in my hand.
"Here it is, I will let you eat while I'll explain my business proposition." I said, while handing the bowl of noodles to him.
"Thank you for the food, Okay I'm all ears" he replied with delight.
"It's simple really, hire me as your personal chef while I live, eat here for free while getting paid. The catch is, you must come here to eat because I do not want to follow you around besides, I trust my skills convinced you. Right?" I shamelessly said to him.
*Munch*
*Slurp*
*Munch*
*Slurp*
"So basically, in addition to getting paid for freeloading, I have to come and look for you so you can cook food for me? Ha! Deal!" he replied with not-caring-tone, clearly not caring about money.
My mind froze a bit, before recovering from shock that he agreed so quickly.. Is he stupid? Why not think about it for a while? I stared at him like I was staring at a once in a million fool. I said to him" Are you sure?"
"What do you mean by that?! Of course, I'm sure!" He replied, feeling a bit offended by my gesture.
"Okay, I was just making sure. Please read and sign this contract." I shamelessly replied while giving him 2 readied contract.
"Ptui! You even prepared for a contract? Just how confident were you in convincing me?! Give me that!" He snatched the contract before glancing at the terms, then he signed the contract for him and signed the other for me.
"Pleasure doing business with you" I stood up then proceed to shake his hands, oblivious to his glare.
He shook my hand with a tight grip, then he let go shortly afterwards. I bid him farewell and went back to my room to watch 'One Piece'...
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(A/N: 3,000 words! Let's go!!!! 🤣🥱😴
The next chapter will be last chapter we get to know his 'previous life'. After that, we will continue the story in the One Piece world!
Thanks for reading my handsome and beautiful readers and I appreciated the comments, reviews and power stones! Please continue to support me!!! ❤❤❤
Goodnight 😁😉🥱)
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