Ludwig woke up with something weighing down on his chest.
It was not so heavy that he started to feel discomfort. However, because of the fact that it had been a while since he felt this kind of sensation, as soon as he woke up, it became significant enough for his brain to start registering it.
His gaze drifted from the ceiling to where he felt the weight. What came to his vision amused him enough to make him chuckle. A slightly transparent purple glob was there on his chest with its eyes shut. But unlike yesterday, it didn't have any mist coming off its body.
Ludwig moved his right hand, his index finger now longer than the others. Then, he poked at it.
He hadn't gotten the chance to touch this Gastly of his since he caught it yesterday. And contrary to his expectation, his finger didn't just go through its body like a knife through butter. Well, that much was obvious since it could sleep on his chest. But what surprised him the most was the texture.
The sensation he felt on the tips of his fingers was not like touching a balloon. It had more integrity than that. If he had to put it into words, it was like trying to poke a basketball.
Gastly shifted its body in its sleep the more Ludwig poked at it. That was precisely why he did it. Not to disturb it, not that shallow. He wanted it to wake up because he needed to wake up.
Before long, its purple body started to have more white in it. That opened eyes, then landed on Ludwig before blinking twice. "Gast!"
"Good morning to you too." Ludwig chuckled. "Mind to move? I need to get ready."
Gastly stayed still for a second. If it's a human, he was sure it would have reddened by now due to how sheepish it looked. Only after a heartbeat had passed did it finally levitate, freeing Ludwig from its weight.
"Thank you." Ludwig sat on his bed before moving his feet to the ground. Just as he sat on the edge of the bed, he could finally see the Arcanine.
The big canine Pokemon was already wide awake. But even with its opened eyes, its body was still curled on the floor, probably waiting for him to wake up.
"Good morning to you too, Arcanine." Ludwig reached towards its furry body. Once he touched it, he let his hand run all over it, feeling how smooth it was even though it was supposedly a Pokemon with no Trainer that lived on its own in Oak's sanctuary.
Well, the fact that its fur was healthy spoke volumes about how well Oak took care of the Pokemon at his place.
Ludwig stopped petting the Arcanine after a few seconds. But when he's preparing himself to do his morning routine, Gastly appeared in front of him.
"What?" Ludwig asked, one of his brows went upwards.
"Gast!" The Pokemon answered. Then, as if realizing Ludwig wouldn't know what it meant, it hovered towards Arcanine. Judging by how its eyes went from him to Arcanine for some time, it was obvious what it wanted Ludwig to do. Therefore, he moved his hands towards it and also petted it.
Gasly let out a contented sigh by the time Ludwig finished. Only then could he finally do his morning routine. Once he's done with half an hour of workout and a few minutes of bath, he walkrd downstairs with Arcanine and Gastly in tow.
True to its label as a veteran Pokemon, Arcanine stopped following Ludwig just before he crossed the boundary between the hall and the kitchen. It then walked past and sat on the floor just behind the bar seats.
Gastly meanwhile…
It hovered all around the kitchen like it owned the place. Well, since its body was not dangerous even if it touched something, he decided to let it slide. He just needed to watch it closely in case it started sending its mist towards someone.
Ludwig inspected the kitchen first. Taking stock of what ingredients they had and what was lacking. Only after he's done with that, did he brew a cup of coffee. Of course when he brought it to the bar, he also brought a bowl of milk for both Arcanine and Gastly.
Once he sat down and let the smell of the coffee wake him up, his thoughts slipped into what had happened.
He now had two Pokemon. Dare he say that they were his first familiars. The reason he never had one before was simply that he didn't have time to train them. Yet now, he had two as his first. Moreover, they came to him when he was already running a restaurant.
It shouldn't be as hectic as when he's still on his journey to slay the Demon King. But this restaurant was anything but normal. It had a penchant for throwing a new problem whenever things calmed down a little.
The Konoha mess was one. It happened just as Ludwig started to get comfortable with his new duty. Once the aftermath of that incident subsided, Agent Looker walked into the restaurant and gave them a legal identity to exist in Pokemon World.
So the next problem the restaurant would give him was maybe after he finally got used to juggling between his duties as the owner of Checkpoint, as well as a Pokemon Trainer.
The restaurant's buzz woke him up from that train of thought. It came across like it was protesting his statement. However, it didn't give it all on protesting. Ludwig could also feel the slight injustice it felt as well as some guilt.
Weird indeed. But he was currently drinking coffee in the weirdest place he had ever seen. And a sentient restaurant didn't even register as one of his top ten weirdest encounter he ever experienced.
He finally took a sip of his coffee. The bitterness spread for a second in his mouth before a faint floral tone with a hint of citrus appeared like a nice surprise on Christmas. He savored the taste for a brief second before his eyes landed on his two Pokemon.
Arcanine was now curled up on the floor with its eyes closed. But if its perked ears were any indication, it was still looking over the restaurant as a whole. Meanwhile, Gastly was being true to what the Pokedex told him about its species. It was flying all over the hall while occasionally blinking into the shadow beneath the tables and chairs.
Ludwig let out a chuckle at the antics of the ghost Pokemon. But then, his mind took him back to the state of the restaurant last night. Just because one particular workplace decided to get a gathering going, his restaurant suddenly became too crowded. It became almost like a party venue rather than a restaurant or even a tavern.
Now imagine two or three workplaces suddenly had an overlapping schedule for a gathering. At the current size of the restaurant, he would have to turn down at least one workplace. That was not a good practice, considering just how easy he could expand the place.
Ludwig propped his head on one of his hands while his eyes kept gazing at the empty hall. If he had to enlarge the space inside the restaurant, it seemed like he also needed to make VIP rooms for those who didn't like to be bothered. Like Cale.
But If he was going to do it, then doing it halfway would only create another problem later. So, making several at once now would be better. Otherwise, the same situation would repeat itself later.
His eyes moved across the hall again, this time not as a customer, not as a chef, but as someone who could pull the structure apart and rebuild it however he wanted. The current layout was simple. Tables were spread evenly, enough distance for his employee to move. It worked for casual dining, for small groups, even for larger gatherings if they didn't mind the noise.
But privacy?
There was none.
He leaned back slightly, the chair creaking faintly as he shifted his weight. If he carved space out of this, where would it go?
After thinking about it, he decided.
It would be the sides. That was the most obvious answer.
It shouldn't be the center. The main hall should stay open. After all, that was where the energy of the place gathered. If he cut into that, he would lose something he couldn't easily define but could clearly feel.
His eyes traced the walls, imagining partitions that didn't exist yet.
Left side… two rooms, maybe three. The right side… similar size, but with a bit more space near the back. That could allow for a larger room. A group room. Of course, the centre would also be enlarged. Otherwise, he would just solve one problem and create another problem. His space ability would allow him to do that.
He took another sip of his coffee as the idea began to take shape more clearly. Since he was going to do it. Creating VIP rooms in one style would be boring. In other words, each one should have its own identity. A room that matched the kind of people who would use it.
First, his mind drifted to a Japanese-style room. Tatami flooring, low tables, sliding doors. And a cozy atmosphere. It would become a space that encouraged sitting closer to the ground.
Then he thought about the other one. Korean.
It should be a warmer variation. Still structured like the Japanese one but more lived-in. Cushioned seating, slightly raised platforms, and a place where conversation could stretch longer without feeling stiff. It wasn't just about privacy there but also about comfort. It would become a kind of room where a group could settle in and forget about time.
Then the largest one. The one where the 12-seat table would go would become a room with European style. To adorn it and make it more European, maybe a fireplace for them. It would be a place for people who preferred distance but still wanted their space to be defined clearly.
Ludwig exhaled slowly. His fingers tapped the cup again, a bit slower this time. If he arranged them properly, the transition between each wouldn't feel jarring. Instead, it would feel like moving between different worlds within the same building. And for some reason, that fit this restaurant well.
Ludwig noted it in his mind. It had already become a solid enough plan for Greito to execute. But for this job, he wouldn't let Greito do it alone. He would bring craftsmen from Tempest to the fold. Those dwarves were good with their hands, according to Rimuru. And since they worked for Tempest, they should have better rates than dwarves from Ortus.
As he thought so, another matter came to his mind. Ludwig spun on his seat and let his gaze roam around the kitchen now.
Until now, most of the food they served was always dishes that could be cooked in a simple setup. Pan, flatiron grill, stove, and smoker. It worked, but it stopped being a challenge at some point. It was more challenging to procure the ingredients nowadays.
So… It seemed that while he was rebuilding the dining hall, it was also time to add some more cooking appliances to the kitchen. The room was not a problem. Even if it was, he could just build one small room that, in truth, held a ginormous area inside.
The first thing that came to his mind was a brazier. However, it wouldn't be just a normal brazier. It would be a proper stone oven. His fingers tapped once against the cup as the image formed more clearly in his head. A dome structure with heat from the fire set on one side got stored within its walls. It should be a stone oven that would transform the ingredient the moment it touched the surface.
Or to be more specific, a stone oven that could make Pizza.
Ludwig let out a quiet breath. The preparation alone, as well as the act of cooking the pizza, would surely entertain the guests who was curios enough to watch. That alone would change the rhythm of the kitchen.
But if he was going that far…
Another device from the modern world appeared in his mind. A vertical and horizontal device that helped whatever hung there to be cooked evenly, even without the help of humans. A device that was famous for cooking something like Kebab or roasted chicken.
Ludwig's lips curved slightly. Even if seafood was limited in Ortus, meat wasn't. So, Kebab would be the most logical dish to be made when ideas ran dry. But if he was adding those, then stopping there would be incomplete.
An open grill would be nice. Not the flat iron he already had, but something more primal. A place where raw flame met the ingredient directly. Even simple vegetables would change under that kind of fire.
Ludwig leaned back slightly, his gaze unfocused as the full picture began to settle.
Dining hall expanded, VIP rooms with distinct identities, and the kitchen upgraded to support not just efficiency, but variety.
Yeah, maybe it was time to focus a little bit more on the restaurant. A centre of everything that happened to him lately. Of course, without neglecting the two rascals that had also called this place their home since yesterday.
One Bonus chapter for 50 powerstone.
Leave a review, ratings, a comment, or gib me your powerstone please~
And to those who want to read 50 chapters ahead, be my Patron at https://www.p*treon.com/c/imjustaboy_/membership
Or just search Imjustaboy_ in the search bar. Thankiess!