The people who came were Hinako Inui and Karasaki Taki.
"Hinako-senpai, and Taki, why have you come?"
Kikuchi Sonoka smiled happily and asked.
"Just came to sit for a bit."
Karasaki Taki said.
The three of their restaurants were not far apart, and since they were all Far Moon graduates, they often visited each other.
"I heard your restaurant has been getting good reviews these past two days."
Karasaki Taki said, "I heard customers in my shop mention it. Did you change your assistant? I told you long ago to get rid of that guy, didn't I?"
She had previously suggested that Kikuchi Sonoka dismiss that sous chef, but Kikuchi Sonoka was kind-hearted and, considering the difficulty of finding talented chefs, had never dismissed him.
"Ah, yes, this time it's all thanks to Satou."
Kikuchi Sonoka smiled slightly.
"Satou?"
Karasaki Taki was stunned for a moment, then saw Satou also walk out of the kitchen.
"Eh? Aren't you that intern from Hinako's restaurant? Are you interning here this time?"
Karasaki Taki was immediately surprised and had a deep impression of Satou.
"Satou, how was your internship today?"
Hinako Inui also smiled and greeted him, but it was like treating an ordinary junior.
Satou couldn't help but recall the intimate scene of them sharing a late-night snack from one pot yesterday.
In private, their relationship was a bit ambiguous, having long surpassed that of ordinary senior and junior.
However, both of them tacitly chose to keep it a secret.
"Mm, Kuguchi-senpai taught me a lot of knowledge."
Satou nodded, saying with a smile.
"Oh, no, thanks to Satou, my restaurant was able to get on the right track."
Kikuchi Sonoka quickly said.
"What? He's the one who improved your restaurant's reputation?"
Karasaki Taki was greatly surprised; she had originally thought Kikuchi Sonoka had hired an experienced chef to help, but she never expected it to be Satou.
As an intern, he saved Kikuchi Sonoka's restaurant, which made her evaluation of Satou rise another level.
"Oh, no, I just did ordinary work."
Satou said humbly.
Originally, Chunguo Pavilion's poor management wasn't due to Kikuchi Sonoka's skill, but her personality.
Because she was too kind, indecisive, and lacked experience, she was dragged down by her own chef; as long as someone became her capable assistant, the restaurant's reputation could quickly be salvaged.
Next, everyone sat down at the table, drinking tea and chatting.
Suddenly, Satou felt someone kick him and couldn't help but look at Hinako Inui.
He saw her holding a cup of tea, smiling and talking to Kikuchi Sonoka, not even glancing at him.
But Satou knew that kick was from Hinako Inui; she was greeting him.
Satou secretly found it amusing, never expecting Hinako Inui to have such a playful and cute side.
So he also lightly kicked her back, as a response.
Hinako Inui's face immediately flushed slightly, but she quickly recovered.
At this moment, Satou's phone suddenly vibrated.
He took out his phone and saw it was a text message from Hinako Inui.
"Satou, was the bento delicious at noon?"
Satou couldn't help but look up, giving Hinako Inui a somewhat strange glance.
At this time, Hinako Inui was still drinking tea, chatting with Kikuchi Sonoka and the others, a gentle and friendly smile on her face.
Satou was a bit speechless, but then he replied with a text message.
"Mm, it was very delicious, thank you, Hinako-senpai."
"Really? That's great! Shall I make it for you again tomorrow?"
"Then I'll thank Hinako-senpai."
Just like that, the four of them drank tea and chatted, but privately, Satou and Hinako Inui were chatting about other topics on their phones.
This made Satou feel strange, a bit like he was having a secret affair, but it also had a novel feeling.
"Oh, by the way, my dish is almost ready."
After chatting for a while, Satou stood up, remembering the dish still in the oven.
"Oh? Are you making a dish?"
Karasaki Taki asked curiously.
"Mm, Satou is experimenting with a new dish that he wants to add to Chunguo Pavilion's menu."
Kikuchi Sonoka nodded and said.
"Is that so? Adding a new dish to the menu is a very serious matter. In that case, I'll help Sonoka Kugi with the review..."
Karasaki Taki became interested and said lightly.
"Wait a moment."
Satou stood up, then walked into the kitchen and took out the freshly baked dish.
He wasn't entirely confident in his own dish, so if he could have Karasaki Taki's help, that would naturally be even better.
"This is special taro paste roast duck. Please, seniors, have a taste."
Satou brought out a plate of fragrant roast duck.
"Oh? Taro paste with duck?"
Karasaki Taki was slightly surprised in her heart. Although she hadn't tasted it yet, the aroma was very rich.
"Mm, I'll help you find any shortcomings."
Karasaki Taki nodded, then was the first to taste it.
The duck meat was very flavorful and incredibly tender. The taro paste on top was soft, sweet, and fragrant. The two flavors blended perfectly, and it wasn't greasy at all, but exceptionally fresh and natural.
"This dish... aren't you good at Japanese cuisine?"
A deep look of surprise flashed in Karasaki Taki's eyes, astonished by this dish.
The dish Satou made at Kirinoya last time left a deep impression on her, so she thought Satou was skilled in Japanese cuisine.
Therefore, when she heard Satou was trying a new Western dish, she didn't have much expectation, thinking there would definitely be many shortcomings.
But what she never expected was that this dish was incredibly perfect; even she felt amazed.
"No, actually, what I'm best at is Chinese cuisine."
Satou said.
"What?"
This time, Karasaki Taki was truly startled.
So, Japanese cuisine and Western cuisine weren't what he was truly good at?
Then how strong must his true ability be?
At this moment, Kikuchi Sonoka and Hinako Inui also tasted it, and they were equally amazed by the dish.
"Satou, you're truly amazing!"
Kikuchi Sonoka exclaimed, "Just a few days ago, his proficiency in Western cuisine wasn't this high, but in a blink of an eye, he has grown to a level that even surprises me. His talent for cooking is truly too strong."
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