In a cramped, dimly lit apartment on the border between Spicy City and Toontownsville, a young woman with a sleek black bob cut sat hunched over her laptop. Dark eyebags framed her tired eyes as she scrolled endlessly through a job-seeking website.
Colette Tatou looked exhausted both physically and mentally.
She had once been a proud chef at the prestigious five-star restaurant Gusteau's. But after Gusteau died of a broken heart and made the restaurant into three-star, his greedy sous chef Skinner inherited the place. Skinner quickly turned the legacy into a cheap frozen food line, slapping Gusteau's image on everything from Asian-inspired microwave meals to generic frozen snacks that had nothing to do with the restaurant's original standards. The quality plummeted, the reputation tanked, and the restaurant slowly sank into obscurity.
Then came the final blow. A health inspector discovered a massive rat infestation and "ratted them out" to the authorities. Gusteau's was shut down immediately, leaving another ugly stain on its name. Many talented chefs, including Colette, lost their jobs overnight.
There had even been a new intern named Linguine who had just started the day before the closure, the poor kid never even got a full shift.
Colette sighed, rubbing her eyes. Most of the chef openings she saw offered terrible pay, insane hours, and locations far from her apartment. She was about to give up for the day when one posting caught her attention.
"New Restaurant Opening in 2 Days – Chefs & Waitresses Wanted"
Location: Toontownsville (border district, very close to Spicy City)
Salary:Highly competitive + benefits
Requirements: Experience in high-volume cooking, serving, creativity welcome
It was almost too good to be true. The location was perfect, she had a motorcycle, so the short commute across the border wouldn't be a hassle at all. Colette quickly attached a soft copy of her resume and hit apply.
Half an hour later, her inbox pinged with a reply: an interview scheduled for two days from now.
For the first time in weeks, Colette smiled.
_______
Two days later, Kevin stood proudly in front of the fully finished restaurant. Bob and Manny's team had delivered exactly as promised, the renovation was complete in just two weeks.
The building looked magnificent: a large wooden lobster-trap-style structure with glass windows and walls, exactly like the Krusty Krab from the cartoons. A giant clam-shaped sign stood out front on an iron post, with five international maritime signal flags fluttering above the entrance. The parking lot was ready for Noide and cartoon vehicles, and a drive-thru window had been installed on the backside.
Kevin pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The interior was perfect. The main dining area featured tables made from sailing ship steering wheels and barrel chairs. The order station was a small boat-shaped counter right in front of the kitchen window, which itself was shaped like the bow of a ship. The menu board hung proudly above the cashier area.
He walked into the kitchen. Grills, stoves, storage cupboards, and a clean, efficient layout ready for action. The drive-thru window was fully functional at the back. Upstairs, the second floor had been turned into cozy private dining booths, while his office looked exactly like Mr. Krabs'. A sea-trunk desk, barrel chairs, a money safe, pictures and money on the walls, and shelves holding nautical artifacts. The two restrooms at the back were clean and properly equipped.
Kevin felt a surge of pride. It was real.
He pulled out the cellphone he had bought recently. This world, called "Cool," had the same level of technology as his original Earth smartphones, internet, everything, it maybe even advance. He made calls to confirmed ingredient suppliers and arranged deliveries for the next day. Then he asked a couple of staff members from the Ink & Paint Club to help him carry in the boxes of plates, spoons, knives, glassware, and other essentials he had ordered online.
By 1 PM, everything was arranged and organized. Kevin retreated to his new office, sat behind the sea-trunk desk, and let out a satisfied sigh.
Suddenly, two glowing paper contracts materialized in his hands. The [Toon Character Summon] rewards he had earned.
He already knew exactly who he wanted to bring in: SpongeBob for the kitchen and Squidward for the front of house.
At first he had hesitated. What if there was already a Bikini Bottom and a Krusty Krab somewhere in this massive world? But after days of searching online and asking around, he found no trace of them. This Cool World was enormous, only about 30% was inhabited by intelligent beings, while the other 70% remained wild, untouched land. The System had even added a helpful note: summoned characters would automatically gain the ability to breathe on land and had a height like a human and not those little things without issue which save the problem of them breathing in air and sizes.
Kevin took a deep breath, held the two contracts, and thought clearly.
'Summon.'
A bright light filled the office. Two silhouettes appeared, one short and square-shaped, the other tall and slender with a rounded head.
The light intensified, then faded.
Standing before him were the two characters in the flesh.
SpongeBob SquarePants was exactly as Kevin remembered: a bright yellow, porous sponge with square pants, a white shirt, red tie, and a big, cheerful smile. His blue eyes sparkled with endless optimism, and he wore his signature brown square pants with black shoes. He looked energetic and ready for anything.
Beside him stood Squidward Tentacles, tall and lanky with light blue skin, a long nose, and his signature bored, half-lidded expression. He wore his usual brown polo shirt and was already holding a clarinet case, looking mildly annoyed but present.
Both turned to Kevin at the same time.
SpongeBob's face lit up with pure joy. "Hi new boss! I'm SpongeBob! Ready to flip some patties and have fun!"
Squidward sighed dramatically. "Great. Another job. At least the clarinet is with me…"
Kevin grinned, leaning back in his chair. The restaurant was ready.