"What important guest?" Satou asked.
"I won't tell you, hmph!" Hinako Inui-senpai made a face at him and lightly snorted.
Satou: "..."
Why did she feel like a child?
"Satou, did you offend Hinako-senpai? She seems a bit angry with you today."
Tadokoro Megumi tugged at Satou's sleeve and whispered.
"Probably not?"
Satou thought for a moment; he really didn't seem to have offended her.
"Excuse me, owner, who exactly is this important guest?" Ono Kenro asked.
"It's Natsume Chihyaku, one of the people in charge of Hub Recipes, a famous curry company." Hinako Inui didn't hide it this time and said, "She already called to reserve a table."
"So it's her? I heard she's a very difficult food critic to please, and very influential in the culinary world." Ono Kenro said, surprised.
"Is that the Curry Queen?" Tadokoro Megumi was also startled. "I heard Eizan-senpai spent a lot of money to invite her to be a judge for the Autumn Election, but even so, she unceremoniously gave many students zero points."
Although she was at the venue where Natsume Chihyaku's sister, Chihyaku Orie, was, she later heard that Natsume Chihyaku was exceptionally strict, giving zero points without hesitation if she wasn't satisfied.
"Natsume-miss's evaluation of our restaurant is very important, so please work hard everyone." Hinako Inui clenched her small fists and encouraged them.
"Understood."
Everyone nodded. The other party was a very influential figure in the culinary world. It could be said that this was the most important guest Kirinoya would welcome in recent months.
So no matter what, they had to satisfy her.
Tadokoro Megumi's face was a little pale. She hadn't expected to encounter such a severe test during her internship. If they didn't pass this hurdle, she and Satou might both be implicated and forced to withdraw from Far Moon.
However, thinking that today's head chef would be Elite Ten graduate Hinako Inui, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Soon, evening arrived.
At 7:30, a woman wearing a white long dress, with long golden hair, exuding a noble and cold aura, walked in.
"Welcome, Natsume-miss." Ono Kenro led the waiters and bowed.
Natsume Chihyaku nodded, then walked to the reserved table. The attendant behind her pulled out her chair.
Satou also observed this Curry Queen from the kitchen.
Compared to her sister, Natsume Chihyaku was more mature and alluring. Besides the difference in temperament and hairstyle, the biggest difference between the two was the tear moles at the corners of their eyes.
Natsume Chihyaku's was below her right eye, while Chihyaku Orie's was below her left eye and slightly darker in color.
"I heard Kirinoya is a restaurant opened by Far Moon Totsuki Ten Masters graduate Hinako Inui, and it has a good reputation in the high-end culinary circle. I've always wanted to come and taste it." Natsume Chihyaku took off her sunglasses, placed them on the table, and said with a faint smile.
"Welcome. What kind of dish would Natsume-miss like to taste today?" Hinako Inui walked over and asked gently.
"Hmm~" Natsume Chihyaku tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, "Today I want to eat rice-based dishes. I've eaten too much Western food these past few days. I still prefer rice, after all."
"No problem, please wait a moment." Hinako Inui smiled gently, then turned and walked into the kitchen.
Today, Kirinoya was reserved by the other party, so there were no other guests in the restaurant. Satou and the others had nothing to do, so they simply watched from the kitchen entrance.
"Hinako-senpai, do you need help?" Satou asked.
"No, I can do it alone." Hinako Inui tilted her head somewhat self-indulgently, not looking at Satou at all, and said, "Miyuki, come here and help with the side dishes."
"Oh, okay." Hoshino Miyuki responded and quickly followed.
"Indeed, Satou must have offended Hinako-senpai." Tadokoro Megumi sighed, starting to worry about Satou.
About an hour later, Hinako Inui finished the dish.
The waiter brought a fragrant salmon rice and a tofu tempura side dish to Natsume Chihyaku.
"Please enjoy." Hinako Inui bowed and said with a smile.
"This exquisite appearance, this charming aroma, it's truly something to look forward to." A smile appeared on Natsume Chihyaku's face.
After Hinako Inui walked away, Ono Kenro smiled and said, "Her expression seems quite satisfied with this salmon rice. There shouldn't be any problems this time."
The others also smiled and nodded. After all, the owner herself was cooking, so naturally, nothing unexpected could happen.
"Is that so? But when I was boiling the dried scallop broth, I think I forgot to take out the kelp, and I also forgot to add soy sauce." Hinako Inui covered her mouth, tilted her head, and smiled slightly.
Everyone: "..."
"If you don't take out the kelp when it boils, the broth will be very sticky, and if you even forgot to add soy sauce, then the broth is ruined." Ono Kenro's expression immediately turned ugly.
"It seems so, doesn't it? That dish is probably ruined, right?" Hinako Inui covered her mouth and smiled, looking somewhat adorable.
Everyone was speechless for a moment. Then why are you still smiling so happily?
"If Natsume-miss tastes a dish like that, she'll definitely be very angry, won't she?" Hoshino Miyuki said, her face pale. "Owner, since you knew, why didn't you remake it?"
"Oh, about that, I'm so sorry. I only just remembered after serving it." Hinako Inui stroked her cheek and sighed. "It's truly troublesome. I don't know what's wrong today; I keep thinking about other things."
"But, since the owner is still so calm, there must be a way to salvage it, right?" Kiyomi Kobayashi said, holding onto her last hope.
"There's no way to salvage it. Actually, I'm very worried myself." Hinako Inui covered her cheeks with both hands, a faint blush appearing on her face, and said somewhat shyly.
Everyone was speechless again. Hinako Inui didn't look worried at all; on the contrary, she seemed a little happy.
Just like... just like a girl in love.
Thinking of this, they were all a bit stunned. Could it be that Hinako-senpai is in love? But she hasn't seemed to have met any unfamiliar men recently, has she?
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