"It's just a bug bite," Sui said, coughing lightly to cover his embarrassment.
"Really? There are bugs in luxury hotels too? Looks like I need to buy some insect repellent," Megumi remarked with surprise, noticing the deep red mark on Sui's neck. She assumed it was the result of a serious bug bite.
The two of them then took the tram to Kirinoya.
"Good morning," Hinako greeted them with a smile as she snacked. However, her gaze quickly focused on the mark on Sui's neck.
Although Sui had tried to cover it with his collar, part of the kiss mark was still visible. Hinako, being more experienced than Megumi, instantly recognized what it was.
She glanced at Megumi with a mischievous grin. "Megumi-chan, I didn't realize you were so... passionate in private," she teased.
Assuming that Megumi had been the one to leave the mark, Hinako was both surprised and slightly envious. Megumi, who usually appeared quiet and innocent, seemed bold in her personal life.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Megumi asked, confused by Hinako's comment.
"Nothing," Hinako said, covering her mouth with a knowing smile. "But you're still young, so don't overdo it."
"Oh... I see," Megumi replied, still misunderstanding. She thought Hinako was talking about staying up late to play games. "Sui and I are always careful not to stay up too late."
"Good," Hinako nodded approvingly.
Sui, knowing exactly what Hinako was implying, felt awkward but remained silent. There wasn't much he could say to clear up the misunderstanding without making things worse.
Later, Sui and Megumi headed into the kitchen to start their shift. It wasn't long before others in the kitchen also noticed the mark on Sui's neck. Seeing Sui and Megumi both smiling without explaining, the staff naturally assumed the mark came from Megumi.
After spending time working together, the staff had already noticed the close bond between the two and believed their relationship went beyond that of mere classmates.
"Sui, I didn't realize you were such a charmer! You've got the girls all worked up," Kenro Ono said, laughing as he patted Sui on the shoulder.
The strange atmosphere in the kitchen, combined with everyone's knowing smiles, left Megumi completely bewildered.
Before long, the busy lunch rush was over.
"Sui, we couldn't have managed without you," Kenro Ono sighed in relief.
The rest of the kitchen staff nodded in agreement. Ever since Sui had arrived, the workload felt lighter, as if three extra people were helping out. They couldn't help but feel a bit regretful, wishing Sui were the restaurant's permanent chef.
"Um, Hinako-senpai?" Megumi suddenly spoke up, her voice timid.
"What's up, Megumi-chan?" Hinako asked with a warm smile.
"Well, I noticed something while washing dishes. Some of the sashimi plates still had wasabi left on them, while others had none at all. It seems that different customers have varying preferences for wasabi—some don't like too much, and others prefer a bit more. I thought it might be better if we served the wasabi separately in a small dish, so customers can choose how much they want."
Megumi blushed as she mustered the courage to speak her mind.
"That's a great observation," Hinako said, resting her chin in her hand as she considered the suggestion.
"Also, I noticed that in the assorted vegetable tempura, the green vegetables were eaten first, while other vegetables like eggplant and carrot were often left behind. It seems people prefer the green veggies, so maybe we could increase the portion of those a bit," Megumi continued, her face flushed with nervousness.
"You noticed all this just from washing dishes?" Kenro Ono asked, impressed.
The rest of the staff were equally surprised. They had been so focused on Sui's exceptional skills that they hadn't realized Megumi also had sharp insights.
"Megumi-chan, you're amazing," Hinako said, gently touching Megumi's cheek. "From now on, you'll be Sui's assistant!"
"Really? Thank you, Hinako-senpai!" Megumi exclaimed, her fists clenched in excitement. Finally, she could stand proudly beside Sui.
The others looked on in awe. In just two days, Megumi had gone from washing dishes to being promoted to kitchen assistant—something most people couldn't achieve so quickly.
As the afternoon quieted down and customers dwindled, the staff sat around the restaurant, eating snacks and chatting in a relaxed atmosphere.
"Megumi-chan, would you like some snacks?" Hinako offered her some of her stash.
"Thank you," Megumi said gratefully as she took one.
"So, what are your plans after graduation?" Hinako asked, curious.
"I haven't thought about it much yet," Megumi said shyly, sneaking a glance at Sui. "Maybe I'll go back to Hokkaido and help run my mother's hotel."
"Really? You're not planning on getting married?" Hinako asked, sounding surprised. "I thought you two would get married and open a restaurant together."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Ma...married?" Megumi stammered, her face turning bright red. But she couldn't help but imagine how happy she might be if she and Sui got married and ran a restaurant together.
Sui was equally speechless.
"Is anyone here?" a voice suddenly called out from outside.
"Who could be coming to eat at this time?" Kenro Ono asked, surprised.
Two women walked in—a woman with blue-black hair wearing a suit, looking slightly impatient, and a younger girl with long, beautiful gray-pink hair and a pure appearance.
Sui recognized them immediately. They were Taki Tsunozaki, a graduate of Totsuki's 88th class, and Sonoka Kikuchi from the 89th class.
*
"Oh, it's you two," Hinako said with a smile.
As fellow graduates of Totsuki, the chefs maintained a friendly relationship. They often served as judges together and frequently visited each other's restaurants since they were located nearby.
"The restaurant is finally quiet, so we decided to drop by," Sonoka Kikuchi said, bowing politely.
"So, you're accepting interns now too?" Taki Tsunozaki remarked, glancing at Sui and Megumi.
"Yeah, they've been a huge help," Hinako replied with a grin.
"But I'm sure they're not as good as my intern," Taki said with a smug smile.