A small girl stood behind a telephone pole, her expression blank as she watched Sui and Tohru walk away. She had long white hair with purple tips, two white horns protruding from her head, and a tail swaying behind her. Dressed in ethnic-style clothes, her petite figure exuded a quiet yet mysterious aura.
As Sui and Tohru reached the entrance of the shop, a long line of customers was already waiting.
"Owner, you're five minutes late today!"
"Hurry up, we can't wait any longer!"
As soon as they spotted Sui, the customers began urging him forward impatiently.
Sui sighed helplessly. "You can come back later, you know."
"What are you talking about? If we come later, we won't be able to get anything, okay?"
"Exactly! I've been waiting in line for two hours just to taste your cooking! Isn't that reason enough?"
"Last time I was just twenty minutes late, and everything was already sold out!"
The crowd responded in unison, their frustration evident.
"Sui, is your cooking popular?" Tohru asked in surprise.
Sui nodded confidently. "Of course."
"Hey, where's your girlfriend, Owner? Why isn't the golden-haired girl from last time here?"
"You're not two-timing, are you? That's not fair. She's too pretty for that kind of heartbreak."
"Is it a maid this time? But she's also beautiful!" some customers teased, noticing Tohru standing next to Sui.
In previous encounters, they had automatically assumed that Erina was Sui's girlfriend. After several futile attempts to correct them, Erina had eventually given up and begrudgingly accepted the misunderstanding.
Sui opened the store door, and business officially began.
At that moment, a familiar golden-haired girl walked in and smiled warmly at Sui—it was Hanaya Natsuki. She had become a regular and visited almost every day.
Sitting in her usual spot, she asked, "Owner, do you have any new dishes today?"
"Nothing new today, just the usual," Sui replied. Although he had developed more than two recipes, Dream Catfish was still out of reach for the time being. As for the Four Happy Dumplings, they were still in the planning stage before being officially added to the menu.
"Alright then, I'll have the same as usual—Sinangag Fried Rice and Sautéed Cabbage," Natsuki said, nodding.
"Oh, by the way, we've added a new drink to the menu," Sui remembered suddenly. Currently, he had four Pokémon under his care, although he hadn't yet claimed the previous reward. The honey from the Combees would take some time to brew, and the Chansey only produced a limited number of eggs each day. However, there was an abundance of milk from Miltank, which produced 20 kilograms of milk daily—far more than Sui and Erina could use in their dishes. So, Sui decided to sell some of it and brought a few bottles with him.
"Really? I'd love to try one," Natsuki replied with a gentle smile, trusting that anything Sui served would be exceptional.
"Please wait a moment," Sui said, smiling as he turned and went into the kitchen. He poured a glass of milk and brought it out.
"Is this... milk?" Natsuki asked, surprised.
"Yes, it's our new drink. For now, it's priced at 5,000 yen per glass," Sui responded after some thought.
Natsuki didn't hesitate, even though 5,000 yen was quite expensive for a glass of milk. "No problem."
Sui smiled and handed her the glass. "This one's on the house, since you're a regular."
"Thank you," she replied, smiling as she began to taste the milk.
The milk was unbelievably rich and sweet, with a subtle grassy freshness. She had never tasted anything like it before.
"This milk is incredible," she said, marveling at the flavor. At first, she had thought 5,000 yen was a steep price, but now she felt it was actually quite reasonable. Even the finest milk on the market couldn't compare to this.
Other customers began noticing Natsuki's reaction.
"Owner, is that a new drink?" one asked curiously.
Sui nodded. "Yes."
"I'd like to try one as well."
"Me too!" the customers chorused, all eager to try it. Given their trust in Sui's culinary skills, they had no doubt the milk would be as high-quality as his food.
"Alright, but I'm limiting it to twenty cups a day," Sui announced.
In no time, all twenty cups were sold out.
"What kind of cow produces this milk? It's amazing!"
"I've never tasted milk this good!"
"The milk I used to drink was like water compared to this!"
The guests were completely enthralled by the rich, flavorful milk. Though they had been wary of the price at first, their faith in Sui's quality paid off. They realized that this milk was worth every yen—it was a delicacy that couldn't be bought anywhere else.
Before long, it was closing time. Tohru headed into the kitchen to clean up the dishes, while Sui tidied the shop.
Just then, a strange little girl walked in.
She had a pair of horns on her head and a tail behind her, and she wore unusual clothing that made her stand out.
Sui stared at her in surprise. It took him a moment to realize who she was—wasn't this Kanna from 'Miss Rindō's Dragon Maid'?
How did she end up in this world?
"System, can characters from the 'Dragon Maid' world come here too?" Sui asked internally.
"Yes, since you've unlocked that world. If creatures from that world have the ability to travel through dimensions, they can appear here," the system replied.
At that moment, Kanna spoke.
"Please return Tohru-sama to me," she said, her tone cold but filled with childishness as she glared at Sui.
"Return her?" Sui blinked in confusion.
"I know you've deceived Tohru-sama with your perverted ways. Please return her to me!" Kanna continued, her voice adorably high-pitched. She approached Sui and began lightly punching his legs with her tiny pink fists.
Sui was speechless.