Chapter Five: The Restaurant’s Fate

Foreheads glistened with sweat, cries of exertion resounded, and spices flew everywhere. They say the kitchen is a battlefield, but this fit the bill a little too well. Their training was so fierce and intense that it gave me a new understanding of what cooking was and could be. Though they repeatedly made the same mistakes over and over, every little improvement was tangible. We tasted one dish after another.

Honestly speaking, I hardly ever knew what to say. It would have been great if I could make exciting comments straight out of a cooking manga, something along the lines of “It’s like the meat and vegetables are having a catfight in the frying pan!” or “It’s as delectable as ambrosia, the food of the gods!” Instead, all I could manage were trivial things like “It’s nice and crispy!” and “I’d have liked a little more sauce on this.”

I didn’t feel helpful at all, but thankfully, Himeko and Lady Erisu were there to make up for it. They were both used to the highest caliber of cooking, so they could give clear and direct advice. They exchanged opinions with serious expressions on their faces while I just watched and mostly sampled the dishes in silence.

It bugged me that even after being taken to so many different restaurants by Himeko, I still couldn’t tell what was good and what was bad in the realm of high-class cooking. By now I’d eaten plenty of things like caviar and shark fin that I’d only ever heard of before, but the only impressions I’d formed of them were along the lines of, “Oh, so that’s how that tastes.” I was the most common of commoners; I thought cod roe was tastier than caviar and salmon was tastier than shark fin. The world of haute cuisine remained a mystery to me.

Eventually, Lady Erisu and Himeko looked at one another and nodded with satisfaction.

“I think we can leave it here, don’t you?” Lady Erisu said.

“I agree. There’s a clear difference in quality now.”

Evidently, the new menu was complete. Yukina, Mizuki, and Hanaka, standing nearby, just about collapsed with exhaustion.

“Good work, all of you. Now it’s just a case of waiting until the reopening. Get some rest today to make sure you’re ready for it.”

“Yes, milady.”

“Understood.”

“Now I just know we’ll be your Seraphs soon!”

Hanaka may have been jumping the gun a little, but after all the effort they’d put in, I was convinced as well. I still had a smidgen of doubt, but as the smoke finally cleared from the battlefield, I had the proud sense that we’d done everything we could.

✤

A new week began. When the sun went down, Erisu’s École Kitchen wasn’t necessarily full to bursting, but it did have a lot more customers than usual during the dinner shift.

Himeko and Lady Erisu had arranged it so that during lunchtime, this place had been the topic on everybody’s lips. Just by talking about it at their own tables, word had basically spread on its own. Students who belonged to a salon were high profile enough that everyone else wanted to copy what they were doing. That was my theory, at least!

There were three groups sitting at open tables, and about three-fourths of the private rooms were occupied. Interestingly, around half of those were made up of first-year Societal Arts students. Most likely, new students who hadn’t heard of the place before had become aware of it today through word of mouth and were eager to try it out.

I’d never seen it so full. With more people to serve than they’d ever had before, the girls were running all over the place. Cries of “Is that everything?” and “Thank you for waiting!” rang out all over the place.

However, despite this level of business being a first-time experience, Mizuki and Hanaka had bright smiles on their faces as they zoomed around the crowded floor. It looked like the joy of seeing their restaurant full of guests mattered more to them than the stress of serving them all.

When Hanaka spotted us, she rushed over with a look of joy. “Lady Himeko, Misaki, you came!”

“It’s so busy,” said Himeko. “Maybe we should have held off for now.”

“After how much you helped us? No way, it wouldn’t be right without you here! The more the merrier—I mean that!” She rolled up her sleeves and flexed her dainty arm muscles in a pose that showed she meant business.

With a giggle, Himeko replied, “Then we’ll gladly have a table for two, please.”

“Absolutely! We have an extra special table just waiting for you.”

“I didn’t realize there was such a thing.”

“You’ve been our most regular customer and our biggest supporter all along, so you deserve the table with the best view in the house.”

“I can’t wait!”

The pleasant exchange continued as we were led to our table. It was on the second floor, on the opposite side from the stairs. From the window, we could see the moonlit school buildings and lamplit gardens in the distance. Candles covered with pink glass flickered on the table, effortlessly enhancing the mood.

Stroking the pink glass with her index finger, Himeko smiled beguilingly at me from across the table. “How nice to have a meal in such a different atmosphere than usual.”

Like the restaurant, Himeko seemed quite unlike her usual self. My heart started racing of its own accord. When the stage was set like this, I became acutely aware of Himeko’s beauty all over again. For some reason, my face grew hot.

“It looks like they’re off to a good start,” she said. “Hopefully this means they’ll be Erisu’s Seraphs before too long.”

“I know they will. After how much work they’ve put in, it has to be enough.”

With a sense that victory was within reach, we savored the new menu.

✤

One week later, Lady Erisu stood staring at the restaurant’s ceiling. She threw her arms up in the air and began to spin around and around like she was doing some weird kind of dance. “I’m lost for words,” she said forlornly.

I didn’t know what to say about this disastrous scene either. Himeko, too, cradled her head in her hands. As for Yukina, Mizuki, and Hanaka, the way they looked was beyond description.

The grand reopening had been such a success that the place was overflowing with customers. Now, after only a week, the numbers were pretty much down to the level they were at before. They weren’t at zero, but they weren’t too far off either.

Why? How?!

That was the unspoken question on everyone’s mind. We’d been so certain of success that the alternative hadn’t even occurred to any of us. The future had seemed set in stone.

When she finally stopped her strange dance, Lady Erisu looked around for someone to inquire to.

“Yukina... No, she’s currently running away, so, Mizuki.”

“Yes?”

“How many customers have we had today?”

“There have been eight.”

“And yesterday?”

“Seven.”

“What about the day before that?”

“Nine.”

“And before that?”

“Sixteen.”

The first night, there had been more than thirty students there, but before we knew it, the numbers were right back to normal. Maybe that was an exaggeration; they were a little better. Even so, after tasting that explosive success, this defeat was a bitter pill to swallow.

“What happened?” Lady Erisu asked—a simple question that no one could give an answer to. We’d thought we were invincible, so what in the world had gone wrong?

At the lowest estimate, there had been at least a hundred guests over the course of the first three days, but none of those had been repeat visitors. Given the limited number of students at the school, if we couldn’t hook people and have them coming back, achieving our goal would be impossible.

“Maybe it’s hopeless.”

These words from their mistress were like a death sentence to Yukina and the others.

There must be something we can do! But thinking that was about as far as I got. I couldn’t come up with any ideas.

That was when Lady Sumire emerged from one of the private rooms on the first floor, accompanied by Mihaya. “Oh, Himeko, it’s you. What are you, Erisu, and Misaki all doing together?”

“Lady Sumire, I didn’t realize you were here,” I remarked. Admittedly, she was the other Sky Salon member who had said she came here regularly, so her presence wasn’t too big a surprise.

“Well, I felt it would be a shame not to come after you implemented my feedback. Right, Mihaya?”

“Yes, you’ve crafted a wonderful atmosphere.”

“Thank you,” Lady Erisu replied feebly. “It makes me happy to hear you say that.”

Lady Sumire and Mihaya were cheerfully arm in arm, just like a couple. Given how effectively the restaurant set a mood while eating, it made sense that a pair like them, who already got along so well, would find their feelings reaching a new, deeper level.

“Uhm, Lady Sumire, can I ask you something?”

“Certainly.”

It was a slim hope, but I was wondering if she might have some other useful tip for us. I began by asking, “What do you think of the revamped restaurant?”

“The private rooms are excellent. I was glad to be able to enjoy a quiet meal alone with Mihaya.”

“So you’ll keep coming here in the future?”

“Yes, of course. I don’t plan on changing that.”

She doesn’t plan on changing that? Why does that phrasing make me wary somehow?

“And what do you think of the food?”

“It’s the Erisu’s École Kitchen style I know and love.”

I fell silent for a moment. I have the sense she’s being diplomatic. Let me think, though. The reason she liked this place is because of how quiet it was. That’s exactly why Himeko used to come here all the time as well. What am I missing here?

“Thanks, got it. Are you heading out now?”

“Yes,” she replied uncertainly.

“Then I’ll go outside with you and see you off.”

Himeko looked at me with suspicion. “Misaki, is everything all right?”

I pretended I hadn’t noticed this and insistently led Lady Sumire outside. There was something I had to check with her no matter what. It was possible I’d missed out on something big before.

When we got outside, Lady Sumire tilted her head slightly. “What’s going on, Misaki?” Apparently she’d picked up on my strange behavior as well.

“I have an important question for you, if you don’t mind.”

“Go ahead.”

“I’d like it if you answered as straightforwardly as you can. No holding back.”

She shrank back a little in the face of my intensity. “What’s this about?”

Honestly, asking this was quite rude toward Lady Erisu and her Exousias, but it was possible there was a really simple answer.

“Do you think the food here tastes good?”

Silence. Lady Sumire couldn’t find the words to answer.

It had occurred to me that not once had I ever heard Lady Sumire describe the food as anything along the lines of “tasty” or “delicious.” Nor had Himeko ever said anything similar.

Lady Kagura had said it didn’t suit her palate. I’d taken this to mean that it wasn’t sophisticated enough to satisfy someone of her elite tastes, but it was possible it boiled down to something much simpler. The problem wasn’t that they were amateurs, but that they were seasoning the food in a way that just didn’t taste nice.

“Please, those three Exousias have their whole future riding on this. I need to know your pure, unvarnished opinion.”

She made a deeply troubled face. That alone was an answer to my question, of course, but I still needed to hear her say it out loud.

Eventually, she replied, “I wouldn’t say it’s bad.” She looked very reluctant to talk about this, but she kept going. “There’s nothing wrong with the actual preparation and cooking. They clearly work very hard at it. However, the flavors they go for, the ways they season the food, are perhaps a little... unique. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine to have their own style. I think that’s what sets this restaurant apart. I just don’t know if it has mass appeal. For people who like eating in a quiet setting and have slightly off-kilter tastes, it’s the perfect venue. That’s the category I fall into. I don’t think the flavors they go for are all that bad.”

“I wonder if Lady Himeko sees it the same way as you do.”

“Hmm, probably.”

Thinking back, Himeko hadn’t really said anything negative the entire time we were tasting their efforts to improve their cooking.

“I guess you haven’t ever told Lady Erisu about this?”

“It’s her restaurant, not mine, and she’s my classmate. I don’t think I’d feel comfortable saying the kind of flavors they go for don’t have mainstream appeal.”

“Yeah, I can understand that.”

Even when it came to normal restaurants, there weren’t that many people who were comfortable being straight-up negative when expressing their opinions. If you didn’t like how the food tasted at any given establishment, you just wouldn’t go there again.

Could it be that all the people who have come to Erisu’s so far just aren’t all that picky about the food, so they put up with it for the sake of having somewhere quiet enough for them? If so, someone has to tell Lady Erisu the truth. But who? Not me, surely? Right?!

The thought of doing that was unbearable. It would be one thing to tell her before the big revamp, but both Himeko and Lady Erisu had sampled all the food and decided it was up to standard. For me, a mere Seraph and Domestic Arts student, to contradict them was way beyond my station.

If I start rebelling against my mistress, she might be okay with it, but nobody else who sees or hears about it will. The only ones who get to talk to a Societal Arts student like that are people on their level or higher.

I couldn’t say anything about it—but what about Lady Sumire?

“Good luck, Misaki. There’s nothing I can do to help except keep coming back, which I was planning to do anyway. Well then, have a nice evening!”

She’d seen through my plan and gotten one step ahead.

“But—”

Like a wave receding from the beach, Lady Sumire and Mihaya left without a moment’s hesitation.

I groaned. I’d found my answer, but I couldn’t do anything with it. After laboriously dragging myself back inside, Himeko rushed over looking concerned.

“Misaki, are you okay? You look pale.”

“I’m fine,” I replied weakly.

Think, Misaki, think! I don’t have a minute to lose here. I have to make Lady Erisu understand the truth right away so they can make the food taste better.

I racked my brains to come up with someone who’d be able to tell Himeko and Lady Erisu the harsh truth without putting themselves in an awkward position.

If I can just get someone like that to help me, maybe it’ll turn out all right. Who, though? Who?!

“So, uhm, I’m wondering if we could have another strategy meeting tomorrow, or something along those lines.”

“Do you have another good idea?” Lady Erisu asked, a light of hope burning in her eyes.

“Not exactly, but I know who might. I want to bring them along.”

Himeko’s eyes began to glimmer as well. “You know someone else who can help?”

“I think so. Hopefully.”

“Very well. I’ll consider this my Exousias’ very last chance and leave it in your hands, Misaki.”

That was a lot of responsibility. Just in the nick of time, though, I’d thought of just the right people. They’d be able to tell the truth. It might just work out.

Imagining what they might demand in return is making my stomach ache again, though. I just have to hope for the best.

✤

“Fine, we’ll help if we must.”

“We’ll sample the flavors.”

The people I had run to for help were the Kokonoe sisters. They were always brutally honest with everyone, which made them perfect. Even though they showed a basic level of respect toward their mistress, Lady Kagura, they never cared about being obedient and submissive. Whether they were interacting with Domestic Arts or Societal Arts students, they always stayed true to themselves, no doubt because their backgrounds would have left them feeling at home in the Societal Arts program.

They were well known throughout the academy, and no one ever seemed to find fault with their behavior. Plus, when I’d gone around getting feedback on the restaurant, they’d come the closest to giving negative feedback on the flavors specifically. I knew that if they gave Lady Erisu their opinion, they wouldn’t hold back. They’d give an honest assessment of how it tasted.

After grabbing me from both sides so tightly that it felt like a straitjacket, they whispered into my ears.

“You know we’ll want something in return, though, right?”

“You’re making us go really far out of our way.”

“I understand,” I said, nodding in resignation. “Whatever you say, I’ll do it.”

Everything came at a price with them—I knew that. I couldn’t even guess what they’d make me do, but for now, the restaurant had to come first.

“It’s a deal,” they said in perfect unison before letting me go.

Goosebumps rose up all over my body and a shiver ran down my spine.

Lady Erisu looked like she was hanging by a thread. “I’m sorry to ask this of you, but please, help us.”

“Leave it to us.”

“We’ll give your food the honest judgment it deserves.”

With that, the twins set about sampling the three Exousias’ cooking.

“Don’t you think this sauce tastes a little weird?”

“Yes, the garlic sauce is too strong.”

“It goes well beyond the point of whetting the appetite.”

“A savory lemon sauce would go much better with this.”

“The scent is pungent. It’s going to put a lot of people off.”

“If it makes a lady smell strongly of garlic whenever she opens her mouth, that alone will give the place a negative image.”

“There’s dried plum sauce as well, I see.”

“I won’t say it’s incompatible with French cuisine, but it’s eccentric enough to give me pause.”

“It’s really sour, too. It might work if they could reduce that just slightly.”

“Yeah. How about using grapefruit? It would make for a milder scent, and focusing more on the fruit feels more refreshing in general, don’t you think?”

“Shall we try the steak next?”

“It’s not prepared badly at all. It’s a rare steak cooked just right.”

“It does taste a little strange, though.”

“There’s some kind of hidden flavor they’re using.”

“Are they using their own blend of spices?”

“They should stop with that. It covers up the taste of the high-quality meat. What a waste.”

“The simpler the better. Just salt and pepper is enough.”

“It looks like they’ve used wine in the sauce as well, but did they reduce it enough for it to lose the alcohol content?”

“Now, I wonder what kind of flavor they’ve given the fish?”

“Did they manage to properly bring out the taste of the ingredients?”

“When it comes to the cheese platter, people have really strong likes and dislikes.”

“Did they go for a choice that suits the palates of young ladies? There are definitely options to avoid.”

“I’d give the desserts a passing grade.”

“However, there are ladies who prefer the sweetness to be restrained a tiny bit more.”

“The coffee is quite bitter.”

“They should probably select different beans.”

“The tea’s not bad either.”

“They have matcha as an option, it looks like. Aah, the leaves came from Lady Inaho.”

“It would be better if they presented it in a way that fit better with French cuisine. Although I suppose anyone who orders it must like it, so maybe it’s fine to just put it on the menu as is.”

One after another, they pointed out so many faults that I began to wonder what we’d been doing all this time. Lady Erisu listened with a deeply pained expression.

When they finished, she asked, “Was it really that awful?”

“It’s not that it’s awful.”

“More that the cooking seems to be made with very specific tastes in mind.”

Moving identically, the twins tilted their heads.

“Who was this food made for?”

“Who decided that the flavors were okay, and they should go ahead with it?”

Lady Erisu looked over at Yukina, Mizuki, and Hanaka, and said, “The one who oversaw the flavors was me. The one who judged it as suitable was also me. If you’re saying it was made with specific tastes in mind, it must mean...”

The three Exousias all turned to Lady Erisu with beseeching eyes.

“We wanted you to like it, milady.”

“You’re our mistress.”

“It’s you we want to please.”

Lady Erisu quietly pressed a hand to her forehead. “In other words, the problem was caused by my own tastes being so off-kilter.”

The twins smiled.

“Sure seems that way.”

“How nice that you figured it out!”

“Now there’s only one thing left.”

“You should redo it all until Misaki thinks it’s delicious.”

After saying that, they grabbed both my shoulders and pushed me forward.

“What?!” I spluttered. “Why me?”

“A restaurant that can’t satisfy a representative of the common folk like you has no right to be coming up with its own unique recipes. So far you haven’t said a single word about what tasted good to you and what didn’t, right?”

“First satisfy Misaki, then polish and refine it from there.”

I let out a groan. “Why bother doing that? Won’t it appeal to the masses if Himeko says it’s delicious?” Going the long way around to get there felt like a waste of time.

“Nope. The problem is that Himeko is the kind of person who doesn’t really complain about things.”

“Exactly. You could serve her the most weird and wonderful food and she’d accept it without a word.”

Now that I think about it, that does sound like her. She kept coming here again and again, despite it being a restaurant that Lady Sumire said wouldn’t have mainstream appeal. I began to feel like there were some things even Himeko didn’t have a lot of experience with, and giving criticism was one of them.

It was clear now how the restaurant had ended up in this situation. Lady Erisu had been satisfied with her Exousias’ cooking, so to continue appealing to her, they’d gone for seasonings that satisfied her. As long as it wasn’t too gross, Himeko accepted it as within the realm of reason, and was happy to eat it. I, meanwhile, just assumed it was what high-class cooking tasted like. None of us was approaching it with a sense of what the ordinary person was looking for, so the food hadn’t been made to appeal to the general public.

The Kokonoe sisters bore down on me.

“Misaki, be brutally honest about what’s tasty and what isn’t.”

“Ignore who made it and how classy it’s supposed to be. Judge entirely based on what your tongue is telling you.”

“What?! But—” This felt like far too big a responsibility.

Simultaneously, they cut me off with, “After making us deal with this folly, the least you can do is see it through to the end.”

I whimpered. Folly? Those three girls’ whole future is riding on this!

Looking quite uncomfortable, Lady Erisu said, “Sorry to keep bothering you, Misaki, but would you mind helping me out a little while longer? Apparently, I’m not a good judge of what other people think is tasty.”

“Oh, uhm...”

“And you three.” She turned to her Exousias. “I understand you’ve been working really hard for my sake because you want to be my Seraphs, but from now on, I need you to cook in a way that will satisfy the customers.”

“Yes, milady,” they muttered.

After all this hard work, it didn’t feel right for me to give up now. “All right. I’ll stick with this until the end, so just don’t be too offended by what I say, all right?”

“I wouldn’t worry,” Lady Erisu replied. “You can’t do any more damage than the Kokonoe sisters already have.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. In any case, it was time to set about improving the menu once again.

✤

“Once we learned the cause of it all, solving it was relatively simple,” Himeko murmured almost to herself.

“I sure hope so,” I said quietly.

After a great deal of time and effort spent adjusting the food so that the flavors appealed to the average person, I thought we’d succeeded. Given the limits of my own palate, however, I couldn’t do much more than judge the general direction. Beyond that, it had all been up to the hard work of Yukina, Mizuki, and Hanaka, who had done all kinds of research and found out exactly what would have mass appeal.

It felt like we’d finally reached the starting line of the restaurant’s revival. From here, the trio would have to keep developing their skills and finding unique taste sensations that would set Erisu’s École Kitchen apart while not being too off the wall.

Himeko and I opened the door to the restaurant and stepped inside. It was far busier than we were used to; they apparently had at least twenty people dining there every day now.

A girl in an apron came to greet us and show us to our seats. “Oh, good day! If it isn’t Himeko and Misaki!”

“Good day, Erisu.”

“Good day, Lady Erisu.”

This doll-like beauty wasn’t wearing her usual cold expression, but a gentle smile instead.

I found myself grinning. “How come you’re dressed like that?”

“What do you mean? It’s to greet the guests, of course. It’s great that so many people are coming here, but it does leave us a little short-staffed.”

She glanced around the restaurant, satisfied. I couldn’t believe the indulgence of having Lady Erisu, the restaurant’s owner and a member of the Paradise Palace, be the one to lead us to our seats.

“I’m incredibly grateful to you, Misaki.”

“Well, uhm, it’s nothing.” In the end, I didn’t feel like I’d been all that useful after all, so I didn’t think it was worth thanking me.

“Trust me, it’s not nothing. Thanks to you, those three will be Seraphs very soon indeed.”

With kind eyes, she looked toward Mizuki and Hanaka, who were nearby, and Yukina, who was in the kitchen.

She must have really wanted to make them her Seraphs all along, right? If not, she wouldn’t have gone out of her way to build a restaurant on school grounds to train them.

“I’m glad to hear that. It’s a huge weight off my shoulders.”

“I can imagine! Thanks again. You know, I should do something to show my appreciation.”

“You really don’t need to.”

“Yes, I do. You’ve gone to a lot of trouble for me.” She mulled it over, then pulled me close to her. “Could you bend down for a moment?”

“Huh? Sure.”

Just as she asked, I bent my knees, putting my eyeline on the same level as hers. Her face drew nearer, and I suddenly felt a warm sensation on my cheek.

My eyes widened. It took me a moment to realize that Lady Erisu had kissed me.

Himeko spoke in a deep rumble that I’d never heard from her before. “Uh, Erisu? What exactly are you doing?”

“What do you mean? I gave Misaki a kiss to thank her, of course. Hehe! Was once not enough? Should I do it again?”

Before I could say a word, Himeko refused on my behalf. “Once is plenty!” She pulled me away, hugging me tightly from behind and glaring daggers at Lady Erisu.

“Oh my, what a shame.”

“What are you trying to pull here? Misaki’s my Seraph!”

“What’s wrong with a little kiss? She doesn’t seem to mind.”

“Misaki, how dare you!”

“Oh, um, I’m sorry. Am I blushing?” Since realizing she’d kissed me, my face had felt so hot that I thought it might melt.

My mistress pouted. “What’s with that expression, like you’ve been hypnotized?!”

“Lady Erisu, why did you do that?” I asked, still a little dazed.

“I told you, it’s to show my appreciation. Okay, maybe I wanted to be a little mean, too.”

“Mean? What for?”

“Think about it. I had to suffer the embarrassment of being told my own tastes were really weird, and then Himeko was supposed to help with judging the food, but she was completely useless.”

Both Himeko and I were left in a stunned silence.

“Hehe. Anyway, the special table is ready and waiting for you two again tonight, so please, enjoy your meal.”

After that, she asked Hanaka to take over showing us to our seats, then went over to another guest. Was she waiting at the door for us to arrive just so she could do that?

“Hmph,” Himeko grunted.

She still had a peevish expression. If I tell her how cute it looks, I bet sure it’ll only annoy her even more.

For our entire meal that evening, her mood didn’t improve. She kept scowling at me the whole time, though I had no clue why.