[Congratulations to the Host for completing the third simulation. Simulation reward: Feast of the King!]
Kei suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of hunger. Upon carefully sensing it, he realized it wasn't mere hunger—it was desire!
An insatiable desire!
[Feast of the King: "Transforms your own appetite into an invisible attack, which will automatically devour everything around it."]
[Desire will never cease! The Feast of the King will never end!]
Following his instincts, Kei released the appetite from his body. A massive dragon, shining in a multitude of colors, emerged and floated in the air.
Its eyes held no light, only pure and unrestrained hunger. It roared silently, and everyone in the Gourmet Market instantly felt a terrifying sense of crisis.
It was as if they were about to be devoured the very next moment!
"Dragon Slayer Magic essentially transforms one's body into the physique of a dragon. But my body's cells are not ordinary cells; they are Gourmet Cells."
"The ordinary cells altered by Dragon Slayer Magic were devoured by the Gourmet Cells and became part of them."
Kei quickly understood the reason behind it. To Gourmet Cells, even dragons were merely food.
Gourmet Cells are highly compatible, or rather, highly devouring cells. Nothing is off-limits; even the universe could be turned into food and consumed!
Combining dragon might and appetite, Kei's Feast of the King finally took the form of a greedy dragon.
After getting familiar with this ability, he retracted the dragon. For a moment, everyone in the Gourmet Market breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ring, ring, ring!"
Just as Kei managed to control the Feast of the King, the phone rang.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!"
The voice of Binchotan came from the house, followed by the hurried sound of footsteps.
"Binchotan, I'm right here by the phone. I'll answer it."
Kei called out, then reached for the phone. On the other end was Tomo, informing him that the ingredients he had promised were ready for Kei to inspect.
"Got it, I'll head over right away."
Kei hung up. At that moment, Binchotan also ran out of the house, raising her head and blinking her big eyes as she asked, "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing much. Tom said the ingredients he promised have been delivered. I'm going to check on them."
"Do you want me to come along? I can help."
"No need. It's just at the nearby pier. I can handle it myself. You stay here and watch over the shop."
Binchotan seemed a bit disappointed. There weren't many customers in the shop, and she had nothing to do, which made her feel uneasy.
She had already cleaned the shop three times, not missing a single corner.
"Just do your best with the work here. It's fine. If there's nothing to do, you can go play or read the children's books I bought for you."
"You don't have to work all the time."
Kei gently rubbed Binchotan's head. For someone who used to work hard every day just to earn rice, having nothing to do probably felt strange to her.
"Mm, I understand."
Binchotan made an effort to cheer herself up. She planned to go back and study her books, determined to help the shop owner as much as possible.
After comforting Binchotan, Kei left to check the ingredients at the pier's warehouse. After confirming there were no issues, he chatted with Tomo for a while.
When all that was done, Kei prepared to return to the shop. On the way, he happened to notice a shop he hadn't seen before.
"Red Cat Ramen? I've never seen this shop before. Is it new?"
Feeling a bit hungry, Kei decided to check out the ramen shop to see how good their food was.
Entering the shop, he was greeted by a white, bipedal cat wearing a white apron with a red logo in the middle.
"Welcome to Red Cat Ramen! May I take your order?"
The white cat's voice was adorable, sounding like a lively and cute young girl.
"A talking cat. A talking cat running a shop... Hm, not really that surprising."
Kei had seen cats that could talk, fly, wear clothes, and even loved drinking tea. Running a shop was nothing unusual in comparison.
Finding a seat, Kei received the menu from the white cat and looked through it.
"I'll have the special ramen and a serving of gyoza. That's all."
Kei didn't order much since it was a new shop and he wasn't sure how good the food would be. If it was bad, it would be a complete waste.
He didn't want to waste food.
"Alright! One Red Cat Special Ramen and one serving of gyoza. Please wait a moment."
The white cat called out towards the counter. There, an orange-furred cat with black stripes was making ramen, while a black cat was cooking gyoza.
"Red Cat Ramen? By the way, which one of you is Red Cat?"
Kei curiously asked the white cat waitress.
"There's no one named Red Cat here."
"Then what's your shop owner's name?"
"Our shop owner is called Monzo. He's the one wearing the blue headband, currently making ramen."
"My name is Hanami!"
Hanami spoke cheerfully and even made a cute pose. Since the shop had just opened, there weren't many customers, so the waitress cat wasn't too busy.
"Then why is it called Red Cat Ramen if there's no one named Red Cat? Why not call it Monzo Ramen?"
Kei pondered over the question, ultimately deciding that perhaps the shop owner just liked the name Red Cat.
As he observed the shop, Kei noted that the establishment was divided into two parts: the left side was the dining area, while the right side was where the cooking took place.
"An open cooking area, allowing customers to watch the cooking process. It prevents issues from being hidden during preparation."
"It's also a way to attract customers by giving them a little show, strengthening the bond between customers and the shop."
Kei quickly understood the style of this shop. It was a small, private establishment, aiming to create a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
His eyes caught a sign on the wall listing some guidelines:
"Customer Service First, Flavor Second."
"Notice about Cat Hair: The staff are very cautious and careful, but occasionally some cat hair may fall into the food. Please understand and enjoy your meal."
"Some cat hair might fall in... Well, since the cooks and waiters are all cats, I guess it's understandable."
Just as Kei was observing, his ramen and gyoza were served on the table.
"Please enjoy your meal! If you like the taste, please visit us again."
Hanami placed the dishes in front of Kei with a cheerful smile and a little adorable gesture before walking away.
Kei tasted the ramen and gyoza. The gyoza was decent, while the ramen had a pleasant taste that showed effort.
But there was still something lacking. Since the chefs were cats, perhaps they didn't fully understand human taste buds. However, it was quite good already.
I'll continue in the next message.
After finishing his meal, Kei prepared to pay and leave.
"No need for that. I was actually planning to visit your shop, but I didn't expect you to come here first."
A gray cat with the smile of a merchant walked over politely and bowed.
"My name is Sasaki. Consider this meal my treat. Please take care of us in the future."
"Nice to meet you, Sasaki."
Kei greeted Sasaki and continued, "But you don't need to treat me. We're both running businesses, so let's keep things straightforward."
"No, no, please accept it." Sasaki insisted.
"If I get a free meal today, what about tomorrow? And what if people you're acquainted with come by the day after? Giving out free meals constantly will hurt your business, and eating without paying would make me feel uncomfortable. Instead of making everyone feel awkward, it's better to keep things simple."
"If you want to visit me, you can come by my shop privately. At that time, I'll treat you to some fresh fish."
Kei placed money on the table and handed it to Sasaki.
"Well, then I'll accept it."
Sasaki thought about it and realized Kei's words made sense. Accepting the payment was the proper way to handle things.
"Could you give me some feedback about the ramen or let me know if there's anything that needs improvement?"
Sasaki asked humbly.
When he first arrived in this street, he was taken care of by many people. From their conversations, he learned that Kei was the leader of this street's Gourmet Market.
He had assumed Kei was some terrifying figure, but upon meeting him, he found him to be a rather decent person.
"Hmm, the ramen's flavor…"
Kei looked thoughtful before answering, "The flavor is a bit too mild."
"I apologize for that. Since we're cats, we can't taste the food ourselves. We can only rely on recipes and feedback from customers to make adjustments."
Sasaki bowed apologetically.
"No need to be so stiff."
Kei reassured him and continued, "Everyone has different tastes, and their preferences for strong or mild flavors will vary."
"But food is also tied to its region. Your main customers here are either people from the Gourmet Market or a portion of outside visitors."
"People here are either constantly dealing with ingredients or eating various foods every day. Without realizing it, their taste for deliciousness becomes more refined. To them, your ramen tastes a bit too light."
Sasaki was surprised by Kei's explanation. He quickly took out a notebook and wrote down everything Kei said.
"Thank you so much for your guidance! Please wait a moment, I'll call our shop owner over!"
Sasaki had initially planned to show respect to Kei and collect customer feedback, but he never expected to gain such useful information.
"Monzo! Monzo, come here for a moment."
At Sasaki's call, the orange-furred cat making ramen walked over.
"Hello."
Monzo nodded in greeting to Kei, then turned to Sasaki to ask what was going on. Sasaki handed him the notebook with Kei's advice.
"I apologize!"
"I used to run a mobile ramen shop elsewhere, so I completely overlooked the local environment."
"I'm truly sorry!"
Monzo realized his mistake. While it was a small detail, it indeed affected how people perceived the shop.
"It's just a small issue. You can fix it by adjusting the flavor slightly. Make it a little stronger from now on."
Kei said casually.
"Thank you very much for your advice."
Monzo responded sincerely.
As the three of them were talking, trouble erupted on the other side of the shop.
A bald man with a fierce expression, a gold tooth in his mouth, was holding a ramen bowl and yelling.
"There's cat hair in my ramen! What kind of service is this? Absolutely terrible!"
"I'm going to call and report you! Beasts pretending to be people and running a shop, how ridiculous!"
The thug shouted loudly.
"Sir, the notice is clearly posted. If there's some cat hair, we kindly ask for your understanding. Also, you've already finished eating, so we can't provide a refund."
Monzo nodded to Kei, indicating he would handle the matter, then walked over to speak to the thug.
"What do you mean by that? Are you trying to shirk responsibility? I'm going to report you and get you shut down!"
The thug threatened as he took out his phone.
"Sir, we'll waive the fee for this meal. It was indeed our fault. Please understand and accept our apology."
Sasaki approached and spoke in a polite, businesslike tone.
"What do you mean by that? What if I accidentally ate the cat hair and got sick? Who knows what kind of diseases you beasts are carrying?"
"I demand compensation. A large sum of compensation! If you don't pay, I'll report you!"
The thug continued to press his demands.
"Grrrr!"
Monzo's fur bristled, his eyes showing the hunter's gaze, and he growled threateningly, "We won't give a single penny to someone like you! Leave!"
"You think I'm going to…"
"Get lost."
Kei, seeing the situation escalating, stood up and spoke to the thug.
"Who the hell are you? You dare to tell me to get lost, you…"
"Get out."
Kei repeated firmly, releasing his intimidating presence that instantly shattered the thug's will. The man's expression was filled with terror.
"O-Okay, I'm leaving!"
The thug scrambled to his feet and fled the shop, even tripping along the way but too terrified to stop and get up properly.
So terrifying! It felt like I was about to be eaten alive!
"Thank you so much."
"Sorry to trouble you."
"We're truly grateful, meow."
Monzo and Sasaki expressed their gratitude to Kei, while Hanami made a cute gesture to show her appreciation.
"Since we're all living on the same street, it's only right to help each other out when needed."
"Oh, by the way, Sasaki, never compromise when dealing with people like that. Just kick them out."
"They're just here to cause trouble and extort money. They probably targeted your shop because it's newly opened."
"If someone doesn't mind the cat hair, they won't complain. If they do, they can choose not to eat here."
"But if they eat the food and then complain afterward, just tell them to get lost."
"Yes, thank you for the advice."
Sasaki nodded. He realized he had made a mistake. Compromising with such people only made them more arrogant.
"Well then, I'm leaving. Stop by my shop sometime."
Kei said and turned to leave. As he stepped outside, he noticed a recruitment notice posted on the door.
"Kei is truly an amazing person!"
"He's strong, handsome, and kind. No wonder everyone on the street respects him so much."
Monzo couldn't help but praise Kei.
"At first, I thought Kei was some sort of gangster, so everyone was afraid of him. But it turns out they respect him instead."
"Yeah, he taught us a lot about doing business."
"We should bring some ramen and pay him a visit sometime." Sasaki suggested.
"Mm."
Monzo nodded, then asked, "Hanami, do you want to go?"
"No way!"
Hanami immediately shook her head. "Even though Kei is a nice person, being around him feels so uncomfortable."
"It's like facing some terrifying creature. Look, my fur is standing on end."
Monzo and Sasaki exchanged glances.
"We feel the same way, you know. We just didn't say anything out of politeness."
(TL: Those characters are from an old manga named Ramen Akaneko)
(End of Chapter)
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