| Breath of Life; [single post] | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 18 2016, 02:35 PM (227 Views) | |
| Supnitle | Jul 18 2016, 02:35 PM Post #1 |
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Monika Apologist
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The Peach Grill was a bistro tucked into a corner of Matechi street, placed in a location within comfortable walking distance of both Ruwashi Park and the Taiyoutono Dorms. The restaurant had a rustic theme, with brick walls, wood-framed windows, and a hand-painted sign hanging above the main entrance. For decades, the Peach Grill had been a fixture of Nagashima's restaurant culture, and it used to see a reasonable amount of business throughout the work week. It had been especially popular among the younger generation of the populace, teens and the like, who were attracted by the reasonably cheap prices and simplistic, yet delicious, menu. While it remained a well-known name in Nagashima, business at the Peach grill had started to suffer as of late. The last head chef had vanished for reasons unknown to most, and the quality of food at the bistro had languished because of this. The aging owner, Ichiro Hayashi, had searched desperately for someone to take the job, but was unable to find anybody able to muster the same quality of work. It was an average wednesday during lunch-hour, the perfect time for customers to move in and out during the work-day, and the Peach Grill was completely empty. There was a large sign on the front door that said,
Momo snorted. Please. --- Not too long ago, Momo had been a student at Le Cordon Bleu in Tokyo, still learning and growing. It had been rough - many students had detested the harsh, scalding atmosphere of the kitchen and its advisers, laughing and mocking the often-vicious lectures they would receive upon any mistakes. Momo knew better, however: she knew that all her experience in high-stress situations would pay off in the real world, and she felt absolutely vindicated as she stood there in the Peach Grill. The interview had been simple, and the requisite demonstration of her skills was proving to be even easier. There were no shouting instructors or flailing assistants around her - it was just her and the knife, transforming a tame pile of ingredients into a delicious dish. Honestly, it was the easiest meal Momo had produced inside a restaurant in a very long time. When she slid the plate forward onto Hayashi's table and saw his eyes light up in excitement, she knew she was already in. Two bites later, it was confirmed: "You're hired." "Nice." --- They went to a local bar afterwards to celebrate. Drinks were had. Promises were made. Momo had mentioned that she had big plans for the menu of the Peach Grill - nothing that would usurp the rustic feel of the restaurant, but simple face-lifts to dishes that would help attract customers. She'd been taking plenty of notes on the restaurant culture of Nagashima since she'd arrived, seeing which places were popular with younger customers and what they were doing right and wrong. Momo didn't drink much at all, so a small glass later, she was feeling courageous enough to ask a question that had been on her mind. "So, Hayashi-san," She asked, looking at the owner of the Peach Grill. "Can I ask you something?" Ichiro, already a bit red in the face, grinned. "What is it?" Putting her drink down and adopting a serious look, Momo asked, "It's about the previous head chef, Kotaro Arakawa." Immediately, Ichiro's expression sobered, and he placed his glass down on the bar as well. Momo continued, "He was... an old colleague of mine from culinary school, back when I first started. I know he was very talented and a very reasonable person, so I was wondering what happened so that he was let go." There was a note of hesitation on Ichiro's face, so Momo quickly added, "I'm sorry if this is overstepping things, I was just curious so I could avoid - " "No," Ichiro said. "It's fine, especially if he was your old senpai. Kotaro..." The old man sighed, running a hand through his graying hair. "Kotaro wasn't let go." Momo gave him a questioning look, so he elaborated, "If you didn't hear, there was some kind of gas main explosion in the park a few months ago. At the time, Kotaro was off picking up something from the market, and he caught caught in the blast, and..." Momo's eyes widened, and she whispered, "Oh no." Ichiro nodded heavily. "He's still alive, thankfully, but he's in no condition to return to work for a very long time." He glanced over at Momo. "I didn't want to hire a new chef, but at this point, I didn't really have a choice. Business at the Peach is dying, as you saw today. We have to get some fresh blood in." Her eyes belied the fact that her thoughts were elsewhere, but Momo nodded. "I'll do my best." Going back to the glass, Ichiro downed another mouthful of cheap alcohol before saying, "Look, if you want to visit Kotaro, he's in Nagashima general. I'm sure he'd be glad to hear someone so talented has picked up his torch." A moment's pause, then Momo smiled gratefully. "Thank you." "Thanks for replacing him." |
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2:32 AM Jul 11
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2:32 AM Jul 11