The restaurant was running with silent urgency. Soles hitting the wooden floor, steel hitting each other in necessity, and sizzling of oil frying something complete the symphony.
In a fluid movement that showed his experience, Ludwig juggled between three pans before him. A thick slab of wyvern meat sat in each pan, already brown on one side. Another pinch of salt here, a scoop of the butter to douse the meat there, and a weakening flame, the steak finally ready.
Putting it into a plate and completing the dish with putting a mashed potato on the plate, Ludwig pushed the dishes towards Bilo who was ready to haul it into the hall.
Ludwig looked at the shy demon moving briskly, passing one plate after another towards another demon beyond the counter. Once he was done with the plate, he took a few wooden mugs from the shelf and filled it perfectly with reddish liquid with soft foam on top.
It hadn't been long since he worked here, maybe a month or two. Yet, his talent was already blooming. He's no longer his clumsy and shy self in the kitchen. He had quite mastered the way of preparing meat, fish, and poultry quite well, albeit still slow.
Not only that, he was now able to assist him even without him asking to. He would take the necessary ingredients for the dish from the Stasis Shelf for him to cook as soon as the order came without having to be told anymore.
When he left the kitchen in his care a few days ago, he performed quite admirably. If it's not his oversight regarding one particular dryad from Tempest, things would run without a hitch.
All in all, Bilo was already ready to be nurtured into taking the next steps.
If only they had books about cooking techniques or the internet here… Ludwig sighed. Combining his tutelage with either of the two would make Bilo's skill improved rapidly. Alas, he could only work with what he had now.
As he thought about Bilo, a young demon with black hair appeared on the counter.
"Bilo, 3 more servings of Blackforge Ale, please." She said in her usual light and sunny tone.
"Coming right up." Bilo answered, his tone devoid of hesitance and shyness; so unlike him.
Ludwig chuckled as the two demons filled his vision. If Bilo had shown progress through his tenure at the restaurant, Valerie was still the same as the moment he saw her first. She was still that sunny and happy-go-lucky young demon.
From what he heard from Vilera, she simply forgot all the briefs the employees did regarding the standard of serving and talking to customers the moment she met with them. While Vilera wanted a professional yet a polite waitress, Valerie always came to the customer in a friendly and warm manner.
Just from that alone, anyone could see just how different the twins were. So to play a mediator, he told Vilera that she should just allow Valerie to do what she normally does, while the rest of the employees would do it in the manner that had been agreed between them.
Professional and polite was good, maybe even necessary for a competent waitress. However, being friendly and warm also had its own perks. So to balance everything, he thought that having both was good. Well, that balance was only achieved when it was Valerie versus everyone else.
If just one more person took the same route as Valerie, it wouldn't be balanced anymore. That's just how overpowering her personality was.
As Valeire moved away with three wooden tankards in her tiny hands, Ludwig moved to his usual station. Even though the daylight had completely left the world, his usual patron for the night had come yet. But thanks to how famous the restaurant had become in Tempest, even without some of his regulars, the seat was still quite filled.
With books opened in front of him, time passed.
Then, a familiar sensation brushed against his sense, the restaurant was whispering to him. A smile appeared on his face. The patron who hadn't come to the restaurant for the past few days had finally returned.
However, as the door opened and the employees said their enthusiastic greetings, the red-haired Jinchuriki was not the only one who walked into the restaurant. Walking beside her was a woman with black long hair and a stoic yet kind face.
He felt familiarity from how she looked and moved. However, even with his knowledge about Kushina's world, his memories still refused to let him know the identity of the woman, stumping him so much.
"Lud!" Kushina beamed as he pulled the seat back and sat on it. The woman beside her followed suit. But unlike Kushina, she just regarded him with a small nod before sweeping through the room for one last time with her black eyes.
"How are you, Kushina? It's been a few days since you came here." Ludwig smiled.
"Right?" Kushina sighed. "That old man was giving me more work these days. It's not like I can refuse them."
"Ah, the life of a Ninja." Ludwig chuckled. But in his tone, there was a hidden edge prickling. He still couldn't understand the mindsets of the Ninjas. Always ready to sacrifice themselves for their villages. Which, if he had to be blunt, never really cared for them.
"It is what it is." Kushina shrugged. "By the way, Lud, let me introduce you to my friend. Her name is Mikoto Uchiha."
Hearing Kushina's spirited introduction, realiziation finally dawned on Ludwig. No wonder she looked familiar to him. Mikoto Uchiha. The future wife of Fugaku Uchiha, the future patriarch of the Uchihas. At the same time, the mother of the Genius of Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, and the Avenger with Indra's blood, Sasuke Uchiha.
It seemed like he still had to work harder. The information about the friendship of Kushina and Mikoto was in his head. Yet, he still couldn't put two and two together when all the evidence was there.
Stretching his lips into a smile, Ludwig looked at the black haired woman. "Nice to meet you, my name is Ludwig. The owner and the chef of this restaurant."
"Hello." Mikoto's voice slithered through the noise of the restaurant. "It's nice to meet you too. Kushina had told me a lot about this place. But I must admit, seeing it with my own eyes is very different from just hearing about it."
Ludwig's crisp chuckle echoed around them. It was the first time someone came so straightforward like this. Even Ilea hadn't come punching like this. And she's one of the most straightforward patrons his restaurant ever housed.
"I must say, you don't look surprised at all even when you are supposedly seeing them for the first time in your life." Ludwig pointed towards the dwarves, orcs, and hobgoblins that were sitting around the hall with his chin as he said so.
Mikoto let out a small smile before opening her mouth. "Kushina prepared me thoroughly. My ears are close to bleeding from all of her nagging."
"What do you mean nagging! It's called advice. Advice." Kushina retorted, her cheeks puffed and her arms crossed in front of her.
Mikoto looked at her red-headed friend for a moment before rolling her eyes towards Ludwig. "She learned that word from here, isn't she?"
Hearing the mischievous tone beneath her question, Ludwig's eyes couldn't help but open a little bit bigger. But, true to the part of his moniker, it's not in his nature to let the surprise stop him from playing along. So, in a mock serious tone, he answered. "Indeed. Ever since she came here and befriended a few people here, she became smarter. To be honest, I quite missed the old Kushina."
"Hey!" Kushina shrieked. "Did you just call me stupid?"
"Not you." Ludwig answered.
"But you just said—"
"I'm calling the past you stupid. Not you."
"Hey!"
Ludwig and Mikoto broke into a fit of laughter at that moment. In the meantime, Kushina was sulking, she even refused to look at them, muttering how wrong it was to bring Mikoto to the restaurant.
As the last of his laughter faded into the atmosphere, Ludwig regained his usual bearings and opened his mouth again. "Now that the introduction is out of the way, may I ask you about your order?"
Mikoto looked at him with her jade black eyes. Then, she answered. "I've heard about your soup-less ramen from Kushina. Can I order that?"
"For Kushina's friend, of course!" Ludwig answered with a confident tone. "What about you, Kushina?"
"Hmph!" However, rather than answering, she just huffed. Her head still turned into the other side from where Ludwig was standing.
Pushing down the laugh that was threatening to leave his mouth, Ludwig asked again. "Are you sure you don't want to order? I'm thinking of adding some seafood to the Aglio e Olio."
Ludwig swore he could see a twitch in Kushina's ear as soon as his words were finished. Taking it as a sign that she wanted to eat it, Ludwig first served them two cups of tea before walking into the kitchen.
He summoned four pans into him, two small and two tall enough to boil even the longest pasta. Once they sat on the stove, he infused the rune with his mana, resuscitating it.
The water boiled in a rolling hiss, bubbles crowding against the pot's rim. Ludwig dropped in two handfuls of spaghetti, twisting them once so they'd sink evenly. He stirred just enough to keep them from sticking, the strands softening and slipping apart beneath the wooden spoon. Salt bloomed into the steam, mingling with the scent of garlic and olive oil already rising from the next pan.
He moved between the two different types of pots easily, muscle memory guiding his pace. The garlic in the pan had turned pale gold—just right. He tipped in the seafood: shrimp, squid, and clams. The oil spat, angry for a heartbeat, before settling into a rhythmic hiss.
He watched as the clams began to open, their edges curling wide. A splash of white wine followed, sharp and clean, cutting through the oil. The liquid boiled fast, filling the air with a scent that made him blink once, satisfied. He lowered the flame, letting the seafood finish in its own brine.
At the pots beside it, the pasta was ready—firm to the bite. He lifted it out with tongs, letting water drip back into the pots in quick streams before dropping it straight into the pan. The oil hissed again as starch and heat met. He added a ladle of pasta water, cloudy and thick, and began to toss.
The sound changed. No longer a sizzle but a wet, heavy slide as the sauce bound itself to the noodles, coating every strand in a thin, shimmering film. Garlic clung to the spaghetti, red flecks of chili glowed here and there, the shrimp curling tighter in their shells.
He tasted once from the tongs. The salt was right, the oil light enough to leave only warmth behind. He added parsley—just a scatter—and a squeeze of lemon to finish.
Two plates waited by the counter. He coiled the pasta neatly into each, arranging shrimp and clams where they could be seen, not hidden. The drizzle of oil at the end caught the light, turning each plate into something quietly alive—garlic, sea, and smoke in balance.
Without him opening his mouth, a pair of hands swept the plates. In the next moment, it was already on its way towards the customers who were eager to eat it. Once the plates were placed in the bar counter, cutlery followed suit, gleaming under the runic lights.
"Please enjoy your meal." Bilo said, his voice was steady and polite enough.
Kushina lifted her head to look at him. Her gaze lingered for just a heartbeat before her voice came out of her mouth. "Thank you."
"Please call me if you need anything else." Bilo smiled a little before walking back to the kitchen.
Amidst the conversation, however, what Ludwig most focused on was not the pair. It was the red-haired woman beside Mikoto who was inching closer and closer towards the plate. Probably it was because of his job as a ninja, her movement was pretty hard to detect. If it was not for him paying attention to her, he was sure he would miss her sneaky movement entirely.
Ludwig let out a smile at that moment. Even though she was supposedly the hidden weapon of destruction of Konoha, in actuality she was nothing but a teenager. Like all teenagers, food was something they couldn't refuse entirely. More so when it was a food of their liking.
Rather than teasing her even more, Ludwig just sat on his station, books opened on his lap. Once her belly was filled and some of her friends came, he was sure she would forget what had happened.
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