"Sosuke."
"Are you still running this place by yourself? Haven't you hired any assistant chefs?"
As he spoke, the General glanced around the Izakaya with the corner of his eye.
He remembered that the last time he came with his granddaughter, Erina, all the work inside and outside this Izakaya was handled by Sosuke himself.
From beginning to end, he never saw any staff around him.
Hmm!
It just opened recently!
Plus, the operating hours are only from 7 PM to 12 AM.
So, Sosuke's ability alone was indeed enough to manage all the work of the entire Izakaya!
But times have changed; the Izakaya's business is clearly much better than last time.
Although Sosuke might still be able to handle it during this period, one must know that running an Izakaya is not easy; it's not just about cutting vegetables with a knife and cooking with a spoon.
Preparing ingredients before opening, arranging tables and chairs... cleaning up after closing, settling bills, and so on—these miscellaneous tasks are truly numerous.
And currently, Sosuke is still busy by himself!
Therefore, the General, filled with doubt, couldn't help but ask.
"Yes."
"I haven't hired any assistant chefs yet."
Sosuke nodded directly, admitting it in front of the General.
"Then do you need help?" The General's eyes flickered as he continued to ask.
"Of course, I do."
"Who wouldn't be happy to have more people helping out?"
Sosuke replied with a smile.
"Good!"
"Running an Izakaya."
"Being busy enough to need help is a good thing!"
"Since you intend to hire some assistant chefs, I can help you by having Gin transfer a few experienced chefs from the culinary department of Far Moon Resort to assist you!"
The General stroked his beard, speaking generously with a hint of affection for a junior.
In his heart, he certainly hoped that Sosuke would join Totsuki Academy and serve the Nakiri family!
However, ever since Sosuke refused him last time, the General had completely given up on that idea.
But even so, he still hoped that the entire Totsuki Academy, and even the entire Nakiri family, could have some connection with Sosuke. Even if he couldn't recruit him, he should seek opportunities to cooperate with him!
Ultimately, he couldn't predict the future situation.
Therefore, he wanted to take another gamble, to bet the entire future of Totsuki on Sosuke!
"General!"
"You can rest assured about this matter."
"After I go back, I will immediately carefully select a few suitable candidates and have them all come to the Izakaya to assist Sosuke with his work!"
Beside him, Gin Dojima instantly understood the General's meaning, so he quickly expressed his stance.
...
Unexpectedly.
The General and the Chef Director.
These two prominent figures in the culinary world, despite their coordinated "show," still failed to impress Sosuke.
He just shook his head after listening, and like last time when he refused to go to Totsuki, he replied softly, "No need, I appreciate your intentions!"
"Hmm?"
"Refused... you refused?"
"Didn't you just say you needed some assistant chefs?"
Far Moon Resort is an affiliated enterprise of Totsuki Culinary Academy.
It is said that more than a dozen hotels operate under the Far Moon Resort brand.
And nestled in the beautiful resort environment, there is even a five-star luxury hotel, Yue Yuan Li Gong!
All the chefs in the culinary department within this hotel are world-class chefs, and they should all have extraordinary influence in the culinary world!
As a result, these talents were to be directly assigned to Sosuke.
Such a "beautiful" offer, no one would refuse, right?
Therefore, Gin Dojima found it difficult to understand Sosuke's thoughts for a while.
The General, however, appeared very calm, seemingly not at all surprised by Sosuke's repeated refusal.
...
"Yes!"
"I do want some assistant chefs."
"And chefs from Far Moon Resort are definitely all talents!"
"Perhaps with their help, my Izakaya's business could flourish even more, and I could also rely on the resources of Totsuki and the Nakiri family."
"But let me put it this way, I also have my own principles."
"I already have certain standards in mind for what kind of assistant chefs I want to hire, what kind of staff I want to recruit."
"And to be honest, those chefs from Far Moon Resort may indeed be very talented, but they probably wouldn't meet my requirements!"
"So, let's end this topic for now; there's no need to continue!"
"I understand."
"Perhaps I was too hasty."
"My inner urgency to seek an opportunity to cooperate with you led me to temporarily overlook some objective conditions."
Sosuke's voice seemed a bit soft. However, from his words, it could be discerned that he seemed to look down on the chefs from the resort.
But the General did not get angry; instead, his eyes showed admiration.
Finally, no one continued to discuss this topic.
And Totsuki Academy and the Izakaya missed an opportunity for cooperation!
But whether it was Sosuke, or the General and Gin Dojima, they all knew very well in their hearts that future circumstances might force them to cooperate!
...
Time.
Finally, it was midnight.
The General and Gin Dojima had no choice but to leave and did not linger in the Izakaya.
"Gin!"
"What do you think?"
"In the future, will he be able to bear this heavy responsibility?"
Halfway back, the General suddenly asked Gin Dojima.
His voice was somewhat ethereal, and his thoughts drifted back to that night, the night he issued an expulsion order to Nakiri Azami, completely expelling him from Totsuki!
"His culinary skills can rival, or even surpass, Joichiro Saiba's."
"However, there's one difference: if Caibo had had his realization back then, it wouldn't have led to tragedy."
"So, to some extent, I think the person who can truly lead a new era of cuisine in the future is most likely him!" Gin Dojima, after pondering for a moment, honestly expressed his thoughts.
"No!"
"He can definitely carry the banner of the new era."
"I've been convinced of that since the last time I came to the Izakaya."
Upon hearing this, the General sighed deeply: "I mean, can he take on the heavy responsibility of leading and governing Totsuki Academy?"
"Leading?"
"Totsuki Academy?"
"How is that possible? He's not from the Nakiri family, so how can he, no, how can he be qualified to lead Totsuki?"
"Could it be, General, that you mean to..."
Gin Dojima's face almost changed drastically upon hearing this, but then he seemed to understand something and looked at the General in disbelief.
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