My Restaurant's Guests are All Abnormal

Chapter 610: Chapter 470: Barbecue Bento and Nostalgia

"Um...sir, why do I always feel like you’re hinting at something?" Betty asked with a vacant look in her eyes, as if she had just felt her mind come under some kind of attack.

"Not at all, Miss Betty. Could I have a cola?" Mr. Momonga asked with a smile, settling down at the table. That was what he loved about this restaurant; he wasn’t forcibly calmed here, and it was only during such times that he could truly relive the feeling of being human.

"Of course, you can, sir. Please wait a moment." Betty shook her head, perhaps she was just being paranoid.

Holmes remained silent. From the moment Mr. Momonga walked in, he had been watching him attentively. After all, Mr. Momonga’s appearance was too eye-catching, making it impossible for Holmes to shift his gaze away.

"Stop staring. No matter how much you look, it will be the same. This restaurant is just such a miraculous place. Can’t you still come to terms with Ronna’s appearance?" Moriarty certainly understood what Holmes was thinking; he too was astonished at first, but now, seeing others equally surprised, he felt an inexplicable sense of pride.

"It truly is marvelous," Holmes nodded. This new patron was challenging his beliefs from all angles, creating a sense of shock within him.

If Ronna’s existence was still somewhat acceptable, considering she was a historical figure, though from the past, then the existence of this skeleton monster thoroughly surprised Holmes.

"What’s so incredible about that? There’s a Dragon here, devils, and I wouldn’t be surprised if one day Gods themselves walked in." Moriarty took a sip of tea. If not for the presence of these mystical patrons, he would never have devoted all his attention to this wondrous restaurant.

"Hmm," Holmes nodded thoughtfully, pondering deeply. He even felt that the cases out there weren’t as important anymore. Compared to these extraordinary occurrences, those cases seemed utterly dull. freewebnσvel.cѳm

Mr. Momonga, of course, had no idea that his presence was nearly convincing a great detective to abandon his detective career. He was currently perusing the menu projected by a robot.

"Quite nice," Mr. Momonga nodded, impressed by the realistic projections of the dishes and the fragrances that made him feel almost overwhelmed by choice.

"Yes, sir, this is our restaurant’s brand-new way of ordering~" Betty beamed with pride.

"Hmm, then do you have grilled meat bento?" Mr. Momonga looked at Betty expectantly.

"Huh? Grilled meat bento? Please give me a moment," Betty was startled. She had memorized the menu, so after quickly reviewing it in her mind, she realized the restaurant did not have that dish. She had no choice but to consult the manager.

"Manager, manager!" Betty rushed into the kitchen and conveyed Mr. Momonga’s request to Chen Ze.

"Grilled meat bento? Mr. Momonga sure has unique tastes. But maybe he’s feeling homesick. Yes, we have it, tell Mr. Momonga to see if there’s anything else he would like to order," Chen Ze nodded. Grilled meat bento sounded odd, but in reality, it wasn’t difficult to make at all.

Chen Xingchen had once traveled to Japan, visiting Nemuro in Hokkaido, a place on the easternmost edge. The locals lived mainly from fishing, which wasn’t unusual in Japan, as it is home to many fishermen. But people from Nemuro were scarce, and for them, aside from fishing, their other daily routine was to eat grilled meat bento from convenience stores, making it the most famous local dish.

Chen Ze had seen photos of grilled meat bento that his sister sent him, and he had to admit...

It was quite simple and lacked the extravagant feel of other bento meals, nor was the plating particularly beautiful, and the food items were relatively more monotonous, even dull to label.

But the grilled meat bento could become the local convenience store’s featured product for its own reasons.

"Manager, Mr. Momonga didn’t ask for anything else, just ordered several beers from me," Betty popped her head in and told Chen Ze.

"Alright," Chen Ze nodded, which meant his task was quite simple.

The grilled meat bento was indeed very easy to make: white rice, topped with freshly grilled pork belly, and finally smothered in sauce—it was done. So, for Chen Ze, this dish didn’t pose any difficulty. Nevertheless, Chen Ze still tried to refine the rice and the sauce so the dish would taste even better.

"Sure enough, it didn’t get the System’s recognition," Chen Ze shook his head as he looked at the freshly made bento in front of him. The preparation for the grilled meat bento was too simple, so Chen Ze felt it might not be recognized. Just as he suspected, it wasn’t after he finished.

However, Chen Ze didn’t care since he wasn’t so concerned about experience points anymore. Although the rewards from the System were quite nice, they played more of an auxiliary role. His culinary skills had been self-taught.

"Betty, come in and serve the dish," Chen Ze wiped his hands, then took out a piece of pork belly, feeling a bit greedy while cooking it.

Chen Ze didn’t know if others felt the same way, but as for himself, that was indeed the case.

That is, sometimes he would suddenly have an inexplicable craving for something, then he would find a way to eat it, and after eating, he would have a peculiar sense of satisfaction.

"Huff... so it’s this grilled meat bento," Mr. Momonga looked at the box in front of him, still emanating steam from the rice and grilled meat, feeling satisfied.

The white rice was mixed with some beans, and the grilled pork belly, shiny with oil, as well as the sauce drizzled on top, gave Mr. Momonga a feeling of returning to reality.

Moreover, Chen Ze specifically used the kind of plastic bento box found in convenience stores. Although it was a cheap plastic box, holding it in his hands made Mr. Momonga even happier. Back when he was working, he loved to eat such bentos from convenience stores.

"I’ll start then!" Mr. Momonga picked up the chopsticks and brought his palms together in a gesture of respect, then scooped up a mouthful of rice and grilled meat and chewed thoughtfully.

Chen Ze used a spicy sauce, carrying a hint of heat and a touch of savory flavor, combined with the fatty and meaty taste unique to pork belly. Mr. Momonga quickly devoured it, and then discovered that there were some green beans hidden beneath the rice, which had a sour and crunchy texture that made the grilled meat bento even more delicious and satisfying to eat.

"What I’m curious about is, why can you eat it up?" Holmes glanced at Mr. Momonga, who was sitting diagonally behind him.

"Who knows, just like this magical door, I feel that the manager might well be a wizard," Moriarty chuckled and then took another sip of tea.

"Betty, another pot for us, please."