"Welcome back next time." The owner of the Washotei saw off the customers with a smile, and then looked at the almost full store, his eyes narrowed and he smiled.

Before, he was still worried about the bleak business of Heshiting, and his face was sad, and he didn't dare to gasp loudly in the face of the well-known chain restaurants nearby, for fear that his few diners would be taken away by these chain restaurants.

In addition, he opens a store every day and makes that little profit, and it costs to buy goods, and it costs manpower to keep people in the store... This made him almost not persist at the beginning, and he was about to choose to give up.

But now it's different.

The shopkeeper of the Washi Pavilion looked at the hanging sign and sighed inexplicably.

It was the autograph plate given to him by Tsukasa Higashino last year, and the owner of the kiosei just thought that Tsukasa Higashino's handwriting was really beautiful and rare, so he left his small sign.

As a result, no one expected that this small signature plaque, the reputation of the Japanese food pavilion would quickly spread throughout the Toshima district.

- Tsukasa Higashino, the original author of "The Lonely Gourmet", has been here!

This kind of similar rumor made the owner of the Heshiting a little surprised, and even a little stunned - was the young man brought by Konoe Lianghua so famous? What is a famous food critic?

'Lonely gourmet', is this the name of Tsukasa Higashino? At first, he thought it was Ryoka Konoe who brought her boyfriend over to eat and drink...

He flipped through a lot of magazines about food, but he couldn't find anything, let alone Tsukasa Higashino, and there was not even a food critic with the surname Higashino.

This made the owner of the Washotei completely puzzled, and it wasn't until his daughter saw what he had been looking for and answered that the boss of the Washotei didn't know why he couldn't find any trace of this 'Higashino Division'-

"Tsukasa Higashino? Isn't that a cartoonist? The one that's been very popular lately. ”

"Cartoonist?"

Drawing comics?

The owner of the food pavilion is really puzzled.

He did hear Tsukasa Higashino mention his identity as a manga drawing, but... What does an author who draws comics have to do with his shop? And not a well-known critic who works in the field of food.

For this reason, he also made a special trip to turn over the comic "Lonely Foodie" by Tsukasa Higashino, and then-

"That's what I did?"

"Am I doing it so exquisitely? Does it look so delicious? Goo-too..."

The owner of the food pavilion watched and made himself a meal.

The food in the comics is very realistic, and it looks like a small and delicate family, and it makes him himself a little hungry.

And the owner of the food pavilion also found out.

Tsukasa Higashino has drawn a lot of real pictures, and anyone who knows a little about the Sake House Street in Toshima Ward can basically tell at a glance where it is.

Many Tsukasa Higashino's manga fans came to the door with this.

This group of fans became new diners, and they were able to continue to develop by giving a second tube of blood to the Washitei, which had already been unable to hold on—there was even a queue for "The Lonely Foodie" in the first few days of serialization.

Well, that's it.

Seeing that the business of this store is so good, others will naturally think that this store should indeed taste good, so they will also take the initiative to follow suit.

As time passed, the followers dispersed, because the craftsmanship of the owner of the dining hall was indeed very good, and the new diners gradually became old diners... This is also an important reason why the Japanese food pavilion is still full today.

But the owner of the Washikio knew.

It was Tsukasa Higashino's "Lonely Foodie" that brought new diners, and it is not an exaggeration to say that Tsukasa Higashino re-established this store that couldn't hold on, and to this day, there are still tourists who have watched "Lonely Foodie" and come to eat at the restaurant.

This also shows the toxicity of "The Lonely Gourmet".

It's just a pity that Tsukasa Higashino hasn't been to the Washotei since that time, which makes the owner of the Washoku Pavilion want to say thank you, and he didn't have a chance to entertain him in person... It's a big problem for the boss.

So he made a special trip to get a plastic layer and wrapped Tsukasa Higashino's signature and hung it next to the menu, which can be regarded as expressing his gratitude to Tsukasa Higashino.

Regretful.

It's a pity.

The owner of the Washiki Pavilion sighed secretly when he looked at the autograph card of Tsukasa Higashino, and asked his daughter to help entertain him.

"Isn't the store full now?" The daughter of Heshiting couldn't help but complain: "Do you still want to receive it?" ”

"The guests who come in ask them to wait a little longer, or politely invite them to eat at other restaurants, in short, it is not without politeness." The owner of the food pavilion instructed, and then added uncomfortably: "Got it?" ”

Finally crawling out of the predicament, he pays special attention to what customers think.

"Got it."

Seeing that his daughter reluctantly stood up to prepare for the reception, the owner of the Japanese food pavilion next to him couldn't help but shake his head, lowered his head and continued to make food.

But before he could put his hand on the kitchen knife, he heard the voice of his daughter at the door: "I'm sorry, guest, this store is temporarily full..."

Oh? New guests coming in so soon?

The owner of the kiosk glanced up in the direction of his daughter, trying to see if she had politely persuaded the guests away.

"Is that so?" The person who came was a young man with a woman in professional clothes by his side, and he was smiling and talking to the professional women next to him: "Business here is already so good...?" Edit Hosokawa, it looks like we'll have to come back next time. ”

With that, young and professional women are going to leave.

Wait a minute...

That's not... Tsukasa Higashino?!

"Wait a minute!"

The owner of the dining hall called directly, startling the other guests, and then he walked out of the bar at once, hurriedly walked to the door, and stopped again: "Please wait a minute, guest." ”

"Huh? But the waiter at your restaurant just asked me..."Tsukasa Higashino was also baffled by the fuss of the Washoku restaurant owner - didn't your waiter tell me to wait a little longer or go to another place to eat?

Why did you stop me all of a sudden?

"There's no such thing." The owner of the Washiting Pavilion smiled happily at Tsukasa Higashino, and then looked sideways at his daughter with a straight face: "It's so beautiful, what did I tell you just now?" Didn't I tell you that when a guest comes, invite him to our private seat? What's the matter with you? Still driving guests outside? ”

"Huh?" The girl who was called really beautiful, wearing a navy blue headscarf and an apron, stared wide-eyed, and her face was full of inexplicability: "Dad, you were clear just now..."

"Don't talk back. If you talk back, you'll be asked to help out at the bar. The owner of the food pavilion glared.

“... Oh. The girl lowered her head and stopped talking.

The bar was really busy, and at this time, many people had to grill bird skewers and other snacks, so she would rather stand at the door and greet customers than smell of barbecue.

But she's really inexplicable.

When did you have more private seats? Isn't that the table they use to eat for their own family? The environment is really good, there are tatami mats, and there are cushions, and it is much more spacious than the outside.

It's just that when did our own dining place become a private seat?

She really couldn't figure it out.

After a good criticism of his daughter, the owner of the food pavilion smiled again and said to Tsukasa Higashino, "Please come in, go inside." ”

“... Since there are seats, then you're welcome. Tsukasa Higashino also nodded with a smile, and said to Hosokawa Koharu beside him, "Let's go, editor Hosokawa." ”

"Okay." Hosokawa Koharu nodded despite his strange attitude towards the owner's overzealous attitude.

Seeing that Tsukasa Higashino and Koharu Hosokawa entered inside, the shopkeeper returned to work, and from time to time commanded his daughter to ask Tsukasa Higashino and Koharu Hosokawa inside what they needed.

What kind of menu, hot towels, etc., can be said to be particularly thoughtful service.

Seeing this, the regular guest next to him also smiled and asked, "General, do you still have a seat here?" I've never heard of it, and next time my colleague and I come over and want a seat. ”

Daisho, which in Japanese mainly means 'important person in a certain group', is also known as a restaurant chef in Japanese colloquial language.

"I don't think so." The owner of the Washotei replied with a smile, "The private seat inside is only open today. ”

Indeed, this is a privilege.

I finally met Tsukasa Higashino once, so I had to be entertained well.

So something inexplicable happened to Tsukasa Higashino.

At first, he felt that the waiter came very often, and the reception was very cordial, and the service was also very considerate, so he almost didn't ask if he wanted to feed something into his mouth.

At the back, the dishes ordered by Tsukasa Higashino came up, and Tsukasa Higashino was about to want to eat them, but he glanced at the plates and felt that something was wrong.

Everyone else is small and delicate, usually a small bowl of dishes, why did he suddenly put a small bucket up when he arrived?

"What's going on?" Tsukasa Higashino asked, pointing to the keg.

"Ahh That's... It's actually been used by our store all along, so don't worry, you won't overcharge customers. ”

The waitress who was called Mami replied.

“... What about this dish? I don't remember ordering it, huh? Tsukasa Higashino pointed to the garlic tenderloin on the other side, this dish can be used as a staple or as a side dish, and it tastes pretty good, but he hasn't ordered it.

"This is a gift from our store, and our store just happened to hold an event today."

“... Is it? Higashino raised his eyebrows, wondering if he had gone to the wrong store.

Could it be that you have met the kind of black shop where you obviously don't order anything, but the owner suddenly serves you a lot of dishes, and shouts out the sky-high price to check out whether you finish eating or not.

But that's not right.

The sign outside is indeed the brand of the Japanese Food Pavilion?

Am I misremembering? But my signature is still out there.

The more Higashino thought about it, the more he couldn't figure it out.

It's okay if something is wrong, but it's a little strange if something isn't right here.

Hosokawa Koharu next to him was also a little inexplicable, so he stopped his chopsticks and simply asked, "I'm sorry, can you call the general in, we want to ask about the situation." ”

When the waitress who was called Mamei heard this, he immediately showed an expression of "please, please spare me".

She was really tormented and scared by her own father.

What the hell is going on?

Even the small bucket that made miso at home was taken out.

That's too much of an exaggeration, isn't it?

She also thought it strange, but the thought of being criticized again later, she let out a long sigh, lowered her head, and looked a little dejected.

Not long after Mami went out, it was the hearty laughter of the store manager.

He walked in from the outside and asked with concern, "What's wrong?" Is there anything you can't get used to? Mr? ”

"It's not that I'm not used to it... Is the Japanese food becoming popular here? And also with a 'bucket' for ...? My friend and I thought it was a little weird, so we wanted to ask. Higashino saw the owner of the food pavilion come over and took the initiative to speak.

This made the owner of the Heshi Pavilion cough twice, and at the same time glanced at his daughter's innocent expression, which helplessly explained the reason.

He first gave a general explanation of the previous down-and-out situation of the food pavilion.

He also mentioned the changes brought about by Tsukasa Higashino, and the Japanese food tei became a famous restaurant in this takaya street.

In order to thank him for his help, he thought of these crooked tricks of 'the cow does not drink water and presses its head'.

His words made Higashino Tsukasa sigh with emotion.

To be honest, Tsukasa Higashino didn't really think about the changes it would bring to these restaurants when he first drew "The Lonely Gourmet".

But by chance... It seems that he has done a good deed?

After learning the reason, Tsukasa Higashino and Hosokawa Koharu were relieved - it turns out that this is the case, then you just said no, it's not interesting to hide it.

And...

"I'll make up for the cost of these dishes." Tsukasa Higashino said with a smile.

Although it is true that "Lonely Foodie" has brought changes to the Japanese food tei and brought it back to life, it was only done by Tsukasa Higashino unintentionally, and he himself is not aware of these consequences at all... Therefore, whether to give money or money, you can't ask for reciprocation with kindness.

What Higashino didn't expect was that at the mention of making up for the meal, the owner of the Washiting suddenly became serious, and shook his head and said that he would never accept it.

"Higashino-san, maybe you don't know, at that time, the source of income for my family and my family was this Japanese food pavilion, if the Japanese food pavilion can't be opened, it may become a problem for real beauty to go to school, at least please eat here for free... That's all I have to ask for. ”

It wasn't until this time that Tsukasa Higashino knew.

It turned out that the wife of the owner of the Washotei shop had died a few years ago, and it was he who had barely raised his daughter with the income from the shop, and gave her the same educational environment as her peers around her.

In other words, if it weren't for Tsukasa Higashino's original "Lonely Gourmet", the owner of the Washotei wouldn't have known how to do it.

That's why he's so concerned about Tsukasa Higashino's affairs today.

The other party's sincere words didn't impress Higashino Tsukasa or didn't impress Higashino Tsukasa, at least Hosokawa Koharu next to him was impressed.

She nodded with emotion next to her, and at the same time looked at Tsukasa Higashino-

I didn't expect Mr. Higashino's "Lonely Gourmet" to do this kind of thing...

It's remarkable.

No wonder it has a place in the monthly magazine "Aoba"!