CH 2

“Table 4 is ready! Table 6, please wait a little longer!”

Saturday, during the lunch rush hour.

I was busy handling saucepans in the kitchen of La Forge, an authentic French restaurant where I work as a part-timer.

After working together with my fellow part-timers, we managed to handle the raging crowd of customers, just in time for the end-of-the-noon business hours.

As usual, the senior high school girls and college part-timers who were working in the hall came into the kitchen to see what I was making.

“Thanks again, Fatty! That was an easy win~!”

“You always cook so fast! And the food is always perfectly arranged!”

“The customers are very happy when Fatty is in the kitchen, so it’s fun working here!”

Here, my nickname was “Fatty”.

It’s kind of a flattering nickname, I like it much better than being called Piggy in the class.

“Hey, you guys! I told you not to call Yamamoto by that weird nickname!”

A powerful voice echoes from the back of the kitchen.

A woman with a dignified air, while taking off her hat and showing her beautiful black hair, approached them with an angry expression.

This lady was our manager, Ryoko Fujisaki.

At only 22 years of age, she had successfully taken on the role of owner-chef of this one-star(1) French restaurant.

“Ahaha~, I’m sorry~! But I’m already used to calling him Fatty.”

“You guys, Yamamoto has always been a big help to us, you should be grateful to him!”

“No, it’s okay, Manager! I’ve gotten used to it too!”

I smiled at the girls while holding back Fujisaki-san, who seemed to be unable to contain her anger.

“I’ve made something here for you all! It’s a new one, so I’d appreciate your feedback!”

“Yay! A new dish~!”

“I always look forward to the food you make, Fatty, because it’s always the best~!”

“Let’s go to a party after we eat! I heard the guys today are pretty high level!”

Fujisaki-san let out a sigh of dismay at the sight of the girls.

And so I thanked her with a whisper.

“Thank you, Manager.”

“Haa… Yamamoto, if you don’t like it either, just say so.”

“Hahaha…. I will do my best.”

I think Fujisaki-san is a really nice person.

She is very beautiful, resolute and perfectly capable of doing her job.

She’s someone I admire.

“Oh, Fatty! I love this new stuff! Let’s put this on the menu!”

“This dish would make the restaurant the talk of the town again!”

“Yeah~ sorry for making you even more busy~”

The part-time girls laughed, having fun, while eating the dish that I made.

I cook at home, make lunch for my sister Saika and also for myself.

I learned cooking at this restaurant from the manager, Fujisaki-san, who had trained in France for three years and had recently improved her skills considerably.

“Today, there was this big guy who came in, and when he finished his meal, he said, ‘I’m so impressed! I want to meet the chef who made it!’”

“Though, as expected, I couldn’t call Fatty, so I was at a loss as to what to do~”

“In the end, I asked him to leave because I couldn’t keep my hands off him, but that guy is likely to come back~”

“Must be some food critic~”

It seems Fujisaki-san was unaware of this.

As she asked back with a look of surprise on her face.

“You guys, something like that happened?! Then you should have taken Yamamoto with you!”

“No way~, if it gets known that a fatty like him is cooking in this stylish restaurant, the restaurant’s reputation will be ruined~”

“No, that can’t be true! What do you guys think Yamamoto is!”

That’s what Fujisaki said, but unfortunately I think their decision was right.

If I walked around the store swinging my 130-kilogram frame, I’m sure I’d attract attention in a bad way.

“Manager seems to have a soft spot for Fatty, doesn’t she~”

“Ah, Manager sure is a dedicated cook but have never been in a relationship before. Given the age, right? ww”(E/N: ‘ww’ is just like ‘haha’ but in japan.)

“She’s so hard-headed that no man would likely ever come near her, must be why she’s practicing on Fatty, right? ww”

“Haha I like that! They’re a good match for each other, am I right? Not to mention, they also share the same hobby of cooking. ww”

Unable to hold back I interrupted them.

“That’s rude to the manager. And more importantly, are you all on time? I heard you guys say there’s a party going on.”

“Ah, right! I need to get going and get my makeup all done!”

“Manager, since you’re so beautiful, you should find a good man as soon as possible~! www”

“Oh yes, that angry personality of yours will wear you out before it’s exposed~! Haha! ww”

“Alright, time to catch a handsome one today!”

After agitating the manager, Fujisaki-san, extensively, the girls left the restaurant in high spirits.

EN Note: