"Don't worry, I'll take good care of Megumi!"
After hearing about Megumi Tadokoro's life story, a ripple of emotion stirred in Dylan's heart. It was no wonder the town's residents cared for Megumi Tadokoro so deeply, treating her as their own. Besides her inherent kindness, this was likely another reason. She had lost her father at a young age.
"I've heard a lot about you from Megumi. You were the one who always encouraged her at Totsuki Academy, which is why she has persevered until now."
"It's safe to say that without you, we wouldn't have the outstanding Megumi we see today. For that, I must thank you properly."
As Tadokoro Mieko spoke, she suddenly sat up straight and performed a formal dogeza, bowing deeply to Dylan.
This was not the courtesy shown to a son-in-law, but the respect paid to a teacher.
Many of the townspeople had gone to watch the tournament, and Tadokoro Mieko had heard the news of Megumi Tadokoro winning first place in the Summer Selection as soon as it happened. For her to go from being a student with mediocre grades to the champion of a prestigious culinary school, Dylan's help must have been indispensable. Otherwise, no amount of progress could be so dramatic, leaving people speechless with admiration.
"I only did what I could; any teacher would have done the same. What's more important is Megumi's own effort. Only through her relentless hard work did she get to where she is today."
Dylan waved his hand dismissively. He really hadn't done much, other than letting her attend his lectures every day and teaching her some basic culinary knowledge.
"No, it's not something just anyone could do! Only you, Dylan-sensei, only you!"
Megumi Tadokoro suddenly propped her head up seriously, her eyes, fixed on him, shimmering with a unique emotion—a suppressed but restrained love.
"For so long, you were the only one who appreciated me, gave me confidence and courage, and taught me how to cook. I owe my achievements today to you, Dylan-sensei!"
Thinking of everything Dylan had done for her, a warm current surged through Megumi Tadokoro's heart. The next moment, she couldn't help but open her arms and hug him, holding on for a long time, unwilling to let go.
"Megumi really relies on Dylan, doesn't she?" Tadokoro Mieko said with a smile.
After their earlier conversation, her way of addressing Dylan had changed from "Dylan" to "Dylan," an intimate nickname that undoubtedly showed she had accepted him, truly seeing him as her own son-in-law.
"Speaking of which, why aren't there any customers in the inn? It should be mealtime, right? Shouldn't everyone be out and about by now?"
With her mother watching, Megumi Tadokoro let go of Dylan after a moment of warmth and looked around.
At this moment, the spacious hall was occupied only by the three of them, making it seem unusually deserted. It was the first time she had ever seen such a sight.
Normally at this hour, while the hall might not be packed to capacity, there would be at least seven or eight customers.
Thanks to the town's efforts to develop tourism, using its beautiful mountain and river scenery as a selling point, a large number of tourists were attracted to the area, and the Tadokoro family's ryokan business had been booming. During peak tourist season, the guest rooms would even be fully booked.
But now…
It was the autumn holiday. Although not the peak season, there should still be plenty of tourists. As the largest ryokan in town, how could there not be a single customer? This was too abnormal!
"Well…" Tadokoro Mieko hesitated, but quickly made up her mind and said, "Actually, a new chain hotel opened up across from us. Since it's backed by a big company, its prices are low, and they have professional chefs in charge of all three meals, so all the customers have been drawn away."
As she said this, a strong sense of unwillingness showed on Tadokoro Mieko's face.
She had been running this place for so many years, only to be easily defeated by a newly opened chain hotel, without even a chance to fight back.
If it weren't for the occasional regular customer, they would have suffered severe losses over the past few months. Even so, the daily deficit was putting immense pressure on her.
If this continued, it wouldn't be long before the Shōkei-en went bankrupt. The land would be bought out at a low price, and she would lose this place completely.
But if she tried to hold on, the daily losses were more than she could bear…
"Have you made up your mind yet? Twenty million yen, and I'll buy this ryokan from you! Don't even think about stalling any longer. This is it. The longer you drag it out, the lower the price will get!" a boisterous voice came from the entrance.
Hearing the shout from outside, Tadokoro Mieko's expression changed. Megumi Tadokoro also nervously leaned against Dylan, her eyes fixed on where the voice came from.
"Yo, having lunch, are we? I thought it was some kind of high-class cuisine, but it's just this seafood hodgepodge again. No wonder you have no customers."
"I really don't know what the people around here are thinking, randomly stewing so many high-grade seafood ingredients together and having the nerve to call it 'fusion.' It's hilarious!"
The newcomer was a man, six feet tall, dressed in a sharp suit and sunglasses. He was well-muscled and looked quite formidable.
He held a document in his hand. A quick glance revealed the words "Real Estate Transfer Contract" written on it. Combined with what he had just said, it was clear he was here to force Tadokoro Mieko to sell the ryokan.
"No matter what, I will never sell the ryokan to you! You can forget about it!" Tadokoro Mieko stared at the man in the suit and said, word by word.
There was another important reason why the ryokan was failing: this man had been spreading rumors everywhere, claiming their inn overcharged customers. Many uninformed tourists, wanting to avoid trouble, chose the chain hotel across the street instead.
"I really don't see the point in you holding on. This ryokan is pretty old, isn't it? Old things are bound to be replaced eventually. You should sell it now while it's still worth something!"
"I've already hired a construction crew. We're going to turn this place into a world-class hotel that can accommodate hundreds of guests at a time."
The man walked forward disdainfully, looking around as if intending to further coerce Tadokoro Mieko into signing the contract, but he was stopped by Dylan, who had been observing from the side.
"It's not very gentlemanly to keep pressuring them," Dylan said coldly.
"And who are you? This is none of your business, so get lost! Or I guarantee you'll regret showing up here today."
Faced with Dylan, who had suddenly appeared, the man frowned, his words laced with threats.
The main reason he dared to show up alone and act so arrogantly was that he knew the Tadokoro family had no men, and the few staff members were all elderly.
However, Dylan appearing in the hall and stopping him made him feel that things might not be so simple.
"Fool. Just because I have self-restraint doesn't mean I'm a pushover."
Before Dylan had even finished speaking, he had already grabbed the man's collar, slammed him hard onto the ground, and twisted his arm behind his back, dislocating it. The man immediately let out a blood-curdling scream.
"Aaargh! How dare you do this to me! Do you know who I am? If you mess with me, you're all finished!" the man howled in pain.
"There's no reason to welcome an unwelcome guest."
Dylan said coldly, then dragged him to the door as if he were hauling a piglet, and kicked the man outside, showing him no mercy at all.
Outside the ryokan, passersby cast curious glances. The mocking stares made the man in the suit's face turn beet red.
"We are not selling the ryokan. If you really want to take it, then have your best chef come and challenge me to a Shokugeki!"
Dylan's voice was icy and firm.
"You just wait!"
The man fled like a beaten dog, not forgetting to toss out a threat before he left.
Dylan stood at the entrance, his gaze stern. From their conversation, he had already pieced together the general situation.
This man was from the new chain hotel across the street, and his purpose was to acquire the Shōkei-en to expand their own business.
During their talk, Dylan had learned that the small town's tourism industry was booming, making it an undeveloped treasure trove.
It wasn't surprising that someone would covet the business opportunities here, but that didn't mean they could act with impunity.
The Shōkei-en was where Megumi Tadokoro grew up; it was her home. As her partner, Dylan felt it was his duty to help her protect it.
"Dylan-sensei, where are you going?"
"I'm going to check out their situation. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."
Answering the question, Dylan stated his purpose. He planned to follow the large man to see who he would meet.
It wasn't in Dylan's nature to wait passively; he needed to know the specifics of the opposition!
"That's too dangerous! You just fought with him. If you follow him now, they might have already set a trap." However, just as Dylan was about to leave, Megumi Tadokoro grabbed his arm. She looked at him with a worried expression, as if unwilling to let him go off on a risky venture.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Dylan didn't explain further, simply patting her hand before leaving that sentence behind and striding out of the Shōkei-en in the direction the man had fled.
He knew that this was the best time to spy; any later and he wouldn't be able to find anything out!
"Let's go back inside for now. All we can do is trust Dylan."
Watching Dylan's departing figure, Tadokoro Mieko, who had been silent, patted Megumi Tadokoro's shoulder and spoke, then returned to the ryokan alone.
Although Megumi Tadokoro wanted to wait at the door, she knew Dylan wouldn't be back for a while, so she went back inside as well, planning to prepare a room for him herself.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Dylan followed the large man, watching him stumble along. Even with a dislocated arm, he didn't immediately seek treatment, soon arriving at a teahouse in town.
The man met with a young man, who looked astonished at the sight of his dislocated arm, then proceeded to help him pop it back into place.
His movements were practiced, clearly not the first time he'd done something like this, which surprised Dylan somewhat.
"Tell me what happened. How did you end up in such a sorry state? Did someone at the Shōkei-en attack you? Don't tell me you can't even handle a few old folks and women…"
Taking a sip of tea from the table, his fingers gently rubbing the outside of the cup, the young man's face was filled with curiosity.
Although this brute wasn't particularly strong, his imposing physique was his advantage. Most people would tremble just looking at him, let alone trying to fight him.
Clearly, his opponent was also a trained fighter.
"Sir, you have to stand up for me!"
Hearing the young man's question, the brute immediately started crying and sniffling, giving an exaggerated account of what Dylan had done to him.
"What audacity! To disrespect us like that, and even dare to challenge us to a Shokugeki. Well, that simplifies things. As long as we win the Shokugeki, we can take the ryokan."
"However, for that guy to propose a 'Shokugeki' with such confidence, his skills can't be too weak. To avoid any complications, go and get…"
As if he had thought of something, a cold sneer appeared on the young man's face. For the opponent to issue a Shokugeki challenge so aggressively, he must have something to back it up.
Considering the martial arts he displayed, the person who attacked was likely a Special Grade Chef. And to deal with a Special Grade Chef, you need another Special Grade Chef.
However, a kid in his early twenties, even if he really was a Special Grade Chef, couldn't be that powerful. Against a veteran Special Grade Chef, he would just get crushed!
This was also why he was sending the brute to summon their retainer…
Since Dylan wanted a Shokugeki, they would give him one. But they couldn't agree so hastily; after all, it was the Shōkei-en that was on the ropes right now.
If they dragged it out a bit longer, they might be able to get more favorable terms.
It was half an hour later when he left the teahouse. As a martial arts expert himself, Dylan had managed to eavesdrop on the entire conversation without being discovered.
After learning the young man's plan, Dylan didn't immediately head back. Instead, he went to the chain hotel Tadokoro Mieko had mentioned to check out the situation.
Compared to the deserted Shōkei-en, this chain hotel was considerably livelier. From time to time, people would drag their luggage in to register at the front desk.
Business style and leisure style…
Comparing the states of the two ryokans, this thought surfaced in Dylan's mind.
Although both were ryokans, their vastly different styles meant they catered to different audiences.
In other words, even with the addition of this hotel, the Shōkei-en's business would be affected to some extent, but it definitely shouldn't be this deserted.
Thinking of this, Dylan took out his phone and started searching online.
Soon, on HNE and other major social media platforms, he found a post titled "Dishonest Ryokan Overcharges" and clicked on it.
The post was from two months ago and had many likes. The comments were uniformly abusive, with only one or two explanations drowned out by the crowd.
As Dylan expected, to negatively impact a ryokan's business from the front lines, the first step is to tarnish its reputation, and posting online is undoubtedly the most effective way.
As a famous chain hotel in Japan, they were undoubtedly far ahead of the Shōkei-en in terms of financial resources. Plus, they had the first-mover advantage, which was why Tadokoro Mieko was powerless to respond.
After all, she had no effective countermeasures, and her own ryokan lacked any compelling advantages that would make guests reluctant to leave. It was stuck in the middle, neither high-end nor budget, which was the main reason her customers were being poached.
Having figured out the differences between the two ryokans and the current weaknesses of the Shōkei-en, Dylan declined the receptionist who approached to ask if he wanted to check in, left the chain hotel named "Hyakuchōkyo," and strode back towards the Shōkei-en.
He had already thought of a comprehensive plan to turn the Shōkei-en's losses into profits, and its core was the very hodgepodge fish stew that the brute had looked down on.
_____
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