Chapter 2: The Magical Refrigerator
Ren did not blow-dry his hair, but rather towel-dried it until it was semi-dry and then let it air-dry naturally. The damp silver strands framed his face, cooling his skin against the lingering warmth of the bath. After thinking for a moment, glancing at the silent screen of his smartphone, he still decided not to call Kobayashi Rindou.
The reason was simple: his Restaurant was about to open soon, and knowing Kobayashi Rindou's personality, she would come running over herself, whether he told her or not. Her nose for food—and for him—was sharper than any bloodhound's.
Thinking of this, Ren picked up his jacket, sliding his arms into the sleeves with practiced ease, and walked downstairs. The wooden steps creaked softly under his weight, a comforting sound that signaled the transition from his private sanctuary to his place of business. Seeing the familiar yet strange shop bathed in the soft, ambient lighting of the early evening, a slight smile curled on Ren's lips.
It was his domain. Absolute and inviolable.
"Time to check out the so-called ordinary ingredients..."
Ren naturally wouldn't think that 'ordinary ingredients' referred to only radishes, cabbages, and potatoes found in a local supermarket. After all, this wasn't an ordinary Restaurant; it was a Dimensional Restaurant, a nexus for all worlds. The System's definition of "ordinary" likely operated on a scale far exceeding human comprehension.
Ren walked to the kitchen, his footsteps silent on the pristine floor. He nodded in approval. The kitchen's layout was very simple, prioritizing efficiency over flashiness, and the only place for ingredients was the two large, stainless-steel refrigerators standing like sentinels in front of him.
Ren walked to the refrigerators, examined them briefly, running his hand over the brushed metal surface, then opened the first one.
The interior was not merely cold air and plastic shelves; it was a pocket dimension of preservation. The ingredients were dazzling, a wide variety of them arranged in a defiance of spatial geometry.
The first layer was all vegetables, housed in compartments that glowed with a soft green hue, maintaining the perfect humidity for crispness. The second layer was all fruits, radiating a warm yellow light, the scent of citrus and berries faintly escaping. Then came the red meat section, heavy and rich, and finally, the blue seafood compartment at the bottom.
Although it looked like there was only one compartment for seafood, that was just a surface illusion. The depth seemed infinite.
Ren reached his hand into the blue compartment. He didn't touch plastic or metal. Instead, his hand felt as if it had penetrated a barrier of cool, viscous jelly. The air inside the compartment wobbled, shimmering like a heat haze, and then ripples appeared on the surface of the dimensional interface.
Splash!
There was a clear sound of water, the sound of a wave breaking against a hull. Ren nodded, his expression focused. He slightly exerted force with his arm, his muscles tensing as he grasped something moving within the void.
The next moment, he pulled his hand back, and a lively sea bream appeared in Ren's grasp.
The fish thrashed with vigor, water droplets scattering across the floor before vanishing due to the shop's self-cleaning properties. Its scales shone with an iridescent luster, eyes clear and bright, gills flushing a healthy red. It was the kind of quality a sushi master would wake up at 3:00 AM to bid on at the Toyosu Market.
After checking the quality of the sea bream, ensuring it met his exacting standards, Ren threw it back into the ripple. He reached his hand out again, diving deeper into the conceptual ocean stored within his appliance.
He stayed at the seafood compartment for over half an hour, testing the limits of the System's generosity.
Ren looked at the lively Bluefin Tuna in his hand—or rather, the massive section of one he had retrieved. The meat was a deep, rich ruby color, the fat marbling exquisite. He nodded, satisfied, and threw the massive body back into the blue void, wiping his hands with a clean white towel.
Ren sighed, a sound of genuine impress, and said, "Indeed, ordinary ingredients are not so ordinary..."
Just now, he had experimented with some characteristic ingredients from both fresh and saltwater. From common carp found in muddy rivers to high-grade yellow croaker, from shimmering saury to the king of sushi, the Bluefin Tuna. He had even pulled out a King Salmon and a rare Blue Lobster. All could be found within that single blue shelf.
The reason he started with seafood was simple: only seafood had such a wide variety of species, only seafood could best test the quality of freshness preservation, and only seafood had so many levels of preciousness within the culinary world.
If the seafood was of this caliber—literally pulled fresh from a stasis ocean—then there was no need to continue checking the remaining fruits, vegetables, and meats with the same scrutiny. The System did not cut corners.
Ren closed the refrigerator door with a solid thud and softly said, "It seems all the ingredients in the world can be found... So, are the special ingredients from Another World? Interesting..."
If "ordinary" meant the pinnacle of Earth's offerings, then "special" implied dragon meat, phoenix eggs, or vegetables grown in mana-rich soil. The culinary possibilities were endless.
Saying this, Ren shifted his gaze to the second refrigerator.
Food is broadly divided into a few main categories. The first refrigerator essentially had the primary food groups covered. The remaining refrigerator would presumably contain nuts, grains, and dried goods, but it was unlikely that only these items would occupy an entire unit of this size.
Ren grasped the handle and pulled.
After opening the refrigerator, Ren was momentarily stunned. He blinked, then a look of amused resignation crossed his face. He sighed and said, "I wonder what that brat Rindou will think when she sees this refrigerator..."
The structure of this refrigerator was also very clear, but the contents were... distinct.
As he suspected, nuts and grains were present in vacuum-sealed, time-stopped containers. High-quality rice, wheat, almonds, walnuts—the staples. But the rest of the space was dominated by spices, tea leaves from every corner of the globe, and... snacks.
That's right, you didn't misread, it was snacks.
Rows upon rows of potato chips, chocolates, senbei (rice crackers), pocky, gummy candies, and dried squid. All kinds of snacks were there, organized by flavor profile.
Ren wasn't particularly fond of snacks; he preferred proper meals. But that didn't mean the people he knew didn't like them.
Kobayashi Rindou, for example, was the primary suspect. She was a culinary glutton; it was as if she had a dimensional pouch in her stomach, her mouth never idle. She would eat a Michelin-star meal and follow it up with a convenience store bento and a bag of chips. This fridge was essentially a shrine to her appetite.
After familiarizing himself with the range of ingredients, Ren breathed a sigh of relief, mentally cataloging his inventory. "In that case, it seems quite easy. I won't need to go to the market early in the morning."
Walking out of the kitchen, the sun was already setting.
Ren unlocked the front door and leaned against the frame. The lingering rays of sunlight fell on Ren, painting the street in hues of orange and purple. The light caught his silver-white long hair, making it glow with an ethereal brilliance, like a halo around a fallen angel.
His Restaurant was very quiet during the day because his was the only operational business on this specific corner. Only when it opened at night, under the cover of darkness, would the destined guests come to dine.
This location was a study in contrasts.
Next to this quiet street was a very bustling main road where all kinds of shops could be found; department stores, arcades, and karaoke bars. If one looked closely, you could even see the neon signboard for a red-light district at a certain alleyway, buzzing with the illicit energy of the night.
Ren's Restaurant, however, was on the other side of this market, separated by a heavy atmosphere of tranquility. It was a world apart, a sanctuary hidden in plain sight.
And Ren's Restaurant had three main characteristics that defined its existence.
First, it had no signboard at all. There was no "Ren's Kitchen" or "Dimensional Diner" hanging above the door. To the uninitiated, it looked like a private residence or a closed antique shop. In other words, it was an unnamed small Restaurant.
Secondly, the other two characteristics of the Restaurant were also very interesting. The second point was that this Restaurant could not be found on any electronic map; Google Maps would simply show a blank space or a wall. One had to search for it in person, relying on rumor, luck, or destiny.
The third characteristic was that there was no menu whatsoever inside the Restaurant. There were no prices, no pictures of dishes, no "Chef's Specials" written on a chalkboard. When ordering here, you simply ordered whatever you wanted to eat, and if the ingredients existed, Ren would make it.
These three characteristics resulted in its incredibly low visibility to the general public. Many people didn't even know there was a street here, let alone this unnamed small Restaurant. It was an urban legend in the making.
At this moment, a young girl was sitting on a bus, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed, and her foot tapping incessantly against the floorboard.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
It was clear the girl was very anxious.
The girl was Kobayashi Rindou. She wore her Totsuki uniform, but with her signature rebellious flair—the jacket tied around her waist, revealing the form-fitting shirt underneath. She looked at the darkening sky through the window, watching the streetlights flicker to life, then at the brightly lit street that was now visible in the distance.
Finally, a smile appeared on her face, sharp and predatory yet undeniably sweet.
Kobayashi Rindou took out her phone and couldn't help but smile at Ren on the lock screen—a candid photo she had stolen when he wasn't looking.
"Almost there..." she whispered.
Seeing the bus finally stop at the bustling intersection, Kobayashi Rindou got off directly. She moved with a purpose that parted the crowd. She didn't even look at the exceptionally lively street, ignoring the street vendors and the touts trying to lure customers into bars. Instead, she walked straight towards the quiet, shadowed street beside it.
The moment Kobayashi Rindou walked into the alley, a young girl holding a oversized teddy bear appeared from behind a vending machine.
It was Akanegakubo Momo, the Fourth Seat of the Elite Ten, who had followed her all the way from the Academy.
Momo clutched her plush toy, Bucchi, tighter. When she saw Kobayashi Rindou get off here, she thought the Second Seat was going to explore the market for exotic street food. But it turned out like this.
Where is Rindou-senpai going? There's nothing down that street...
Akanegakubo Momo's curiosity could no longer be contained. She adjusted her grip on Bucchi's paw, tiptoed, and quietly followed, sticking to the shadows like a small, purple-haired ninja. She felt that the name "Ren" was very familiar to her, echoing in the back of her mind as if she had heard it before in a very important context.
Kobayashi Rindou stood in front of Ren's Restaurant door. She reached out, about to enter, but then stopped.
Akanegakubo Momo, hiding behind the brick wall of the adjacent building, peeked out with one eye, looking puzzled.
Then she froze; her small mouth opened in shock.
Kobayashi Rindou was actually tidying her clothes. She smoothed down her skirt, fixed her bangs using her phone screen as a mirror, and checked her breath.
Akanegakubo Momo knew that Kobayashi Rindou was a free spirit. She had suddenly become less of a private person in the past two years, acquiring a pile of bottles and jars of skincare products, but Momo had never seen her meticulously groom herself like this right before entering a room. One should know that Kobayashi Rindou was already quite goddess-like without trying; seeing her try was terrifying.
Is... is Rindou-senpai on a date?!
Finally, Kobayashi Rindou took a deep breath, her expression shifting from nervous anticipation to her usual confident grin. She resolutely pulled open the door and walked in, the bell above the door chiming a soft welcome.
Seeing the familiar yet unfamiliar place before her—the expanded space, the new tables, the polished wood—Kobayashi Rindou took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the shop. It smelled of Ren. Her entire body relaxed, the tension of the school day melting away.
"Ren~"
She called out, her voice dripping with affection.
"You brat, you're really punctual..."
Looking at the young man who came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel, Kobayashi Rindou narrowed her eyes into happy crescents.
He looked good. Even better than the photo. The silver hair, the calm eyes, the broad shoulders hidden under his casual shirt.
She didn't hesitate. She jogged over, closing the distance in a few long strides, and latched onto him. She grabbed Ren's arm, hugging it to her chest, pressing her softness against him without a shred of shame.
"Hehe! Ren! Did you miss me?" she beamed, looking up at him.
Ren looked down at the red-haired girl clinging to him like a koala. He could feel the warmth radiating from her. He sighed, a sound that was more fond than annoyed, and said, "I don't know where you get your confidence from..."
Kobayashi Rindou skillfully replied, leaning into him even more, "Because not only am I beautiful, but I also have a great figure! Look, haven't I grown?"
She puffed out her chest slightly, challenging him.
Ren rolled his eyes, deftly extricating his arm to gently chop the top of her head with the side of his hand. "A good foodie, but unfortunately a beauty... Find a place to sit. What do you want to eat?"
"Ouch!" Rindou rubbed her head, though there was no real pain. She pouted playfully. "I want to eat the Boss! The Boss's cooking!"
She paused, a mischievous glint in her cat-like eyes. "Actually, just eating the Boss sounds good too~"
Ren raised his hand again.
"Ah! Stop!" Rindou shielded her head. "If you hit my head again, I'll become stupid! I couldn't become the First Seat because you always hit my head! It's all your fault I lost to Eishi!"
Ren didn't say anything else, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward. Such a scene had been a frequent occurrence in the past three years. He had watched Kobayashi Rindou transform from her initial aloofness and guarded curiosity to her current, vibrant self. She was a whirlwind of energy that always livened up his quiet shop.
Ren turned and walked towards the kitchen, waving his hand dismissively. "If you don't tell me what you want, I'll just give you two oranges to eat and then you can leave..."
Kobayashi Rindou wasn't angry. She snorted, a cute sound, then sprawled her soft body on the nearest table, stretching her limbs like a contented feline. She rested her chin on her arms, watching his back.
"That's why, because of this, Ren, you're single! You have zero romance in your bones!" she called out. Then, her stomach growled. "I want to eat... Never mind! You decide! Surprise me! And! I want those two oranges too! Dessert!"
Ren smiled with his back to Kobayashi Rindou as he tied his apron. He walked into the kitchen, the familiar rhythm of cooking already starting in his mind.
Kobayashi Rindou, on the other hand, watched him disappear behind the partition. She chuckled softly to herself, her cheeks dusting with a faint pink that had nothing to do with the heat.
She whispered, barely audible, "When I graduate, I'll reluctantly take you in, Hehehe~"
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