After lunch, we opened the restaurant again.
People had stopped streaming into the place around this time, but there were still one or two customers who came from time to time.
According to the schedule we had agreed on before, we would close the restaurant at around 4 or 5 PM. It was already 03:25 PM. Closing time was approaching.
We almost made it.
Our maids grew restless as time passed.
They really were eager to go home immediately. I couldn't say I didn't understand their feeling, though.
Amidst that critical moment, a high-class-looking man entered our place.
The long-awaited one had finally shown up.
Tizmilly and I immediately rushed to welcome him before Carole and the others could react.
"Professor, you finally came!" I greeted him with a polite bow.
"We-welcome to our restaurant, Professor Golmind!" Tizmilly greeted him with a tense expression.
She must be nervous.
"I almost thought you wouldn't come," I chuckled.
Professor Golmind looked around the place, nodding his head. "A gentleman never betrays his own words. It's a good place. Calming and friendly, like a warm home for starving refugees."
Although his words were hard to understand, I knew he was praising the restaurant, so it made me think that building it was really a good decision.
"This way, please, Professor," I said before we led him toward the best spot on the first floor, which was near the window. Making the window wide really was a good idea. It made the restaurant look brighter and more comfortable.
I signaled to Carole, and she immediately brought the menu and a cup of water to his table.
Maybe because she sensed that something was different about Professor Golmind from our reactions, Carole didn't act as she did with other customers when serving him.
She bowed and placed the tray carefully on the table, slowly arranging the cup and the menu before him. "The menu and the water, sir."
Professor Golmind rubbed his chin, nodding approvingly. "An elegant maid. A unique combination, I see."
Tizmilly saw that as the cue to explain our main idea. "We wanted to create a place where everyone could eat in the same place and at the same table. The natural decoration is so people can relax and be reminded that before nature, we are all of the same race."
Professor Golmind didn't say anything in response, but he nodded with a thin smile, so I took that as positive feedback.
Next, it was my turn. "Our recommendation is a combination of Lemon Filet from the Roost's secret recipes, and Luxe Salad from the Regular section. The fresh vegetables in Luxe Salad ease the sour taste special to Lemon Filet, while also adding more varied flavor to it, resulting in a satisfying aftertaste that remains on the tongue until the next bite."
Lemon Filet was one of the best dishes we prepared for the opening of our place. The preparation of this dish required time. We could only prepare one per day. Fortunately, no one had dared to order it before because of its high price, so we could serve it to Professor Golmind.
Professor Golmind checked the menu first before nodding and deciding to follow our recommendation.
Ten minutes later, Carole and Sirry brought the orders to the table.
As for Gerena, since there was no other customer besides Professor Golmind at the moment, she crouched beside Timmy and started reading her book.
_That girl sure loves books that much, huh?_ I idly thought.
Tizmilly and I kept him company until Professor Golmind finished his meal.
He took a tissue from the tissue box we placed on the table to wipe his mouth before he turned to look at us.
"It was an incredible meal. This is the best dish I have savored this year," he praised with a composed but genuine smile.
Tizmilly and I looked at each other. We were smiling.
""Thank you very much, Professor!""
If even Professor Golmind could say that, then it was safe to say we could serve high-class people with no problem.
Of course, since Roost Family's secret recipes were used to serve royal families, maybe this outcome was determined from the start. But knowing was always different from seeing.
"I'll come again next holiday," said Professor Golmind before he put 10 shimmering gold coins on the table with a clink.
The eyes of Carole, Sirry, Timmy, and even Gerena immediately turned to gold the moment they saw that pile of coins.
However, it was not our intention. I was the one who invited him from the beginning, so how could I let him pay for his meal? And above all, Lemon Filet combined with Luxe Salad wasn't even that expensive.
"Wait, Professor, you don't have to pay! I was the one who invited you, so..." I hastily pushed the coins back toward him.
Tizmilly was nodding her head frantically beside me. "That's right, Professor! The first visit is free! We decided that before!" Tizmilly added after me.
But Professor Golmind raised his right hand while smiling. "Then I'll donate it to you. Supporting my students' business is what a teacher should do. The Academy may not officially state that, but I believe that if The Sage were still alive, he would do the same."
We tried to return the money, but as expected from Professor Golmind, the man who was called The Unwinged Angel by his fans, he wasn't losing in stubbornness when it came to charity even if he were compared to Tizmilly from the game.
In the end, the least we could do was let him leave with a box of cookies my mother cooked as a gesture of gratitude.
_Well, he gladly received the cookies, so maybe that's okay?_
"Anyway..."
Leave that matter aside.
I raised my hand. "... We did it!" And yelled it out.
Everyone followed after me. ""FINALLY!!!""
It was 04:14 PM already, and Professor Golmind was our last customer for today.
Finally, we finished our first day!
To be honest, today was way busier than I expected.
We received more than 100 customers today. Most of them just ordered simple and cheap dishes like Mirte Soup and Hameress, but if accumulated, we had successfully earned more than 3,000 Copper coins in one day, excluding what we got from Professor Golmind.
That was a whole 3 gold coins and more.
I know it was me who said that our food would sell really well, but this was still shocking. I couldn't help but expect more in the future.
At that moment, I heard soft sobs from my side.
I turned toward the source of the sobbing voice, and it was Tizmilly.
"We... really did it," she muttered amidst her sobs.
Tears didn't stop streaming down her face.
"We did it!" she cried, but with a smile.
I could see her smile, but for others, who were standing behind us, they could only see her trembling figure. They immediately rushed toward her.
"Tizmilly, are you okay? You must be tired, right? Here, drink some water!" Carole started shouting panickedly while holding an empty cup.
"H-here, here, don't cry...!" Sirry started caressing her shoulder to comfort her.
"Read a book. You'll feel better and at peace!" Gerena... gave her a book.
"Oh, my little Tizmilly, don't cry! Mom is here!" And my mother pulled her into her embrace and began to cry, too.
I placed my hands on my waist and smiled, sighing with satisfaction.
"Yeah. We really did it," I said. "But it's still just the beginning."
The story was still so far from over.