I got a lot of response this time too! Super excited! And the story may actually be going somewhere now, haha!

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement :)


Impressions


Megumi's mouth dropped at the sight of the interior of the restaurant.

From the outside, the place looked worse for wear. The outdated sign was missing light bulbs, there was litter surrounding the premises, and graffiti graced the outer walls. It all added up to a remarkably poor appearance and bad initial opinion.

Take one step inside the establishment and it was like none of the above existed. It was as if magic was spun upon entering the doors of Bombay Sizzler.

The restaurant's thematic colors were composed of red and yellow with accents of orange and gold. There were both tables and booths inside, arranged in an easy-to-maneuver-through formation. The two chandeliers above glittered like fairy lights. There was also a large open window looking into what seemed to be the kitchen, for those who wanted to watch the food being prepared by the head chef.

It was a bit small, yes, but it carried the feeling of cozy warmth, one someone could find inside an Indian household.

"Thank you for coming so promptly, students of Totsuki."

Megumi turned toward the man who had spoken. He was tall and well-built, almost like Senzaemon Nakiri, but had a kinder, less intimidating, look on his face. However, she still gulped before speaking. "The pleasure is all ours, sir. My name is—"

"Megumi Tadokoro. And you are Ryo Kurokiba."

The girl blinked. "How did you—"

The man chuckled, interrupting her. "My dear, I watched you and your partner perform splendidly during the Autumn Election. I must applaud you both on your individual takes on ramen. They both looked delicious. But enough of that. Let us finish the introductions. My name is Kazu Nishinoya."

Kurokiba raised a brow. "That's a very Japanese name for someone who's in charge of Indian food."

Nishinoya laughed. "It is, isn't it? Well, I'm actually just a second-generation owner. It was my father who built Bombay Sizzler. Speaking of family, the one who greeted you outside was my son."

Sure enough, the same young man who exuberantly dragged Megumi and Kurokiba inside shared the same eyes as Nishinoya. He grinned when he caught them staring. "Nice to meet ya. Name's Hiroaki."

Nishinoya smacked his son's head lightly. "Learn to be more polite, will you?"

Hiroaki simply smiled.

The elder man sighed before giving the two Totsuki students a mischievous look. "Now, then. We have exchanged pleasantries. It is time for us to get to know one another on a deeper level. One where we relate through cuisine."

Megumi bit her lip. "How do you propose we do that?"

Nishinoya's eyes sparkled. "How about a cook-off?"


Next chapter is when things really heat up. And I mean, literally XD