Chapter 1: New Home, New Surprises, New Restaurant
Hey everyone I'm back with a new story. Recently I've gotten into the Restaurant to Another World series and I wanted to find an interesting way to utilize it. Plus I love the Quintessential Quintuplets series and the new special that came out really inspired me. I hope you like what I have planned. Please Review and Enjoy.
We find ourselves in a beautiful small town in Japan, as we zoom in on a neighborhood.
"Riku! Riku wake up!" A female voice echoes.
In a room, we see a teenage boy wake up. He had medium-length wild light blue hair with dark green tips and green eyes. This was Riku Kanbara.
"I'm up mom!" He calls out.
Getting dressed in his school uniform he made his way down the stairs to see a woman with short blonde hair and a man with light blue hair bring out a few bags. These were Yuri and Kaito Kanbara, Riku's parents.
"Perfect, Riku can you help me finish breakfast before your siblings wake up?" Yuri asks.
"Sure Mom," Riku said walking over and giving her a kiss on the cheek.
In the kitchen, Riku was mixing the eggs, chopping up veggies, and prepping the soup.
"One of these days you are gonna make a very fine chef," Yuri said finishing the rice.
"I don't know Mom. I'm not sure the restaurant life is for me." Riku said.
"My brother owns a restaurant Riku and I helped him out with it when I was younger. Trust me when I say working there was magical." Yuri said.
"Really? What kind of restaurant did you work at?" Riku raised an eyebrow.
"A restaurant unlike any other. I bet if I gave him a call my brother would let you learn a few things." She offers.
"Yeah but then would stay to watch the little knuckleheads?" Riku smirks.
And on cue, two little kids came in. One was a girl around 10 years old with short blonde hair and a boy around 7 years old with messy black hair. These were Hina and Aichi. Riku's younger siblings.
"Ugh! This suitcase won't close." Kaito said trying to zip it up.
"Hang on Dad," Aichi said jumping on the bag and making it zip.
"Thanks, Aichi." Kaito chuckles.
"Oh, I'm gonna you 3 so much while we're gone," Yuri said giving the two little ones a hug.
"Do you two really have to go?" Hina asks.
"Yeah it's during Riku's birthday," Aichi said.
"I'm sorry but we have to. Your father is so worn out at his job and he needs me to help him." Yuri said.
"Don't worry it's only for a week. When we get back, we'll celebrate." Kaito assures.
"Cake and presents right?" Aichi asks.
"Of course." Yuri smiles making him cheer.
"Hey, it's my birthday. Not yours." Riku points out making them laugh.
Walking over, Yuri leaned next to her husband to whisper.
"You wrapped his gifts, right?" She whispered.
"Yeah, and I hid them away. We'll get them when we get back." He nods.
After breakfast, the three kids were saying goodbye to their parents.
"Now remember the rules while we're gone. You two have to do whatever Riku says until we get back." Kaito said.
"Yes, daddy." Hina and Aichi nod.
"We set some money aside in case you need more groceries," Yuri said.
"Yes, Mom." All three said.
"And Riku remember no girls over," Kaito smirks.
"Come on Dad." Riku blushes.
"Hey don't listen to him. Any girl would be lucky to land a man like our son. You wanna know why? Because you have the biggest heart I've ever seen. Not to mention you got brains and you know how to use them." Yuri said patting Riku on the cheeks.
"Thanks, Mom." Riku smiles.
"When you find a girl that makes your heart race. I want you to scoop her up and never let her go. No matter the girl." Yuri said.
"First I gotta find her," Riku said.
"Ooh Riku wants a girlfriend! Riku wants a girlfriend!" Both siblings chant.
"Knock it off." Riku glares making both their parents laugh.
"Don't worry Riku, the thing about girls is you often find the best ones when you least expect it. That's how I found your mother." Kaito said.
"And you never let me go since then." Yuri giggles giving him a kiss on the lips.
Chuckling Riku couldn't help but wonder when he would have something like that.
"Alright kids, give us a proper goodbye," Yuri said as their 3 kids gave them both a big hug and kiss goodbye.
"Bye!" All three waved as their parents got in the van and rode away.
Little did they know, that was the last time they would see them.
A few days later, Riku's eyes widened in horror as people in suits arrived at the house.
"There was an accident at the train station. I'm sorry, but your parents are dead." The man said.
Soon the funeral happened and as Riku hugged his siblings close, both cried as they held his arms.
"Mommy. Daddy." Aichi sobs as Hina holds him close.
Choking Riku held them close in a hug.
Afterward, the three of them returned home, their relatives said they would meet up later to figure out living arrangements.
Making his way up to their parent's room, Riku looked out at the empty bed and choked with tears coming down his eyes.
As he lays down on the bed, he closes his eyes and tries to look for some sign of his parents still there with them.
Rolling over a pillow falls off and lands in between the bed and the bedside table.
Reaching over, Riku grabs it when a small thud gets his attention.
Slowly climbing over, he sees the pillow had knocked something over, a present.
Examining it, Riku saw two wrapped gifts had been hidden in that spot.
Picking them up Riku saw they were both from him. One from his mom and one from his dad.
Sitting up, Riku looked at the gifts in disbelief.
Opening the one from his mother, Riku saw a note inside. "So no matter how old you get, you never forget what matters the most." Riku read aloud.
Looking at it, Riku saw 3 framed photos. One of them was on his 10th birthday and we see Riku smiling in front of the cake as Kaito held a young Aichi in his lap while Hina had chocolate icing on her face and Yuri was laughing. The second was their last family trip. They had gone up to the mountains and we see all of them wearing winter coats and smiling. And the final one was him with his parents and siblings when he got into High School holding his certificate and wearing his school uniform.
Sniffling a smile forms on Riku's face.
"Those were good days," Riku said.
Looking at his dad's gift, he read the note on it.
"I saw this on my last business trip. To help you always find your way if you feel lost." Riku read.
Opening it we see a black woven bracelet with a compass symbol on it.
Taking it out, Riku put it on his left arm.
"How is this supposed to help me find my way?" Lifting his arm up, as if he was using the compass, he heard something across the hall.
"Give it back Aichi!"
"No! I want to!"
Curious, Riku got up and followed the noise to see Hina and Aichi were in the kitchen but had cake mix and frosting all over each other.
"What are you two doing?" Riku asks.
"We were trying to make you a cake but we got into a fight over who could make the cake better," Aichi said.
"Why were you…wait is today?" Riku remembers.
"Happy Birthday Riku." Aichi said.
"Or at least what we were trying to do," Hina said.
Looking at his siblings, Riku was speechless. Even though they had just lost their parents they wanted to do something to cheer him up.
"Come here you guys," Riku said pulling them into a hug. "I know it's scary and I know it's sad without Mom and Dad here. But we're still together, right?"
"Yeah." Both nod.
"You know… Mom and Dad left me something and I think Mom would want you two to have these," Riku said handing them 2 out of the 3 pictures. "This way they'll always be with you."
Looking at the pictures, both of them chuckled and smiled at the happy memories.
Little did they know just outside the house, a figure was approaching it and knocked on the door.
"Uh hello! Is anyone here?" A male voice calls out.
Confused they made their way to the door to see a man with white skin, brown hair, with a beard and mustache. This was Tenma Yamagata.
"Wait, Uncle?" Riku asks making him smile.
"Wow look at you three. You've gotten so big." Tenma smiles walking over and giving the three of them a hug. "I'm sorry you all went through this. I was horrified to learn about what happened to my sister and her husband."
"Why weren't you at the funeral?" Hana asks.
"I'm sorry, but it took a while for me to close up shop. Had to take care of something important, but that doesn't matter what matters is I'm here now for you." Tenma assures.
"For however long until we're split up." Riku mumbles.
"Riku," Aichi said hating the idea.
"It's true I mean I'm almost an adult and these two are so young. Odds are they'll take them together but not me." Riku assumes.
Looking at his nephew, Tenma saw the hurt in his eyes.
"You know, your sister and I lost our parents in an accident too," Tenma said getting their attention. "If it wasn't for our grandparents taking us in. We might have been separated too."
"Really? Mom never said anything about that." Hina said.
"It's not a pleasant memory, but they gave us a home, and thanks to your great-grandfather I took over his restaurant. You kids don't know this but I made a promise to your mother. I promised when we lost our parents that I would always look out for her and her family. And I don't plan on breaking that promise. How would you three like to come live with me?" Tenma offers surprising them.
"You really want to?" Riku asks.
"Why don't we talk about this over cake? How about I show you two how to make one since you clearly need the help?" Tenma chuckles gesturing to the two younger siblings.
Leading them into the kitchen, Tenma instructed the three kids how to properly bake a cake, and needless to say they were impressed by their uncle's skills in the kitchen.
By the end, Riku was looking at a restaurant-quality cake with candles.
"Happy Birthday Riku!" All of them said.
"Now blow out the candles and make a wish." Tenma gestures.
Looking at the candles, Riku smiles softly. Even though this birthday started off as one of the worst somehow he was able to have it, just not with all the family members he had expected.
Pausing, Riku smiled at an idea and blew it out.
Soon they had moved in with their Uncle Tenma and they were beginning to adjust.
He owned a nice little restaurant called Nekoya and it definitely got a lot of customers when it was time to eat.
"Why is this place called Nekoya?" Aichi asks.
"Well when that old man was trying to come up with a name, he narrowed it down between the two things he loved the most: cats and dogs. Needless to say, cats won in the end." Tenma chuckles.
"I like it." Hina giggles.
"Yeah your mom did too. Now listen, because of the hours I work here you three will come here every day after school. I'll make sure a table or two is open, you'll do your homework, I'll make sure you're fed and then I'll take you home when I take my break. Since my home is just down the street it should be easy for any of you to find your way to and from. I might ask you kids to help out from time to time, but other than that if you join any clubs or find any new friends just let me know in advance." Tenma said before recalling another detail. "Oh and one more thing. Once a week, I'll need to stay here late and take care of some important things. During then you three will have to make do without me."
Curious the three of them had no idea what he meant by that.
"Hey uh any chance you show me how to cook some of your dishes? I've never done western before." Riku asks.
"Sure. I could always use a sous chef." Tenma smiles leading them inside.
A week had passed since their new lives began with their uncle and things were off to a good start, the three siblings followed their uncle's instructions and they were enrolled in their new schools, while his younger siblings enrolled in Elementary, Riku was enrolled in Asahiyama High.
Soon that special night came when once a week they had to go home by themselves.
As the clock read 11:30, Riku made sure Aichi and Hana were fast asleep before he made his way up to his room.
Opening up his bag, Riku gasped seeing something was missing.
"Oh no I forgot my notebook." Taking out his phone he dialed his uncle but it went straight to voicemail. "Dang it. Alright, he said he had to work late today so maybe I can get there quickly. Hopefully, no one took it."
Putting on a pair of dark grey jeans, a red shirt with long green sleeves, and blue sneakers, Riku locks the door and runs to Nekoya as fast as he can.
Opening the door, Riku saw the place was pitch black.
"Uncle Tenma! You here?" Riku calls out.
Looking around he noticed his notebook on the table nearby.
Smiling Riku walked over to take it when Tenma walked in from the back and was surprised to see him.
"Riku? What are you doing here?" Tenma gasps.
"I forgot my books and you weren't answering my calls," Riku said.
"You need to go, it's almost time," Tenma said grabbing Riku by the arm.
"Uncle, what's going on? Are you involved in like some mob stuff or something?" Riku assumes.
"Not even close. But I need to get you out of the restaurant. Now." Tenma said pushing him to the door.
However, once the clock struck midnight the restaurant began to glow.
"Oh no. Too late." Tenma realized.
"Uncle what's happening?!" Riku asks looking around confused.
However the glowing quickly died down and everything in the restaurant seemed to be okay.
Looking around, Riku was confused. Everything looked the same.
"What was that about?" Riku asks but Tenma just sighs.
"Well, nothing to do about it now. Come on, we better get ready." Tenma said gesturing to the kitchen.
"Ready for what?" Riku asks when the door opens behind him. "A customer? At this hour?" He mumbles. "Sorry we're close—"
But when he turns around he's surprised to see a girl with golden blonde hair in pigtails, bright green eyes, two goat horns on her head, and a waitress uniform. This was Aletta.
"Oh my. Who are you?" Aletta said surprised. "Sorry but we're not open yet."
However, Riku was too distracted by her little features, mainly the horns.
"Wow Uncle, so you run like an after-hours cosplay café? I didn't know you were into that." Riku said amused.
"It's not that either." Tenma shook his head.
"Master? Who is this human?" Aletta asks.
'Master?' Riku raised an eyebrow.
"It's what everyone in the restaurant calls me. Girls this is Riku, he's my nephew. Riku this is Aletta she works here as a waitress." Tenma introduces.
"Oh wow, I didn't know Master had a family," Aletta said greeting him.
"Yeah, a lot has happened recently," Riku said shaking her hand. "So uh how did you make these so detailed they almost look real?"
Reaching out Riku touches her horn expecting them to be fake but pricks his finger while Aletta winced.
"Please don't touch them," Aletta said while Riku looked at his finger in disbelief.
"Wait…that was sharp. T-Those are real?" Riku pauses.
Running to the door he swings it wide open.
Eyes widening, Riku saw that on the other side of the door, there was no longer a city or rather a large lush forest on the outskirts of a medieval-like city that had old stone buildings, a wall around it, and even a moat.
But the craziest part was the people around them. He saw people dressed like warriors, in elegant robes, he even saw some that were part lizard or part lion.
"WHAT THE F—" Before Riku could finish Tenma covers his mouth and grabs him from behind.
"Uh give me a second. I think my nephew needs my help real quick!" Tenma said bringing Riku to the back.
Pausing Aletta was unsure what to make of this.
"He's a little…different compared to Master," Aletta said confused.
Bringing him to the backroom, Tenma sits him down in a chair.
"Alright, Riku just breathe. Deep breaths. I'll explain everything once you calm the heck down." Tenma instructs as Riku did just that.
"What…the hell…is going on?" Riku pants.
"Alright long story short. Once a week at midnight, the door to Nekoya is open to another world and I make my dishes for them. Don't ask me how I gave up trying to figure out a long time ago. But these people are just like any other customers, I make them food, they enjoy it and I recently hired Aletta to work here at the restaurant. I get an extra had and she can make money since most businesses in her world won't hire her." Tenma explains.
"So you mean to say everything on the other side of that counter…" Riku gestures.
"Yep, real. Real elves, nobles, and everything in between. They all come here to enjoy a good meal." Tenma nods.
Pausing Riku put a hand to his head. He had a lot of theories of what his uncle would be doing but this wasn't even on the list.
"I'm not going to lie to you. This is insane. It's like I just jumped into a Fantasy Novel." Riku said.
Hearing this Tenma couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"Oh wow, I'm so glad my mental stability is amusing to you," Riku said sarcastically.
"No. No. It's not that it's…you reacted the same way your mother did when she found out about this." Tenma said surprising him.
"Wait. Mom knew about this place?" Riku said in disbelief.
Walking over to a wall, Tenma pulls off one of the pictures and hands it to him.
On it, we see his Uncle when he was younger alongside an old man with short white hair and a mustache, a chef's outfit, and a red scarf around his neck. And finally, we see his mother Yuri wearing a waitress outfit similar to Aletta's.
"I don't believe this," Riku said in disbelief.
"She loved working here almost as much as I did. Let me tell you, Aletta's good but your mom just added her own energy to this place." Tenma smiles.
Pausing Riku remembered what his mom told him about Nekoya. "A restaurant unlike any other." Riku smiles softly.
"I didn't want to tell you and your siblings just yet because you already had enough on your plates. You just lost your parents, you're still adjusting to your new home, not to mention I'm still learning the whole family at-home situation. A lot is happening and I didn't want to overwhelm you." Tenma explains.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. My reaction was definitely proof of that." Riku cringed.
"When your mom brought your dad here, he was so shocked he fainted on the spot," Tenma said making Riku chuckle.
"That sounds like dad." Riku said when Aletta peeks in.
"Uh Master, we got customers coming in." She calls out.
"I'll be right there. Start taking orders." Tenma said before turning to Riku. "I remember your mom telling me how good you were in the kitchen. I could always use an extra hand."
Hearing this Riku considered his options before standing up.
"Just try to keep your reactions to the customers to yourself. Remember we're being professional. If you find yourself too overwhelmed come right back in here." Tenma says quickly.
"Understood." Riku nods.
"Good. Then put this on." Grabbing a white chef's shirt and a black apron, Tenma tosses them to Riku.
Taking off his jacket, Riku puts the shirt on and the apron around his waist.
Moving onto the next tables, he ended up giving a warrior teriyaki chicken meal, a mage wanted the fried pork cutlet, an elderly man wanted curry rice and a man with a lion head wanted a pork cutlet rice bowl.
"No doubt about it, Terikyaki chicken pairs best with this white rice." The Warrior said.
"I don't think so. This pork loin cutlet is clearly what pairs the best with white rice." The mage said before taking a big drink of beer.
"Hardly. Curry rice is best! The truth is right there in the dish's name!" The elderly man said.
"Give me seconds! The answer is clearly the Pork Cutlet rice bowl! It can't exist without the rice!" The lion man said.
"Coming right up," Riku said making his way to the back.
"Uh, little help here." Looking over he saw Aletta had a few too many plates on her tray.
Walking over, he picks a few off.
"Which tables get these?" Riku asks.
"Those ones over there." She points.
Walking over, he saw a lizard man eagerly awaiting his dish.
Needless to say, Riku couldn't help but wonder how long it would take him to get used to it.
As he made his way back, Tenma looked at him.
"Try to keep a cool head and pace yourself. Otherwise, you won't make it to the end." He whispers.
Seeing he was right, Riku got the lion man another rice bowl but the arguing was starting to get worse.
"I have no time for your buffoonery!" The warrior said as the mage tried to take some of his food.
"But how am I supposed to see if it truly is the best if I can't taste it?" The mage asks when the elderly man took some of his cutlets. "Hey don't eat my food!"
"I could say the same to you!" The warrior snaps.
"Hey calm down guys. It's just food." Riku said trying to calm them down.
"Stay outta this!" Both said startling Riku but as a result, they dropped the chicken causing it to hit the floor.
Having enough the warrior stood up and was about to try his sword.
Seeing the challenge, all the other men in the restaurant stood up ready to fight as well.
Gulping in fear, Riku along with Aletta were unsure what to do while Red Queen just had unamused looks on her face.
Seeing this situation needed to be stopped, Tenma stepped out of the kitchen.
"Calm down gentleman. You're starting to get a little rowdy." Tenma calls out getting their attention. "I don't tolerate violence in my restaurant. So if you're gonna keep this up, I'll never cook for any of you again." He threatens.
And almost instantly the hostile energy in the room died down, sitting back in their seats all the men went back to eating just like that.
"Whoa," Riku said amazed by his uncle's skills.
As everyone finished their meals and left, things were a little slow allowing Riku to take a breather.
'Man how does Uncle do this every week?' Riku thought drinking a glass of water when the door opened.
Putting the glass down, Riku was surprised to see a beautiful voluptuous woman with long red hair, and two horns, wearing a revealing red dress and heels. This was Red Queen.
"Can I take your order?" Riku asks getting her attention.
"Hmm, you must be new. Tell Master I'll have my usual, Beef Stew. And bring this to him. Tell him to have more of the same." Red said handing him a large pot.
"Beef Stew. Coming right up." Riku said grabbing the pot.
As he made his way to the back, he couldn't help but be a little curious. This restaurant was serving pretty standard food for a restaurant like Nekoya but these people were enjoying it like it was the best food they had been given in forever.
"Here you go Riku," Tenma said handing him a plate of Beef Stew.
Sniffing it, Riku got a hint of a spicy aroma before handing it over to Red Queen.
"Excellent." She smiles taking a big bite.
As she enjoyed her meal, Riku couldn't help but wonder why she showed up so much later than the others.
When she finished eating, the Red Queen handed Riku a few gold coins.
"Tell the Master I'm ready for the rest." She insists.
Going to the back, Riku and his uncle work together to carry out a big pot full of beef stew but once they handed it to her, Red Queen picked it up all by herself.
"Farewell, I'll come again." She said leaving.
"I certainly look forward to it. See you next time." Tenma said closing the door.
Once the shift was over, Riku sat down catching his breath.
"First restaurant rush?" Aletta asks concerned.
"Yeah." Riku nods.
"You did good for your first time." She assures. "So what's it like being Master's family?"
"Uncle Temna? He seems to be pretty cool. When things looked bad he showed up and helped me and my little siblings. Made sure we had a home." Riku said.
"I know that feeling, Master truly is one of a kind," Aletta said.
"So uh Uncle you told me you had things a little rough when you two first met," Riku said making her frown.
"Yeah it's not a pretty story," Aletta said.
"I won't make you tell me if you don't want to, but I'll listen if it helps," Riku said.
Seeing how kind and sincere he was being Aletta sighed deciding to tell him a little bit.
"Most people fear me because of these," Aletta said gesturing to her horns. "And because of that, it was a struggle to find any job because they thought I was a monster, but what really hurt was that I also never got to meet any people or have any friends."
Hearing this, Riku couldn't help but feel bad for her. He didn't have any friends back home either.
"Well then how about I be your first friend?" Riku offers surprising her.
"Friends? You want to be my friend?" Aletta asks unsure if that's what he said.
"I mean you didn't have to help me get adjusted. It was really nice of you. I'd be happy to have a friend like you." Riku smiles.
Hearing this Aletta couldn't help but smile happily. She found a real job with Tenma and a real friend with Riku.
"So Riku will you be here next time?" Aletta asks making him freeze up.
"Uh…" Riku pauses. He didn't know how to answer that since he wasn't sure if he would make this a thing or not. "You know I really don't know. I mean today I've never worked on this side of the kitchen. It's a lot to handle. And the only cooking I've ever done is at home."
"Well you didn't half bad for a first-timer," Tenma said bringing out two plates. On it, we see 2 Katsudon bowls. "Here you go enjoy."
Seeing this Aletta smiled taking her bowl.
Pausing Riku looks at his uncle.
"You work hard, you get rewarded." Tenma nods giving it to him.
Smiling Riku took the bowl and when he took his first bite he sighed refreshed.
"Delicious. You have to teach me how to make it." Riku said.
"Sure, provided you make sure to keep your studies and don't sneak in here next time I do this," Tenma said.
Soon it was time to close up, as Aletta left Riku and Tenma ended up going back home.
Looking outside, he saw that only a few hours had gone by and it was nearing dawn.
"Insane," Riku said in disbelief while Tenma just yawned.
"Come on, let's go home," Tenma said.
"So this really happens every week?" Riku asks.
"Yep. You're lucky there's no school tomorrow or you'd probably fall asleep in class." Tenma said making Riku gulp at the very idea.
"Hey Uncle, how did you do that?" Riku asks.
"Do what?" Tenma asks.
"I mean those guys were ready to tear the restaurant apart, but you just stopped all of them instantly. It's like they were terrified of you." Riku said.
"Hmm, I wouldn't go that far. They just really enjoy my cooking to the point not being able to come back here is what's truly terrifying. Good food can do wonders to people of all shapes and sizes Riku." Tenma said.
"It was amazing. And you have some nice staff. They warmed up to me almost instantly." Riku said.
"Aletta's a kind girl, she's someone you can trust. I think you two would be good friends." Tenma said.
"Friends huh?" Riku pauses.
As Riku and Tenma made their way home, Tenma looked at his nephew. He hadn't really tried to make any friends at his new school yet. He needed a push.
Nekoya was definitely the right start to helping his nephew adjust, but it was small. Riku needed something else, something to help push him out of his comfort zone and meet new people.
Glancing down, Tenma noticed Riku's books in his hand and suddenly got an idea.
'Hmm Riku's a pretty smart kid, I wonder if anyone at his school could use a tutor?' Tenma thought.
Little did Tenma know in another part of the city we see someone else was moving into a new home too. Butt this one was in a fancy upscale building complex.
As the movers were carrying boxes inside, we see a man in a business suit take out his phone.
"Yeah it's me. The move was successful and I plan to have my daughters enroll in Asahiyama Academy soon. Oh and one more thing. Try to find me a tutor, preferably someone in their grade so they can get them ready for exams. I want them all to pass." He said before hanging up.
Glancing up at one of the windows high above, 5 silhouettes were moving around inside.
