Manager Fu sat in his office behind his desk, holding a piece of paper with glasses perched on his nose. A frown creased his face as he struggled to focus on reading the document.
"D*mn it! What's taking him so long?!" Manager Fu cursed, slamming the paper down on the table. He stood up and walked to the window, looking across the street at the restaurant where the line had already surpassed theirs. "What's happening over there?!"
As he fumed with anger, considering whether to go to the Filly Restaurant himself, the door opened, and he saw Alek walking out.
"There he is!" For a moment, Manager Fu thought he saw a satisfied smile on his assistant's face before it quickly disappeared. Because of the distance, the manager wasn't sure if he was imagining things. "Let's see what he has to say."
He went back to his chair and pretended to be engrossed in his work.
It didn't take long for a knock to come at the door.
"Come in," Manager Fu shouted, and his assistant walked inside. Putting down the paper, he looked up and raised an eyebrow at Alek. "What took you so long?"
Hearing the cold tone, Alek visibly tensed up. "M-my apologies! But I was too engrossed in investigating and did my best to learn everything about that restaurant!"
"Oh?" Manager Fu put down his glasses. "Tell me what you have found out."
This was the important matter at hand, and the manager stared at his assistant intently.
"They—" Alek hesitated, unsure whether to tell the truth or not. If he told the truth, Manager Fu would definitely get angry at him for taking so much time eating all the food across the street. It would be disrespectful to Skyline and the manager himself. But if he didn't tell the truth... It didn't take him long to decide. "They've done something."
"No sh*t, of course, I know that," Manager Fu said, starting to get annoyed.
"It's about their food," Alek hurriedly said. "It's... it's..."
"It's what? Don't beat around the bush and just hurry up!" Manager Fu shouted.
"It's a lot better than ours," Alek explained, looking away with a guilty expression.
Hearing this, Manager Fu looked at his assistant in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said. The quality of their food has already surpassed ours," Alek said, staring back at the manager.
"That's impossible! Skyline is the only meat distributor in the city! And even if they managed to find some outside, the city wouldn't let them get it through!" Manager Fu said, a frown appearing on his face.
"I know," Alek nodded, then shook his head. "They're not using high-quality monster meat like ours, but the way they cook it is entirely different."
Hearing this, Manager Fu's eyes shone with understanding. "A new cooking method?"
"Perhaps. I couldn't get close to the kitchen. There's a small window, but it wasn't enough to see everything," Alek said. He also suspected this might be the case, but that could only explain the Filly's menu item, 'Meat Cooked in Oil,' not the other dishes. "And I don't think it's that simple."
"Tell me," Manager Fu said, more curious than ever. The line in front of the Filly Restaurant was long, longer than theirs. It had reached the point where some of their customers had decided to join the opponent's line.
"They have other dishes—different and something I've never seen before," Alek explained, and just thinking about it made him crave the food again.
"A new dish?" Manager Fu raised an eyebrow.
Manager Fu put a hand under his chin. "Hmm, it's impossible for them to have created something new."
"If they had, they would have released it long ago," Manager Fu smirked, though it immediately disappeared. "Tell me more, this time with more detail."
Alek recalled the investigation he had done, especially the taste and appearance of the new dishes he had eaten.
"So that's the reason why it took you so long?!" Manager Fu slapped his assistant's head, causing a resounding sound to echo in the room.
"M-my apologies!" Alek said.
"You just helped them gain more sales!" Manager Fu said angrily.
"I couldn't help it," Alek replied with a bitter smile. "It was just too good."
"And you even have the guts to say that!" Manager Fu raised his hand and started smacking his assistant's head once more.
After the two of them calmed down, Manager Fu went back to his seat.
"Let's think of a plan," Manager Fu said. "Clearly, this new dish is the reason why that little girl's restaurant is gaining traction. Although we don't know where it came from, it's clear as day that our branch is losing."
"So what do you want to do? I've tried making a scene… but their eyes… I couldn't stand it," Alek said, his face turning red from embarrassment as he recalled making a scene inside the Filly Restaurant.
"You still lack the guts," Manager Fu sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "In this situation, we've already let them take our legs. We have to fight back."
"But before that, I will have to personally see our enemies," Manager Fu said.
"But I've already done that!"
"Fool, what you just told me isn't enough! Besides, I am the one who's making the plan, and I need to personally experience what you just described!" Manager Fu said, standing up and walking towards the door.
Twenty to thirty minutes later.
Manager Fu stood in line outside the Filly Restaurant. Hearing the voices of anticipation and excitement from the other people waiting, he couldn't help but become more curious.
Apparently, some of them had been here yesterday, or this morning, and it was already nearing evening, yet they were back again.
They have regulars who are willing to eat three times a day? It seems like what Alek described is true. The new dish must be that delicious.
Actually, when he first heard the description, he couldn't believe it, but as Alek recalled his experience in more detail, Manager Fu began to crave these new dishes himself.
Now, Manager Fu was wearing simple clothing that might make one think he was a commoner. Although a bit uncomfortable, he decided to wear this outfit for the sake of the secret investigation.
He had to wait for at least forty minutes before it was his turn.
Ah, finally! He almost lost his patience. Letting out a sigh of relief, he entered the restaurant. But the moment he took a step inside, someone blocked his path.
"Sorry, you can't enter this restaurant," Ned said.
"Wait, why?!" Manager Fu frowned. "I have been waiting for forty minutes! You can't just say that!"
"Aren't you the manager of the Skyline branch?" Ned asked, his eyes turning cold. "There's no way we wouldn't recognize our own enemy."