My life in the underworld begins at the Takayanagi family!

"You two are thanking each other so much, but haven't you forgotten the person you should be thanking the most?"

Takayanagi Ichiro was somewhat dissatisfied. He had made many efforts, but he had not yet received the gratitude of both of them.

Of course, this was just a joke, because Ichiro Takayanagi has already received too much.

"Ichiro (elder brother), thank you."

Ran Mouri and Kaoru Takayanagi thanked Ichiro Takayanagi together, and then each of them gave Ichiro Takayanagi a big kiss on the cheek.

Since they were currently in the lobby on the first floor, it would be inappropriate for someone outside to suddenly come in and watch, so the two high school girls did not take any further action.

Moreover, Takayanagi Mitsuka's voice rang out from upstairs, calling the three of them up for dinner, so Takayanagi Ichiro took the two female high school students upstairs.

.................

Fried chicken shop.

Suzuka Ooki and Haruka Ooki have perfectly integrated into the Katsura family.

Suzuka Ooki has returned to school with Kotonoha Katsura. After school, she helps out at the fried chicken shop with her mother.

Katsura Manami advised Oki Suzuka that she didn't need to come over so frequently to help, since Oki Haruka was already working full-time here and she could handle many things on her own.

All they need to do is study hard and get into a good university in the future; that will be the best reward for them.

Suzuka Ooki didn't listen to Manami Katsura's advice at all, because after she ran away from home, this place gave her a sense of home.

They also provided her with a lot of protection, so she wanted to repay Katsura Manami and her family.

After finishing her busy work tonight, Katsura Manami began to persuade Oki Suzuka again.

"Lingxia, with your mother and me working here, there shouldn't be many problems."

You can focus on your studies from now on; there's absolutely no need for you to come and help anymore. Look, Kotoha and Kokoro didn't come either.

“Manami, I think it wouldn’t be a problem to ask Ningxia for more help.”

Because the changes she has made during this period are, in my opinion, far better than those of the previous ten years or so.

As for Kotoha, she has her own problems, so she's not really suited to help out in a place with so many people.

"They're a bit too young; we can't let them get involved in these things so early."

The person who refuted Katsura Manami was Oki Haruka, who had perfectly integrated into the family and the job.

Because Katsura Manami did many of the more important things by herself, she only needed to do some supplementary work on the side, which was not a very tiring job.

Furthermore, Haruka Oki knew that her daughter wasn't academically inclined, and even with Kotonoha Katsura's help, she probably wouldn't get into a good university.

So it's better to let her continue helping out in this shop; maybe she can start her own business in the future.

“Your thinking is wrong. It seems my advice won’t work. I’ll invite Mr. Takayanagi over to talk to you when I have time.”

Katsura Manami knew, of course, that Oki Suzuka and Oki Haruka were doing this for her sake, but she didn't want Oki Suzuka to give up university to do this job full-time.

Although the two families have merged into one family, their relationship is showing an increasingly positive trend.

However, her persuasion failed to change the minds of Suzuka and Haruka Oki, so she had no choice but to ask Ichiro Takayanagi to intervene.

Takayanagi Ichiro has a deep relationship with Oki Suzuka and Oki Haruka, and they will definitely listen to Takayanagi Ichiro's advice.

After hearing what Katsura Manami said, Oki Suzuka and Oki Haruka both showed joy on their faces, as they also hoped to meet Takayanagi Ichiro.

They actually had Takayanagi Ichiro's contact information, but they didn't intend to contact him, since they hadn't achieved anything here.

However, Katsura Manami is different from them. In addition to having a close relationship with Takayanagi Ichiro, Katsura Manami also owes Takayanagi Ichiro money and can invite him to come here at any time to observe the development of the shop.

"Wow, business here is pretty good."

Just then, two very beautiful women entered through the door, and their tone of voice was rather flirtatious.

Suzuka and Haruka thought that someone was coming to cause trouble again, so they subconsciously looked at Manami Katsura.

Seeing that her expression wasn't too bad, I felt much more relaxed.

"Chunxiang, Lingxia, you two go and rest first. I'll take care of them."

For Katsura Manami to say something like that, it's clear she knows the two women who came to her door.

"Aunt Manami, if anything goes wrong, you must ask us for help. We will ask Brother Takayanagi for help."

Before leaving, Suzuka Ooki gave Manami Katsura this advice, because she didn't want Manami Katsura or the fried chicken shop to get into a crisis.

This fried chicken shop deserves credit for bringing the two families together, and of course, the fried chicken shop needs to be preserved.

Katsura Manami did not give any response, only nodded slightly, and then Oki Suzuka was taken away by her mother, Oki Haruka.

Chapter 394 Manami, Let's Cooperate

"You not only renovated and reopened your business, but you also hired two people to help out. That's a huge improvement."

“Those two just now were obviously in a relationship, and one of them should be about the same age as Kotoha. How could you let a female high school student work for you?”

Having spoken rather casually, the two women didn't go inside the shop to find a seat, but instead went straight to Katsura Manami's side.

They not only knew that the fried chicken shop had been renovated and reopened, but they also noticed the relationship between Suzuka Oki and Haruka Oki, which shows that they care about Manami Katsura.

"Why don't you two manage your restaurant together, and instead come to my fried chicken shop to say such sarcastic things?"

Seeing Saionji Odori and Kiyoura Mai arrive at her fried chicken shop together, Katsura Manami wasn't too happy, after all, they used to be rivals.

Even after experiencing some setbacks, they did not start a business together, but instead split into two teams.

When they started their own businesses, they paid some attention to each other, but they never visited each other's shops to learn from each other.

Because doing so would be tantamount to admitting defeat to the other party and joining their ranks.

Now that Saionji Odori and Kiyoura Mai have come together, it's not that they intend to surrender; they're more likely here to see Katsura Manami make a fool of herself. Of course, Katsura Manami won't let them have their way.

Despite being called sarcastic by Katsura Manami, Saionji Odori and Kiyoura Mai weren't angry. Their gazes fell on Katsura Manami's chest, which was still the same size as before.

So many years have passed, and there's been no sign of sagging. It seems to be a truly gifted animal.

Of course, it's very likely that the man behind Katsura Manami is behind it all, which makes them a little envious.

Over the years, Saionji Odori and Kiyoura Mai have focused on building and managing their restaurant, which is why it has reached its current scale. They have no interest in finding any men.

However, this doesn't mean they don't have this need. Now that the restaurant is stable, and they've discovered that Katsura Manami, who was previously inferior to them, actually has a man supporting her, so they want to come and see who that man is.

The main reason is that their daughters have some interaction at school, but of course, the relationship between the two sides needs to change.

"We came here mainly to try your improved fried chicken, which we heard has undergone significant changes."

"The main reason is that we don't believe you can make such a change, so we came to confirm it in person. Are you afraid to accept the challenge?"

"Please wait a moment."

Since Saionji Odori and Kiyoura Mai came here to enjoy the delicious food, Katsura Manami wouldn't let them down.

They immediately relit the stove and started making the new fried chicken set meal for them.

Saionji Odori and Kiyoura Mai didn't have to wait long before two set meals were prepared and placed in front of them.

"Let's go sit over there."

Katsura Manami knew that Saionji Odori and Kiyoura Mai definitely had something to say to her, and it would be a little awkward for them to stay at the control panel, so she invited them to sit in the restaurant.

"Okay."

Saionji Odori and Kiyoura Mai, carrying fried chicken sets, followed Katsura Manami to a table and sat down.

................

"Lingxia, you don't need to worry about anything at all."

Those two people know Manami, and their relationship might even be deeper than ours.

Seeing her daughter's worried expression, Haruka Oki immediately tried to comfort her.

Seeing that her daughter was more worried about others, Haruka Oki wasn't angry, because she felt that Manami Katsura was worth it.

"What they just said sounds like they're here to cause trouble, but their way of getting along doesn't seem like they're adversaries. It's really a bit puzzling."

After finishing her sentence, Suzuka Ooki took out her phone and took several photos of Odori Saionji and Mai Kiyoura, intending to go back and ask Kotonoha Katsura if she knew these two women.

"Although our two families are now preparing to merge into one family, there are some things we should avoid getting involved in."

Haruka Oki knew her daughter Suzuka Oki quite well. She knew what Suzuka was going to do just by looking at her actions, so she gave her that reminder.

"Mom, I know my limits."

Suzuka Ooki nodded. Even if she knew that the two women had bad intentions towards Manami Katsura, she would not act on her own and would definitely ask Ichiro Takayanagi for help.

................

"Delicious!"

Although Saionji Odori and Kiyoura Mai came here to talk to Katsura Manami about some things, they also wanted to try the products from Katsura Manami's fried chicken shop after its reopening.

Knowing that Saionji Odori and Kiyoura Mai place great importance on body management, Katsura Manami didn't give them a very large portion of food.

The two women were very satisfied after finishing their meal, and then praised the deliciousness of the fried chicken set meal together.

The food was so delicious that the two of them ate it in a hurry, and now their faces are flushed.

“Manami, I still stand by my previous stance: this new fried chicken recipe wasn’t developed by you on your own.”

If you had that ability, you might have used this formula for making money and gaining fame from the very beginning, instead of waiting until now.

"Manami, our shop has been quite well-funded recently, and we're planning to open a branch."

If your fried chicken could be combined with ours, it would definitely be a synergistic effect.

Saionji Odori stuck to her previous opinion, believing that Katsura Manami would never come up with a way to improve fried chicken.

Kiyoura Mai, on the other hand, hopes to merge with Katsura Manami and their shop, as combining fried chicken with their store is a good idea.

“You’re absolutely right, this modified fried chicken recipe wasn’t my idea.”

And there are even more delicious things out there, but I just don't have the recipe for them.

Katsura Manami did not claim credit for herself, but she also did not directly implicate Takayanagi Ichiro.

"As for the merger you mentioned, I don't think it's time yet."