In crossover anime, who isn't a childhood friend?

Kendeqi is a prime example. In the era of the Great Depression, its low-cost and fast service, coupled with its signature hardware technology and unique delicious recipes, were the keys to its success.

Either you need to have a product gimmick.

In this regard, we must mention Owl Restaurant. This chain brand, which started in the last century, relied on its scantily clad, sweet and beautiful hot waitresses, coupled with continuous efforts in promotion, to break through the encirclement of its competitors and now has hundreds of branches all over the world.

Many consumers don't care much about product quality when they make a purchase, but rather enjoy the mental pleasure that comes with it.

They want better service, or perhaps they want inner satisfaction.

Among them, Hedilao and Xingbake have taken this aspect to the extreme.

The former emphasizes a friendly service attitude that would make even the most socially awkward person cringe; making guests feel at home is just the basics.

The latter, by leveraging the concept of "third space" proposed by social celebrities and through continuous marketing by the public relations department, gives people a very high-end feeling, firmly grasping the inner needs of urban women and office workers who want to experience a sense of superiority, and so on, who consider themselves elites.

Yuan Qianye looked at the success stories he had compiled and then silently compared them to his own small shop.

Some helpless.

All of the above obvious prerequisites for success were perfectly met by my own store.

It's okay in most aspects, but it doesn't have any outstanding features, so it seems quite ordinary.

That's very dangerous.

In the fast-paced and highly competitive city of Tokyo, an ordinary little bar that doesn't have anything particularly eye-catching can easily be crushed by its competitors.

The situation wasn't as optimistic as my father had hoped; the business couldn't improve significantly over time.

However, the skills I have mastered at this stage do not seem to offer much help in the current situation.

You can't exactly perform swordplay in front of a bar to attract customers, or offer a free portrait sketch for every certain amount spent on drinks.

Well, the latter seems promising, but I'm a student, I can't just stay in the shop forever...

We still need to think of other solutions.

"I am back."

Shihua's voice came from outside.

Yuan Qianye had been brainstorming for several hours, so it was a good time for him to take a break.

He walked out of the room and came to the entrance hall, where he saw Shihua sitting on the steps with her back to him, changing her shoes.

I casually took her schoolbag and put it in the living room. When I turned back, she was already in the kitchen and had put on her apron.

Are you cooking today?

Shihua opened the refrigerator: "Well, Mom has something to do today, and it has something to do with you."

"what happened?"

"Ms. Touma went to her mother's for a facial. They arranged to go to her father's shop together after her mother gets off work."

Shihua took out a bunch of ingredients and placed them on the worktable. Seeing that her sworn brother hadn't said anything for a while, she turned around and looked at him strangely.

He slightly raised his eyebrows, his expression inexplicably peculiar.

"what happened to you?"

"No, I just find it amazing."

Chiya explained that Saeko's father and Eriri's parents would be visiting the store that evening.

Shihua couldn't help but laugh: "It's quite a coincidence that they all happened on the same day."

Yuan Qianye picked up the celery and helped remove the tough, fibrous parts: "I'll go to the shop after we finish eating."

Shihua thought about it and agreed, since they were all his friends' parents.

After finishing her meal, Yuan Qianye left home at six o'clock. When she arrived at the store, Saeko's father was already there and chatting happily with her own father. The atmosphere seemed quite good.

Soft, soothing music played in the shop. Besides him, there was only one other customer: a young couple whispering sweet nothings to each other in a window seat away from the bar.

After meeting, Yuan Qianye greeted him politely.

When Busujima Daitaka saw him arrive, he seemed even happier.

Yuan Qianye stepped behind the bar, washed her hands, and began helping her father wipe the wine glasses while also joining the conversation between the two middle-aged men.

"Chiya, let me ask you, what are your goals for the future?" Busujima Dairyu suddenly asked this question.

Genji Sanada also turned his head to look at his son with concern. Come to think of it, he and his son had never had an in-depth conversation about life since they were children, and he also wanted to know the answer to this question.

"My life's ideal is to be like this in the future, where I, my family, and friends are all happy and carefree, and we always have a peaceful and tranquil happiness."

These perfectly reasonable words pleased Minamoto Sanada greatly.

But this surprised Dokushima Dairyu, who took a sip of his drink and tried to rephrase his words.

"Um, no, I mean, something grander, something far-reaching, what is your life's pursuit...?"

"Life pursuits... If possible, I hope to retire at thirty, so I can sleep in late and freely experience new things that I haven't experienced before."

Busujima Dairyu fell silent again. This time, he angrily finished his drink in one gulp and then asked Genji Sanada for another one.

He sighed, and for some reason, he drifted into a state of reminiscence.

“I started learning kendo at a very young age. Saeko’s grandfather, who is also my father, specially commissioned someone to make a small wooden sword for me so that I could swing it around and play with it whenever I had free time.”

And so, I first encountered Kendo at the age of three, began receiving formal and professional swordsmanship instruction at the age of five, began to show unparalleled talent at the age of seven, and officially began participating in children's Kendo competitions at the age of nine, winning the preliminary round.

As I grew older, I distinguished myself in various competitions, winning numerous awards. People at that time called me "the rising star of the Busujima family," "the strongest sword on earth," and "the hexagonal, supreme evil dragon."

Genjiro Sanada nodded in agreement, and Genjiro Chiya also exclaimed in admiration, "Mr. Busujima actually has this past story, that's really impressive."

Aside from the slightly embarrassing nickname, there are no other problems.

Dokushima Dairyu waved his hand slightly, not seeming to care: "Just a mere empty title."

That's not what he really wanted to say; these were just preludes for what he was about to say.

"Everyone thinks that I have won so many honors because I was born into a family of swordsmen, that I have the excellent bloodline of a famous swordsman, and that my professional father has given me meticulous guidance."

But they overlooked my love for Kendo! Every single day, I sweat profusely, persisting for decades without fail. Three hours of daily practice with bamboo and wooden swords is the norm.

I can say without exaggeration that the thing that has been by my side the longest is not my friends, not my family, but Kendo!

At this point, Tokushima Daiki's gaze softened.

"Later, I met my lover. She was in poor health and passed away when Saeko was very young. Since then, I have raised and taught her by myself. Following my beloved wife's last wishes, I hired a professional etiquette teacher for her, hoping that she can become an outstanding Yamato Nadeshiko in the future."

Saeko is very obedient and sensible. She follows the study schedule I set for her. However, after the study session, she doesn't run to the park to play with other children like other kids.

She preferred to come to the kendo dojo I ran, quietly watching me and the other students practice kendo. It was when she was eight years old that she formally asked me to teach her kendo. That was the first time she had ever formally asked me, her father, for such a request.

I agreed to her request, thinking that she, as a girl, would give up quickly because she couldn't endure the hardship. But to my surprise, she persevered and showed a talent that was even better than mine.

Even though her delicate palms became red and rough from daily practice, even peeling and becoming rough, she never gave up.

In terms of swordsmanship, she has an amazing ability to comprehend things, grasps them instantly, has strong perseverance, and possesses an excellent temperament.

It's no exaggeration to say that if I, at the same age as her, had faced her back then, I would undoubtedly have lost to her.

The reason I am able to outmaneuver her now is entirely due to my years of accumulated experience and my physical abilities as an adult, which far surpass hers.

In Kendo, a sport that emphasizes competitive combat, technique is certainly important, but physical fitness is also crucial. As a woman, Saeko is at a natural disadvantage in this regard.

If she were a boy, she would surely achieve even greater things than me, her future would be limitless… But unfortunately, there are no "ifs."

Dokushima Daiki's tone turned fanatical the next moment, pointing directly at Minamoto Chiya.

"But you, Yuan Qianye, you are different from us!"

Yuan Qianye subconsciously took a half step back. At this moment, how similar was the look in the eyes of Dokujima Dailong to those lecherous madmen when they saw young women!

"If Saeko and I are considered geniuses blessed by the god of swordsmanship, endowed with a certain talent for the way of the sword, then you are the chosen one whom the god of swordsmanship chases after and feeds you. What others strive for is within your grasp! Because you are the sword itself!"

No, this sounds really weird...

Gen Chiya blushed: "Uncle Busujima, you're exaggerating..."

"It's no exaggeration at all. From the time you first came into contact with Kendo until now, at most only one semester has passed. In such a short period of time, you went from a complete novice to winning the national championship."

Later on, she gradually gained the upper hand over Saeko, and even managed to go toe-to-toe with me. In recent times, she has made me lose more often than I win.

"But I'm a champion of the National Kendo Championships every year. Do you know what that means?"

This means that my "ghost brain" skill is indeed useful.

Yuan Qianye was somewhat helpless. Saeko said that her father was about to go abroad. Surely she couldn't be planning to try to adopt him as her godson before leaving?

At this moment, Sanada was also somewhat excited by Busujima Hiroki's words: "Mr. Busujima, is my son really that amazing?"

Dokushima Dairyu nodded vigorously: "I can say without exaggeration that if he could participate in the adult kendo competition now, he would be almost guaranteed to win a place, and there is even a 60 or 70% chance of him winning the championship directly."

Ah, this...

The old father glanced at his son beside him with mixed feelings. Seeing Mr. Busujima's serious expression, he understood that he was not flattering or exaggerating.

"Qianye, you are very talented, and your talent has reached an unbelievable level. Your uncle can see that your swordsmanship is still lacking in many areas, and there are some minor flaws in your swordsmanship due to a lack of training."

Even so, you can still use your physical abilities and reaction speed to make up for it when sparring with me or Saeko, and then find our weaknesses to defeat us in one fell swoop!

To put it simply, it's like... like you can anticipate our every move; it's truly incredible.

Hearing this, Gen Chiya also found it quite unbelievable that his own ability could be so accurately detected by Tokushima Dairyu. He truly lived up to his title as the strongest sword on earth.

"I'm sorry, I had a few too many drinks today, so I'm probably a bit too talkative. Chiya, I just hope you can seriously consider this. If you are dedicated to practicing kendo and want to make it your lifelong pursuit, then I can assure you, on behalf of the Busujima family, that your future will be bright."

Some things don't need to be said so explicitly; all three people present understood.

Dokushima Dairyu genuinely cherished talent and sincerely wanted to help and witness the rise of Minamoto Chiyo, this swordsmanship genius, as a senior.

But some things are better left unsaid.

His expectations are his own, but what Yuan Qianye thinks and pursues is his own business, and cannot be forced.

In short, do your best and leave the rest to fate.

"We've had enough to drink. I'll be leaving the country soon, and I have several old friends to visit, so I won't bother you any longer."

Dokujima Daitaka stood up and took out his wallet.

Genji Sanada quickly said no need, and that he would treat everyone to today's meal.