All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends-Chapter 194 - : Bringing the Hinatsuru Family Aboard Laplace’s Pirate Ship

Chapter 194: Bringing the Hinatsuru Family Aboard Laplace's Pirate Ship

"Sensei, how about you have some too?"

Yukima Azuma felt a bit unnatural being stared at by the cooking teacher, so he spoke up.

The cooking teacher, a woman who had entered middle age and was once hailed as a culinary genius but had since hit a wall in her progress, felt a little embarrassed upon hearing that.

After waving her hand to signal that it wasn't necessary, she withdrew her gaze.

Even so, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

This student named Yukima Azuma—

At the beginning of his studies, his cooking skills were still slightly below the level of a professional chef.

But after just half a semester, his culinary skills had made a breakthrough.

And now, this student had surpassed even her and was still advancing forward.

Even though she had once been a royal chef of Japan, a highly renowned figure in the country's culinary world, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy.

Indeed, people could not be measured equally.

The cooking teacher raised her head and looked at the ceiling.

Perhaps in another ten years, this student would reach an entirely new level.

By then, all she could do would be to watch from behind.

Ten years later, how old would he be?

Not even thirty.

Meanwhile, Yukima Azuma, who was plating his dish, had no idea what his instructor was thinking.

But if he did, he would probably just give an awkward laugh.

Because in reality, it had only taken him a year to reach this level.

[Notification: Your cooking skill has reached the maximum level.]

[Cooking (Lv7) → Cooking (Lv8).]

So when it came to talent, it was really unreliable.

It still all came down to grinding! Hard work could make up for shortcomings!

Grinding is eternal—grind, grind, and grind some more!

( ◡̀_◡́)ᕤ

"It's done, come and eat."

Yukima Azuma waved over the two salted fish—if they weren't causing trouble, they were helping out.

٩( ᐖ )人( ᐛ )و

Eriri had long been overwhelmed by the enticing aroma.

Hearing that the food was ready, she immediately pulled up a chair and sat down.

٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´-

Alya, too, caught the distinct fragrance of the dish.

At that moment, she couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.

(੭˃ᴗ˂)੭

"Itadakimasu!"

With that, Eriri picked up a piece of oden and put it into her mouth.

Immediately, she narrowed her eyes, her face brimming with delight.

(∩˃o˂∩)♡

Seeing Eriri's exaggerated expression, Alya couldn't help but think:

Could it really be that delicious?

No matter how good it is, it can't possibly make someone show a reaction like that.

With that thought, she picked up a piece of crispy fried shrimp tempura and took a bite.

The crispy shell crackled, while the shrimp inside was fresh and juicy.

A perfect explosion of flavor and texture burst across her tongue.

Alya, who was always known for her cold and aloof demeanor,

At this moment, the icy mask she wore completely melted away.

She unconsciously narrowed her eyes, placing her left hand lightly on her cheek in a classic "Ara ara~" pose.

Yummy~! This is beyond imagination!

( ∩´͈ ᐜ `͈∩)

It was the first time in her life she had tasted a dish crafted with such an extraordinary level of skill.

Her reaction was even more intense than Eriri's.

"Too good! If I can't eat this again in the future, life will be miserable! (Russian)"

"I love it! I really love it! How can someone be this amazing?! (Russian)"

Luckily, when rambling, Alya had the habit of speaking in Russian.

Otherwise, the reputation she had carefully built at school would have completely collapsed.

....

The next day.

Yukima Azuma requested a leave of absence.

Kirisu Mafuyu sighed helplessly.

Clearly, there were only two days left before the transfer to Shuchiin.

And yet, he was still taking a day off.

However, she knew that Yukima Azuma had important matters to handle, so she naturally approved his request.

On the way, she also stopped by Toyogasaki to pick up the custom-made Shuchiin uniform for him.

Meanwhile, after taking his leave, Yukima Azuma immediately headed to Laplace Corporation.

Currently, Laplace's smart furniture has officially hit the market.

And just as expected.

Even though its futuristic technology and humanized, personalized designs have garnered immense attention and praise,

For a product line like furniture—something that people don't replace frequently,

No matter how high the quality, the initial phase would bring in compliments rather than a flood of orders.

The best-selling product so far is the fully automatic smart washing machine.

Compared to the semi-automatic washing machines currently available,

A fully automatic washing machine has significant appeal.

In short, the future looks promising, but brand-building takes time.

The reason Yukima Azuma took a leave of absence today to visit Laplace Corporation was—

"Good morning, Hinatsuru-san."

Yukima Azuma greeted Hinatsuru Akina.

Hinatsuru Akina smiled and nodded.

As it turns out, no matter how rarely a woman smiles, when she meets someone she genuinely cherishes, she will still show a radiant smile.

"How has Ai-chan been doing lately?"

"Thank you for your concern, Yukima-sensei. She's doing well, but she keeps saying she misses her shishou very much."

The corner of Yukima Azuma's mouth twitched slightly.

That was a difficult statement to respond to.

After the summer vacation, Hinatsuru Ai had been taken back to the Hinatsuru household from Yukima's place.

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.

After all, she was still an elementary school student—she needed to focus on her studies.

Even though she had been taken back,

Yukima Azuma still vividly remembered the scene from the apprenticeship ceremony that day.

It was terrifying!

༼;´༎ຶ ۝ ༎ຶ༽

Even though Hinatsuru Akina had emphasized multiple times that the red kimono embroidered with gold thread Ai wore was merely ceremonial attire for the apprenticeship ritual.

"Ahem..." Yukima Azuma coughed lightly and quickly changed the subject. "Hinatsuru-san mentioned there was something to discuss today?"

Hearing him bring up the main topic,

Hinatsuru Akina withdrew her smile.

The head of the Hinatsuru family took a folder out of her handbag.

"First, take a look at this."

Yukima Azuma accepted the document and flipped it open.

It was a report on the Hinatsuru family's ryokan system.

Inside were detailed records of the number and locations of Hinatsuru ryokans across Japan, as well as overseas branches.

Along with that was data on the guest traffic at these ryokans.

This could be considered core information of the Hinatsuru family.

By all logic, he shouldn't have been allowed to see these documents.

After carefully reading through everything,

Yukima Azuma slid the folder back toward Hinatsuru Akina.

He couldn't help but be impressed.

As expected of Japan's number one ryokan chain.

Previously, he had tried estimating the number of ryokans the Hinatsuru family owned.

He had even intentionally set his estimates as high as possible.

Yet, the actual numbers still exceeded his expectations.

Moreover, the guest traffic was astonishing.

One had to remember that Japan's tourism industry was not at its peak right now.

Yet, Hinatsuru ryokans were still able to maintain such a large influx of guests.

They didn't rely on favorable market conditions—just their rock-solid reputation.

"What do you think?" Hinatsuru Akina asked.

Yukima Azuma didn't exaggerate in the slightest:

"Very impressive. The Hinatsuru name truly lives up to its reputation."

Facing his sincere praise,

Hinatsuru Akina simply smiled.

"Laplace Corporation is currently focusing on the furniture industry, correct?"

"Have you ever considered collaborating with Hinatsuru ryokan?"

As she spoke, Hinatsuru Akina carefully observed his reaction.

Yukima Azuma nodded calmly.

Of course, he had considered it.

If Laplace could collaborate with Hinatsuru ryokan,

Allowing their hotels to feature Laplace Corporation's furniture,

It would be the best real-world advertisement.

Hinatsuru ryokan would become a living, breathing showcase for the Laplace brand.

However, even though he had thought about it—

"But, at its current scale, Laplace Corporation isn't yet in a position to form an equal partnership with Hinatsuru ryokan."

"It may take more time, but Laplace Corporation won't stop at just furniture."

"That's why I haven't approached Hinatsuru-san yet. I didn't expect Hinatsuru-san to come looking for me first."

Yukima Azuma spoke his thoughts candidly.

Even though he was Hinatsuru Ai's shishou,

Business was business—he couldn't mix the two.

Teaching Hinatsuru Ai was one thing, but collaborating with the Hinatsuru family was an entirely different matter.

At this stage, if he wanted to partner with the Hinatsuru family,

There were only two possibilities:

One, Hinatsuru Ryokan would have to make concessions out of goodwill.

Two, Laplace Corporation would have to pay an equivalent price.

Before next year, Laplace Corporation still had more pressing financial priorities.

Hearing Yukima Azuma's words, Hinatsuru Akina couldn't help but feel astonished once again.

Was this young man in front of her really just in his teens?

Could it be that her daughter had a better eye for people than she herself did?

After taking a moment to sigh inwardly, Hinatsuru Akina didn't beat around the bush anymore.

"I want to purchase a batch of furniture from Laplace Corporation to replace those in Hinatsuru Ryokan's branches nationwide."

"President Yukima, name your price."

(note: Akina changed the way she addressed the MC when discussing work)

With that statement, she pushed the decision entirely into Yukima Azuma's hands.

Would he bring the Hinatsuru family onto Laplace Corporation's ship or not?

If he didn't plan to, he could simply offer a low price.

Even so, Hinatsuru Akina would still help with promotion—considering it a goodwill investment in Yukima Azuma.

But if he wanted to pull them in...

"Yukino, I need you for a moment."

Yukima Azuma picked up the office phone and used the internal line to call Yukino's office.

Not long after—

Yukinoshita Yukino entered, carrying a contract.

"This is the director of Laplace Corporation's Japan branch, Yukinoshita Yukino."

"And this is Hinatsuru Akina of Hinatsuru Ryokan. Yukino, hand the contract directly to Hinatsuru-san."

Yukino shook hands with Hinatsuru Akina.

Then, she handed over the contract in her hands.

Hinatsuru Akina took it and began reviewing it.

It was a pre-prepared contract.

A transaction between Laplace Corporation and the Hinatsuru family.

A straightforward sales agreement.

The Hinatsuru family would invest a large sum of money.

In return, they would acquire a significant amount of furniture from Laplace Corporation—along with a portion of shares.

After reading the contract, Hinatsuru Akina signed it without hesitation, feeling a surge of admiration.

It seemed that from the moment she mentioned visiting Laplace Corporation—

This young man had already predicted why she was coming.

He had even foreseen how things would unfold.

As for refusing—

The thought never crossed her mind.

She held great confidence in Yukima Azuma's future and that of Laplace Corporation.

This was a high-potential stock that countless people wanted to invest in but had no way in. There was no reason to refuse.

Ever since Laplace Corporation had risen in strength, many had come carrying money, hoping to buy shares in the company.

But up to this point—

Aside from the majority stake still firmly in Yukima Azuma's hands...

Only three small portions had been transferred:

One, promised early on, was given to Hayasaka Nao.

One was given to Eriri, when the Sawamura family joined.

And the last portion was the one just sold to the Hinatsuru family.

With this contract signed, Hinatsuru Akina would naturally commit her full support to Yukima Azuma.

In terms of scale, there was still a gap between their businesses.

But as for who stood to benefit more—it was too early to say.

After signing the contract—

As an ally, Hinatsuru Akina made a suggestion:

"President Yukima, have you ever interacted with the person in charge of Hyakubami Daily?"

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