Despite having angered Mr. Selvig, Cæ remained calm even. Mrs. Selvig tried calming her husband down with a concerned expression.

“Mr. Selvig, I understand that you are attached to the recipes,” Cæ began. “But if you give me a chance, I’d like to convince you of the merits of my reasoning.”

The man regained some composure due to Cæ’s calm tone and demeanor, yet the indignantly knit eyebrows remained furrowed as he folded his arms.

“The reasoning for my choice is rather simple,” Cæ explained with an erudite tone. “As you can see, the meat bun is the only dish that is closest to being prepared within fifteen minutes.”

He tapped on its bar graph, sitting at just slightly above fifteen minutes.

“Of all the dishes in the entirety of the menu of the restaurant, this dish is the only dish that can potentially fulfill the condition of being prepared within fifteen minutes,” Cæ continued. “And the easiest, simplest, most cost-effective, and most revenue-positive way of bringing it within the required timeframe is to get rid of all the other dishes and make this dish your one and only item.”

He turned towards Mr. Cæ with clear eyes. “By getting rid of all the other dishes, the time needed to prepare this one dish will reduce significantly due to a drastically reduced preparatory load which allows for greater preparations into this one dish. Furthermore, with just one dish, you can begin preparing it even before the orders come.”

There would only be one dish to order, after all.

This would drastically reduce the time needed to serve the dish to a customer that ordered the dish.

“By my estimates…” Cæ flipped the sheet to the next one that displayed a before-and-after preparatory timeframe. “The meat bun can potentially be prepared anywhere within five and seven minutes with the changes that I have proposed.”

Mrs. Selvig’s eyes lit up with a hint of optimism while Mr. Selvig stirred in his seat thoughtfully.

“Furthermore, if we are also able to supply special packaging that will make it convenient for our clients to eat it while moving without getting their hands dirty, then we will further increase the appeal of restaurant’s food,” Cæ explained as he highlighted several design concepts that he had worked on to convey an idea of what he had in mind.

“Those aren’t the only benefits,” Cæ continued, moving to the next page. “There are several other additional merits and benefits to this proposed plan such as…”

He tapped on several graphs and pie charts.

“…Lowered supplies costs, lowered labor costs, lower storage and inventory consumption, and lower food waste.”

This was something that was truly attractive to both Selvigs.

With revenue tanking and interest payments on their bad loan also sitting on top of all their other expenditures, the prospect of drastically cutting costs without compromising revenue was music to their ears.

“From the customer’s perspective, the diversity of the food on the menu is not a positive,” Cæ explained. “Your customer dynamics have changed. Ever since the flying magitrain system came in, your closest and greatest customer influx has been people traveling from the City of Colohen to other cities. These people are just looking for a quick and convenient meal.”

He flipped to the next page, which featured a report on the sales of real estate in the entire district.

“Many of the closest residential homes have been sold by their former owners when prices for real estate in this district spiked due to being close to the new flying magitrain system,” Cæ pointed out. “This means that many of your oldest regular customers are simply no longer around, as I’m sure you have noticed. Your consumer market dynamics have changed and you will need to change if you wish to remain competitive.”

His words truly struck a chord with them.

They might not have liked some of the changes that Cæ was proposing, but after having heard his clear and objective rationales for them, they could not deny that they were the most logical and rational options.

And yet, human beings were not rational creatures.

“Cæ…” Mr. Selvig shook his head. “There are some things I just can’t compromise on. These recipes… They mean a lot to me. They are the only thing I have left of my mother after I came back from the army.”

The man was a veteran who had spent several years serving in the Elendir military. He had lost his mother during that time period.

“Those dishes that you plan to scrap are dishes of love. They were recipes of my childhood, dishes that hold a dear place in my heart.” His tone grew melancholic. “I cannot replace all of them with something as trivial as a meat bun.”

A profound smile appeared on Cæ’s face.

“That trivial meat bun was my salvation.”

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Mr. Selvig’s eyes widened at his powerful words.

Cæ’s bittersweet smile deepened as his mind revisited an endless ocean of memories. “You probably never realized it, but that dish that you call trivial is one of the warmest memories I harbor after leaving the slums. I remember how you would prepare it for me often after I came to visit the store after school. I remember how much love you put into it just for me.”

Mr. Selvig’s expression softened as he recalled those old days. “Hmph, you remember something so insignificant…”

“It was everything to me. I still remember savoring the juicy and tasty flavors of the meat. I still remember how soft and warm the bun used to be.” Cæ closed his eyes as his powerful imagination manifested the dish and its taste in his mind. “That meat bun is not trivial, Mr. Selvig.”

He opened his eyes, directing a powerful gaze at the man. “It holds a special place in my heart. And it has the power to win over everybody who gives it a chance. All I’m asking is that you give it a chance.”

Mr. Selvig heaved a soft sigh, smiling at Cæ with a hint of resignation. “Since when did you gain such a silver tongue?”

Cæ smiled wryly, maintaining his silence.

Mr. Selvig sighed again. “Even if I agree to this plan, Cæ, we don’t have the capital needed to make such deep and sweeping changes in business strategy this late in the game. We are already on our final legs when it comes to this restaurant. We can’t take any more business loans, either. Not until we have paid off our existing obligations.”

That was indeed a stumbling block.

The fact of the matter was that everything needed magicapita. They simply didn’t have the money to change their business model much without eating deep into their retirement savings.

“Then…” Cæ’s voice grew more determined. “Let me take the loan. While I won’t be eligible to take a large amount, we won’t need a large amount for the changes that I have proposed, as not all of them require money. I should be able to secure enough to fully complete all the changes to the restaurant.”

This time it was Mrs. Selvig who objected. “Absolutely not! You are too young to be taking such debts on your shoulder for a business that isn’t even yours. We cannot allow you to undertake our financial burdens!”

Cæ smiled at her with heartfelt warmth. “You saved me when I needed it the most. Now, allow me to repay the favor to you.”

Mr. Selvig interjected before his wife could shoot him down again. “I am willing to accept on one condition.”

Cæ raised an eyebrow.

“You will gain half the ownership of the restaurant and half of the profits,” he declared.

Cæ’s eyes widened at that suggestion. “That’s too much!”

“No, it isn’t,” Mr. Selvig replied, smiling at him. “This restaurant is dying, and if your plan succeeds, then it will live only thanks to you. You will have given it a second life by investing your money into it. You will have gained moral rights to the outcomes of the restaurant. It is perfectly fair and just.”

Mrs. Selvig’s eyes lit up as she too realized that her husband’s suggestion was actually good. “I think… you are just right, Daren!”

Cæ stared at the elderly couple that gazed at him expectantly, breaking into yet another smile.

He didn’t know he could still feel such warmth after everything that had happened to him.

“Then, I accept your offer.” Cæ’s eyes grew determined. “I will apply for a business loan that will help us change this restaurant’s business strategy in return for partial ownership over the company.”

“Oh my dear boy… Welcome to the family business!” Mrs. Selvig pulled him in for a warm hug.

Cæ grinned. “Thank you for having me. I have no doubt that we will be able to revive the restaurant and make it a hit.”

He was truly enthusiastic about joining the Selvig restaurant as part owner. He hadn’t expected that Mr. Selvig would make such a fair counter-offer without batting down his offer, ensuring that it was a win-win.

What Cæ was doing was truly risky and dangerous, but he truly harbored a profound level of confidence in his plan. When he closed his eyes he could very vividly imagine the success as though he was experiencing it in the present.

Ever since he woke up in the hospital, his capacity for imagination had grown greater and greater, allowing him to picture anything he desired with astounding detail and clarity.

The more vividly he could picture them, the more certain he grew of them.

That was why he was extremely certain about the success of this restaurant that held a special place in his heart.

“Well.” His clear gray eyes opened, directing a determined gaze at the old couple. “If there’s nothing else, then let’s begin with this plan starting tomorrow.”

And they did.

The very next day, Cæ applied for a small business loan. The Selvigs even bumped his income up so that he would be eligible for a larger sum. A week later, his application was approved and he got his hands on a loan of five million leenars, which was most certainly a hefty lump sum of money.

And thus, Cæ was made partner in Selvig’s Ristorante while all those funds were immediately dumped into reshaping the business model. Cæ even began managing the supply chain of necessary ingredients, negotiating deals with suppliers to cancel existing supply contracts with agricultural suppliers for ingredients that were no longer necessary.

Simultaneously, he redirected the partial cash-backs that he was able to get and the loan funds to bumping supplies needed for mass-producing meat buns. They also commissioned the purchase of additional culinary magitechnology needed to increase the production of meat buns from the kitchen.

Additionally, they also commissioned artists and merchants to acquire the production of special meat bun wrappers that allowed them to be consumed without dirtying one’s hands or spilling food around.

They even commissioned posters and a new restaurant board featuring a light meat bun logo.

Naturally, this took time.

Time that they could just barely afford, thanks to the loan that Cæ had taken, keeping the place afloat despite their falling revenues. They needed to pay their waiters and waitresses, as well as their cooks, their salary in order to keep them around while the restaurant underwent its transformation.

The transformation was far from smooth, of course.

There were plenty of small complications that arose all the time. On the supply side, plenty of suppliers refused to cancel an existing contract. There were also delays from the artists making the billboards and posters and delays in the supplies of culinary magical artifacts that were needed to produce meat buns in a short amount of time.

And yet, not only did the original plan account for these complications, Cæ’s divergent thinking and imagination allowed him to overcome them with creative solutions, successfully overcoming every single roadblock.