The three people were already tired, so they did not keep shopping after leaving Pantheon. Instead, Sayaka called the chauffeur, and he drove them to Saffron Garden.

Akira was a little interested in the restaurants in the local area. She had not discovered anything lately that excited her in the culinary world.

"Saffron Garden is one of the most popular restaurants," Sayaka told her. "Though the restaurant is vegetarian, their food is exceptional."

Akira nodded with genuine interest. Sayaka noticed that her daughter did not have her usual neutral facial expression, and she got excited.

"When the restaurant opened about four years ago, most people were a little sceptic about going there. Saffron Garden replaced an old and well-loved restaurant with the most exquisite local cuisine. The old master of the old establishment died after an illness. People thought that the two daughters or the son would continue the business. Instead, they sold the place at a high price and left Mountain Ridge." Sayaka continued.

"Running a restaurant is not an easy undertaking. It was probably the best decision." Akira said.

Sayaka smiled. "It was. Anyway, the buyer was a man in his thirties. He renovated the space a little bit and established a vegetarian restaurant for Indian cuisine. At first, the place was empty. People around here are not big fans of vegetarian food."

Akira nodded. It was hard to imagine that meat was not a core part of the local cuisine less than two centuries ago. Things had turned around quite quickly.

"I don't know how that man did it. One moment, there was no one coming to the place. The next moment, it became almost impossible to get a reservation." Sayaka sighed.

Akira felt some anticipation for the meal rising within her.

When the vehicle pulled into Saffron Garden, the three women alighted. Sayaka was beaming after the conversation while Akira had some slight excitement on her indifferent face. Hanae looked sullen because no one had paid attention to her through the drive.

Akira looked around as they entered the building. Based on her understanding of the regional architecture, the new owner had not made extensive changes in the entrance area except for refinishing the surfaces and changing the décor.

The beautiful building was made primarily using brown hardwood, which lent a warm and welcoming air. The lobby was filled with potted, luscious plants emanating mild, herb scents. The interior space was somewhat minimalistic in design instead of using more prominent traditional motifs.

"Mrs Yamazaki, we are glad to have you back." The receptionist in the lobby greeted Sayaka warmly.

"Hello, Tsumugi. How have you been?" Sayaka responded.

"Quite well. Your reservation is ready. Please wait a moment for your server."

A few moments later, a young man appeared in the lobby. He greeted them before leading them into the restaurant. The large open restaurant had a colour scheme of gold and orange against black, creating a sleek but warm atmosphere.

Akira was surprised. Based on the general appearance of the restaurant, she had expected private dining rooms.

"The original restaurant used to have private rooms, but the new owner did not like the concept. He changed the entire space for open dining." Sayaka noticed her confusion and was quick to fill in Akira without her prompting.

Once they sat down, the server provided beautiful menu booklets made of embossed golden paper. It was clear that the owner of Saffron Garden was a fan of classic restaurant dining.

Akira's eyes swept her eyes over the menu with a subtle smile before picking out her meals. She was not an indecisive person when it came to food. She did not consider herself a foodie, but she enjoyed good food any time an opportunity arose.

She was not sure about the quality of food in Saffron Garden, but the popularity did not often lie.

"Starter, paneer tikka, main course, sarson ka saag with makki ki roti, desert, gajar halwa." She spoke the words clearly, closed the menu and handed it back to the shocked server. "Thank you. I will also have a glass of cold still water."

The young man had never seen such a decisive diner in the restaurant. Moreover, it was a young lady. Most of the time, people, especially young women, would ask countless questions about the menu, serving sizes, the ingredients and the spice level.

It was also rare to see someone order their complete meal at once. Most people would pick starters and dawdle with choosing the rest.

"Akira, you are so quick to pick out your meals," Hanae said as if she was impressed. "As expected from someone who used to work in restaurants."

Sayaka looked at Hanae to see if she had said the words with evil intentions. Daiki had told her to be cautious with Hanae, but so far, she had not seen anything to warrant her concern. And as for the stair incident, she believed it was childish jealousy.

As expected, Sayaka did not see a hint of malice from Hanae. Her niece seemed genuinely impressed by Akira. However, she would need to talk to her about making such comments in the future.

It was not necessary to talk about Akira's past in the public.

The young server was shocked by the information since he assumed the young woman was a rich miss. However, it was now understandable why she could order her food with so much ease since she was one of them. The new details made her unimpressive.

In fact, she now seemed like a greedy girl taking advantage of her rich relatives to eat a lot at a classy restaurant.