The scene shifts to the research room of the exclusive restaurant, where Soji is conducting his experiments on the herb he's been using to treat his stomach pains. Soji's assistant, akasaka, enters the room, and Soji asks him if he'd like to use the herb on his body. He says that he doesn't want to use it on his own body, but that it would be a shame for him to waste it on other people's bodies. He asks Soji if he can lend his hand to the students at the school, but Soji says that it's better to teach them how to do it on their own, since they'll be able to learn more about it later on. He tells Soji to sit down and enjoy the dinner, and then he goes on to rant about how he'll never be a great chef, and that he can't believe that Soji has made such a great restaurant. So he tells Soja that he used to be a friend of Soji when they were in high school, and they got along well, and so they got after each other and opened a restaurant together.