I am the Entertainment Tycoon Chapter 1007: Crust and Comfort

Pedrarruna Manor, Elffire City.5:41 PM, Monday, May 31st.

Theo parked his car in the underground garage, bringing a long, highly satisfying day at the animation studio to a close. Because the restaurant was always closed on Mondays, he could fully enjoy his evening without any professional worries hanging over his head.

Usually, he spent his Monday nights working on drawing the manga editions for that month’s edition. He usually drew the main plots and panels himself, and he had the assistance of an exclusive team at the Fuji Jump, who drew the complementary and minor things. It was only with their help that Theo could draw two manga. Otherwise, he would have to take time from his other projects.

As it was the last day of the month, Theo had finalized June’s editions of Naruto and Maou-sama last week already, as the publishing house had to edit and fine-tune the story before sending the final version of the edition to the printing factory. And with the growing popularity of the Naruto manga, the factory had to start printing the copies at least one week before the edition release to handle the enormous demand from fans.

Tomorrow was June 1st, and every first day of the month was the day that the Fuji Jump released all of its manga monthly editions. This meant that the manga copies were already at the bookstores or in transit to them.

With all of that, this meant that Theo didn’t have to worry much about drawing the next edition of the mangas, as he had the whole month of June to do that. Plus, he had already assigned his assistant team to start drawing some plots for the July edition, so even if he didn’t draw that night, he wouldn’t fall behind schedule.

Theo climbed the stairs and arrived at the ground level of the manor; he found a house filled with the warm and waning light of the setting sun. Although his house was enormous, Theo and Aurora liked to have a cozy and comfortable house, so all the decorations made the place feel cozy even though it seemed fancy as well. After all, a house on the top of a hill with one side having the view of the sprawling hills of the Pedrarruna Forest, and the other side having the view of the vast urban Elffire City could only have a certain amount of coziness.

"Sylph, has Aurora arrived yet?" He asked his AI Butler.

"Master, Lady Aurora informed me that she would be leaving school around 6:00 PM due to ongoing Student Council matters," a melodic, fairy-like voice replied. Simultaneously, a stylized fairy avatar flickered to life on a nearby smart display.

Theo nodded, kicking off his outdoor shoes. "Where are Maya and Angel?"

"Maya and Angel are currently in the backyard hunting butterflies," Sylph answered, shifting the screen to display a live security feed of the two cats playfully chasing insects across the lawn.

Theo smiled warmly at the sight of the energetic black kitten and the senior white cat. Slipping into his indoor slippers, he headed up the main staircase toward his bedroom to change out of his work clothes.

Twenty minutes later, after a long, refreshing shower, Theo walked into the kitchen wearing comfortable loungewear. He was determined to prepare a memorable dinner for himself and his sister.

As the only family Aurora had left, Theo made it a point to cook nutritious, flavorful meals for her. Despite his incredibly hectic schedule, he carved out time every single day to handle the cooking, even waking up early to prepare the homemade bento boxes she took to school. As her older brother, Theo felt a profound responsibility to act as a parental figure. He would gladly delay milestones on his massive creative projects just to prioritize her needs. His singular, unshakeable wish was to ensure Aurora never felt alone or lacked someone to celebrate her achievements.

Lately, nothing brought him more joy than seeing how beautifully she had adapted to her new environment. Although she had been at Yukihime High School for less than a year, she had already formed a tight-knit circle of loyal friends like Vivian and the others. She had even run for the student council alongside them and won, and she was now thoroughly enjoying her role as the student council vice-president. Seeing her thrive and make the most of her youth gave Theo an immense sense of relief.

Theo opened the spacious pantry, which his AI butler, Sylph, always kept meticulously stocked with premium ingredients. He scanned the shelves, searching for something that would make Aurora drool with anticipation—a dish that carried a warm, comforting vibe.

Suddenly, inspiration struck. He realized it had been quite a while since he had baked a savory pie. As a nation co-founded by the legendary Pendragon Clan, the Sakurean kingdom possessed a rich culinary heritage heavily influenced by them, with pastries serving as a cornerstone of their traditional cuisine. Their late mother used to bake a classic steak pie that they both absolutely adored.

However, Theo deliberately avoided replicating that specific steak pie; he knew it would only make Aurora deeply nostalgic and sad, dredging up painful memories of their mother. Instead, he decided to pivot to another staple of traditional Sakurean comfort food.

"It’s decided," Theo murmured, nodding confidently as he began gathering the ingredients onto the marble countertop. "A creamy chicken and mushroom pie it is."

Theo began by arranging the fresh ingredients for the pastry base on the marble countertop. While some people resorted to pre-made, store-bought dough for convenience, he viewed that as an absolute culinary sin. To any true Sakurean, a proper pie demanded a crust made from scratch—anything less was pure sacrilege.

As the silver-haired chef began sifting the flour, Sylph’s melodic voice echoed through the kitchen. "Master, Driver Cristina has picked up Lady Aurora and is currently driving her back from school."

"Understood. Thank you, Sylph," Theo replied without breaking his rhythm.

He calculated the evening commute in his head. At this hour, navigating the traffic from Yukihime High School up to Pedrarruna Manor would take roughly fifteen minutes. It was the window of time that he would be able to prepare the dough for around 15 minutes before letting it chill for 30 minutes in the fridge. With a relaxed focus, he dove right into his prep work, determined to start preparing the pie filling as his little sister walked through the front door.

Theo moved with the practiced grace of a professional chef, working through the first crucial phase of his savory pie. He knew that the secret to a perfectly flaky, golden crust lay entirely in temperature control, so his movements were swift, calculated, and focused on keeping everything as cold as possible.

Instead of rushing, he began by carefully preparing his workspace, sifting premium flour and a touch of sea salt into a large ceramic bowl to ensure it was properly aerated. He pulled a block of unsalted butter directly from the coldest shelf of the refrigerator, slicing it into uniform cubes with rapid, precise knife strokes before preparing a separate glass of ice-cold water.

Dumping the solid butter cubes into the flour, Theo opted for the traditional hand method rather than a machine, which would generate too much friction heat. Using only his fingertips, he began quickly rubbing the fat into the dry ingredients, lifting the mixture high out of the bowl to let the cool kitchen air circulate through it. He maintained a steady, rhythmic pace, stopping the moment the yellow clumps vanished, and the texture resembled a coarse bed of breadcrumbs. Leaving those microscopic pockets of solid butter intact was essential; they would create the steam pockets responsible for the signature flaky layers later.

To bind the crumbly mixture, he lightly sprinkled the ice water over the top. He picked up a cold butter knife, using the flat of the blade to cut, turn, and bring the dough together smoothly without overworking the gluten, which would make the crust tough. Once the damp flour clumped, he gathered it gently with his hands, pressing the mass into a solid, flat disc rather than kneading it like bread. He wrapped the dough tightly in plastic wrap to seal in the vital moisture.

For him, when he was cooking, time seemed nonexistent, as 15 minutes passed without him even realizing.

Theo walked over to the refrigerator, sliding the wrapped pastry onto a chilled steel tray to rest and firm up. "Sylph, set a timer for thirty minutes," he directed.

"Timer set, Master," the AI butler confirmed instantly as a digital countdown flickered onto the kitchen’s smart hub.

With the pastry base safely chilling, Theo turned back to his clean marble workstation. He wiped down the surface and reached for a fresh wooden cutting board, seamlessly shifting his focus to preparing the savory chicken and mushroom filling while the dough rested.

He was so focused on his cooking that he only realized that 15 minutes had passed when Sylph announced that Aurora had already entered the property gates.