This is actually something I have pondered for a while. I think Niki and Mizusaba could get along pretty well in the kitchen, y'know. They're used to working with other chefs professionally. But the types of restaurants they've worked in are considerably different. Niki is at the ES staff cafeteria (maybe a rotating set menu) and Cafe Cinnamon (a seemingly more upscale cafe with a changing seasonal menu). Niki also has a role in designing the menu, so it's possible he is something of a head chef at Cinnamon. Mizusaba works at a family-owned restaurant in Okinawa that seems to be geared towards tourists. There could be regular menu changes, but I don't believe anything has implied that, nor that Mizusaba has any role in deciding what's on the menu. Different atmospheres, different clientele, different roles. So, I do wonder how that would affect their different views on cooking as a trade. Unfortunately, there's only so much I can say about Mizusaba's relationship to food and cooking that do not become backstory spoilers. So, as a general matter, I think Mizusaba and Niki would have a friendly relationship. But, I feel like they wouldn't become close. Cooking is the main thing they have to bond over, and although that's obviously very important to both of them, I can see the conversation fizzling out when Niki realizes Mizusaba's interests actually primarily lie elsewhere.