Under the decision of Mr. C.B. and Maruzensky, that storefront was finally purchased.
They even bought the original kitchen equipment together with it.
Yet the opening date hadn't been decided, as it depended entirely on Mochizuki's situation.
And beyond that, there was still one more thing to confirm.
"So that's why you called us here?"
"If it's a tasting session, I don't think I have any special talent to offer…"
"It's just to see if it matches your tastes, because Yayoi-san, she…"
Chiyono O hesitated for a few seconds, then spoke again: "Although her cooking really is great, how should I put it—it seems she isn't very confident about grasping what suits the general public."
"So you're just looking for an Uma Musume perspective? Then there's no issue at all," Mejiro Ardan responded thoughtfully, pausing briefly before continuing, "But using our tastes as reference…"
"Oh, about that, Yayoi-san seems to plan on focusing only on a few dishes for the general palate. She doesn't seem interested in making too many varieties. After all, most Uma Musume don't have major differences in taste."
"That's true. Uma Musume generally share similar tastes, even though we each have our own preferences."
After giving her opinion, Yaeno Muteki turned to look at Chiyono O. "But that lady—is she living at Maruzen-senpai's place?"
"Yes, she is. Though I don't know why Maruzen-senpai took her in, that's not something we should pry into." Chiyono O paused slightly before adding, "I'm more worried about Yayoi-san's health."
Noticing the key phrase in her words, Mejiro Ardan glanced over: "Is Yayoi-san's health poor?"
"Yeah… Apparently, she wasn't even able to debut because of her health, and she had no choice but to give up on becoming an Uma Musume, despite her talent."
"I see… Then if this Yayoi-san plans to run a restaurant near Tracen Academy, it indeed makes sense for her to offer only a few selected dishes. Otherwise, the prep work alone would overwhelm her."
"That's why Yayoi-san prepared a few dishes for us to taste. All of them are basically main dishes."
As she spoke, Chiyono O glanced ahead.
Maruzensky's house was already within sight.
Seeing it again, a sense of happiness rose in Chiyono O's heart.
After all, to ensure her debut would go smoothly, she hadn't visited here for a long, long time.
So naturally, she was happy to finally see Tokai Natural again.
...
Inside the kitchen, Tokai Natural stared at the ingredients before her, trying to decide what to prepare.
Under normal circumstances, Tokai Natural would definitely choose Japanese or Eastern-style dishes more suited to the local palate.
But the restaurant they'd bought was a Western-style one, and there were no plans to turn it into a casual teishoku place.
Considering the utensils and tableware already in the restaurant, Western dishes were her only realistic choice.
Given that the majority of customers nearby would likely be Uma Musume, focusing on meat dishes would be better.
After all, with the huge training volume Uma Musume had every day, meat-based dishes would probably sell better.
As her thoughts drifted this way and that, Tokai Natural gazed at the various meats laid out, deep in contemplation.
If she focused on just one or two main dishes, her workload would decrease significantly.
Although preparations would still be substantial.
Still…
"Yayoi-san, we're back!"
Along with the sound of the door opening came Chiyono O's cheerful voice.
"Welcome back. Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
"Eh?"
Hearing the voice from the kitchen, Chiyono O paused in confusion.
"We need to decide on main dishes for the restaurant, so I bought a few different things to test out."
Peeking out from the kitchen, Tokai Natural looked at Chiyono O—
And noticed Yaeno Muteki and Mejiro Ardan standing just behind her.
"Hello, Yayoi-san. I'm Mejiro Ardan. Chiyono O invited us here as…taste testers." After a brief hesitation, Ardan finally found a suitable phrase to introduce her current role.
Standing next to Ardan, Yaeno Muteki also spoke politely: "I was also invited by Sakura-san. Please don't mind my intrusion."
Listening to their introductions, Tokai Natural just nodded gently.
"Please wait a moment. I'll prepare some tea first—what would you all like?"
"Simple tea is fine."
"Just a glass of water, please."
"Water."
Hearing their replies, Tokai Natural didn't say much else, quietly preparing each requested drink before returning to the kitchen. "As for main dishes, I'll prepare three varieties along with rice. You can try them all."
"Yayoi-san, let me help."
Chiyono O immediately stood up, stepping toward the kitchen.
But the moment she reached it, Tokai Natural pushed her gently back out, instructing her to stay with her classmates instead.
Seeing Chiyono O pushed out of the kitchen, Mejiro Ardan couldn't help but smile softly.
Chiyono O gave an embarrassed laugh in response.
Not long after, Tokai Natural emerged again, carefully placing a beautifully plated grilled fish in front of the trio.
"Grilled grouper with anchovy sauce. It's relatively simple to prepare. If served as a main dish, a whole fish would be pan-seared." Saying this, Tokai Natural watched them attentively. "How's the flavor?"
Looking at the grilled fish, neatly cut into three portions, Mejiro Ardan picked up her chopsticks first, taking the piece closest to her. "Such a beautiful color… If you placed this dish in a high-end restaurant, it would fit right in."
"No upscale restaurant would accept a mom as an apprentice chef," Tokai Natural joked lightly, then continued, "You don't have to give detailed evaluations. Just let me know whether the taste is suitable for the general Uma Musume palate."
Hearing this, Yaeno Muteki placed a piece of fish into her mouth.
Immediately, she was overwhelmed by the powerful flavor. It was so intensely delicious that even Yaeno Muteki, accustomed to simple and light food, couldn't react for a moment.
"It's a simple pairing, yet somehow it fully expresses every ingredient's quality. With cooking skills like these…" After swallowing a bite, Mejiro Ardan stood abruptly.
She looked directly at Tokai Natural: "Yayoi-san, have you considered working for the Mejiro family? I can assure you, the compensation would definitely satisfy you."
Stunned by this sudden proposal, Tokai Natural could only stare blankly. "Eh?"
"I, um—I still have a child to care for, so I couldn't possibly go work for the Mejiro family…"
"That wouldn't be a problem. You'd only need to handle dinner; someone else manages breakfast and lunch." As she spoke, Mejiro Ardan maintained her earnest gaze. "What do you think, Yayoi-san?"
At this, Tokai Natural hesitated again. She thought of two particular people—and, recalling their faces, she shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry. There are people important to me here, so…"
"Is that so…? Then perhaps you could become a guest chef for the Mejiro family?"
"A guest chef…" Seeing Ardan's sincere enthusiasm, Tokai Natural hesitated for a few seconds before finally responding, "Could I have some time to consider it?"
"Of course, no problem at all."
Watching Mejiro Ardan's unexpectedly enthusiastic behavior, Chiyono O quietly chewed her grilled fish, thoroughly confused as to why Ardan was acting so dramatically.
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T/N: lmao the title for this chapter is 'The Culprit Behind McQueen Becoming a Fat Horse Has Been Found!'