...
Suddenly not having to urge those little fillies onward, Lucian felt somewhat unaccustomed.
However, as the restaurant construction was completed, he began to grow busy, immersing himself in the restaurant's kitchen to study recipes.
The restaurant had no acting manager, so as the head chef, it fell to him to instruct the horse girls on what to do and how to do it.
Lucian stood at the restaurant entrance waiting, and the first horse girl to arrive was Rice Shower.
"Trainer-san~" Upon seeing Lucian, Rice Shower trotted over quickly. "I'm not late, am I?"
"No, you're the first one here."
"The first?"
"Mhm, there are others coming too." Lucian hadn't yet informed Rice Shower about the other waitresses.
"Okay." The thought of strangers being present immediately made Rice Shower a little nervous.
Before long, Meishou Doto arrived as well.
The two socially awkward girls weren't very familiar with each other, so upon meeting, they began frantically exchanging greetings.
"Hello..."
"Hello, hello!"
...
To an outsider, it might have looked like they were competing to see who could bow the lowest.
In the end, it was Lucian who stepped in to mediate—otherwise, who knew how long they would have kept bowing to each other. "Alright, alright, no more greetings."
The two horse girls stood shyly to the side, falling into silence.
Lucian pointed at Rice Shower and introduced her to Doto. "This is Rice Shower."
Then he pointed at Doto, turning to Rice Shower. "This is Meishou Doto."
Finally, he pointed at himself. "And I'm Lucian."
What a clever Malphite...
Doot doot arrives
"Trainer-san, I already know your name..." Rice Shower said softly.
"Mr. Lucian, I know too," Doto said, shrinking in on herself, her long legs bending inward slightly.
"Good that you know~ Alright, there are still two more horse girls who haven't arrived. Let's wait a bit longer."
...
After a while longer, Taiki Shuttle arrived.
"Nice to see you! Rice Shower, Doto, and Trainer Lu!" Taiki Shuttle greeted each of them in turn.
She had thought Lucian had only invited her, never expecting two other horse girls to be present.
"Shuttle-chan, you're almost late," Lucian said, shaking his phone slightly.
"Sorry, sorry, I took a bit longer in the bath," Taiki Shuttle replied, sticking out her tongue.
"There's still one more horse girl who hasn't arrived..." Lucian continued looking at his phone screen. "Doto, did she notify you last minute that she wasn't coming?"
"Huh? Let me check my phone... No, she didn't say anything," Doto replied, shaking her head.
"Then let's wait a little longer. If she still doesn't come, we'll just..."
Before Lucian could finish, a horse girl came running over.
"Sorry, sorry... I kept you all waiting!"
The girl wore a brown baseball cap and a loose, waist-length red jacket—though her impressive bust was more than enough to fill it out.
Her lower half was clad in women's athletic pants. Though simple in design, they perfectly outlined her well-proportioned and harmonious leg lines.
Despite her appearance resembling that of a girl-next-door type, her voice was unexpectedly contrasting—soft and slightly childlike.
She looked like she had just rushed back from outside, her chest heaving like waves as she panted for breath.
After catching her breath, before Doto could speak, she proactively introduced herself. "Nice to meet you all! I'm Ines Fujin!"
Lucian had heard of this horse girl before, but only in passing—he knew almost nothing else about her. "Hello, I'm your employer, Lucian."
With Lucian leading the way, the other horse girls also introduced themselves.
After the initial round of introductions, Lucian led the group inside the restaurant.
"Today, I'll need you all to clean up the storefront, and there are also some decorative stickers that'll need your help."
"Also... I'd like you to sample today's dishes. It'd be even better if you could give some feedback."
The second task was less of an assignment and more of a small treat Lucian had prepared for them.
"Doto, assign the tasks, and..." Lucian thought for a moment before his gaze settled on Rice Shower. "Rice Shower, you can come to the kitchen first to get familiar with things. Later, you'll need to learn how to introduce the dishes to customers."
After all, Rice Shower was his own horse girl, and Lucian had some personal motives in helping her overcome her social anxiety.
As for Doto... he'd see if he could recruit her into his team later.
...
The kitchen had long been cleaned by Lucian—otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to study recipes here over the past few days.
"Rice Shower, do you have any basic cooking skills?"
"Just a little."
"Then start by assisting me first. I'll explain things to you slowly." When it came to professional matters, Lucian became serious. "The first dishes served to guests are cold appetizers. I've prepared Crystal Frozen Shrimp, Wasabi Cuttlefish Balls, and Red Wine Poached Pears."
Lucian took out the three pre-prepared dishes from the fridge and placed them in front of Rice Shower.
"Wow—" Rice Shower's small mouth opened cutely, her eyes sparkling like little stars.
The shrimp truly lived up to their name, seemingly frozen inside cube-shaped ice blocks, reflecting a crystalline glow under the bright lights.
Slices of pear, all nearly identical in shape, were neatly arranged in the red wine, as if lounging comfortably in a warm, crimson hot spring.
As for the Wasabi Cuttlefish Balls... she didn't like those.
Rice Shower swallowed her saliva and looked at Lucian with pleading eyes.
So tasty... Can I eat it...?
"Go ahead and try," Lucian said, handing her a pair of chopsticks.
Rice Shower carefully picked up a piece and placed the entire shrimp into her mouth.
"So delicious!" She clacked the chopsticks down, cupping her cheeks with both hands as an intoxicated expression appeared on her face.
For a brief moment, she felt as though she were surfing on the back of a nimble shrimp amidst roaring ocean winds, the waves crashing against her like a cool, sweet summer drink.
Since it was a cold dish, Rice Shower didn't end up flushed and breathless after tasting it.
But when she raised her head, the bright lights resting on her face also revealed a faint haze of pink.
Opening her eyes, she saw Lucian smiling at her.
Realizing she had lost her composure, she immediately lowered her head in embarrassment.
But how could this be her fault...? Blame the trainer for making it too delicious.
"So? Can you describe the taste in more detail?"
"Delicious... Trainer-san is amazing." As for describing the taste... that was really asking too much of her.
"And then, and then..." Rice Shower clenched her small fists, thinking hard, but in the end, she could only squeeze out one more word: "Tasty."
"Alright then~" Lucian didn't press further. "But Rice Shower, we're not in class or training right now. You don't have to call me 'Trainer.'"
"Then how should I address you?" Rice Shower's gaze still didn't dare meet Lucian's.
"Let me think..." Lucian put on a thoughtful expression—the map of Yan was still a bit too long. "You can think of me as a friend. We're not that far apart in age—I'm just a little older... You can think of me as an older brother, too."
"Onii-chan?" Rice Shower tried calling out.
"This kind of address... I guess it's fine. Let's go with that."
Someone's heart was screaming in delight, but his face showed nothing but a "well, if I must" resignation.
Truly wanting to have his cake and eat it too.