Chapter 217: 520,000,000 Yen!
Ryohei Tanaka, driving the SUV, arrived at the entrance of Yukimi Ranch in less than a minute. The ranch owner, Takeshi Akino, was already waiting at the gate.
The owner looked quite old. His bronze-tanned face was etched with wrinkles, and his hair was more gray than black. He was slightly hunched, but his eyes were bright and full of spirit. He wore a faded work uniform that carried the scent of hay and earth.
"Konnichiwa, I am Yurine Hanazono, the one who contacted you earlier!" Yurine stepped forward, clasped her hands, and bowed politely, introducing herself. Since it was an official business, she wasn't wearing her usual eyepatch. She had also changed her twintails for a more mature hairstyle, with a single, reddish-brown ponytail draped over her right shoulder, making her look elegant and composed.
After her introduction, Yurine turned and introduced her companions. "This is my boyfriend, Ryohei Tanaka, and our friend, Lucoa!"
'So young... and two foreigners...' A trace of surprise appeared on Takeshi Akino's face. His gaze lingered on Ryohei and Lucoa for a moment before he bowed politely in return. "I am Takeshi Akino, the owner of Yukimi Ranch! Why don't you come to my house for a bit? You can try some of our ranch's specialties."
"No, thank you. We'd prefer it if you could show us around the ranch first, and then we can discuss the acquisition," Yurine said, getting straight to the point.
"That works." The old man smiled heartily and gestured to a nearby utility vehicle—a Honda Pioneer. "Please, take my car. I'll give you the tour."
Yukimi Ranch was a small-to-medium-sized ranch, but its land area was substantial at 20 hectares (about 49.4 acres, or the size of 28 standard soccer fields). Although a large portion of it was mountainous, the remaining area was still significant. Touring it on foot would be time-consuming and exhausting; a vehicle was much more convenient.
"Okay," the group agreed, walking over and getting into the UTV.
As Ryohei took the passenger seat, subtly exuding an air of being the one in charge, Takeshi couldn't help but wonder if Ryohei was the real buyer.
He started the vehicle and began to talk as he drove.
Yukimi Ranch was his family's ancestral property, which they owned outright. It had been passed down for three generations. Unfortunately, none of his children wanted to take over the business, and he and his wife were getting too old to manage it. That was why they had listed it for sale online. Ryohei's group was not the first to inquire about buying it.
...
While chatting, Takeshi drove to the front of a cattle barn. He parked, got out, and led them inside while explaining, "This is the dairy barn. It's 24 meters long, 10 meters wide, and 3.8 meters high. It has one rest area, 30 free stalls, three calving pens, and one milking parlor. It's equipped with an automated feeding system and an automatic manure scraper..."
Takeshi demonstrated how to use the automated systems. According to him, if the cows weren't grazing, they needed to be fed three times a day, and the manure scraped twice—once in the morning and once in the evening.
Even so, the barn had a distinct smell. It wasn't overwhelmingly foul, but it was certainly unpleasant. Ryohei wasn't bothered. He had already consulted Lucoa, who said she could set up a purification magic circle in the barn. A single purification spell after the scraping, and the barn would be clean enough to sleep in.
"Are they not grazing today?" Yurine asked, looking at the cows in the stalls.
"Yes, I kept them in to make it easier for you to confirm the number of cows and their condition," Takeshi nodded. He then gave them a detailed breakdown of the herd. "These 5 are still heifers, between 5 and 10 months old. Those 2 are bulls for breeding. These 7 are pregnant... and these 16 are lactating. They are the main source of our milk production."
Each cow had a yellow electronic tag in its ear, recording all its data since birth.
...
After inspecting the 30 Holstein cows, the group moved to the milking parlor at the end of the barn, which could milk six cows at once. Takeshi showed them how to use the equipment.
Next, they visited the adjacent feed silo, checked the feed reserves, and then went to another barn, this one for the Japanese Black (Kuroge Wagyu) cattle.
Once they had finished touring the barns, they drove up the mountain to the blueberry orchard. It was the peak of the blueberry season, and a rich, fruity fragrance filled the air. Takeshi cheerfully handed each of them a basket, insisting they pick as many as they liked. Ryohei tried to politely decline but failed, so he, Yurine, and Lucoa picked a few.
Afterward, they went to see the hot spring, and finally, they drove to the villa at the top of the mountain. The wooden lodge was cleverly built into the mountainside. Standing on the clearing in front of it, you could see the entire ranch spread out below. The view was incredibly expansive.
Ryohei got out of the vehicle and couldn't help but admire the scenery for a moment before following Takeshi inside.
Takeshi's wife, Kyoko Akino—an energetic-looking elderly woman—was already waiting in the living room with tea prepared.
Ryohei and Yurine exchanged pleasantries with her before getting down to business with the elderly couple. Ryohei was, without a doubt, very satisfied with Yukimi Ranch. He just felt the asking price was a bit inflated.
...
After nearly half an hour of negotiation, both sides reached an agreement.
Ryohei Tanaka successfully acquired Yukimi Ranch for the price of five hundred and twenty million yen ($520,000,000$).
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