The moment Kagura returned, naturally, her first stop was Tracen's cafeteria. After all, she'd arrived just in time for dinner, though she wasn't sure if Rudolf and the others had finished their training yet.
When she stepped through the cafeteria doors—before she even got inside—Kagura immediately saw Akikawa Yayoi, Maruzensky, and further off, Nice Nature, all sitting at a table on the right side. They looked like they were waiting for food, but from their expressions, it seemed like their spirits weren't particularly high.
"Hi, good evening. What's going on here…?"
"That voice... It's Kagura!! Kagura's back!!"
Nice Nature, whose excellent hearing and position closer to the outside made her first to notice, instantly perked her ears and turned her head. Spotting Kagura approaching, the others at the table simultaneously wore expressions of relief as if they'd seen their savior appear. Kagura, having just returned and utterly clueless about the situation, felt deeply confused.
"Wait, can someone explain what's happening here? Why do you all look like that??"
"The kitchen! Kagura-chan, just look in the kitchen! You're the only one who can stop her!"
Akikawa Yayoi jumped up, urgently pointing toward the kitchen Kagura usually borrowed. Following Akikawa-sama's finger, Kagura looked over—and saw someone completely unexpected inside:
"Huh? Ojou-sama??"
Kagura didn't know if this counted as a "gap moe" moment or what, but seeing Symboli Rudolf wearing an apron and actively cooking in the kitchen left her with an indescribably odd feeling.
"You have no idea, Rudolf has been totally off today! When I went to the office this morning, I heard her mumbling stuff like, 'Rudolf, Rudolf, you can't be useless like this anymore. Even without Kagura, you can surely do it yourself! You can cook even better than Kagura!' I thought she was just talking to herself, but guess what? At noon, she actually dragged me over to taste-test her cooking!"
"And… then what happened?"
"I was a fool, seriously. I thought, given Rudolf's elite education, her cooking skills must be decent. But I completely forgot she hasn't stepped foot in a kitchen for years…"
Maruzensky's face was filled with regret and resignation, completely drained of life. Beside her, Nice Nature wore an equally helpless, bitter smile:
"Actually, it wasn't exactly terrible… Just, compared to Kagura-chan's cooking, it's… well…"
Rudolf's cooking skills truly weren't bad. From what Kagura saw on display, the food looked fairly decent—at least, by normal people's standards. But if Kagura herself was the standard, Rudolf's dishes definitely wouldn't make the cut…
"Ojou-sama! Please just sit down! Leave it to me—"
"No! I have to regain my rhythm! Even if you're not around, Kagura, I can definitely cook well!"
It seemed Rudolf had firmly made up her mind today. Kagura realized that her efforts alone wouldn't be enough to drag her out of there.
…
An hour later, Akikawa-sama and the others finally got to taste Rudolf's personally prepared dinner. Rudolf, meanwhile, sat to the side with a bitter, defeated look, staring at the fork and knife in her hands and the meal in front of her, deeply questioning life.
Just as Nature had mentioned, Rudolf's cooking wasn't truly inedible, but it certainly wasn't particularly good either. It couldn't even match the regular cafeteria staff. After being spoiled by Kagura's cooking for so long, Maruzensky and the others had become picky eaters; suddenly having Rudolf's dishes felt… difficult.
"This taste... just what exactly is this… How can this be… my cooking skills…?"
"Ojou-sama, although wanting to cook for yourself is commendable, I'm already here by your side. Just let me handle it from now on."
Kagura took a taste of Rudolf's cooking. Actually, the problems weren't huge—it's just that the seasoning wasn't quite right, the heat wasn't quite controlled properly, and the stir-frying technique probably wasn't quite there yet…
——Aren't you just saying it's problematic everywhere!? (Frustrated)
Eclipse's irritated words flashed briefly on Kagura's phone screen. Evidently, curious to taste-test along with Kagura, Eclipse had also been hit by this culinary disaster.
"No, tomorrow I'll definitely—"
"Ojou-sama! Please sit down!" "Rudolf-kun! Sit down!"
Seeing Rudolf determined to continue tomorrow, Kagura and Akikawa-sama quickly moved to stop her.
Watching everyone at the table struggle to eat Rudolf's cooking, Kagura could see their expressions slowly crumbling. Even Rudolf herself ate with a bitter look. Kagura suddenly felt extremely grateful she'd listened to Eclipse's advice earlier and bought two bread rolls on the way back.
"Kagura-chan, you must absolutely cook something delicious tomorrow to comfort me…"
Trying to set a good example and not waste food, Akikawa-sama still made an earnest effort to keep eating. The fact that even her usual quirky mannerisms vanished showed how much of a struggle it was.
"Well…" Kagura scratched her head, suddenly recalling something she'd left in the kitchen that might just help this desperate situation.
Walking into the kitchen, Kagura rummaged around the fridge and retrieved a small container. A while ago, she had noticed some leftover radishes in the cafeteria. The staff had been wondering how to deal with them, so Kagura, not wanting any waste, simply sliced them up, added sugar, ginger, garlic, chili, vinegar, and soy sauce, and pickled them. Calculating the days, they should be ready to eat today.
"Kagura… what did you go grab just now?"
Nice Nature spotted Kagura returning with a sealed container, her instincts telling her Kagura must have some backup plan.
Look! It's a Support Uma! The situation is now in our favor!
Right now, all the Uma Musume present shared exactly this thought, watching expectantly as Kagura approached with the container.
"Don't look at me like that! I didn't hide some delicacy. It's just some pickled radishes—but at least it'll help you finish tonight's meal."
As she spoke, Kagura opened the container and placed it on the table.
Maruzensky curiously took a piece of radish, popped it into her mouth, and chewed. Almost instantly, she showed a surprised expression, quickly took several more slices, and began eating with gusto. Seeing Maruzensky's reaction, the others at the table quickly followed suit, reaching out with their chopsticks.
…
Not long after, several Uma Musume waddled out of the cafeteria, bellies full and faces satisfied.
"Ojou-sama, you definitely exceeded your calorie limit today, you know…"
Even though she'd insisted on not wasting food, Kagura did some mental math. Including the breakfast and lunch she'd prepared earlier, plus Rudolf's own cooking disaster tonight, Rudolf had indeed eaten slightly more than usual.
"Sorry… sorry… It's just… the radish was sweet and sour and so appetizing… I accidentally ate too much…"
Rudolf belatedly realized she had eaten beyond her limit. Honestly, her own cooking wasn't very tasty, but Kagura's pickles were a perfect example of brute-force flavor overpowering everything else, completely burying the original taste of Rudolf's dishes beneath a heavier, tangier flavor.
"Question! Kagura-chan, where do you usually store your pickled radishes?"
"In the student kitchen fridge. But I think, Akikawa-sama, you shouldn't get any funny ideas about those radishes. Eating too many pickles isn't healthy."
Hearing Akikawa Yayoi ask where the radishes were kept, Kagura immediately knew she planned to sneak some later. And clearly, she wasn't alone in that idea—because even though Maruzensky hadn't said anything, her ears perked up in curiosity as well.
"Rest assured! I just plan to have some when I lose my appetite!"
"You all better not let me catch you sneaking pickled radishes in secret…"
With a helpless sigh, Kagura warned them firmly. She really didn't want this group of Uma Musume regularly raiding the fridge for pickled vegetables. Yet, her instincts told her this batch of radishes wouldn't last the month.