Bringing the group back to the shop, Daijin, having secretly been here before, didn't react much.
In contrast, Xiao Hai Wan, who was led in, looked around curiously.
Everything inside felt new and exciting, especially for first-time visitors, as if a new world had opened up.
"Rice Shower!!"
When Aoi saw Kazuo leading Rice Shower back, she excitedly rushed over and hugged her.
"Is everything alright!? Don't suddenly leave by yourself! You worried me to death!"
Aoi had previously thought that this situation arose because she hadn't looked after her properly, so when she saw Rice Shower return, a huge weight was finally lifted from her heart.
"I'm sorry... It's Rice Shower..."
"Don't say that. Anyway, it's good that you're back!"
Seeing Rice Shower about to blame herself again, Aoi quickly interrupted, "Rice Shower, you should rest well first. Don't think about anything."
Then she turned her head and greeted Miko, "Miko, please take Rice Shower inside. Oh, and put these things in the refrigerator in the inner room to chill."
Miko nodded, took the drinks Aoi handed her, and led Rice Shower into the inner room ahead of them.
After the two left, Aoi turned to look at Kazuo. Seeing him with Daijin and Xiao Hai Wan, she couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Kazuo, I haven't had a chance to ask you... Who are these two...?"
Aoi looked at the two with some uncertainty, while Kazuo smiled and introduced them, "Ah, I haven't had a chance to introduce them to Aoi yet. This is Super Creek, a Uma Musume who has a temporary contract with me, and this is Narita Taishin, also a student at Tresen Academy. We met earlier due to some circumstances."
"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Kiryuuin Aoi, the shop manager's sister. You can just call me Aoi. By the way, like Kazuo, I'm also a Trainer. The white-haired Uma Musume from just now is the one I have a contract with. Her name is Happy Miko."
Aoi introduced herself with great poise, and Xiao Hai Wan showed a cheerful smile, saying:
"Nice to meet you, I'm Super Creek, also an Uma Musume with a temporary contract with Asama-kun. Speaking of which, Asama-kun has mentioned in our chats during this time that you, Aoi, have been very kind to him, right? By the way, when he wasn't feeling well, were you the one who looked after him? Thank you so much for helping him when I wasn't around."
"Oh... Oh, you're welcome... It's nothing..."
For some reason, this statement felt a bit strange, and Aoi's expression seemed subtle. An indescribable oddity left her somewhat bewildered.
Perhaps out of instinct, or for some other reason.
Xiao Hai Wan's tone was more like that of a mistress, or perhaps she was "claiming her territory."
Perhaps, in Xiao Hai Wan's subconscious, she was even more wary of the girl in front of her than of Hayakawa, or the strange woman she had met today.
Perhaps she herself hadn't even noticed her faint hostility towards Aoi.
It was actually quite simple; after all, these two had only known each other for a short time, but they were already calling each other by their first names. This, combined with their equal status, similar age, and other factors, made it so.
These two clearly didn't have the 'teacher-student relationship' that existed between Xiao Hai Wan and Kazuo; instead, they had a relationship of equal colleagues.
Even now, Xiao Hai Wan still privately called him 'Asama-kun,' and at the academy, she still addressed him as 'Teacher Asama.'
She really wanted to call him 'Kazuo' directly, but the teacher-student barrier was there, even with the bond of Trainer and competitor.
But that was merely a relationship of longer acquaintance, not one that could take another step closer.
And now, the (same-aged) girl in front of her, whom she had known for a shorter time, was already calling Kazuo by his first name, and he, her.
To say she didn't care was impossible.
Although it was only subconscious, Xiao Hai Wan was, in fact, jealous.
Daijin nodded gently and introduced herself very simply: "Narita Taishin..."
Aoi stared at her face for a long time, then suddenly seemed to realize something, letting out an "Ah!"
"You're the girl I met outside the door that day, aren't you!?"
Daijin had been very careful, but she hadn't expected Aoi's memory to be so good. In just a moment, she had recognized someone she had only met once.
Daijin couldn't hide the embarrassment on her face, and Kazuo also turned his head in surprise, saying, "Oh? Daijin, you've been here before?"
"No... I just happened to pass by here before..."
Although meeting Kazuo here was purely an accident, Daijin didn't want Kazuo to know her true purpose, so she gave a vague, evasive explanation.
Kazuo didn't think much of it. He nodded, turned back to Aoi, and said,
"Anyway, today we'll trouble these two to make curry for us."
"By the way, do you need our help?"
"No! Asama-kun just needs to wait!"
Xiao Hai Wan usually liked to cook with him, and Kazuo had originally offered to help.
However, Xiao Hai Wan flatly refused him. What he didn't know was that this curry meal was actually a 'repayment' from these two girls to him.
After all, it was their heartfelt gesture; if the 'protagonist' helped, it would be putting the cart before the horse.
Kazuo couldn't possibly know that the wishes on the ema from before had already been seen by these two.
Nor could he know that these two had specifically come to make curry to reward him.
He treated all of this as mere coincidence.
At this moment, Daijin, standing by, also nodded in agreement, replying,
"The two of us are enough. We don't need anyone else's help."
This indeed surprised Kazuo. After a moment of stunned, he could only scratch his head blankly and replied,
"Then I'll ask Aoi to take you to the kitchen. I'll go find the manager to ask about the situation—"
Since he wasn't needed here, it was a good time for him to talk to Kiryuuin.
"My older brother is in the studio, I think."
Aoi clearly knew why Kazuo was looking for Kiryuuin and directly told him the location.
Kazuo walked towards the room down the hallway.
Aoi, meanwhile, led the two upstairs to the kitchen on the second floor.
"Then I'll leave this to you. I'm going to check on Rice Shower-classmate. Also, if you encounter any difficulties in the kitchen, feel free to come find me anytime!"
Aoi led the two to the kitchen and didn't forget to remind them before leaving.
Xiao Hai Wan returned a smile and said, "We can handle these things ourselves. Instead of worrying about us, why not pay more attention to Rice Shower-classmate? Honestly, her mental state is still not optimistic. It will take some time for her to recover."
"For that, we will also make a curry dish that can make people happy!"
"Mm, I understand. Then I'll leave this to you."
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