After saying goodbye to Fujimasa March that day, Nearl hadn't seen her again around the academy. According to Kitahara, March had been diagnosed with severe muscle strains and joint inflammation, along with what seemed to be a sprained ankle—there was no way she could avoid a stay in the hospital for proper recovery.
Because of that, Trainer Shibasaki personally escorted Fujimasa March to the hospital. Not only did he stay with her daily, but he also made sure she followed the doctors' treatment plan. Nearl planned to visit her in a few days, as she had other matters to attend to first.
It wasn't anything major—remember the decision Nearl made while eating in the cafeteria? That's right, she now wanted to take her cooking skills to the next level.
So her first task was to get the head of the Kasamatsu Tracen cafeteria to agree to teach her. She wasn't sure if the old man would go for it, but it was worth a shot.
Because of this, Nearl put her training on hold—the very training she'd stuck to for days—and headed to the cafeteria early.
It was around ten in the morning. The cafeteria was practically empty, since breakfast service had long ended and lunch hadn't started yet.
The dining hall was deserted and silent. If you came here at night with flickering lights, it'd make a perfect haunted house.
But if you walked through the empty hall and deeper into the cafeteria, you could hear signs of life.
The roar of flames, the clatter of woks and spatulas, the rhythmic chopping against cutting boards, and the busy chatter among the cooks.
"Someone over here—the yakisoba is done! Plate it up and get it into the warmer!"
"We're out of lard. Someone go get more from the storage room!"
"I've got the plates here—anyone need one?"
"Me!"
"Over here!"
"I need one right now!"
--+--
Even before pushing the door open, Nearl could feel the intense energy coming from inside. The noisy chatter and chaotic environment would be enough to make most Uma Musume hesitate, but Nearl felt excited.
After all, cooking should be lively. If it were quiet and cold in there, she'd start to wonder if the cooks were even putting their hearts into preparing lunch.
Without hesitation, Nearl pulled open the large iron door in front of her. A wave of heat rushed out, carrying the rich aroma of food and spices. The entire kitchen was now on full display before her eyes.
But the cooks' chatter came to a sudden halt. Every single one of them, wearing white hats, turned to stare at Nearl who had just opened the door. The scene fell into silence.
Being stared at by so many eyes—even without any ill intent—could put serious mental pressure on anyone. An ordinary person might shrink back, but Nearl faced their gazes head-on, completely unshaken.
Calmly, she closed the door behind her, then turned to face the curious middle-aged men. Standing straight, she stated her purpose clearly.
"Good morning, everyone. Please, just call me Nearl. Is the head chef here? I came hoping to learn cooking from him."
The cooks, still holding kitchen knives and spatulas, exchanged uneasy glances and murmured among themselves. Finally, the oldest among them stepped forward to answer Nearl.
"Kid, you're an Uma Musume, right? What's put the idea of learning cooking in your head? Is our food not to your liking?
If that's the case, you can tell us. We'll do our best to make dishes you prefer. Learning to cook is tough—you should focus on your training."
Hearing the old cook's words, the others nodded vigorously. They felt that if their cooking wasn't good enough and led this girl to sacrifice training time just to learn cooking, it would be a failure on their part.
"No, it's not like that at all. I have no complaints about anyone's cooking. I just want to improve my own skills, so when I cook for my friends someday, I can treat them to something better."
"As for your concerns about training… to be honest, my debut race isn't far off. I need to conserve my energy lately and can't train as intensely as usual. So I do have some free time."
Nearl quickly explained her situation. It wasn't a lie—she really did have some spare time these days.
Mainly, Kitahara didn't know that she couldn't get injured from pushing herself too hard. And since she couldn't explain the whole superpower thing, she had to follow her trainer's arrangements and take a few days off after the race.
After hearing Nearl's explanation, the cooks still seemed hesitant. Then a voice, old but spirited, spoke up: "Teach? Of course I'll teach. If the little one wants to learn, this old man can pass on everything I know."
A pair of lean arms parted the crowd of cooks, and an elderly man with a kind, smiling face stepped out. He cheerfully waved Nearl over, showing none of the hesitation the others had.
"It's good that a young lady like you wants to learn cooking. After all, how many years can you really spend racing? If you can learn my skills, you'll have something to do even after retirement. Isn't that nice? Come, come—help me with today's lunch. I'll keep an eye on you."
As he spoke, the old man waved off the other cooks, signaling them to get back to work.
"If after today you feel you can handle it, just call me 'teacher.' If it's too much and you can't take the heat, that's fine too—just consider it a life experience. How does that sound?"
"Understood. I'll give you my answer after today. Thank you for being willing to teach me."
"Haha, it's nothing, nothing. Let's start with washing vegetables—I'll see what basics you've got."
"Got it."
--+--
By noon, news spread like wildfire among the Uma Musume. In just half an hour, nearly every Uma Musume at Kasamatsu Tracen had heard.
"Hey, have you heard? That Nearl—the one who crushed Fujimasa March by a huge margin in yesterday's training race—is working as a cook in the cafeteria now!"
"Who doesn't know? Everyone's rushing to the cafeteria to see what that monster looks like when she's cooking."
"You too? Come on, let's go together."
Every Uma Musume who caught wind of this couldn't contain their curiosity. They all wanted to see what the unstoppable track beast was like in the kitchen.
Would she be all flustered? Or would she whip up some disastrous dark cuisine?
In their hearts, they were hoping Nearl would perform poorly in the kitchen—that way, they could reassure themselves that she wasn't so perfect after all. That she had weaknesses too.
Maybe that's just a little bit of darkness lurking in everyone's heart.
But how would things actually turn out?
"This flavor… is surprisingly not bad. It's not as good as the cafeteria chefs', but it's not terrible either. Tastes kinda like something my mom would make at home."
Many of the Uma Musume who specifically tried Nearl's dishes hesitated before giving their reviews.
Unexpectedly, it tasted a lot like home-cooked food.
The Uma Musume watched the golden-haired Pegasus through the serving window. Dressed in a spotless white chef's uniform, she handled the ingredients with serious focus, occasionally turning to ask the old man beside her a question or two.
So… that monster was really here to learn how to cook?
All the Uma Musume felt a little puzzled.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.