Tokai Roman, after a day of deliberation, still didn't use the money.
Her thoughts hadn't changed.
She still decided to give the money to Tokai Shizen to use.
So, she came to Tokai Shizen's shop.
Since nothing had gone wrong in any aspect, Tokai Shizen's opening now was considered normal.
After pushing open the shop door and seeing the sparsely populated shop,
Tokai Roman just took a deep breath, then walked to the bar.
Tokai Shizen, with her back to her, hadn't noticed her presence yet.
Thinking of this, Tokai Roman had a mischievous idea.
So…
"Shizen~"
A greeting like from childhood, which gave Tokai Shizen goosebumps.
Tokai Shizen turned around, a hint of embarrassment in her words:
"Sis, what do you need? Shouldn't you be busy moving right now?"
After all, that tone just now, Tokai Shizen really felt it was subtle.
Seeing Tokai Shizen's subtle expression, Tokai Roman knew her prank had succeeded.
"Sis!"
Upon seeing the subtle expression on Tokai Roman's face,
even if Tokai Shizen was slow, she could realize that she had been pranked.
"Just reminiscing about the past, that's all."
Saying this, Tokai Roman paused briefly, then continued:
"I plan to bring Teio here for dinner later. Is that okay?"
"No problem? It's not something that needs to be avoided."
Tokai Shizen casually responded to her sister, then sighed slightly, and continued:
"And, Sis, what do you need?"
Tokai Shizen's question made Tokai Roman's hand pause for a moment.
Then, everything was as usual.
"I have a sum of money here, a large amount. If we use it, we can buy a residence nearby, one for four people."
Hearing this, Tokai Shizen froze for a moment.
Tokai Shizen knew about her sister's financial situation,
but precisely because she knew, she was a bit confused about the origin of the money.
"This money belongs to Rudolph…"
The next second, the words Tokai Roman uttered made Tokai Shizen's hand, which was seasoning the soup pot, pause,
and her entire body stiffened slightly for a moment.
Then, just as Tokai Roman had done before, nothing more changed.
"Rudolph's, huh..."
Tokai Shizen said, then fell silent for a few seconds.
Tokai Shizen didn't know how much money Rudolph had given Tokai Roman,
but the amount certainly wouldn't be low; otherwise, Tokai Roman wouldn't have brought up buying a house.
Thinking of this, Tokai Shizen only pondered for a few seconds before speaking:
"Give it back..."
Tokai Shizen's words made Tokai Roman stop her movements;
she hadn't expected Shizen to make a decision so easily.
Of course, it wasn't a bad decision.
It's just...
Recalling Teio's appearance, Tokai Roman finally sighed:
"Mm, I know. I'll return it to Sirius."
Saying this, Tokai Roman didn't continue, but looked at the soup pot Tokai Shizen was handling:
"What are you making?"
"Preparing some dishes from another cuisine."
Ignoring the small interlude, Tokai Shizen responded to her sister:
"New dishes?"
"Not really. If new dishes were all this level, we'd only lose money."
To her sister, who hadn't witnessed her cooking skills,
Tokai Shizen patiently explained:
"It's for a banquet at the Mejiro Family. They seem to be trying to connect with China, so I'm currently preparing chinese food."
Tokai Roman didn't understand her younger sister's explanation.
After all, she hadn't paid much attention to cuisine-related matters;
most of the time, the dinners she made for Tokai Teio were based on whatever ingredients she had.
So, she just nodded in response:
"I see, but why go to the Mejiro Family?"
"To put it simply, it's probably because..."
After a few seconds of thought, Tokai Shizen turned her head to look at Roman:
"They pay very well."
This one sentence exposed Tokai Shizen's financial difficulties.
But, recalling how Tokai Shizen had so directly refused the money Rudolph had left behind.
Tokai Roman felt that her younger sister was, in a sense, quite impressive.
"But how did the Mejiro Family choose you?"
"Oh, that... Before opening the shop, I asked someone to find a few Uma Musume to do a taste test, and then..."
Saying this, Tokai Shizen smiled helplessly:
"...I found Mejiro Ardan, and then I was invited to be the Mejiro Family's chef."
"Sounds quite coincidental."
"It really is a coincidence."
Tokai Shizen said, stretching, then continued:
"But it's quite a suitable job. Each visit probably earns about five hundred thousand."
"That high?!"
"Yes, otherwise why would I do it?"
Saying this, Tokai Shizen dished out the braised pork hock, which was almost done, onto a plate,
then placed a pair of chopsticks.
Then she placed it in front of Tokai Roman:
"Want to try it?"
The pork hock, already tinged red, made Tokai Roman's expression a bit subtle.
After all, pork hock is indeed a bit... unusual for Japanese eating habits,
so she looked at Tokai Shizen:
"This is..."
"Pork hock. It's just a dish made according to a chinese food recipe. The taste probably isn't anything to write home about."
"I know it's pork hock! I'm asking for the dish name, the dish name!"
"This one is called Five-Spice Braised Pork Hock.
If all goes as expected, it should be tender enough to fall apart.
You can try it with chopsticks and you'll know."
Tokai Shizen's explanation was still vague, but Tokai Roman didn't ask further.
After all, she hadn't eaten her sister's cooking much.
So she picked up the chopsticks.
The soft, gelatinous skin was poked by the Japanese pointed chopsticks and completely broke open.
Looking at the still slightly elastic gelatinous substance inside,
Tokai Roman just raised her head to look at her younger sister.
Tokai Shizen had just said that the taste wasn't anything to write home about.
But, looking at the current situation,
this was probably a level she couldn't achieve even if she cooked for Teio her entire life.
Thinking of this, Tokai Roman just narrowed her eyes as she looked at Tokai Shizen.
"What's wrong? That's creepy."
"I just feel that my sister has grown a lot.
When we first met, you mostly spent your time in a hospital bed."
"...Perhaps I have grown."
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