In the evening, Mejiro Ardan visited again.
However, it was not quite as expected, because Mejiro Ardan was accompanied by another person.
An Uma Musume about the same age as Teio and Shizen.
Looking at her, Tokai Shizen just raised her head to look at Mejiro Ardan.
"She is Mejiro McQueen. Because of her excellent talent, she transferred from the branch family to the main family. She's probably a glutton, so she came along when she heard there would be a taste test."
Ardan's explanation clearly stated why she had come along.
Looking at Mejiro McQueen, who was standing beside Mejiro Ardan and clutching Ardan's skirt,
Tokai Shizen just smiled:
"It's just a trial, so it's good to have an extra person to judge the taste."
Mejiro McQueen's slightly shy demeanor made Tokai Shizen want to smile a little, but she held back:
"First, there are some dishes I made according to recipes. I'll let you two taste them first, and then we'll make corresponding adjustments."
Saying this, Tokai Shizen dished out several pre-prepared dishes onto plates,
finally placing them in front of Mejiro Ardan and Mejiro McQueen.
"There are a few more dishes later, but they need to be prepared on the spot, so please wait a moment."
Saying this, Tokai Shizen turned and returned to the kitchen.
Watching Tokai Shizen return to the kitchen.
Mejiro Ardan's expression changed slightly.
This shop hadn't changed much over the years, and Tokai Shizen also seemed to have changed little.
This situation made Mejiro Ardan feel very subtle.
After all, several years had passed.
Watching this scene, Mejiro Ardan merely returned her gaze to the front.
What was placed before them was not the pork hock given to Tokai Roman that afternoon.
Because that was a recipe purely considering chinese food.
Pork hock is rather uncommon in Japan.
What was now in front of the two of them was a cold dish.
Cold dishes are considered quite good for Uma Musume,
as many vegetables change completely once fully heated.
For Uma Musume, both the texture and taste undergo subtle differences.
And China also has cold dishes, so using this dish as the initial preparation indeed posed no major problems.
However, if it was meant as preparation for an exchange between the two sides, would this dish be unsuitable...?
While Mejiro Ardan was still pondering this,
McQueen had already picked up a chopstickful and eaten it directly.
"Delicious!"
Then, she expressed her thoughts without hesitation.
Looking at Mejiro McQueen's blissful expression as she shared her thoughts.
Mejiro Ardan also breathed a sigh of relief.
Anyway, it was only the first day of the trial, so there was no need to be so anxious.
Before long, one chinese food dish after another was placed in front of them.
And then... McQueen ate them all...
Looking at the empty plates, Tokai Shizen felt a bit subtle.
Because that amount, theoretically, should have been impossible to finish,
but... after glancing at McQueen, whose belly had grown significantly,
Tokai Shizen just sighed helplessly.
After all, she was that 'fatty horse,' so perhaps this amount of food wasn't much to her.
Thinking this, Tokai Shizen looked at Mejiro Ardan:
"How was it?"
"How to put it, while the seasoning basically has no problems, but..."
Saying this, Mejiro Ardan used a disposable towel to wipe Mejiro McQueen's mouth, then continued:
"However, regarding the dishes, shouldn't there still be some Japanese-style dishes?"
"That's true, but for Japanese-style dishes, there shouldn't be too many adjustments needed, right?"
Listening to Mejiro Ardan's suggestion, Tokai Shizen only gave this response,
but soon, she also realized:
"Ah, right, I need to adjust it according to their taste."
Realizing this, Tokai Shizen turned her head to look at Mejiro Ardan:
"When are you meeting with the Chinese side?"
"The meeting is still a while away."
After a few seconds of thought, Mejiro Ardan gave a somewhat imprecise time:
"Probably about a week from now."
"A week from now, huh..."
"Yes, the Chinese side seems to be planning to ask a few other Uma Musume families,
so it might take a lot more time. But Japan's Uma Musume noble families..."
At this point, Mejiro Ardan shook her head helplessly.
Tokai Shizen understood the meaning of Mejiro Ardan's head shake;
it was simply Japan's unique exclusiveness.
Thinking of this, Tokai Shizen didn't say much,
but continued to explain based on the one-week timeframe:
"A week's time is basically enough to complete the most basic improvements. Do we need to develop new dishes this time?"
Turning her head to look at Mejiro Ardan, Tokai Shizen had a hint of doubt.
"New dishes..."
Tokai Shizen's suggestion made Mejiro Ardan turn her head to look at the shop.
There weren't many people in the shop, but...
"Can you handle it?"
She still asked politely.
"Don't tease me."
Tokai Shizen smiled helplessly, then turned her head in another direction, and continued:
"Reopening has taken quite a toll on the popularity we had accumulated."
Tokai Shizen's words were full of helplessness.
Seeing Tokai Shizen's explanation, Mejiro Ardan didn't say much;
she just thought for a few seconds.
Then she spoke again:
"Regarding the research and development costs for new dishes, the Mejiro Family will also provide them. As for the recipes afterward..."
"The recipes aren't much of a problem; you can take them.
After all, my small shop doesn't really use banquet-level dishes."
Tokai Shizen's response made Mejiro Ardan smile helplessly:
"Thank you very much for the recipes. Also, the recipes will be priced separately."
"No, it's fine. After all, I don't plan to open a high-end restaurant."
Tokai Shizen's words brought a hint of gratitude to Mejiro Ardan's face.
Then, Mejiro Ardan stood up:
"I'll be back tomorrow too."
"Me too."
Mejiro Ardan's response was natural.
But Mejiro McQueen's was...
Looking at Mejiro McQueen, who stood beside Mejiro Ardan, looking at her with a serious expression.
Tokai Shizen just smiled at her:
"Okay, McQueen, you should come tomorrow too."
After saying this to her, Tokai Shizen turned her head back to Ardan:
"Then, I won't see you out."
"It's fine."
Saying this, Mejiro Ardan left the restaurant with McQueen.
With Ardan's departure, the restaurant returned to silence once more.
Looking at the almost empty restaurant, Tokai Shizen just sighed:
"When will we start making a profit...?"
Rudolph: Isn't that good then?
The next day, Sirius found Rudolph.
And Rudolph also found Sirius.
This isn't a grammatical error; it's because they were indeed looking for each other.
Sirius was looking for Rudolph to return the bank card Tokai Roman had given back.
And Rudolph was looking for Sirius to prevent that document from being approved.
Because she had given her personal seal to Sirius,
Rudolph had to confirm whether Sirius had stamped her name on the race document.
After all, unlike a signature,
Rudolph Symboli clearly understood that a personal seal could be stamped on a document and it would be directly approved.
If Sirius had approved this race document, then what would happen next...
Finally, the two of them met at the Symboli Family estate.
They looked at each other.
After a long silence, Sirius finally spoke:
"How long has it been since you returned?"
"That's irrelevant."
She took a slight breath to compose herself, then continued:
"Did you sign the application document for the new race?"
"That? It seemed very helpful for Uma Musume, so I signed it."
Sirius said this with a puzzled expression,
as in her opinion, that race was indeed very beneficial for Uma Musume.
-------------------------------
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