"Phew~ that was satisfying!"
Emerging from the specialty store with bags large and small, Ardan sighed happily, feeling deeply content.
Despite all the strange little things that had happened along the way, this was probably the last task of the day, and Ardan finally relaxed completely.
All thanks to Kagura-san being so cooperative today…
She glanced at Kagura, who walked beside her empty-handed, looking a bit anxious, occasionally sneaking glances at the heap of shopping bags in Ardan's hands. Originally, Kagura had offered to carry everything, but Ardan stubbornly refused, insisting on holding it all herself, leaving Kagura helplessly following along.
"Um… Ardan-ojousama, let me at least—"
"No way! Let me carry these! I'm an Uma Musume, not some ordinary person—even if I'm a bit frail, this amount is nothing!"
"But… Ardan-ojousama, you shouldn't push yourself…"
Kagura worried that carrying so much might overwhelm Ardan's fragile constitution. In fact, she herself hadn't bought much of anything—almost all the items were Ardan's medicinal herbs and teas. Ardan's stubborn insistence made Kagura feel uneasy.
If I'd known, I would have bought a few things myself, carried them back, and slipped them to Ardan-ojousama later…
Looking down at her empty hands, then back up at Ardan happily carrying the heavy bags, Kagura wondered anxiously if Mejiro Iris and Ramonu would punish her once they got back home.
Determined not to burden Kagura further, Ardan glanced around for something to express her thanks and soon spotted a familiar milk tea shop nearby.
"Kagura-san, I see a milk tea shop over there that I visited back in Huaguo. I'm thirsty anyway—shall we go give it a try?"
"Hm? That shop over there is…"
Kagura looked in the direction Ardan pointed, instantly recognizing a familiar mascot—a fairy-tale-like snowman holding an ice cream wand.
Isn't that Mixue's shop?! That snowman mascot etched into my DNA has to be Mixue! How did I never notice this shop when I came here before?!
From this distance, she could clearly read the price tags, noticing plenty of items around 330 yen. Even in another world, Mixue's prices were still astonishingly reasonable, making Kagura quietly marvel to herself.
"It's very popular in Huaguo, and it's super affordable. Kagura-san, you don't have to always worry about the price—the Mejiro family isn't that strapped for cash."
"Ah… well… I understand."
Indeed, Ardan's experiences in Huaguo had clearly paid off—she'd managed to find several shops today that piqued Kagura's interest. First, that quirky izakaya, and now this familiar milk tea place. Kagura immediately turned on her camera again, ready to record this visit.
They stepped into the nostalgic store, finding plenty of customers who seemed to be tourists from Huaguo. Kagura immediately heard the familiar sound of her hometown accent.
"Excuse me, miss waitress—do we order here?"
After grabbing a table and setting down her bags, Ardan approached the counter and addressed the clerk in fluent, distinctly Beijing-accented Mandarin.
"Yes—oh, wow, you're so pretty! Judging by your accent…are you from Beijing?"
The clerk quickly raised her head in surprise, handing Ardan the menu.
"I just lived there for a few years and picked it up from the locals. It doesn't sound strange, does it?"
"Not at all! You speak so naturally, I thought you were a tourist from Huaguo… Miss, are you here alone?"
"Nope, I came here with a friend. There's two of us."
As she spoke, Ardan turned slightly, revealing Kagura standing behind her.
"Wait…is this Kagura-laoshi!?"
Seeing the black-haired little Uma Musume behind Ardan, the waitress's eyes widened in disbelief, speaking aloud in Mandarin.
"Oh my god, the real Kagura-laoshi!? Where, where?!"
Instantly, all the other waitstaff at the counter, along with several customers nearby, snapped their heads around. Even the kitchen crew poked their heads out, staring straight at Kagura.
E-Eh?! All these people are international fans?! Have I become that recognizable already!?
Kagura was completely stunned by the intense attention, never having imagined encountering so many fans here.
"Ah, miss waitress… Kagura-san… isn't very fluent in Mandarin. She might not fully understand what you're saying."
Noticing Kagura frozen stiff, Ardan hurriedly explained to the waitress, mistakenly thinking Kagura couldn't follow the Mandarin conversation.
"Um! Beautiful Uma Musume-san, could you help me tell Kagura-laoshi I'm her fan? Can I take a picture with her, please?"
"Hey, Xiao Xue, don't hog this! I'm Kagura-laoshi's fan too! Let me join!"
"Please, pretty miss! Ask Kagura-laoshi if we can have a photo together! I'll do anything!"
A small crowd of excited workers burst from behind the counter and kitchen, looking at Kagura expectantly, momentarily abandoning their jobs.
Knowing Kagura had many fans, Ardan quickly agreed to their enthusiastic requests, relaying the message back to Kagura in Japanese.
Actually, I understood perfectly…ahaha…
Given the current situation, Kagura had to pretend she didn't understand Mandarin, since Ardan hadn't even started "teaching" her yet. So she naturally kept up the act.
"Sure, please tell them it's no problem."
After hearing Ardan's "translation," Kagura smiled and nodded. Ardan passed on her approval, and cheers erupted instantly from the excited fans.
Kagura naturally wouldn't refuse their enthusiastic request. Surrounded by fans and accompanied by Ardan, she posed for several group photos inside the store.
Her passionate fans praised her videos enthusiastically in Mandarin, and though Kagura understood perfectly, she waited patiently for Ardan's translations before responding. Hearing her native language again after so long brought her a warm feeling of nostalgia.
The lively commotion eventually attracted the store manager, who turned out to be a Kagura fan herself. Quietly speaking in Japanese, she asked Kagura for an autograph, then gifted Kagura and Ardan complimentary drinks—the classic lemon tea and a pearl ice cream—saying they could order whatever they wanted for free. Still, Kagura and Ardan only chose two items.
"It tastes great~ And looking at the menu, getting such a huge portion of ice cream for that price is amazing!"
"Thank you for the praise, Kagura-laoshi. By the way, are you filming a video today?"
The manager smoothly conversed in Japanese, noticing the camera Kagura still wore, quickly guessing that Kagura was filming a store review.
"Yes, but please don't worry. If you prefer not to appear, I can edit you out. Is there anything specific I should mention?"
"No need to worry. I'm confident in our products, so please say whatever you genuinely think, Kagura-laoshi. Please do edit me out, though—and if you enjoy our products, kindly leave us a good review."
"Of course, definitely~"
Smilingly waving off the manager, Kagura shifted her attention back to Ardan. She definitely intended to give Mixue's store a good review—since she had the influence now, promoting a place like this seemed perfectly fine.
"Your fans are really passionate, Kagura-san. But… isn't eating ice cream in winter a little weird?"
"As long as it tastes good~"
Just after Kagura took a spoonful of ice cream, Ardan offered another spoonful toward her mouth.
"Say ah~"
"A-Ardan-ojousama… this place is crowded—it's kind of embarrassing!"
Shyly turning her head aside, Kagura found being hand-fed at the Mejiro household was one thing, but doing so publicly made her feel extremely awkward.
Ahh… Kagura-san being shy like this is too cute…
Ardan felt thoroughly healed just seeing Kagura's embarrassed expression. Feeling content already, she decided not to tease her any further.
"Today was so much fun~ I know I got overly nervous several times… Thank you for staying by my side the whole time, Kagura-san."
"Hehe, we're friends, after all~ Is there anywhere else you'd like to go next time, Ardan-ojousama?"
"Hmm… maybe an art exhibition or performance? Do you like those kinds of things, Kagura-san?"
"I'm fine with anything~ As long as you enjoy it, Ardan-ojousama, let's go together."
...
"How did Ardan suddenly become so resourceful?"
Having just received Ardan's latest update, even the experienced Iris-sama was impressed by Ardan's final brilliant move—her idea surpassed anything she or Ramonu had come up with.
"Well, it's something only Ardan herself could have thought of. Perhaps Ardan and Kagura unexpectedly click together."
Ramonu finally relaxed completely, delighted that today's plan ended with Ardan's perfect spontaneous decision. Kagura also appeared very happy, and they'd successfully avoided exposure or encountering others—it was truly ideal.
Incidentally, according to information from the Mejiro trainer via Tojo-san, Rudolf and Maruzensky had gone up to eat dinner. If they'd stuck to Ramonu's original plan, Ardan and Kagura would definitely have bumped into Rudolf there. But Ardan's sudden improvisation perfectly avoided the pair, astonishing even Ramonu.
"If that's really the case, it'd be wonderful… But at least for now, Kagura's impression of the Mejiro family should have improved greatly."
"What exactly do you hope to achieve, Grandmother? To find Ardan a dependable friend?"
"Yes. For now, that's still our main goal. Let's leave the rest for later… After all, Kagura is still just a child who hasn't even reached physical maturation yet. It's enough for now just to be her friend."
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T/N:
Hey everyone, thanks for reading. If you're enjoying the translation, dropping some Powerstones would really help out your hardworking translator (100 stones = 1 bonus chapter, 200 = 2 chapters, and so on—easy math, right?).
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Anyway, see you in the next chapter~
say thank you to hayasaka guyss