Evening. In a certain shopping district, there stood a recently opened buffet.
Tucked away in a corner of the main street, the place usually didn't see heavy foot traffic, but it still managed to turn a decent profit.
But today, the chefs at this buffet were facing a workload utterly mismatched with their pay.
The sheer volume of ingredients to prep, the endless sizzling and tossing in woks—it was enough to make them start hallucinating.
"Haha, haha, that dead fish is jumping—it's attacking me!"
One chef held a live fish in his hand, pressing the kitchen knife against the cutting board, letting the fish "slice" the blade while it occasionally slapped him with its tail.
"Cream, spray the cream… my artistic integrity…"
A pastry chef, clutching a piping bag, was haphazardly slathering cream onto a cake base. At first, he had been patiently decorating, then he'd settled for just coating the outside, and now he was just squeezing a blob of cream onto the sponge.
The stir-fry chefs, the steak grillers, the barbecue masters—everyone moved like zombies, faces blank and unresponsive, eyes glued to their stations.
The servers out front had it slightly better. Sure, they were physically exhausted, but their minds hadn't hardened into the same stupor as the kitchen staff. At least they still had time to chat.
"Boss! It's no good! The chefs are about to keel over! If we don't do something, this place is finished!"
The manager rushed frantically into the owner's office, laying out the dire situation in the restaurant. Sweat poured down his forehead in his panic.
"So, who let that gray-haired Uma Musume in? Didn't I say to check every customer against the blacklist before they enter? How is she still sitting out there?"
The owner looked just as haggard, as if he'd aged fourteen years in a single hour. You could almost see the hairs falling from his head.
"…"
The manager said nothing, just fixed the owner with a gaze full of resentment, bordering on murderous intent.
"…"
The owner groaned, pressing his hand to his forehead before dragging it slowly, firmly down his face as if scrubbing away the stress. A mournful wail escaped him.
"Why did I ever hold that raffle…"
"Boss, there's still a long night ahead. Let's focus on how we're going to get through this crisis first."
"…"
With a pained expression, the owner pulled out a tissue, dabbed at his face, and issued his orders.
"You keep an eye on the dining area. I'm going to beg those old-timers at the nearby restaurants. Even if I have to get on my knees, I'll get them to lend us some cooks."
"Boss… hang in there."
"Yeah, you too."
In that moment, the worker and his superior, united by the absurd demands of an impossible situation, finally found a sliver of mutual understanding.
But human sorrows and joys are not intertwined. What did the restaurant's suffering have to do with the happy, carefree Cinderella with ashen hair?
"Margaret, another serving!"
Oguri Cap stuffed a chicken leg into her mouth and, half a second later, pulled out a clean bone, tossing it onto the growing pile of scraps beside her.
"Sigh. Even if it's all-you-can-eat, you should still show some restraint. The chefs are working hard too, you know. Don't equate them with the kitchen staff at Tracen Academy—not every place has top-tier chefs."
Nearl handed over the plate of food she'd specifically gathered for Oguri Cap while gently admonishing her.
"Mhm."
Without much hesitation—or perhaps with just a tiny pause—Oguri Cap agreed.
"Ten more minutes, then we go somewhere else to play."
With that, she sped up her eating pace, as if trying to pack in as much as possible before time ran out.
"Ah, as expected of Nearl. Oguri really listens to you. She's even willing to compromise on eating!"
Nearby, Berno Light, seeing how obedient Oguri was being, let out a sigh of relief.
It had to be said—every time she went out to eat with Oguri Cap, the stares from the restaurant staff always made her conscience twinge. But she could never persuade Oguri to hold back.
"It's not quite like that. When Oguri was little, the topic we discussed most was food. Over time, she got used to switching off her brain during meals and just following my lead."
"Yep. Nearl was basically my caretaker back in the day."
Oguri Cap, her head buried in her meal, tossed out this remark, instantly making Berno Light and Everlamp blush bright red.
Both of them were the type to secretly read… certain kinds of comics in private, and their minds immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion.
"You—you can't just say things like that, Oguri!"
"Yeah! Do you even understand what that means?!"
The two of them shook Oguri vigorously, but even with her head wobbling side to side, Oguri steadily continued shoveling food into her mouth, the picture of calm.
"Oguri isn't wrong, though. Thinking back, perhaps that really was the nature of our relationship when we were young."
Nearl's smiling remark only added fuel to the fire, and the two instantly turned their accusations toward her.
"Nearl—Nearl-nee, please don't say anything right now!"
"Alright, alright~~"
Just as their group was happily bantering, a conversation at the entrance caught their attention.
"Temporarily not accepting guests? But there are hardly any tables occupied in here? And the kitchen sounds bustling. Why are you closing up?"
"Deepest apologies, but we're truly overwhelmed at the moment. Many ingredients are already running low. Even if you came in, you wouldn't have a good dining experience."
"Eh, is that so?"
The person outside seemed hesitant, but the one holding her hand remained calm.
"It's fine. We can go somewhere else."
"Are you sure, Trainer?"
"I told you, don't call me 'Trainer' outside! It's embarrassing!"
The voice was familiar—Nearl might have found it only vaguely recognizable, but Oguri Cap's ears were already swiveling toward the source.
Of the two people speaking, the one with the explosive figure left a particularly deep impression on Oguri Cap—probably second only to Tamamo Cross.
"Super Creek."
Oguri Cap spoke the name of the now top-tier Uma Musume.
"?
Just as she said it, Oguri leaned her head out, cheeks bulging with food. The sight instantly caught Super Creek's attention outside.
"!"
Her ears twitched. She said something to the staff member, who glanced at Oguri Cap before stepping aside.
"Oguri Cap, what a coincidence! Are you eating here too?"
With the path clear, Super Creek and her companion quickly approached Nearl's table. Super Creek greeted them warmly with a bright smile.
"Hello, Mr. Kitahara, everyone. I hope Creek's little whim hasn't disturbed you."
Contrary to her usual image, Nase now seemed anything but cold and aloof.
A soft, happy smile graced her features, a world apart from the icy, elite persona she once projected.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! 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.