Time moved into September.
Before moving out of Maruzensky's home, Tokai Natural decided to open the restaurant temporarily, as a trial run.
A temporary opening could also be called a soft opening.
Simply put, she wanted to test whether her shop's dishes suited local tastes.
Even though Tokai Natural had already let Chiyono O and others sample the menu—and received quite good feedback—she still had lingering worries.
Thus, Tokai Natural planned a five-day trial opening, starting officially on September 10th.
Since the day Tokai Natural offered her that advice, Tamamo Cross's race results had steadily improved.
This gradually attracted more fans.
Yet, Tamamo Cross still hoped to find the fan who had offered her advice that day.
So, occasionally, Tamamo Cross would return to this shopping street.
Yet she never encountered Tokai Natural again.
This was only natural; Tokai Natural had only visited this place briefly that day to inspect the storefront.
Thus, it was impossible for Tamamo Cross to find her here again. Moreover, Tokai Natural had been preoccupied these past two months, leaving her no chance to attend Tamamo's races.
So it was only natural that Tamamo Cross couldn't meet Tokai Natural again.
However—just as on that day of their chance meeting—
Tamamo Cross finally saw that same fan again.
She was standing by a store entrance, carefully placing a wooden board.
Seeing Tokai Natural thoughtfully positioning the signboard, Tamamo Cross immediately understood why she hadn't come to any recent races—she'd been busy preparing to open her own shop.
...
"There. That should be fine…right?"
After adjusting the signboard, Tokai Natural turned around: "Eh?"
Tamamo Cross was standing a short distance away.
Seeing her familiar face, Tokai Natural hesitated only a moment, then lifted her hand in greeting: "Tamamo-san?"
"Ah…"
Facing this casual greeting, as if they were old acquaintances, Tamamo Cross froze for a second, suddenly unsure of what to say.
She had originally planned to thank her—but now…
"Are you opening a shop here?"
Instead of expressing thanks for her earlier advice, Tamamo Cross simply walked up and asked this question.
"Mm, I visited before just to see the storefront. What about you? Did you win your races?"
"Not quite, but my results improved significantly compared to before. I think I'll stick with turf racing for now." Tamamo Cross paused slightly before speaking again, "And thanks, by the way—for the advice back then."
"As long as it helped, that's good."
As Tokai Natural said this, she glanced briefly at Tamamo Cross, then through the window at the clock inside the store.
5:30 PM. Exactly dinner time.
Noticing this, Tokai Natural turned back to Tamamo Cross. "Want to eat? It's on the house."
"Eh? N-no, that's alright."
"It's fine—let's call it a celebration. Besides, it's only a soft opening right now. If you taste something and give feedback as a Tracen student, it'd help a lot."
Tamamo Cross wanted to decline, but seeing Tokai Natural already walking inside, she hesitated briefly, then opened the shop door and followed.
Inside, the shop's decor was all quite old-fashioned.
It hardly resembled a newly-opened restaurant. Yet the open kitchen was simple and very clean, stocked with all the basic cooking utensils one could need.
"Take a seat anywhere you like."
At Tokai Natural's invitation, Tamamo Cross found a random empty seat.
Shortly afterward, Tokai Natural placed a small menu in front of her. "At the moment, there are only these few main dishes. I haven't prepared anything else yet."
As she said this, Tokai Natural watched Tamamo Cross closely.
Glancing at the short menu, Tamamo Cross gave a small nod, then lifted it carefully to examine.
Only a few dishes were listed, quite unlike typical restaurant offerings.
Looking over the five dishes carefully, Tamamo Cross finally spoke after a short silence, "Um… I'll take this grilled meat."
"Ah, alright. Just a moment, please."
After placing a glass of water down for Tamamo Cross, Tokai Natural turned and started preparing dinner.
Watching her quietly working in the open kitchen, Tamamo Cross glanced around curiously, examining the shop's interior closely.
Just like her initial impression, the furnishings were old, but everything was kept exceptionally clean.
Clearly, a considerable amount of time had been spent tidying the place.
Even the plants placed on each table were real—not artificial—which must have required considerable care and expense each day.
After thoroughly scanning the shop, Tamamo Cross turned her gaze back toward Tokai Natural.
She'd vaguely noticed earlier, but only now clearly realized: they were almost exactly the same height.
Tamamo Cross made no comment, though, since among Uma Musume, there were plenty who remained short even after fully maturing.
There was no need to mention something so trivial.
...
Around thirty minutes later, a dish entirely different from what Tamamo Cross had imagined was placed before her.
"Eh…?"
Tamamo Cross tilted her head, staring at the grilled "meat," which looked far more like bread than any meat she'd ever seen.
"This 'grilled meat' is made from mashed potatoes mixed with finely diced carrots and onions. Although I had some other Uma Musume sample the flavor beforehand…"
Tokai Natural paused and let out a small sigh. "I still wasn't sure if it would really suit everyone's taste, so I decided on a soft opening."
"I see. Well, I'll give it a try."
Saying this, Tamamo Cross took her knife and cut into the grilled "meat."
Inside, the pale yellow of potatoes quickly revealed itself.
Seeing the contents of her plate, Tamamo Cross lifted her head slightly, looking questioningly at Tokai Natural.
"Please enjoy~"
"Ah… alright."
Taking a small bite, Tamamo Cross chewed thoughtfully for a few seconds, then spoke earnestly:
"It's good. Although it tastes different from real meat, the hearty texture seems perfect for Uma Musume right after training."
"Ah, I'm glad…"
Just as Tokai Natural began to relax slightly, the sound of the front door opening interrupted her thoughts.
"I'm sorry, but we're—"
She turned around, planning to inform the visitor that the soft opening officially began tomorrow. But when she saw who stood there—a person she ought to have been deeply familiar with—
Symboli Sirius.
Opening the door, Symboli Sirius briefly glanced at Tokai Natural, then quickly looked away. "New owner?"
"Y-yes. Right now, I'm just making preparations. The soft opening officially starts tomorrow."
"I see. Then I'll come back tomorrow."
Without another word, Symboli Sirius turned, closed the door behind her—and, as she left, casually flipped the signboard Tokai Natural had forgotten, changing it neatly from OPEN to CLOSED.
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T/N: OHOHOHOHOHO I SEE THE VISION SIRIUS ALSO FALLS FOR HER RELATIVES FLING AND THEY HAVE A CLASH WHEN ITS TIME OHOHOHOHOH