The next day, the trial opening officially began.
Still, the menu offered only those few dishes.
With her fragile constitution, any attempt by Tokai Natural to do more was strictly vetoed by both Maruzensky and Mr. C.B.
Thus, the menu stayed simple.
On the first day of business, the number of customers was pitifully small.
But this was only natural—no grand opening discounts, no advertising. It was just a quiet trial run, so there was no need for fanfare.
Yet, because Tokai Natural was acquainted with several Uma Musume from Tracen Academy, the shop wouldn't be completely deserted even during this soft opening.
In truth, though, the Uma Musume that Tokai Natural truly cared about was...
...
Symboli Sirius stared silently at the menu in her hands, not placing an order.
Tokai Natural merely stood in the kitchen area, patiently waiting for Sirius to speak.
After all, there were no other customers.
And Natural had nothing else to do right now.
After several seconds, Symboli Sirius finally spoke: "Quail oyakodon."
"That dish? The preparation is a bit complicated, so it'll take some extra time. Is that alright?"
"Yes."
Hearing this, Tokai Natural didn't hesitate, immediately beginning the preparations for the quail oyakodon.
Sitting at her seat, Symboli Sirius didn't hurry. Instead, she pulled out her phone, idly scrolling through the latest news.
As for work?
She had nothing to do. Family affairs, Student Council business—those were Symboli Rudolf's responsibilities, and Sirius had no intention of getting involved.
Compared to Rudolf, Symboli Sirius spent most of her time abroad accompanying Symboli Speed, participating in races overseas.
Unlike Rudolf, who had already retired, Symboli Sirius was still very much an active Uma Musume.
That's why, when she'd returned to this shop yesterday, Symboli Sirius had remarked about the change in owner.
She simply hadn't been in Japan for some time.
About an hour later, after Sirius had finished skimming the news, an elegantly plated roasted quail dish was placed before her.
Looking at the neatly presented roasted quail, Sirius was momentarily confused.
Because she didn't see any elements of "oyakodon" at all.
The dish certainly had quail meat and quail eggs.
But as for rice…
"Please enjoy."
After placing the knife, fork, and spoon before Sirius, Tokai Natural quickly retreated back into the kitchen.
Symboli Sirius stared quietly at the quail oyakodon before her. After a short pause, she lifted her knife and fork.
As she sliced into the boneless quail, golden rice seasoned perfectly, mixed with soft, creamy egg yolk, spilled gently forth.
Seeing this, Symboli Sirius finally understood why Tokai Natural had said it required extra preparation time.
In fact, considering the complexity she now witnessed, one hour was probably even a bit short.
She turned to glance briefly at Tokai Natural.
This was Sirius's first time tasting Tokai Natural's cooking.
Yet, just from what she'd already seen, Sirius knew the dish couldn't possibly taste bad. Frankly, for someone of Natural's obvious skill, creating a bad dish would actually have been far more difficult.
Without hesitation, Sirius took a bite.
And from her seat in the kitchen, watching Symboli Sirius silently focused on the food without noticing her own staring—
Tokai Natural let out a quiet sigh of relief. Finally, she shifted her gaze from Sirius back down to the magazine she'd been browsing earlier.
...
After about ten minutes, a voice interrupted her thoughts:
"Check, please."
Tokai Natural set down the magazine and raised her head. Sirius was now standing before her, separated only by the small kitchen counter.
Glancing quickly at Sirius's now-empty plate, Tokai Natural replied, "Um, probably about four thousand yen."
"Probably?"
"We're still in the soft-opening stage. I'll properly adjust the prices later. Depending on how things go, I might even remove this dish from the menu altogether."
Hearing this, Symboli Sirius fell silent for a few seconds before looking directly at Natural again: "There'll be a rotating menu tomorrow, correct?"
"That's right. This dish will probably be rotated out tomorrow. The preparation is really complex—nice to make occasionally, but permanently…well…"
Tokai Natural's voice trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished. Symboli Sirius nodded in understanding.
After all, just deboning the quail alone was already troublesome, let alone all the meticulous detail within the dish itself.
After paying, Symboli Sirius merely mentioned she'd return tomorrow, then quietly left.
Tokai Natural collected Sirius's plate and utensils. Sitting back down, she watched Sirius's departing figure and suddenly recalled another member of the Symboli Family.
Compared to Symboli Rudolf, Symboli Sirius felt so much gentler, somehow.
Considering this difference quietly, Tokai Natural's gaze returned to her magazine.
Not long after, the shop door opened again, revealing the usual two:
Mr. C.B. and Maruzensky.
Seeing them arrive, Tokai Natural immediately stood up. "What would you like?"
"Just make whatever you want."
Mr. C.B. casually took a seat at an empty table.
Maruzensky, seated across from Mr. C.B., looked toward Natural and said quietly, "Symboli Sirius is back. She arrived yesterday, but only showed up at Tracen Academy today."
Hearing this, Tokai Natural nodded slightly. "Mm, I know. She was here about two hours ago. She seemed nice."
"Two hours ago?"
Maruzensky looked sharply toward Tokai Natural, concern briefly flickering in her eyes.
"Yes. Seems like she knew the previous owner of this place. But thankfully, she also liked my cooking. She said she'd be back tomorrow." Saying this, Tokai Natural checked the ingredients in the fridge before speaking again: "How about I make you both some curry?"
Hearing Tokai Natural's carefree tone, Mr. C.B. swallowed back her initial impulse to caution her again. She merely sighed softly, then changed the subject: "How were today's sales?"
"Not very good, but it was within expectations. After all, we only just opened."
As Tokai Natural spoke, she began adding spices into a pot. "Dinner will be ready in about half an hour. Want any side dishes or anything else? I'll warn you now—I don't make sushi."
"No need."
"I'd like a glass of water."