In February, Tokai Natural resigned, taking her final paycheck and leaving L'Ambroisie restaurant exactly one year after she'd started working there.
Naturally, since she'd risen from apprentice to sous-chef in just half a year, Tokai Natural had become somewhat of a legend in the culinary world.
After all, L'Ambroisie was a Michelin three-star establishment—and yet, she'd effortlessly climbed its ranks.
But none of those legends mattered anymore.
She'd already resigned.
Now, after leaving, Tokai Natural arrived at a shop located not far from Symboli Speed's mansion.
Stopping before a modest storefront along the street, she opened the door with her own key.
Inside was a space fully prepared and waiting.
This was the place Tokai Natural had leased herself. This would be where she built her new life.
Gazing around the store's interior, Tokai Natural gently rested her hand atop the long countertop by the wall, slowly brushing her palm across it.
"Everything will get better from now on…"
Turning around, she locked the door behind her and pulled down the metal shutters.
After confirming everything was secure, she took out her phone.
"All right, I've already confirmed the deliveries for supplies. There shouldn't be any issues now."
Having verified her ingredient supply was secure, Tokai Natural finally felt fully at ease.
The reason for relying on deliveries was, ultimately, Mochizuki.
Caring for Mochizuki meant she didn't have the time to visit morning markets herself.
But Tokai Natural wasn't bothered by this. Using slightly cheaper ingredients actually allowed her to cut costs and save more money.
Mochizuki's future would inevitably require substantial financial resources.
With that thought, Tokai Natural didn't linger at the restaurant's door, instead returning straight to the mansion.
"Mama's home~!"
"Mama's home!"
Hearing Mochizuki speaking clearly in sentences now, Tokai Natural's face lit up in a gentle smile.
She approached Mochizuki and lifted her up in one smooth motion. "Starting tomorrow, Mama will be staying home with you~"
"Mama… home?"
"Yes, I'm home."
After replying, Tokai Natural used her free hand to gently pat Mochizuki's head. "From now on, I'll also be able to drop you off and pick you up when you go to kindergarten."
"Really?"
Mochizuki's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly conveyed her distrust of Tokai Natural's promise.
"Have I ever lied to you?"
Saying this, Tokai Natural gently set Mochizuki back down. "I'll go prepare dinner now~"
With light footsteps, she headed into the kitchen.
Hearing those cheerful footsteps, Symboli Speed, who was sitting on the floor with Mochizuki, leaned her upper body backward, propping herself up with her hands.
She could clearly sense Tokai Natural's good mood.
Even with just a bit of thought, Symboli Speed understood why Tokai Natural was feeling so happy.
After all—
Mochizuki suddenly climbed onto Symboli Speed's chest.
Caught off guard by her weight, Symboli Speed nearly fell backward.
Quickly supporting herself with her hands again, Symboli Speed let out a sigh, softly murmuring, "From here on, I suppose I really will have to live like an old lady."
"Old lady?"
"I'm not old at all!" Quickly correcting Mochizuki's words, Symboli Speed sat back up properly. "But now that Natural has time to take care of you, I might need to leave for a little trip~"
Saying this, Symboli Speed gazed softly at Mochizuki.
She knew very well that there were still things she had to do. If she didn't take care of them, it might become difficult for her to face Tokai Natural again later.
With that thought, Symboli Speed spoke loudly towards the kitchen again, "Natural!"
"Hm?"
"I might have to take a trip soon. Can you take care of Mochizuki on your own?"
Symboli Speed raised her voice slightly, looking toward the kitchen entrance.
"You're going traveling?"
Symboli Speed had previously traveled across Europe, so Tokai Natural wasn't particularly surprised by this sudden whim.
Tokai Natural's misunderstanding served as the perfect excuse, so Symboli Speed went along with it. "Ah, that's right, it's about time for me to travel again. I won't be gone too long, just a few days. No need to see me off or anything."
"I see…" Natural's voice echoed from inside the kitchen.
She hadn't caught onto Symboli Speed's true intentions. After thinking briefly, she just gave a simple reply, "Be careful out there. Mochizuki… she really likes you."
"…I know."
Symboli Speed quietly stood up as she said that.
...
Three days later, Tokai Natural's restaurant opened. But the day before that, Symboli Speed had already boarded a plane. Now, Natural was fully in charge of caring for Mochizuki by herself.
Truthfully, caring for Mochizuki took a great deal of energy.
She was no longer an infant but a child now, naturally demanding more effort to care for properly.
Yet it wasn't especially difficult. Despite her slightly delayed language development, Mochizuki's disposition was actually obedient and thoughtful.
Taking care of her hadn't proved as difficult as Tokai Natural initially imagined.
Given how well-behaved Mochizuki was, managing the new shop wasn't terribly difficult either.
Besides, a new store without any discounts or special events naturally wouldn't attract many customers at first.
And so…
At three in the afternoon, seated on a chair, Tokai Natural looked at the earnings from her first day of business and sighed deeply. "Even though I expected this… it's still a little frustrating, going back to how things were at the very start."
Letting out another sigh, she shifted her gaze to the street outside.
In another hour, she planned to close up for the day.
Between four and five in the afternoon was usually when kindergartens let out.
Even though Mochizuki hadn't yet started kindergarten, Tokai Natural was determined to get used to this schedule ahead of time.
After pulling her gaze back inside, Tokai Natural resumed worrying about the coming days.
But as her attention shifted inward, she finally noticed a young Uma Musume standing quietly across from her.
Being stared at by those golden eyes, Tokai Natural tilted her head slightly. "Did you get separated from your parents?"
No response came.
Seeing how young the Uma was, Tokai Natural paused for several seconds before finally speaking again: "Hmm, you can stay here for now. Your parents should come looking for you soon enough."
After saying that, Tokai Natural returned her gaze elsewhere.
When it came to children, she'd always been soft-hearted.
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T/N: im back, did a poll on my patreon on the new schedule and releases for webnovel so yeah
beep boop