After agonizing over it for an entire day, Tokai Roman still hadn't used that money.
Her decision hadn't changed.
She'd still decided to hand it over to Yayoi Natural.
And so, she arrived at Yayoi Natural's restaurant.
Since nothing had gone particularly wrong, Yayoi Natural's opening day was proceeding quite normally.
After pushing open the restaurant door and seeing only a few customers inside, Tokai Roman took a deep breath, then headed over to the counter.
With her back turned, Yayoi Natural hadn't noticed her presence yet. Seeing this, Tokai Roman felt a mischievous impulse rising inside her.
And so…
"Naturaaal~"
The greeting—delivered exactly as she'd done when they were children—gave Yayoi Natural instant goosebumps.
"Roman-neechan, did you need something? Shouldn't you be busy with moving preparations right now?"
When Yayoi Natural turned around, her voice carried a hint of embarrassment.
After all, the tone her sister had just used left her feeling distinctly awkward.
Seeing the subtle expression on Yayoi Natural's face, Tokai Roman knew her little prank had succeeded.
"Roman-nee!"
Noticing the smirk forming on Roman's face, even Yayoi Natural, no matter how dense, quickly realized she'd been teased.
"I was just reminiscing a bit about the old days, that's all."
After pausing briefly, Tokai Roman continued, "I was thinking of bringing Teio here for dinner sometime. Would that be alright?"
"No problem at all. It's not like there's anything to avoid."
Responding casually, Yayoi Natural sighed softly before asking again, "Anyway, did you need something else, Roman-nee?"
At her question, Tokai Roman's hands briefly froze.
Then everything returned to normal.
"I have some money—quite a lot, actually. If we use it, we could even buy a house nearby, something spacious enough for the four of us."
Hearing this, Yayoi Natural paused momentarily.
She knew her sister's financial situation well enough. Precisely because she knew, she couldn't quite figure out where this money came from.
"This money belonged to Rudolf…"
In the next instant, the name Tokai Roman mentioned made Yayoi Natural's hands stop seasoning the soup. Her entire body stiffened for a brief moment.
Then, exactly like Tokai Roman before, everything returned to normal.
"Rudolf's money, huh…"
Yayoi Natural remained quiet for several seconds.
She wasn't sure exactly how much money Rudolf had given Roman, but it certainly wouldn't be a small amount, or else Roman wouldn't be talking about buying a house.
Thinking about it for only a few moments, Yayoi Natural eventually spoke up: "Just return it…"
Yayoi Natural's immediate reply made Tokai Roman's movements pause completely. She hadn't expected Natural to decide so easily.
Of course, it wasn't necessarily a bad decision.
But…
Recalling Teio's situation again, Tokai Roman sighed quietly. "Alright, I understand. I'll hand it back to Sirius."
Ending the topic there, Tokai Roman changed the subject and glanced at the soup pot that Natural was working on. "What are you cooking?"
"Preparing dishes from another cuisine."
Ignoring their earlier conversation, Tokai Roman responded lightly. "New menu?"
"Not exactly. If every new dish was at this level, I'd only lose money."
To her sister, who had never properly tasted her cooking, Yayoi Natural patiently explained, "It's for a banquet at the Mejiro Family's place. Looks like they're trying to build connections with China, so I'm practicing Chinese dishes."
Tokai Roman didn't really understand her sister's explanation.
After all, she knew practically nothing about different cuisines. Usually, when cooking dinner for Teio, she'd just improvise meals with whatever ingredients were at hand.
Therefore, she simply nodded. "I see. But why did you get involved with the Mejiro Family?"
"Well, to put it simply, probably because…"
Yayoi Natural thought for a few seconds, then turned toward Roman with a frank expression:
"The money was too good to pass up."
With that one sentence, Natural's financial struggles were completely exposed.
Yet, thinking back to how swiftly Natural had rejected Rudolf's money moments ago, Tokai Roman felt that her sister was surprisingly strong-willed, in a way.
"But why did the Mejiro Family choose you specifically?"
"Ah, about that… Before opening, I asked a few Uma Musume to taste-test dishes for me, and then…"
Yayoi Natural smiled helplessly, "I ended up connecting with Mejiro Ardan, and then they invited me to cook at the Mejiro Estate."
"That sounds almost coincidental."
"It really was coincidental." Yayoi Natural stretched lightly, then continued, "But it's a pretty suitable job. One visit should earn me about 500,000 yen."
"That much?!"
"Exactly. Why else would I do it?" As she said this, Yayoi Natural served the braised pork trotters, now fully cooked, onto a plate, adding a pair of chopsticks.
Then she placed it in front of Tokai Roman. "Want to try some?"
Seeing the red-glazed pork trotters, Roman's expression grew a little complicated. Pig trotters certainly weren't common in Japanese cooking. She glanced up at Yayoi Natural uncertainly. "This is…"
"Pig trotters. Cooked according to a Chinese recipe. There's probably nothing remarkable about the taste, though."
"I know they're pig trotters! I'm asking about the dish name—the name!"
"Oh, this one is called 'Five-Spice Braised Trotters.' If everything went right, they should already be tender enough. Try poking with your chopsticks."
Natural's explanation remained quite vague, but Tokai Roman didn't press further. After all, she'd rarely tasted her sister's cooking.
So, she picked up the chopsticks.
The soft, gelatinous skin split open easily under the pointed Japanese chopsticks, revealing tender, elastic meat underneath. Tokai Roman raised her head to look at her younger sister.
Natural had just said that there was "nothing remarkable" about the taste.
But judging by this alone, Roman knew instantly she couldn't replicate this quality even if she spent a lifetime cooking for Teio.
Realizing this, Tokai Roman narrowed her eyes slightly at Yayoi Natural.
"What's that look? Gross."
"I'm just realizing that my little sister has grown up a lot. When we first met, you spent most of your time confined to a hospital bed."
"...Maybe I have grown up."
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