An hour passed, yet Tokai Natural didn't see the girl's parents arrive.
And moreover…
Glancing at the young girl sitting across from her, and at Mochizuki beside her, Tokai Natural gently averted her gaze.
Her first day's business had concluded miserably, and now it looked like—
"Mochizuki, what do you want to eat?"
"Hmm…"
Tokai Natural's question sent Mochizuki into deep thought.
Clearly, Mochizuki couldn't decide—after all, she felt everything her mother made was delicious.
Seeing Mochizuki's reaction, Tokai Natural sighed helplessly.
She knew that her daughter would likely agonize over this decision forever.
So, turning instead to the other child, Tokai Natural asked, "What about you? What do you want to eat? It's free today~"
The young girl looked up at Tokai Natural's words.
"M-me? Is it really okay?"
"Yes, of course it is~" Tokai Natural gently reassured her, then continued softly, "Did you get separated from your parents?"
"N-no… Papa just told me to wait on the chair, but then he never came back…"
Her voice quivered slightly, clearly on the verge of tears. She couldn't understand why her father had disappeared and not returned.
Hearing her words, Tokai Natural paused briefly.
She quickly composed herself and responded gently, "I see. Then why don't you stay here with us until your papa comes back, okay?"
After saying that, Tokai Natural glanced once more at Mochizuki, who was still struggling to decide. Shaking her head with another helpless sigh, she turned away and started considering what to prepare for dinner.
Although Mochizuki's opinion was usually important, clearly right now the priority was preparing a meal for this other child.
Tokai Natural quickly made her decision.
She began by using up the ingredients left over from the day, preparing dinner swiftly.
Not long afterward, a dish completely unlike standard French cuisine appeared in front of the young Uma Musume. "Try it, okay~?"
Then, reaching out to gently grasp her own daughter's head, she added teasingly, "If you still can't decide, I'll just make something random for you—sound good?"
"Hmm…" Mochizuki hesitated, obviously unhappy with her mother's threat, but still unsure what else to choose from the endless possibilities her mother offered.
Eventually, she turned to look at the young Uma Musume beside her and simply said, "The same!"
"The same, huh? Alright, alright—I'll make it right away."
Letting go of Mochizuki's head, Tokai Natural headed back into the kitchen.
The dish she'd prepared for the visiting Uma Musume was simple fried rice, tailored slightly to match an Uma's taste.
Mochizuki, on the other hand…
She preferred dishes with a bit more spice, which meant Tokai Natural needed to prepare something different.
"Here's yours~"
Placing a serving of fried rice in front of Mochizuki, Tokai Natural's attention actually remained focused on the other Uma Musume.
The plate in front of her was nearly empty.
Observing this, Tokai Natural's gaze drifted toward the restaurant's entrance.
Still nobody there…
Realizing this, Tokai Natural turned her eyes back.
For most families, raising a race-focused Uma Musume was nearly impossible.
This was the harsh reality.
The resources required were simply too immense.
And because of that, occasionally…
The restaurant door suddenly opened, interrupting Tokai Natural's thoughts.
"Welcome—"
The man who entered ignored her greeting entirely, breathing heavily as his eyes scanned the room before finally landing on the young Uma Musume.
"There you are, Montjeu!"
"Papa!?"
Turning quickly toward the man standing at the doorway, the young girl's voice filled with surprise and relief.
Seeing this scene, Tokai Natural's expression softened slightly.
Thankfully, it wasn't what she'd feared.
As the man hurriedly approached his daughter, he quickly noticed the nearly-empty plate in front of her.
"Montjeu, did you eat here?"
"She ate here, yes—but no need to pay. It was on the house," Tokai Natural answered calmly, then gently admonished, "Next time, don't leave a child that young alone in the streets. It's dangerous."
"I was supposed to stay with her today, but something urgent came up at work. I thought it would be resolved quickly, so I told Montjeu to wait here. But things kept getting more complicated, so…" the man explained, his voice full of apology. "In any case, I'm truly sorry."
"It's fine, really. Though I suppose you should explain that to someone else rather than me."
After responding lightly, Tokai Natural turned back toward the kitchen.
Now that Montjeu was leaving, there were no more customers in the small restaurant. As she tidied up the kitchen, she spoke again quietly, "Next time, things might turn out worse."
"…Thank you."
The man hesitated briefly before turning to his daughter. "Montjeu, let's go home now."
"Okay!"
Montjeu eagerly jumped down from the chair and took her father's hand.
Tokai Natural's movements paused briefly as she saw this scene from inside the kitchen.
Then she turned to look for Mochizuki.
Mochizuki had hopped down from her chair and was standing beside Montjeu, whispering something to her.
Witnessing this, Tokai Natural gradually stopped her tidying.
Soon after, Mochizuki returned to her chair, continuing her fried rice without another word.
"What did you tell Montjeu?" Tokai Natural asked gently.
"Secret!" Mochizuki replied loudly, yet in a perfectly calm tone.
"A secret, huh? Then Mama won't ask any further~" Tokai Natural smiled, returning to hang the clean dishes back on their hooks. "Once you finish eating, we'll head home."
"Mm!"
...
Stepping off the plane in Japan, Symboli Speed hadn't informed anyone of her return.
She didn't need anyone to welcome her.
After all, for Symboli Speed, there was only one thing she needed to do here in Japan.
She planned to head home as soon as it was done, without lingering a moment longer than necessary.
Only after leaving the airport did she take out her phone.
Although the date had automatically adjusted based on GPS, a small notification immediately caught her attention.
[Please stay safe.]
The message had come from Tokai Natural.
Seeing it, Symboli Speed sent back a quick reply, then tucked the phone back into her pocket.
---
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