Chapter 289: Stardew Valley Ranch's First Batch of Tourists!
10 AM, Asahikawa Airport.
With the roar of engines growing from distant to near, a Boeing aircraft landed smoothly on the runway.
Once the plane came to a complete stop, the passengers stood up one after another and walked down the gangway in an orderly manner.
Itori retrieved her luggage from the claim area and looked down at her phone screen:
"Domestic Arrival Lobby (1st Floor) [Gate 4] Exit..."
"After exiting the glass doors, turn right and walk 20 meters to the [Designated Large Vehicle Parking Lot]. White Hino Poncho bus, license plate number..."
She followed the text message instructions and quickly found the designated parking lot. Scanning the area, she saw Minos standing not far away, holding a pickup sign.
The corners of Itori's mouth lifted slightly. Dragging her suitcase, her sky-high heels clicking clack-clack-clack, she walked over.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
"Not at all. You must be Itori-san?"
Minos lowered the sign and, with a hearty smile, confirmed with the mature woman in front of her, who looked somewhat familiar.
"Yes, I am Itori."
Itori, with her beautiful long wine-red hair, wearing a black V-neck slip dress with a black sheer overlay, looked both sexy and enchanting. She lowered her head to operate her phone, logging into the 'Jalan' backend to show her booking information.
Minos glanced at it, confirmed everything was correct, and proactively took her luggage. Pointing to the bus beside them, she said enthusiastically, "This is our ranch's vehicle. Let me help you with your luggage. Go on up and find any seat you like; we'll be heading to Stardew Valley shortly."
"Okay." Itori nodded. After boarding, she curiously scanned the interior; the bus was about half full.
Mostly young people, with an equal mix of men and women.
They were chatting in small groups, listening to music with headphones, or looking down at their phones.
Noticing her board, a few people cast curious glances. One young man couldn't resist looking a few extra times, provoking a slight jealousy from his female companion.
"..." Itori didn't mind and found an empty seat to sit down by herself.
"Minna-san—!"
Minos quickly loaded the luggage and boarded the bus. Standing at the front of the cabin, she addressed the passengers with a bright smile:
"Next, we will be heading to Stardew Valley Ranch. The drive will take about half an hour."
"Ooh—! Finally setting off? ヽ(＾Д＾)ﾉ"
"Glowing Cuisine, here I come!"
"Yahoo—!"
"..."
Minos sat in the driver's seat.
Amidst cheers of joy, she skillfully started the bus and followed the navigation towards Stardew Valley Ranch.
Itori sat by the window, her long, slender legs clad in black stockings elegantly crossed.
Resting her cheek on one hand, she gazed casually out the window, suddenly hearing excited conversation from behind—
"Speaking of which, we're really lucky! To be the first batch of tourists at the Cooking Sage's ranch! (≧∀≦)"
"You can say that again!"
"Great job, Takumi! Snatching a camping spot... I saw online that the camping spots and the three homestay rooms were snapped up in less than a minute after they were released!"
"And they're booked all the way to this Thursday!!"
"Hehe—! Just got lucky! I happened to be scrolling through Twitter at that time and had the 'Jalan' app on my phone. As soon as I saw the special push notification, I immediately opened 'Jalan' to grab a reservation!"
"..." Itori's gaze shifted slightly. She had also been lucky, just happening to be on her phone with the 'Jalan' app installed.
However, she had booked a homestay, booking straight through to this Thursday—not because she didn't want to book longer, but because she could only book until Thursday.
Theoretically, checkout was before noon on Friday.
She could only say that the Cooking Sage was truly obsessed with his days off. Running a holiday resort ranch like this yet still insisting on weekends off...
She'd never seen anything like it!
...
Along the way, the atmosphere inside the bus was relaxed and cheerful.
Approaching 11 AM, Minos slowly stopped the bus at the entrance of Stardew Valley Ranch.
"Welcome to Stardew Valley Ranch!"
She used the remote control on her keychain to open the electric gate, glanced at the rearview mirror, and announced to the tourists in a crisp voice.
Hearing this, the passengers inside the bus looked curiously out the windows.
As the bus slowly drove into Stardew Valley, the mysterious veil of the ranch was lifted before their eyes.
Overall, the scenery was quite nice.
Although not as dazzling and eye-catching as the neighboring flower fields, the rolling green land was still very pleasing to the eye.
Herds of cows were scattered here and there, leisurely grazing on the pasture or lazily basking in the sun.
As far as the eye could see, there were also brand-new, exquisite red-roofed cowsheds dotting the greenery, creating a charming contrast with the surrounding natural landscape.
It gave a feeling of pastoral poetry, and one's mood unconsciously became peaceful.
Inside the ranch, there was also a green mountain, a wide shimmering lake, and several buildings of different styles...
Leaving a 'not bad' first impression on the tourists in the bus.
"Alright! everyone, follow me off the bus. I'll return your luggage to you first, then take you to check in."
Minos drove the bus to the small square in front of the complex building. After parking steadily, she greeted everyone warmly.
"Yosh—!"
"By the way, is the campsite on the other side of the lake? It looks really nice! Even more expansive than in the photos!"
"That's the place! I saw the sign just now."
"Indeed, not bad!"
"After checking in, let's go set up the tents!"
"Okay—!"
"..."
Chatting excitedly, the tourists got off the bus one after another.
Minos efficiently opened the luggage compartment, took out the luggage one by one, and returned them to the tourists, then led them toward the complex building to check in.
Meanwhile—
Ryohei Tanaka finished making a batch of desserts, took his phone out of his pocket, and checked the time.
Thinking that Minos should be bringing the people back about now, he strolled to the window and looked outside—
And with that glance, he happened to see Minos leading people toward the complex building.
Ryohei Tanaka raised an eyebrow, turned around to instruct Pino on the subsequent packaging of the desserts, and then took Yusa to the kitchen next door.
It was time to prepare lunch!
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