Time slipped quietly by; six months had passed.
After Yayoi Natural arrived, Symboli Speed ended her casual wandering around Europe and returned to living full-time in the grand mansion she'd bought in Paris.
Having been cared for meticulously by Yayoi Natural for half a year now, Symboli Speed had come to a very clear conclusion:
That dumbass granddaughter of mine really…
Forget it. Better not to mention her—it was nothing good anyway.
Shifting her gaze back to Yayoi Natural…
About a month ago, Yayoi Natural—who had begun working at L'Ambroisie—was finally promoted to sous-chef.
Her rapid advancement was completely reasonable. After all, what Yayoi Natural needed was merely to learn certain techniques; once she grasped the basic processes, the rest depended purely on ability.
And as far as ability went, Yayoi Natural lacked nothing.
Still…
After glancing around briefly at the restaurant's interior, Yayoi Natural returned her attention to the entrée before her.
Unlike the head chef,
Yayoi Natural—as sous-chef—had a lot more responsibilities, from adjusting dishes to handling other miscellaneous tasks.
Of course, Yayoi Natural had her eyes firmly on the head-chef position.
The head chef's role was ideal—checking dishes and stepping in only when important guests visited.
This role would be far better suited to Yayoi Natural's health, as well as caring for Mochizuki. The pay raise was also something she genuinely needed.
Thankfully, with Yayoi Natural working daily, Mochizuki was now fully under Symboli Speed's care.
And precisely because of how attentively Symboli Speed had looked after Mochizuki, Yayoi Natural finally began to set aside her lingering distrust toward anyone bearing the Symboli name.
Under these circumstances, time soon passed into July.
...
L'Ambroisie welcomed a special guest.
"Even knowing L'Ambroisie was a Michelin three-star, still…"
Looking up at the restaurant before her, Moonlight Lunacy's voice shifted slightly. "Lately, the Uma Musume on Twitter have been giving it exceptional reviews. Did they get a new chef?"
A month ago, Moonlight Lunacy had entered a recovery period due to the Geoffrey Freer Stakes.
Now, she had only one more race left before retirement.
Finally, Moonlight Lunacy—a British Uma Musume—could temporarily escape from the torturous "diet hell."
She'd have to manage her weight strictly again later, of course—but occasionally enjoying a good meal wasn't going to be a big issue.
At the recommendation of her followers—and with Britain still pre-Brexit—Moonlight Lunacy made the short trip over to France.
L'Ambroisie required reservations, and Moonlight Lunacy, knowing exactly what she wanted, naturally didn't overlook that.
So, when she reached the entrance, the restaurant staff immediately opened the door for her.
This was no surprise, given her unmistakable Uma Musume appearance.
"Let's give it a try," she murmured as she stepped into L'Ambroisie.
The restaurant was quite crowded, with a notable number of Uma Musume present.
It was common for Uma Musume to hunt for good food, considering their large appetites—but the sheer number of rave reviews by Uma Musume that Moonlight Lunacy had seen on Twitter was unprecedented.
Precisely because of this, she had come all the way to France.
Following the waiter, Moonlight Lunacy soon settled into a seat at a single table.
"We currently have five set menus available. Among them is one tailored specifically to the tastes of Uma Musume—"
"Is that Uma-specialized menu the new chef's creation?"
"Yes, it's entirely prepared by our new sous-chef."
The waiter had answered this question many times recently, and now gave the same practiced reply.
Hearing this, Moonlight Lunacy simply nodded and handed back the menu. "Then I'll take that new set menu."
"Very good. Would you like wine pairings, and do you have any dietary restrictions?"
"No wine, and no dietary restrictions."
"Understood. We'll have it prepared shortly."
As the waiter departed, Moonlight Lunacy pulled out her phone again, browsing more information about this new chef.
Though the sheer number of recommendations online already suggested the new sous-chef was genuinely skilled…
Moonlight Lunacy decided to judge by taste first.
Soon the appetizer arrived. Moonlight Lunacy put away her phone, ready to make her assessment after tasting the dishes herself.
About an hour later, Moonlight Lunacy had finished the entire set.
Her decision was quick.
"Impressive indeed. I should bring Tony here in September—she's planning to run the Arc this year anyway…"
As she spoke, Moonlight Lunacy pulled out her phone again, texting Tony Bianca before setting the device aside.
As for a response, she didn't expect one soon. Tony Bianca was still deep in specialized training for upcoming races, unlike Moonlight Lunacy, who was now in recovery.
After sending her message, Moonlight Lunacy glanced at the waiter. "I look forward to tasting new dishes next time."
"Certainly."
Receiving that reply, Moonlight Lunacy turned and left the restaurant.
...
As time flowed onward, Yayoi Natural finally returned home to Symboli Speed's mansion around nine o'clock at night—and that was only because, as sous-chef, she no longer needed to clean the kitchen afterward.
Seeing Yayoi Natural arrive, Symboli Speed looked up immediately. "Natural~, I'm starving~"
Glancing at Symboli Speed—who was sprawled shamelessly across the sofa, holding Mochizuki without any shred of dignity as an elder—Yayoi Natural just sighed softly.
Ever since Yayoi Natural first cooked dinner for her, Symboli Speed refused to cook anything at all, simply waiting patiently every day for Yayoi Natural's meals.
Thus, without bothering to say anything more, Yayoi Natural walked straight into the kitchen to prepare dinner for both herself and Symboli Speed.
Watching Yayoi Natural enter the kitchen, Symboli Speed rolled onto her stomach on the sofa and called out again: "Natural?"
"Hm? Want to try something new?"
Yayoi Natural's voice mixed gently with the rhythmic sounds of chopping vegetables.
Listening quietly, Symboli Speed considered for a few moments, then asked softly, "When are you planning to resign?"
Yayoi Natural's resignation was inevitable, after all. Considering her fragile health and Mochizuki's needs, it was only natural that Yayoi Natural would eventually leave her job at the restaurant.
"Hmm…probably within a few months. To open my own place, I still need to save a bit more."
"Is that so? Then better hurry a little—Mochizuki's starting kindergarten next year."
"Kindergarten!"
Listening to one old and one young voice exclaiming together, Yayoi Natural couldn't help but smile quietly.
"Mm. I'll definitely start thinking seriously about resigning soon."