So here it is, I had wanted to try doing this one for a while already, but due to various problems popping up I just couldn’t finish it. Anyway, this is the first chapter of the light novel version of Shokugeki no Soma, which is just a collection of interesting side stories, which I’m planning to do the whole thing, so yeah, I hope I can get the next chapter done soon, but I’ll have to take my time with it so everything goes fine.

Also Fate/Grand Order is great and Overlord is AOTS.

Megumi’s Journey

Proofread by Royal

Megumi was in a festive mood.

She sat on a sofa in the Polar Star Dorm’s lobby and opened the retro suitcase next to her. On the table were neatly folded clothes, a toothbrush, some body soap, and a towel, among other things. Her preparations for travelling were finished.

「Am I missing anything? Do I have enough snacks?」

As she marked off her checklist, Megumi tilted her head with a “Hmmm”.

Right before the rainy season, the school Megumi attended, Tootsuki Culinary Academy, went on break. Tomorrow was the first day of their break, and the club Megumi belonged to, the “Regional Cuisine Research Society”, began their training camp that same day.

「It’s my first training camp since I joined. I can’t wait~!」

Megumi began packing her things in the worn suitcase her father gave her.

「Oh, Tadokoro! Where are you going? A trip?」

Megumi’s dormmate, Yukihira Souma, and their senior, Isshiki Satoshi, walked over. Isshiki was in a loincloth, as he had just finished farmwork.

「It’s one of the Regional Cuisine Research Society’s club activities.」

Isshiki’s loincloth was something she was used to seeing, so she smoothly ignored it while answering them with a smile.

「Our plan is to investigate ingredients and seasonings from many regions.」

「Wow, sounds fun! What will you be up to, Isshiki-senpai?」

「I have work in Polar Star’s fields. Looks like Yoshino-kun is also staying to take care of her animals.」

「We’re on break, huh… I haven’t gone home since I transferred in. I think I’ll head back for a change! Yeah, that’s what I’ll do. See you, Tadokoro!」

「You have a nice break too, Souma-kun.」

「Thanks.」

Flashing Megumi a smile, Yukihira went up the dorm’s stairs.

Megumi smiled and waved after Yukihira. Then Isshiki said,

「By the way, you’re quite bold Tadokoro-chan.」

「Eh? What do you mean?」

「Doing your packing here. Everyone can see your luggage. You usually do these things in your room, right?」

「Hah!? Eh!? Hehh!?」

Megumi finally realized that she had been preparing for her trip in the middle of the dorm’s lobby for everyone to see, and turned crimson.

「Ahhh! D-Dis is, well, I jus’ thought I didn’t wanna forget anything, and…」

Isshiki smiled kindly at Megumi, who in her embarrassment had reverted to her country dialect.

「No, I quite understand. Sometimes you just feel like casting aside your mask and exposing your privacy to everyone. I often have moments myself where I want to strip completely bare. Hahahaha!」

「I-I see…」

What Isshiki said wasn’t particularly refreshing, but his smile most certainly was, so Megumi felt obliged to agree.

「At any rate, you must be looking forward to that training camp tomorrow. Where are you going?」

「Nagano. We’re researching the Ina area’s local cuisine…」

「Ina? They make oyaki, if I recall. And sauce katsudon too, right?」

「They also have dishes with horse meat, locusts and hornet larvae.」

「Hmm, that’s interesting.」

「Yes. So I can’t afford to oversleep tomorrow!」

「That’s why we’ll be waking her, Senpai.」

Megumi and Isshiki turned to see Yoshino Yuuki appear, wearing a jersey, followed by Sakaki Ryoko. Yuuki had returned from tending to her chickens, and Ryoko had gone to check her rice malt. Both girls were friends with Megumi and fellow residents of the dorm.

「You two are more likely to oversleep, though.」

「How rude! That’s not true.」

Annoyed, Yuuki objected to Isshiki’s teasing. Then Ryoko mildly asked Megumi:

「Megumi, you said 5AM tomorrow?」

「Yes.」

「But why so early? Is your club assembling that early?」

「No, I’m going to make bentos for everyone.」

「What!? You’re making bentos? But you’re going on a food tour!」

「It’s for breakfast. And if the stores happened to be closed, everyone would get hungry.」

Megumi answered Yuuki with a gentle smile.

「That’s our Tadokoro. You’re so nice. …all right, I’ll wake you up too!」

「Really!? Thank you. Please do.」

「Okay, let’s go to bed for tomorrow!」

「It’s too early, Yuuki.」

「Thank you, everyone.」

Megumi gratefully bowed to the three of them and smiled happily.

The next day, Megumi did not oversleep.

More accurately, she ended up not getting much sleep at all because she was worried about oversleeping. Moreover, Isshiki, Yuuki and Ryoko had taken turns to wake Megumi up. Thanks to them, she was also able to make the bentos.

When Megumi was about to leave, Isshiki and the other dorm students came out to the entrance to see her off. Unfortunately Yukihira had already gone home, but Ibusaki Shun was also there.

I’m glad I entered this dorm, Megumi thought to herself, moved by everyone’s kindness.

「Have a nice trip!」

「Tadokoro-chan, COME BAAACK!」

「Senpai, she hasn’t even left yet.」

「Take care, Megumi.」

「Okay, I’m off!」

Megumi brightly bid them farewell and shouldered her bag. Suitcase in one hand, she headed towards Shinjuku Station’s West Entrance, where her club had arranged to meet.

The Regional Cuisine Research Society’s activities mainly involved reading up on local cuisines and recreating the specialties. But knowledge gained in a classroom was not enough. Therefore, whenever they had a long break from school, the entire club would go on a regional food tour.

There is a proverb that says, “no local specialty is actually good.” But they wouldn’t know unless they tried. By visiting the land, breathing its air, and meeting the people, they can gain greater insight on the local cuisine. Just thinking about the upcoming trip put a spring in Megumi’s step.

How will Megumi’s first trip to Nagano turn out–?

Tadokoro Megumi cocked her head in puzzlement.

Something’s wrong. Megumi repeatedly checked her watch before the ticket gate. It was five minutes to 8AM, but no one else was showing up.

She scanned the rush hour crowd, but didn’t see any club members. Masses of people kept passing by.

Did I have the wrong time? Megumi found the printout her senpai gave her and checked. Their call time was indeed 8AM.

But the next moment, Megumi received a shock and brought the printout closer to her face.

「Meeting Place: Shinjuku Station, West Entrance, Express Bus Stop」

That was what was written on the printout.

「Th-The express bus stop!?」

Megumi finally realized she had the wrong location. She had assumed they were taking the train, but they were in fact going by bus.

「Awawa, what’ll I do, what should I do? A-Anyway, I have to contact Senpai…」

Panicking, Megumi tried to take out her new smartphone but her hand slipped.

「Ah!」

With a horrible crack, the smartphone fell on the floor. Almost losing her head, Megumi picked it up to find the screen had turned black.

This isn’t good, she thought, and tried to turn it on. The phone did not respond. Apparently the impact from the fall had broken it.

「N-No way…」

Megumi held her phone, completely flustered.

Now what? At a time like this, what should I– that’s it, I’ve got to reach the meeting place!

Megumi looked around, asked the ticket inspector for the express bus stop, and took off in a panic. She arrived at the location and searched for the bus going to Ina.

Just when she finally found it, the bus revved its engines and left.

「Ahh… it’s gone…」

Megumi dropped her shoulders. Getting the meeting place wrong and dropping her phone were all due to her own carelessness.

I really am hopeless, after all.

Megumi hung her head and sighed.

Up until returning from Tootsuki’s Training Camp from Hell, Megumi was never confident with her cooking or herself.

Her grades were the lowest in the Academy.

In an environment where for better or for worse her cooking was measured by points, Megumi’s self-esteem continued to sink lower. The world of cooking was difficult, and she understood that one couldn’t survive in it by being childishly dependent. But if one’s ability was denied, what could he fall back on? How can he rebuild himself? Megumi often lost sight of those things.

But with Yukihira Souma’s words, that changed a little.

「Cooking is about putting everything you’ve got on a plate.」

「Don’t think about unnecessary things. Just make something that suits you!」

Those were Yukihira Souma’s words when it was decided that she would take on one of the Academy’s graduates, Shinomiya Kojirou, with her expulsion on the line.

Something that suits her, something she’s capable of. With that in mind, she was able to survive the Training Camp that she was so anxious about before. Even when she nearly got expelled, she managed to tie with Shinomiya and was allowed to stay.

So she had started to think, I can do it if I try.

But looking back, that all happened because of Souma-kun’s skill–

Megumi’s heart was suddenly enveloped in gloom, and clouded over.

In Professor Chapelle’s class, Inui-senpai’s task, and that showdown with Shinomiya-senpai, I only got through them because Souma-kun helped me. It wasn’t my skill.

I can’t even–

「Stop!」

Megumi quickly raised her face.

For a brief moment she thought she heard Yukihira Souma’s voice, and looked around.

In front of her was a tour guide, calling “Stop! Stop!” at a tour bus going in reverse. It was just Megumi’s imagination.

「Oh, it was nothing.」

Megumi sighed. But somehow her heart felt lighter.

That’s right. If Souma-kun saw me now, he’d say something like “Stop being negative”. Even when he’s in a tight spot, Souma-kun is always thinking about the best he could do. And right now, there should be something even I can do.

The best thing I could do right now… I’ll do my best to go to Ina by myself.

First, Megumi decided to call the Polar Star Dorm from a public telephone. The dorm mother, Daimidou Fumio, answered the call.

「Honestly, what are you doing!? Your senpais called because you didn’t show at the meeting place!」

「Hyahh! I-I’m sorry…」

Megumi faltered in the face of Fumio’s fury.

「Anyway, I told them to go on ahead, but…you should hurry after them. They’ll be sticking to the schedule, so if you’re still coming, use that to catch up.」

「The schedule…」

Megumi looked at the printout in her hand. It had the order in which the club was rounding the local cuisine. Apparently they planned to follow that order.

「Thank you very much! I’ll be going now!」

Megumi politely thanked Fumio and hung up.

When she consulted the timetable, she found the next bus wouldn’t come for a while and decided to go to Ina by train. She went to the ticket window and asked the clerk how to get to Ina.

Perhaps she felt sorry for Megumi, because despite the busy rush hour the clerk took her time giving detailed directions to Megumi. Though Megumi wasn’t aware of it, her own warm aura often drew out the kindness in people.

To get to Ina by train, it apparently took three hours while changing from express to local rail.

Megumi thanked the clerk, bought her express ticket, and headed towards Ina.

「It was a bit expensive, but… can’t be helped, I s’pose.」

With the suitcase at her side, Megumi sat down and sighed while gazing out the window.

According to the clerk, the riding time on train and bus were about the same. And in spite of being business rivals, she kindly told Megumi that riding the bus would be actually cheaper.

So it couldn’t be helped that she lost some pocket money.

More importantly, I’ll have to manage by myself so I don’t cause any more trouble to everyone.

Megumi took out a book and notepad from her bag. It was a two hour trip on the express train. Spacing out by herself would be a waste of time, so she decided to review the local cuisine and began flipping through the book.

Megumi opened the regional cuisine book to the page on Nagano prefecture and began reading it intently. While scanning the specialties including sauce katsudon and oyaki, the term “Ròumiàn” caught her eye.

Ina’s specialty, “Ròumiàn”.

A dish that was born around 1955 in a Chinese restaurant in Ina, by a cook who had trained in Yokohama and Tokyo.

At the time there were no refrigerators, and he happened upon the idea of steaming the noodles while attempting to preserve those in stock. With this innovation the noodles gained a unique flavor and texture, though funnily enough it was the same method by which yakisoba noodles were made and sold throughout the country not long after.

The cook then added locally grown cabbage and mutton, which was relatively easy to get at the time, to the steamed noodles. He christened the dish “Chǎo ròumiàn”. The “chǎo” was eventually removed, however, and it came to be known simply as “ròumiàn”.

The dish became very popular, not least because it surprisingly complemented sake, and spread to other restaurants in the vicinity. Today it is a dish that everyone in the area knows and the local food that represents Ina.

「I see… local cuisine really is interesting.」

As she read, Megumi began thinking about all the local foods she hasn’t tried yet.

Local cuisine was an adventure.

As a land that stretches long from North to South, with dialects varying by region, Japan has many special dishes.

Some were based in an area for generations, while others were created to revitalize a town.

But most of all, specialities that you cannot eat anywhere else are born because the people who made them love their land and know what fits its climate best.

A speciality is something that can make you understand the region by eating it.

A speciality is something that you crave for when you leave your home and think of home.

Megumi herself had realized that ever since she left home to study at Tootsuki, her feelings towards her home’s specialties had grown especially stronger.

Joining the Local Cuisine Research Society hadn’t been a mistake after all.

I’ll continue to study and become acquainted with cooking from all kinds of regions.

Megumi quietly closed the book and felt herself getting fired up with that thought.

The train maintained a steady rhythm as it sped onward.

As they left the heart of the city, the view outside the window changed. Skyscrapers were replaced by low buildings and houses, which themselves became scarce and gradually gave way to fields and mountains.

The sun warmed Megumi’s shoulders at the perfect temperature.

「……」

The book she had on her lap fell to the floor with a thump, though Megumi did not notice.

At some point, Megumi had fallen asleep in the pleasant sunlight.

When Megumi woke up, the train had just arrived at Okaya station.

「Oh no!」

Panicking, Megumi picked up her book from the floor and shoved it inside her bag. She grabbed her suitcase, stood up and hurried towards the train’s exit.

Once she stepped down to the platform, Megumi stretched.

There was plenty of greenery around Tootsuki Academy and the Polar Star Dorm, but Nagano’s air felt especially clear.

「Let’s see, the next train is…」

Megumi brought out the memo the clerk had written for her and stared. It seemed that if she took the Iida line from here, she would reach the Ina station.

There was still five minutes before the next train left. According to the printout, the club was visiting a “sauce katsudon” shop within Ina first.

I have to hurry and join everyone.

Just as she broke into a run, she noticed a young boy on the platform, looking around restlessly with a troubled expression.

「……」

Megumi slowed down her pace and looked at the boy. He looked like he was about to cry.

I wonder what’s wrong? Is he lost?

While looking at the boy with a sidelong glance, Megumi passed by him.

What should I do? There isn’t much time before the train leaves. If I miss this one, the next train won’t be here for another hour. Everyone is waiting for me too. And I already caused them trouble…

But will this boy be all right? He looks so helpless, and leaving a kid in trouble by himself isn’t…

But if I don’t go, I’ll cause more trouble for the others.

Oh, but–

What’ll I do? What am I supposed to do?

In Megumi’s mind, a door with “Senpai” and a door with “Boy” appeared and she stood flustered before them, unable to choose. Meanwhile, the train’s boarding time was drawing near. She has to make a decision.

Then…

Megumi stopped dead.

I definitely can’t just leave a crying boy by himself!

If there’s anything I can do at least, I want to help him…

Megumi turned around with a dignified expression on her face and ran to the boy’s side.

「….Um, are you all right?」

At her voice, the boy looked at Megumi. Megumi stooped down slightly to bring her gaze down to the boy’s. Was he in elementary school? The boy was holding a bug-catching and had a green sports backpack on his back.

「……」

The boy was silent, and looked at Megumi with a doubtful expression. He was probably taught “not to follow strangers”.

While Megumi thought his obedience to the rule was impressive, she also felt the need to connect with the boy and do something for him.

「Are you lost? Want me to call a station employee?」

The boy seemed reassured after hearing the word “employee”, and silently nodded.

「Alright, just wait here.」

Megumi smiled at the boy to keep him calm, and went to call the employee at the ticket gate.

Sitting on a bench near the ticket gate, the boy falteringly explained the situation to Megumi and the employee.

It seemed he was on a field trip with his teacher and classmates, but ended up riding past one station.

He said he didn’t know his teacher’s cell phone number, so the station employee contacted the boy’s elementary school. Before long the school contacted the boy’s teacher, and then the teacher directly contacted the station.

「Your teacher’s coming to get you, isn’t that great?」

「Really?」

「She’ll probably get here in an hour.」

「Thank you, Miss!」

The boy showed the employee a relieved expression, and then smiled at Megumi sitting next to him in the bench. No longer alarmed, he had a more childlike expression.

「Thank you, onee-chan!」

「Oh no, I didn’t do anything… But good for you.」

Megumi returned a kind smile.

「Where were you going, Sis?」

「Me? I was thinking of changing trains here to go to Ina. I’m supposed to rejoin some people waiting for me and try Ina’s local cuisine with them.」

「Is it fine if you don’t go?」

The boy was looking at Megumi with guilty eyes. Even if he was a child, Megumi could tell he was worried about her and his kindness made her happy.

「It’s all right. I still have time before the next train, shall we wait together?」

The boy brightly answered “Yes” with a big smile. A gentle breeze blew between Megumi and the boy on the bench. Megumi felt herself grow calmer while listening to the sound of rustling trees.

「Onee-chan, let’s play Shiritori!」

「Sure. … Let’s start with “C”!」

「Class!」

「Shop.」

「Umm… P, P… Pencil!」

「Pencil? “L”… Oh, that’s right! “Lunch”!」

As the boy cocked his head in puzzlement, Megumi had taken out stacked bento boxes from her shoulder bag.

「Are you hungry? I made some bento this morning! You can have some if you’d like.」

While she said this, Megumi opened the arabesque wrapping cloth on the boxes. She opened the lid on the top box and neatly molded onigiris appeared.

「Wow! They look great! Can I?」

「Sure. Eat up!」

The boy took a onigiri from the box Megumi was holding out, thanked her and took a large bite.

「Wow, there’s konbu tsukudani inside! And cheese!」

「Don’t be shy! Have as many as you like,」said Megumi, as she poured him tea from her water bottle.

The “onigiri with konbu and cheese” was part of a menu Megumi had recently made at the Polar Star Dorm.

The three varieties she made were “Salt Scallion Sauce Onigiri”, “Onigiri with Pork and Honeyed Garlic” and “Onigiri with Konbu and Cheese”. All three had received praise from Isshiki and Yukihira.

They were the bento that Megumi woke up early to make for the Regional Cuisine Research Society’s members.

The onigiris were meant to be eaten by the club members when they got hungry while travelling.

When she mentioned that she would be making bento, everyone at the dorm had shared her the ingredients. Everything had come from the dorm’s fields and farm. The vegetables were grown by Isshiki, the eggs were from Yuuki’s chickens, the pickled vegetables were from Ryoko. They were all fresh and delicious. Megumi’s bento was made from those blessings of life everyone put their hearts into making.

I hope they say it’s delicious.

Megumi thought this while molding each onigiri and put her heart into each and every grain. Her heart leapt at the thought of people eating them.

And now, right in front of her, there was someone enjoying the bento she made.

「Wow, this one’s got meat! So good!」

The boy grinned with grains of rice stuck on his cheeks. Megumi returned the smile and wiped them off with her handkerchief.

I’m always glad whenever I see someone enjoying my cooking, thought Megumi again. She’s always uncertain when serving food.

Was it too salty? It might be too sweet. What if it ended up being bitter or tart? Did I make the taste rich enough? – and on and on.

But just hearing someone say “It’s delicious” made it worth all her troubles.

「You’re not going to eat, onee-chan?」

「Eh… Oh!」

Megumi had made the bentos for other people so she had forgotten about having some of it herself.

“Let’s eat together. It’s great!”

The boy held out a onigiri in his small hand. The gesture was so cute that Megumi had to smile as she accepted it and took a bite.

“Mm!”

Delicious. Praising myself is a bit odd, she thought, but it was undoubtedly very good.

And they tasted especially wonderful under the blue sky, with another person to share them with.

Just as they finished the onigiri and heaved a sigh, the boy’s teacher arrived. With a rueful expression, she bowed her head many times and apologized.

“Thank you so much for everything. And we’re sorry to have caused trouble.”

“This young lady was staying with him the entire time.”

At these words from the station employee, Megumi became flustered and waved her hands in denial.

“O-Oh no, I really didn’t do much. We were only sitting together.”

“Thank you very much for your kindness.”

“Your onigiri were really good, onee-chan!”

The boy grinned at Megumi, some nori plastered on his front teeth.

「As thanks, I’ll give you this.」

The boy held out his bug-catching net.

「Eh?」

「See you, onee-chan! Bye!」

The boy handed his net to Megumi and ran off. “If you run you’ll get lost again!” scolded his teacher, as she bowed again to Megumi and chased after the boy.

This left Megumi with the bug-catching net in her hands.

「…What would I use this for?」

As Megumi wondered while examining the net, the station employee called out to her.

「Miss, the train to Ina’s coming soon.」

「Eh!?」

Awawa, that’s right! I need to hurry and catch up with the others.

With the net still in her hands, Megumi ran back to the platform.

With Okaya Station behind her, Megumi arrived at Ina’s station on the local train. According to her watch, it was already well past 1pm.

To get a hold of the other club members’ whereabouts, she made another call to the dorm. This time Yuuki answered the phone.

「The Regional Cuisine Research Society members?」

「Yes, I was wondering if they called or left a message…」

「No, nothing yet… Ah, sorry Megumi, I’m kinda making ramen right now, so I can’t take my hands off of that.」

「Eh? Ramen?」

Megumi indistinctly heard someone else speaking on the other end.

「Hey! Wait, Ibusaki! Don’t cut the onions yet! …so that’s how it is, can you call back later?」

「No, it’s fine. I don’t want to bother you all, I’ll figure something out on my own.」

「Sorry, Megumi.」

「…I don’t really get it, but do your best.」

「Thanks! Later, then!」

Yuuki energetically hung up. Megumi sighed and put down the public phone. It seemed things were quite busy at the dorm as well.

Well then, I’ll have to manage by myself. Yes. I have to do my best.

She checked the itinerary again for an idea on where the others might be now. At this point quite some time has passed, so they would’ve already left the “Sauce Katsudon” shop. Their next stop was listed as an oyaki shop near the Takato Castle.

「The Takato Castle Park? … okay, let’s go!」

Megumi asked an employee at Ina Station for directions. There was a bus that went to Takato Station, and a bus stop right near the ticket gate had a shuttle that came by every hour. When she looked there a bus had just stopped, so Megumi rushed to get in.

The Takato Castle Park was a park constructed around the ruins of Takato Castle. Takato Castle was an old castle constructed in the Sengoku era and also known as “Kabutoyama Castle”. Moreover, the park was famed for its magnificent cherry trees. Often known as “the best cherry blossoms on in the world”, they were also collectively one of Nagano Prefecture’s monuments and included in the Japanese Cherry Blossom Association’s top one hundred cherry blossom sites.

After riding the bus for twenty-five minutes, Megumi arrived at Takato Station and walked for another fifteen minutes. Along the way, she saw a rather high hill.

「Am I climbin’ this hill…?」

Megumi could not help but sigh at the path sloping upwards. But there was the chance that the others may still be there.

“Okay!” thought Megumi to steady herself, and began walking up the hill.

She climbed slowly but steadily, using the pole of the net she got from the boy as a walking stick.

「Whew, I found a way to use this. I’ll have to thank that boy later.」

Before long, her body began sweating all over.

But considering it was just before the rainy season, the weather today was very refreshing. Now and then a cool breeze caressed Megumi’s brow.

The afternoon sun heralding the summer poured down as if overflowing with life.

This feels nice, mumbled Megumi.

It brought back memories of her childhood. Megumi was raised in the Tohoku countryside and always played outside during the summer. Though it was through rough mountain paths she raced, not on a paved road like this one.

Cooking was fun, of course, but being on the move like this once in a while wasn’t so bad either.

After reaching the top of the hill, Megumi was about to take the stairs to the castle site when she noticed an elderly woman walking in front of her. She was elegant and dignified, but her legs didn’t seem very strong, and she climbed the steps with an unsteady and flaky pace.

「……」

Did she climb up that slope by herself? That alone would have been a chore, but now she had the stairs.

Megumi came to a decision and quickened her pace to approach the lady.

「Um, if you’d like you can hold onto me.」

Megumi smiled encouragingly and offered the lady her arm.

「Eh? But…」

「I’ll be fine. Let’s climb up together. And please use this as a walking stick.」

Megumi had the old woman grasp the net, and smiled again.

「Thank you for your kindness.」

「Here we go. Ready? One, two, one, two…」

Softly calling out the steps and matching her pace with the lady’s, she slowly started going up the stairs. The lady was tightly holding onto her right hand. In her left was the slightly heavy suitcase. But Megumi didn’t feel the slightest bit tired.

「Hah, we made it!」

Megumi exhaled and set her suitcase on the ground. Slightly bent forward and catching her breath, the old lady wiped Megumi’s forehead with a handkerchief.

「Thank you.」

「I’m the one who should be thanking you. Thanks to you and this net, I was able to climb up easily.」

The old lady shook the net happily.

「I didn’t think it would come in handy like this either.」

「Thank you so much, er…」

「I’m Tadokoro, Megumi.」

「Megumi-chan. Thank you.」

In front of the old lady’s gentle smile, Megumi felt she was the one being comforted.

「Where are you going, Megumi-chan?」

「Some seniors from my club may be coming here. We’re here for the oyaki as part of our research on the local cuisine…」

「At this time? The store’s closed.」

「Eh!? Really?」

「Look over there.」

She looked where the old woman was pointing and saw several shops with their shutters closed.

「These are mainly open during the cherry blossom season, after all.」

「…I see.」

Slightly crestfallen, Megumi looked around the area. She noticed a man sweeping around the shops and ran over to him.

After hearing Megumi’s story, the man tilted his head and answered:

「Yeah, just now there was a group of about ten youngsters here. They said they were looking for a junior from their club… was that you?」

「Yes, I think so!」

「They were debating where to go next and went into the park. Though they’re probably gone by now.」

「Er, when was this?」

「About an hour ago. They might still be in the park, so you ought to look around.」

「Thank you!」

Megumi bowed to the man and entered the castle’s park.

She rounded the park at a quick pace, but the seniors were nowhere to be found even when she searched the outer grounds.

Had they already gone?

She made another lap but didn’t see them anywhere.

「If only I had my phone…」

Everything was her own fault.

Being late and breaking her phone, she had reaped what she had sown. She knew that all too well.

Megumi dropped her shoulders in despair and walked towards the inner section of the castle. Then a white mountain ridge came into view. It was the Central Alps.

「Wow!」

Megumi lets out a breath in astonishment. The mountains were very beautiful, their peaks capped by snow here and there and sparkling in a straight line.

「It was worth coming here just to see this.」

Megumi muttered this and headed back to the entrance once more.

Near the monument for “The best cherry blossoms in the world”, the old lady from earlier had spread a vinyl sheet and sat down on the ground. When she saw Megumi, she smiled and waved like before.

「Did you find your friends?」

「I’m afraid not… er, what are you doing?」

「I’m making a flower ring with white clovers. I suppose kids these days don’t make them anymore?」

「I used to make them all the time when I lived in the countryside.」

「Fufufu, is that so.」

The old lady deftly wove the white clovers together. Megumi sat at her side, watching.

「There are ever so many cherry blossoms here in the spring, but they’re all green leaves now.」

「It feels very nice, though.」

The breeze blowing through the trees flowed past the two of them. Megumi plucked some white clovers near her and began making rings with the old lady.

「And why are you here, grandmother?」

「Just taking a walk. I remembered walking through this park with someone I loved long ago, and suddenly got the urge to come back.」

As she said this, the lady’s face turned red and showed a maidenly expression. At that very moment, her stomach growled loudly.

「I have food, If you’d like some.」

Megumi opened the second bento on the stack. There was tamagoyaki and octopus-shaped sausages, as well as carrots, paprika, asparagus, and zucchini, all lightly sauteed together with olive oil as a salad.

「Oh my, that looks good! …But is it really all right?」

「Of course!」

「Thank you, then I’ll have some.」

The elderly lady began enthusiastically eating the tamagoyaki.

「The dashi is very much present, but it’s a gentle flavor too. Nice and fluffy.」

The lady’s radiant expression lifted Megumi’s spirits as well.

「My mother taught me to make these long ago.」

Properly heat and grease the pan. Hold the chopsticks upright and leave space between the eggs while mixing their whites, as if cutting through them––

It was the most basic thing, but Megumi’s mother had taught her to do it with precision and care. Everything was connected to taste, she was told.

「You would make a good wife, Megumi-chan. I’m sure of it. If only I had been better at cooking…」

For some reason, the old lady heaved a deep sigh. She had probably gone through many things in her life, Megumi thought, but decided not to ask.

「I can’t properly thank you for this, but… take this flower ring if you will.」

「Thank you very much.」

Megumi placed the flower ring on her head and smiled.

After parting with the old lady, Megumi left Takato Castle’s grounds. She had left the bug-catching net with the lady, insisting that she use it as a walking stick. Meanwhile, she had found a four-leaf clover in the flower ring she received. Megumi felt happy again and left the flower ring on her head.

「Aw no! I was in a hurry!」

Megumi quickly checked the itinerary. The next destinations were “wasp larvae”, “gyoja soba“, “horse meat dishes”, “locusts”, and at the very end, “Ròumiàn”. Unfortunately, the only clearly named location was “Takato Castle”. Evidently the seniors had planned to ask around for the shops on-site.

W-What do I do now…?

Once more, Megumi became depressed.

With this as my only lead, there’s no way I can catch up to the others.

But they must all be waiting for me. I’m the one who caused them trouble. Anyway, I need to stay positive about this.

If I don’t know where they’re going, I’ll need to look for clues one by one.

「Wasp larvae? You can get ‘em in town if you wanted, and they’re sold in supermarkets too. Easy enough to get your hands on hoppers and stonefly larvae, don’t worry.」

「If you’re looking for gyoja soba, there’s plenty o’ shops thereabouts.」

「Keep going further and you’ll find a shop with horse meat. Try asking ‘em there.」

Megumi asked everyone she met about famous shops with local specialties, and rounded several of those shops.

But.

「Ah, those kids that came by just now? We were full so I had to turn them away. Awful sorry.」

「They just ate and left. Where they were going next? I’ve no idea.」

「You got separated from your friends? Poor thing.」

They seemed to keep missing each other by a hairsbreadth and could not reunite. Eventually Megumi lost their trail.

She had been walking for a long time and her legs were stiff. Fatigue crept in every time she moved the soles of her feet. She looked up at the sky and saw the sun was already going down. She felt panic rise inside her again.

I’ve simply got to reunite with the group before the sun sets…

She could see mountains, which meant she had probably left the city.

I have to get back toward the Ina station.

Megumi pulled herself together and began walking again. The last location was “Ròumiàn”. I’ll make it there, at the very least!

Tadokoro Megumi was confused again for the second time today.

Something was definitely wrong. She had walked for around three hours since leaving the castle grounds, but the scenery did not give that impression at all. She was supposed to have been heading towards the station, but the landscape was becoming more and more rural.

「Oh, man! What’s goin’ on?」

With a voice on verge of tears, Megumi cried out in frustration on the path running between rice paddies.

True, it was her own fault for getting the meeting place wrong. Breaking her phone was also her fault.

But why couldn’t she ever catch up with the others when she had been pursuing them for so long?

Hating herself, she began to lose hope.

「Arghhh, I’ve had enough!」

Megumi yelled toward the sun sinking behind the mountains. Just then–

Mooooo.

Suddenly as if in response, a low voice sounded throughout.

“Eh?”

Surprised, Megumi turned and saw a cow that for whatever reason was running towards her across the fields.

「Eh!? Why is that cow…!?」

Megumi burst out. The cow charged at an alarming speed toward Megumi, who stood transfixed by its momentum.

The cow came to a halt at the very edge of the field and began tugging at the hem of Megumi’s skirt, pulling her into the field.

「N-No, wait! This isn’t food! Ahhh!」

Why did a cow have to come now!?

I’m not even wearing a red skirt, so what’s she pulling for?

Please! Let me gooo!

So many words began to whirl around in Megumi’s head.

「Heeeey!」

A voice came from afar. Megumi glanced up without taking her attention off the cow, and she saw a middle-aged couple in fieldwork clothes running towards her.

「Thank goodness! So this is where you were, Minori! We looked all over!」

「Okay young lady, keep holding out like that!」

「Eh!?」

「Sorry, we’ll help you in a second!」

The couple attempted to pull the cow named Minori away from Megumi.

「W-Wait, don’t! If you pull any more, my skirt will…!」

「Sorry, we’ll put a rope on her in a bit. Hang in there!」

「I can’t!」

Another tug on the skirt.

Minori was trying to drag Megumi along. Unable to keep her balance, Megumi leaned forward. At that moment the flower ring on Megumi’s head slid down and fell into the field.

「Ah!」

Just as Megumi raised her voice, Minori mooed as well. The next second, Megumi had fallen on her rear end. She looked at Minori, who was busily chewing the white clover ring.

「Eh…?」

The woman held out a hand to the astonished Megumi.

「Very sorry about that, Miss. Minori really loves her white clovers y’see.」

「I-Is that so…?」

Megumi got to her feet and studied Minori. She felt bad about losing the old lady’s gift, but she also felt sympathy for Minori who was clearly enjoying the flower ring.

「We oughta thank you, young lady. We finally got ‘er with your help.」

The man smiled at Megumi as he patted Minori’s neck. His wife did the same.

「Really though, thank you. It helped.」

「No, but, I didn’t actually do anything…」

Minori mooed again as she ate the flower ring.

Having regained her composure, Megumi told the couple she was looking for her final destination, the “Ròumiàn” shop.

「A famous Ròumiàn shop, you say? Wouldn’t that be around here?」

The couple opened a map they brought out from their truck, and showed it to Megumi.

「If that’s the one, it’s quite a ways off.」

「How long would it take to get there?」

「About two hours by foot.」

「Eh!? No way…」

Megumi slumped her shoulders. The sun was about to set. Walking any longer through this unfamiliar location was a forbidding thought. Moreover, she did not have the confidence to keep walking. Was this what they meant by reaching the end of the road?

「We can take you there if you like.」

「Eh? Really!?」

「We’re heading in that direction too, anyway.」

「Take it as thanks for helping us catch Minori, alright?」

「Yes! Thank you so much!」

Megumi gladly accepted. She got into the truck that had Minori on the load tray and received a ride to the shop near Ina’s station.

In the truck’s passenger seat, Megumi sat between the couple and gently swayed from the bumpy ride.

As she vaguely gazed out the window where the sun was setting, the wife spoke.

「We sure had a long day. Spent all day chasing after Minori.」

「Oh yeah, but I’m glad we caught her before it got dark. All thanks to you, young lady.」

「No, I really didn’t do anything.」

「Ahh, now I’m hungry. We didn’t have much for lunch, either.」

「Yep. It’s late dinner for us once we put Minori back in the barn.」

「Um, if you’re hungry…」

Megumi opened the third bento box in her stack–

「Is this roast pork?」

「Yes. Just an imitation, though.」

Imitation roast pork–

It was a recipe she had learned from Yukihira Souma. Potatoes were steamed until soft, wrapped in bacon and thoroughly toasted in the oven. When Megumi first heard of the recipe, she thought it could work in a bento and tweaked it so the flavor was retained even when cold, and added it to the stack.

「Mm, this is great!」

「The potatoes soaked up the meat juices, but it isn’t fatty even when cold. I’ll have another!」

「Hey, eyes on the road!」

The couple ate the roasted pork as if competing with each other. Seeing them, Megumi had to smile.

It really is wonderful to be told it’s delicious…

And Megumi was relieved, from the bottom of her heart, that she hadn’t made beef today.

The ròumiàn shop was very close to Ina Station. Megumi got off the truck in front of the shop just as the Regional Cuisine Research Society arrived.

「Everyone! Oh, thank goodness! I finally found you!」

「Great, we finally have Megumi-chan with us.」

「Are you alright, Tadokoro-san?」

「Yes. I got our meeting place wrong… I did come running but we missed each other. I really am sorry.」

「We’re sorry too. And glad you’re here!」

「You didn’t get to eat the other local food, right?」

「Let’s have some ròumiàn now.」

「Yes!」

Megumi’s stomach growled as she answered them. Thinking back, the only thing she had eaten all day was that one onigiri when she was with that boy this morning.

But just as Megumi and the club members approached the ròumiàn shop, the door rattled open and the owner took down the noren banner.

「Eh? U-um, the ròumiàn…?」

「We’re closed for today.」

「Eh!?」

「Why?」

The owner answered the worried students with an apologetic expression.

「Actually, we plain ran out of mutton. And you can’t have ròumiàn without it.」

「No way…」

「That was the highlight of our trip…」

Megumi and the club members were crestfallen. She was glad to have caught up with everyone, but to miss out on ròumiàn after coming all the way here! She wasn’t able to taste any of Ina’s local foods. That was quite disappointing.

「Then why don’t you take ours?」

「Eh?」

She turned towards the voice behind her. The farmer’s wife from earlier had gotten out of the truck and was smiling at the shop owner.

「What do you mean?」asked Megumi, puzzled. The woman’s husband appeared from behind the truck with a cooler-box.

「It ain’t much, but take it. It’s lamb meat.」

He handed the box to Megumi. As Megumi continued to look nonplussed, the wife brightly told her:

「This was going to be our dinner for today, but we already ate. So take it. It’s our thanks for the bento.」

「Eh!? Are you sure?」

「Of course.」

「So let these children have some ròumiàn, won’t you?」

The couple looked at the shop owner and smiled.

Megumi thanked the couple over and over, and entered the shop with the other club members.

She got slightly nervous with the first ròumiàn she’d eat in front of her. The ròumiàn they brought over looked like yakisoba in soup, but with thicker noodles.

There was cabbage, mushrooms and lamb, giving out a nice fragrance.

「So this… is ròumiàn…」

Megumi tried to imagine its flavor from the aroma entering her nose, but eventually decided that eating it would be faster.

「First, add some vinegar. You can also sprinkle shichimi or ichimi as you like.」

The club members passed the vinegar around. Megumi carefully added vinegar to her ròumiàn. “As you like” was subjective, but holding oneself accountable for pouring too much vinegar was fun in its own way.

After which she added the sauce, sesame oil, grated garlic, chili oil, and her preferred amount of shichimi – or to put it another way, a dash of it.

「Let’s dig in!」

Everyone put their hands together and took a bite of the ròumiàn.

「!」

This was a unique taste, different from yakisoba and ramen.

The pungence and juice from the mutton had folded into the noodles and produced a great flavor. The noodles were thick and slightly firm. The sauce had a certain sweetness, and it was this sweetness that defined ròumiàn.

「Lamb does have a unique taste.」

「Depending on the shop, they often use pork.」

「That sounds good too, but I personally like lamb better. And it’s thanks to Megumi that we got to eat at all.」

「That’s right! Thank you so much, Tadokoro-san.」

「No, I didn’t really…」

Megumi turned red to the tip of her ears as the seniors all thanked her.

But she was very glad.

It was an unexpectedly hectic day, but in the end she was able to eat ròumiàn with everyone.

The seniors were sharing each other’s ròumiàn. As she looked on, Megumi was suddenly filled with expansive happiness.

Good food makes people happy.

When eating with other people, conversation flows naturally and one begins to feel they have a better understanding of their companions and truly enjoy themselves.

When eating the food someone made for you, you think of the thought and care they put into the dish and become happier yourself.

When preparing a dish for someone, you think of the other person’s happiness, and your own heart opens up as well.

I want to continue cooking, and make more people happy.

And to do that, Megumi promised herself that she needed to study much more like this time.

I must keep working hard.

Tadokoro Megumi’s journey as a cook was far from over–