"Speaking of which, has Bimyo Shisei been staying at the Mejiro Family throughout Golden Week?"
At noon, Kazuo happened to run into the Lady on the road, so he simply invited her to eat with him.
This was the second time Kazuo had met Bimyo Shisei since returning to the academy. He had briefly shown up at the Food Research Club before, but at that time, being in a hurry, Kazuo hadn't had much interaction with her.
And before, he had been busy preparing for exams, and even after returning to school from vacation, Kazuo's life basically consisted of a straight line between the library, office, and dormitory.
So, at this moment, he naturally inquired about her situation.
He had seen her once at the shop during the holiday. She and Mejiro McQueen had come to the shop, and Kazuo had personally served the two of them as a shop assistant at the time.
Returning to Tracen Academy, interacting with her again as a teacher, it was still as natural and peaceful as before.
Perhaps it was because Bimyo Shisei, as a gentle and graceful young lady, naturally brought a soothing and tranquil atmosphere; walking with her on the Academy streets, one couldn't help but feel a sense of peace.
"Hmm, recently I've been attending several tea parties with McQueen, and we've also visited many interesting places."
Bimyo Shisei said with a smile, taking light steps, walking side-by-side with Kazuo with the poise of a young lady.
"Heh~ Tea parties, huh..."
In Kazuo's imagination, the so-called high-society ladies' tea parties were probably like sitting in a garden, with rich black tea and carefully baked, delicious pastries—
If Mejiro McQueen and Bimyo Shisei were imagined in that setting, it was indeed easy to understand the feeling. After all, both of them were young ladies with excellent image and temperament... As for interesting places—
"Following the head of the Mejiro Family, we went to a summer villa of the Mejiro Family in Nagano for a few days. I must say, the beautiful scenery of Kirigamine was truly wonderful."
Seemingly recalling the scenes she had witnessed before, Bimyo Shisei closed her eyes slightly, revealing an enraptured expression.
"Nagano, Shinshu Nagano Kirigamine... There's a villa there... As expected, it's not a level that commoners like us can access."
This was how prestigious families enjoyed their holidays, vacationing from one villa to another. However, the financial power and heritage of the Mejiro Family could indeed achieve all of this.
Previously, Kazuo had only heard of the Mejiro Family's name, only knowing that it was a renowned family in the Horse Racing world, but he didn't understand much beyond that.
However, after meeting Mejiro McQueen, Kazuo secretly looked into the Mejiro Family.
That was when he truly broadened his horizons.
In terms of lineage alone, the Mejiro Family was definitely an evergreen in the Japanese Horse Racing world. Contestants bearing the Mejiro name were without exception strong contenders for champions in various races.
Precisely because of this, the Mejiro Family's development became increasingly vibrant and continuously grew stronger. Starting from Horse Racing events, they gradually expanded their reach. The Mejiro Family was once just a noble family with excellent lineage within Horse Racing.
And now, the Mejiro Family's enterprises have long since expanded into various fields, and they can be completely regarded as a leading zaibatsu in Japan.
It was precisely because of the Mejiro Family's influence in society that every generation of Mejiro Family contestants in Horse Racing, without exception, received immense attention from the very beginning. It's not difficult to understand why McQueen would refuse even a guaranteed admission spot from the school and apply to Tresen Academy based on her own abilities.
Rather than benefiting from the family's name, Mejiro McQueen preferred to prove her own strength and show that she was worthy of the name "Mejiro."
However, regarding this point, the Bimyo Shisei before him, while giving an initial impression of a gentle goddess that could only be admired from afar, upon actual contact, one would discover that she was actually an extremely natural and approachable "marshmallow"-like young lady.
This young lady from Northern Ireland, inexperienced in the ways of the world, occasionally revealed a clumsy side, which also gave people a strangely adorable feeling.
Of course—
Sometimes, her overly natural and whimsical remarks could also be particularly troublesome.
.
Today's lunch was cold soba noodles with extra braised pork.
However, what Kazuo didn't expect was that when Bimyo Shisei saw him order this, she immediately ordered the same dish as him.
If there was any difference, it was that Bimyo Shisei only ordered a small portion of soba noodles.
They found a relatively quiet outdoor seating area and sat down with their lunch.
Kazuo went to the vending machine to buy a can of juice, while Bimyo Shisei drank the Academy's special fresh carrot juice.
Looking at the bamboo utensils on the table, Bimyo Shisei's body trembled slightly.
"I didn't expect... this is the legendary cold soba noodles!"
"Um... Bimyo Shisei, student?"
Seeing her like this, Kazuo somewhat realized what was happening. Clearly, Bimyo Shisei's "commoner's spirit," which was completely contrary to her young lady image, was stirring.
"This is the cold soba noodles I often see in taiga drama, isn't it!? Isn't it!?"
As expected, Bimyo Shisei's starry-eyed look clearly showed that this delicacy had once again captured her heart.
It wasn't hard to understand; she had mentioned before that the reason she came to Japan wasn't actually due to factors related to Horse Racing—
Compared to honor or anything else, her intentions were actually simpler: she simply wanted to experience authentic Japanese cuisine, loved Japanese culture, and enjoyed exquisite Japanese dishes.
Of course—what she loved even more, or more precisely, was the "commoner culture" that was difficult for someone of her young lady status to access.
And the traditional way of eating cold soba noodles indeed managed to pique the interest of this young lady from Northern Ireland.
Soba noodles, after being soaked in cold water, were served in square bamboo scoop-like containers, and the specially prepared dipping sauce would be served in a ceramic bowl. When eating, one would dip the noodles into the sauce. Not to mention, according to the Edo period depicted in taiga drama, people would often stand in front of shops and eat noodles.
Compared to noodles with broth or soup noodles, the way cold noodles were eaten honestly had a sense of historical antiquity.
However, it must be said that hearing the term "taiga drama" from a foreign young lady like Bimyo Shisei was enough to show her degree of affection for this type of culture.
A young lady who loved commoner culture, without the detached air of the secular world, made her seem more like an adorable girl who would simply express joy for good food.
Seeing her like that, Kazuo couldn't help but smile and continued discussing this topic with her.
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