"My goal was always to travel the world. Hmmm… it still is, actually, but fate had other plans."
Her journey begins in southern Japan, in Kagoshima, to be precise.
"Okay, I lied! Please don't be mad at me! I'm a failure! I'm not good at anything, but somehow I have to survive!"
The young woman bursts into tears and hides her face as she kneels down.
A fleeting glance catches something lying in front of her.
"Whoa, a candy!"
No sooner said than done, her mood changes, and she pops the candy into her mouth.
"Okay, listen up! I'm Mellow! My dream was always to get away from here, but it never worked out. So I started cooking to make ends meet. Well, at least I tried."
A moment later, she grimaces in disgust and spits out the candy.
"Ugh, way too much sand. Anyway. Let me present my restaurant!"
She poses proudly in front of her little hut, arms outstretched. It's not a very big house; it's more like a small café.
"The good thing here is, I get a lot of walk-in customers. We're right on the beach, so all the people who go swimming are always passing by. Sometimes cute little crabs come by too, and I always give them something."
After a brief moment of self-awareness, she realizes her mistake.
"Ooohh... that's why the cash register never balances."
With a deft movement and a bit of brute force, she opens the door.
"It sometimes sticks.
Well, every now and then.
Actually, always...
Never mind! Come on in! I've tidied up and cleaned and all that stuff."
With a spring in her step and a whole lot of enthusiasm, she heads to the back kitchen.
"And this, right! Yes, this is where I try to cook. Oh, oh, oh! Do you see that black stain on the wall? Never throw flambéed fruit at the wall hoping it will go out. It won't, just a little tip."
The young girl stretches her hands forward as if trying to pull her readers into the screen.
"Okay, I've annoyed you enough now. The real story starts here. I hope you continue to enjoy it. See you later!"
She blows kisses and winks goodbye.