Just when Kitasan Black thought her summer vacation would pass by at this leisurely pace, something unexpected happened. One day, her mother suddenly won first prize at a supermarket raffle. The prize was a seven-day vacation package at a luxury hotel—and it was a group ticket, no less.
Kitasan Black didn't suspect anything was wrong with this.
After all, from what she knew, raffles in this world were mostly legitimate. There were no cases of grand prizes being secretly predetermined or not existing at all. The world of uma musume was, in a sense, a fantastical fairy tale world.
She was just a bit annoyed that her vacation had been disrupted by this unexpected turn of events.
But when both the head of the household—her father—and the person with the real power in the family—her mother—had made their decision, she, as the family member with the least say and still just an elementary schooler, had no way to oppose them.
"Wouldn't it be better for you two to go on a honeymoon together? Why do you have to bring me along?"
On the train, Kitasan Black was still complaining to her father.
She had absolutely no interest in some seaside hotel.
Besides, at this time of year, the beach would definitely be packed with tourists. What was fun about a place swarming with people? She really couldn't understand why people would flock to those popular tourist spots during vacation.
It wasn't that those places were bad—it was just that there were too many people, turning beautiful scenery into chaos.
"You've got nothing to do at home anyway. And who knows, maybe you'll like it once we get there."
"No, that will definitely not happen."
Kitasan Black didn't believe she would end up enjoying herself.
After all, she really didn't like going outside in the scorching summer heat.
At least sunbathing at home had the eaves to provide some shade. If she had to stand directly under the blazing sun, that wouldn't be resting at all.
But at this point, they were already on the train. Continuing to make a fuss would only add to her troubles.
So Kitasan Black stopped talking and leaned against the window, gazing at the scenery outside.
After some time, the Kitakami family finally arrived at their destination.
While still on the train, Kitasan Black had already seen the ocean through the window.
"This should be the place—the hotel..."
Her father looked at the grand hotel before them with a tone of amazement.
It wasn't that he had never stayed at such a high-class hotel before, but he still felt like something was off.
Could a supermarket raffle really offer such a luxurious accommodation voucher?
And his wife had been lucky enough to win the grand prize...
This feeling was completely different from when you decided to go on a trip yourself. It was an unexpected surprise, and when they arrived and saw that the promotional claims weren't exaggerated at all, the feeling of pleasant surprise became even harder to describe.
"You already looked up the reviews online, so what's there to be surprised about? Let's hurry inside."
Kitasan Black didn't want to stay outside for another second. The sun was too harsh, the weather too hot. She wanted to get into the hotel and enjoy the air conditioning as soon as possible.
Her father nodded and led the family through the hotel entrance.
What was somewhat surprising was that, despite it being vacation season—when the hotel should have been at peak popularity—there were very few guests. In fact, aside from their family, there didn't seem to be any other customers at all. But it was also possible that the other guests had all gone to the beach, so while it was a bit curious, it wasn't particularly strange.
The check-in process at the front desk went very smoothly. The receptionist even thoughtfully informed them that their round-trip train tickets would be reimbursed, and all expenses during their stay would be free—though they would still need to pay for any shopping.
The complimentary items covered food, drinks, accommodation, and transportation.
But even so, this was too generous.
This was a star-rated hotel with an internationally recognized three-star chef in residence. A single meal here would definitely not be cheap, yet now everything was free.
Her father even specifically asked if he could enjoy dishes made by the hotel's signature three-star chef, and whether drinks at the bar were also free. The receptionist confirmed that all consumption within the hotel would be completely complimentary.
Even her father, a world-famous star who had seen much, was stunned by this level of generosity.
After all, some wines weren't cheap—they might even be rare collector's items. Yet a small ticket won from a raffle could let you drink them for free? Was the organizer of this event really doing charity?
"What do you say? Should we go to the beach first? Though I'd actually like to check out the bartender's skills at the bar."
Her father's heart had already drifted toward the bar area.
Although as a singer he was quite restrained when it came to drinking, he did have a genuine fondness for alcohol.
Or rather, more than half the men in the world developed a taste for alcohol by middle age.
And even if you didn't like drinking, from the moment you heard that even premium wines were free, you'd be extremely curious about what was over there. After all, some wines couldn't be bought even with money.
Kitasan Black could understand her father's excitement at this moment.
So she decided to support him.
"Mom, I'm tired. Let's not go outside today."
"That's true. We've been on the train for so long. We have plenty of time anyway, so let's just rest at the hotel today."
How could her mother not see through what this father-daughter pair was thinking?
One couldn't walk anymore because he wanted to drink so badly. The other wanted to hide in the hotel with the air conditioning and didn't want to get sunburned.
But since it was a seven-day trip, there was no need to pack the schedule so tightly.
Out of her mother's sight, her father gave Kitasan Black a thumbs up.
If Kitasan Black hadn't spoken up, and he was the only one who wanted to go drink, her mother might not have agreed.
They first went to see their rooms. Although it was a group ticket, the hotel had arranged one room per person.
However, in the end, the Kitakami family only took two rooms—one for the couple, one for the child.
Her mother had originally wanted Kitasan Black to stay in the same room with them, but Kitasan Black refused.
After confirming the rooms, her father couldn't wait to go check out the bartender. As a child, Kitasan Black naturally couldn't go with him—even with a parent present, that kind of place wasn't somewhere minors could enter.
She went to the restaurant area with her mother. Since things had come to this, all she could do was enjoy the vacation.
Although she didn't want to go to the beach, she really did want to experience the skills of an internationally recognized three-star chef.
I wonder if this world's top international chef is better than Teio-senpai.
Kitasan Black was also curious about what level Teio-senpai's so-called "amateur" cooking really was.
After all, the chef at the last Satomi family gathering clearly couldn't compare to Teio-senpai's amateur level.
But Kitasan Black didn't know what level that chef at the Satomi gathering actually was.
This time, the chef was someone who had genuinely received three-star certification from the International Culinary Association—one of the world's top chefs.
Just as the Kitakami family settled into vacation mode...
On the hotel's top floor, in the surveillance room, Satono Diamond was watching the hotel's live security feeds.
This hotel was, of course, one of the properties backed by Satomi family investments.
More precisely, it was a property established by one of the Satomi family's subordinate organizations. There was no trace online linking this place to the Satomi family. Unless someone was very familiar with the internal composition of the Satomi family, it would be impossible to see through this connection.
She had even accounted for such minor details in her plan.
After seeing that the Kitakami family had completed their registration and that the person she was waiting for had indeed arrived, Satono Diamond revealed a smile of satisfaction at her successful scheme. Through this operation, she also felt she had grown once again.
She had never thought before about using the Satomi family's power for something like this. Or rather, she had never imagined that the power she could wield within the Satomi family could reach this extent. It wasn't until she started taking action for this plan that she discovered just how much authority her father and mother had delegated to her.
According to the butler, although her father always imposed various seemingly unreasonable study requirements on her, as long as her academic performance met those standards, the power she could wield within the family would grow accordingly.
And the reason she was now called the young head of the Satomi family was because the power she held was the real deal.
It was just that neither her father nor mother had ever explained these things to her, and she herself had never thought about using the family's power for anything. So she simply hadn't known all along that she held such great authority.
As for this matter, although her father thought she was being foolish, and her mother watched with amusement, neither had tried to stop her. After all, for the Satomi family's resources, this really wasn't a big deal.
As for the Kitakami family's expenses at the hotel—never mind them just enjoying some fine food and wine. With the authority Satono Diamond held, even buying the entire hotel and giving it away would be like a drop in the ocean.
Although the Satomi family's position in uma musume circles was awkward, in terms of financial capital, the Satomi family was unquestionably a global giant. The world's gaming giants and fashion industry leaders all had connections to the Satomi family.
Although in the [Player's] world, SEGA had long since fallen, in this world, SEGA was still the leader of the gaming industry.
Moreover, the SEGA of this world was the inventor of virtual reality technology.
That's right—technology similar to that in Sword Art Online actually existed in this world, and the patents for that technology were held by the Satomi family. One could imagine just how terrifying the Satomi family's position in the gaming world was.
It was precisely through this technology that the Satomi family had managed to break into the highest levels of uma musume circles. They had used this technology to create cutting-edge training programs that allowed uma musume to master skill powers through practice in virtual worlds, thereby reducing the probability of uma musume getting sick while practicing skills in reality. This technology was the Satomi family's greatest contribution to the uma musume industry.
And in the shadows, unknown to others...
The Satomi family even had the ambitious goal of using this technology to recreate the power of the Three Goddesses.
Of course, this was classified information. Otherwise, the Satomi family would have long been visited by the URA's administrators.
After all, coveting the power of the Goddesses was a great sacrilege.
But currently, even Satono Diamond, the young family head, didn't know about these things.
"Next is to create an opportunity for a 'chance encounter.'"
At this moment, the young head of the Satomi family was still going to great lengths just to improve her friendship with a classmate.
...
In the restaurant area.
Kitasan Black was eating and drinking heartily. The international chef was working in the open kitchen, serving these two customers. But watching the pace at which these two guests were eating, even as an internationally renowned chef, he couldn't help but start feeling pressure.
Although they weren't quite at the level of super competitive eaters, Kitasan Black and her mother did possess "King Stomachs."
"This, and this, and this—give me another serving of each, please!"
Kitasan Black ate with elegant yet rapid movements. If you only watched her table manners—habits inherited from her senpai—she was undoubtedly a proper young lady or young gentleman. But her eating speed was measured in seconds.
And high-end chefs like him had a troublesome habit: they had to make sure every dish was perfect in color, aroma, and taste.
Not only did it have to be the most delicious, but the plating was also extremely particular. As a result, there was only a tiny portion of food on each large plate.
For Kitasan Black with her King Stomach attribute, that was just a single bite.
And while Kitasan Black's mother ate somewhat slower, when she let loose, her appetite was considerable too.
So the chef could only work up a sweat, not daring to stop for a moment as he prepared food for these two special guests.
He finally understood why some of his colleagues in the industry would show expressions of fear when receiving invitations from Tracen Academy. Although the pay at Tracen Academy was extremely high and it was a permanent position...
If this was the kind of pressure they faced, then it truly was hell for a chef.
Although not all uma musume were this kind of big eater, as long as there were one or two who were, he could imagine what a gruesome scene that must be.
But staking his pride as a chef, he would satisfy these two special guests' appetites. He absolutely would not fall here!
The chef's serious eyes burned with fighting spirit.
To output large portions while maintaining quality.
Bring it on—he accepted this challenge!
The assistant chefs and apprentices nearby watched their head chef move with practiced efficiency while still making every dish perfect, their faces full of admiration and worship.
So this was what world-class skill looked like.
As Kitasan Black enjoyed the top-tier cuisine, she suddenly felt less resistant to this vacation.
Setting everything else aside, just this head chef alone—she, Kitasan Black, approved.
...
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