“What are you gonna eat, Hana?”
“Hmm… The safest choice, bulgogi pizza?”
“Okay, let’s go with that then!”
There was no situation where they were super picky about choosing the menu, yelling “Next! Next!” Hana and her group weren’t that fussy about food. They’d eat pretty much anything you gave them. Eating out usually involves foods that don’t split opinions too much, right? Foods that are super divisive tend to struggle in the harsh, cold market. Well, except for a tiny handful of shops that managed to thrive.
Hana, standing on her tiptoes, looked at the woman behind the counter. She was so short that only her head barely peeked over.
“One large bulgogi pizza, please!”
Hana pointed at the bulgogi pizza drawn big on the menu. The part-time worker at the counter smiled as she spoke. It seemed like she was used to dealing with kids, probably because there were a lot of children at the nearby school.
“Eating here, right?”
“Yep!”
“That’ll be 15,000 won.”
Hana pulled out her card. Of course, the part-timer had no idea, but the card Hana handed over had an annual fee of several million won. It came with all sorts of perks, but sadly, as an elementary school student, Hana couldn’t take advantage of most of them. They were benefits for the wealthy, but Hana was still just a kid in elementary school.
She didn’t fly on planes or have any reason to go abroad. Honestly, if people knew what Hana really was, they might not even let her leave the country. Going overseas required going through procedures, and Hana’s case was unprecedented. Sure, they’d observed her for a long time and confirmed she was well-behaved and non-violent, but you never know what could happen.
“Let’s sit over there!”
“Yay!”
Hana, Yumi, and Jiyu sat down at an empty table. They put their bags down and started chatting. The topic was which anime they should watch. With summer vacation coming up, the movie “Little Magician Lumi” was playing in theaters. Hana was beyond excited.
A Little Magician Lumi movie?! This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So, Hana started trying to persuade Jiyu and Yumi. Watching a movie alone was a bit boring, after all. Sharing a fun movie doubled the happiness.
“Guys! Next month, the Little Magician Lumi movie is playing. Let’s go together!”
Hana naturally assumed they’d both want to go. Because, duh, Little Magician Lumi was a fun movie! But her expression quickly turned gloomy when she saw Yumi and Jiyu hesitating.
“Uh… Lumi isn’t really that fun…”
When Jiyu dropped that brutal truth bomb, Hana let out a dramatic “Gyaaah!” and sank into despair. Even if it wasn’t fun, saying it right to her face… And Lumi *was* fun, so Hana started banging the table in protest.
“What are you talking about?! It’s not fun?! You’ll change your mind once you watch it!”
“Umm…”
Yumi also didn’t seem too interested. Hana realized she needed to try harder to convince them, but her persuasion was cut short by a voice from the counter.
“Your bulgogi pizza is ready~ Enjoy!”
The employee placed the pizza on the table. The cheese was oozing gloriously, and Hana’s growling stomach seemed to scream even louder.
“Let’s eat the pizza!”
Jiyu jumped in before Hana could say anything else. Hana was about to say more, but with the pizza right in front of her, the topic quickly shifted.
“Wow, look at that cheese! This is why you eat pizza at the shop!”
One of the reasons to eat pizza at the shop was the cheese. When you get it delivered, the cheese is usually already cooled. Not cold, but it doesn’t stretch like it does when you eat it fresh. But this pizza was different!
When Yumi lifted a slice, the cheese stretched gloriously. It was the kind of scene that made your mouth water, something you’d usually only see on food shows. Hana and Jiyu also grabbed their slices.
“It’s so good, so good!”
The reason pizza is delicious is all thanks to cheese. If cheese hadn’t been invented, wouldn’t the world be a slightly sadder place? Foods with cheese are mostly delicious, and not being able to eat them would be a punishment.
As they ate the pizza, their throats got dry. They ordered a big soda to wash it down together.
This place was heaven. Maybe heaven is a place full of delicious and sweet things.
“Pizza is definitely the best!”
Jiyu said with a happy smile. Just pizza alone made her feel good, but the fact that she could eat this delicious pizza with close friends made her even happier. After all, delicious things taste even better when shared.
As they focused on eating the pizza, it was soon gone. Even though it was a large pizza, it was no match for the appetites of three food-loving kids. Seeing how some people can eat a whole pizza by themselves, maybe they should have ordered another one.
“Hana, what are you planning to do during the school vacation?”
After finishing the pizza, it was time for some digestion and chat. Yumi was curious about what Hana would do during the vacation. Knowing Hana’s personality, she probably wouldn’t be studying and might do something else instead. Just as Yumi thought, Hana pondered for a moment before speaking.
“I’m currently tending to a vegetable garden, and I’m thinking of growing some plants I like.”
She didn’t know yet what those plants would be, but she planned to figure it out during the vacation. It didn’t matter what she planted, but she really wanted to grow something that the office staff could eat. She preferred edible plants over ornamental ones.
“You’re tending a garden? That sounds fun!”
Yumi and Jiyu, living in the city, probably didn’t know much about growing plants. At most, they might have grown plants in pots. It’s hard to have a vegetable garden in the city.
Even if they did, it would likely be a very small area. They might be surprised by the size of Hana’s garden. Last time, after setting up a greenhouse, it looked like a full-scale agricultural operation.
Of course, not all the greenhouses were filled with plants. More than half of the space was left empty, reserved for future planting.
“Want to come visit the garden?”
Hana suggested taking the kids to her garden. Since it was vacation, they had plenty of time, and she wanted to let Jiyu and Yumi try some strawberries. They probably hadn’t tried any of the plants Hana was growing yet.
Besides strawberries, other plants were sold in the market, but these kids, who didn’t drink green tea or coffee, probably hadn’t tried other products from Starlight Food. The products from Starlight Food weren’t really targeted at kids.
Of course, they might have tried Starlight Cherry Tomatoes, as they’re commonly used in dual-income households. But cherry tomatoes, while tasty, are more for filling you up, unlike strawberries.
When Hana suggested going to her place, Jiyu and Yumi’s eyes sparkled as they looked at her.
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
“Me too! I’m curious about the garden Hana is farming!”
As soon as Hana heard the kids agreeing, she sent a message to Maru. Maru replied with an “ok.” Since they weren’t planning to stay out late, they finished early because of the vacation. So, they had plenty of time to hang out.
—
Maru drove to pick up Hana. They left a bit late because they were eating pizza, but the timing worked out perfectly. Driving to the location Hana had entered, Maru found three kids standing by the roadside. Of course, those kids were Hana and her friends. Maru parked the car with ease. The days of being a driving novice were long gone.
Only the driving expert Maru remained. Driving is something you get better at with practice, and over time, everyone gets good at it. Unless, of course, you have no talent for driving.
Luckily, Maru had a talent for driving.
“Hi, kids!”
“Hello!”
The kids greeted politely and got into the car. Their destination was the Starlight Research Institute.