The following day, Lady Kagura got in touch with the competing salons’ leaders, Lady Asuka and Lady Rosalie, and decided on the day they’d all try to win over Lady Sakura.
This was one day before the end-of-term exams were due to start, so it was agreed that it would be best to do it when they were finished, during the post-exam break.
In turn, this meant preparing for the Lady Sakura business alongside the exams, but no one seemed overly worried about that. All the Sky Salon members had good grades, and Lady Asuka and Lady Rosalie were apparently near the top of their classes too. I guess being a salon leader and having respectable grades must go hand in hand.
As for me, Himeko was helping me study every day, so I was fairly confident I’d get above-average grades. Of course, I couldn’t rest on my laurels. I’d have to find as much time to study as I could that night, same as always.
When I arrived at the Sky Salon after school, Lady Kagura was about to leave. “Well then, I’m going to visit Sakura.”
She departed with Kirara and the Kokonoe sisters in tow. I gathered that she planned to inform Lady Sakura about the three salons’ plan to formally invite her, confirm that she would be on board with it, and explain how she needed to prepare.
The remaining members were busy cleaning up the salon and arranging a private area for Lady Sakura. Naturally, these tasks fell mostly on the Seraphs, so Himeko was having a conversation with Lady Saeko, Lady Sumire, and Lady Inaho about what to serve Lady Sakura at the tea party.
Knowing them, I figured they could get their hands on the finest quality of sweets. Even so, I was a little uncomfortable. After all, Mei’s Swiss roll was possibly the most delicious thing I’d ever tasted in my entire life. If she gave that to Lady Sakura, no store-bought sweets we served could hope to compare.
Plus, if Lady Rosalie was getting advice from Lady Shion, she was not to be underestimated by any means.
Part of me wanted to impress this point upon them a little more strongly. If I’d been alone with Himeko, I’d have brought it up, but I really didn’t feel comfortable interrupting the whole group, especially with Lady Saeko there.
Is it really okay not to say anything, though? The worries built up in my mind more and more as I cleaned.
Then, of all things, Lady Saeko called out to me herself. “Hey, it looks like Misaki wants to say something. I’d love to hear her thoughts. Misaki, why don’t you come over here?”
I let out a mixture of a gasp and a whimper. “Erm, no, I don’t have any thoughts, really!”
She looked at me and snickered. “Oh my, what an amusing sound you just made. Now, just come over here.” Beckoning me with a hand, she repeated, “Over here.”
When she was being that insistent, I didn’t know what she would do if I refused. I solemnly made my way to their table. As soon as I got there, I stood by Himeko’s side. That was the safest place.
“So, what was it that you were so eager to tell us? Are you worried about something?”
Lady Saeko was an extremely perceptive person. If I tried to hide anything from her, it would only provoke her wrath. Still, rather than speaking right away, I made eye contact with Himeko.
“It’s all right,” she said. “Go ahead.”
Only once I’d gotten her permission did I begin. “If you’re sure you don’t mind, I’ll tell you what I’m so worried about.” I took a breath, then continued, “Basically, when I visited the Paradise Palace yesterday, I was treated to some food as well. What I was served there was incredibly delicious. In fact, it was probably the yummiest thing I’ve ever eaten in my whole life.”
Lady Saeko flicked out her tongue, lifting the corner of her lips into a grin. “Goodness. It sounds like they served you up something really special.”
“Yes,” I replied nervously. “At first, I thought it was something they’d ordered from outside the school, but it was actually handmade by Mei. I was so shocked. It looked just like it had been factory-made, and if someone had told me a professional pâtissier had made it, I’d have believed them. It was just so perfect!”
“I get what you’re saying.” Lady Saeko nodded; her look said she understood my point very well indeed. “Mei’s confections are often described as being second to none. We can’t compete if we serve something ordinary that comes from a store.”
“Exactly. To beat that, we’ll need something really special of our own, won’t we?”
“Hmm. If Mei’s sweets really are that amazing, I wish I could try them for myself.” Lady Saeko didn’t sound overly impressed.
Responding to that, Lady Sumire smiled gently and said, “I’ve heard the same thing. I’d love to partake too, but it is rather difficult when she’s in a different salon.”
“I’ve tried something she made,” Lady Inaho said. “It went way beyond the level of an amateur baker. But it’s so full of her love for Nekopeko”—that was her nickname for Lady Asuka—“that it would be hard to stomach if I ate it every day.”
A bitter expression formed on her face. Not only had the flavor been impressive, but she’d even been able to taste the emotions that went into making it.
“I guess there is such a thing as too much love,” Lady Saeko replied curtly. “It does sound like Mei’s skills are pretty extraordinary, but to be honest, I doubt they’re all that miraculous.”
Even after hearing the verdicts from me and Lady Inaho, she didn’t seem bothered at all. In fact, she was downright dismissive.
“Huh? Why?” Somehow I just couldn’t make her understand. “You’d know if you tasted it. This is the kind of delicious treat that would win over any girl, I’m sure of it.”
She chuckled. “I can tell you’re thinking very seriously about this. Kagura will be thrilled to hear that.”
“I’m just determined for Lady Sakura to join the Sky Salon. I don’t know her very well yet, but I really want her Seraph, Sara, to join us here and work with us. That’s my number one reason.”
“Sara’s the girl you brought here not too long ago, isn’t she? So she’s become Sakura’s Seraph. All right, then. I’ll explain how I see it.” All of a sudden, Lady Saeko’s expression looked far more serious than usual. “First and foremost, Lady Kagura assembles the members here with her own personal goals in mind. You know about that, right?”
“Yes.”
“We each have a field that makes us useful. For me, it’s funding. For Sumire, it’s political connections. For Inaho, it’s the food needed for a healthy athlete. For Himeko, it’s securing human resources. You could say we’re all here as Kagura’s business partners. We all enjoy drinking tea together, but that’s not the main objective. In turn, this means that what Kagura’s offering to Sakura isn’t for her to join a salon where we’ll enjoy delicious tea and cakes together. It’s for Sakura to share in her dream—and offer her support in return.”
“So she’s not trying to reel in Lady Sakura with the sweets at all?” I replied, trying to sum up what she’d said.
Lady Saeko tilted her head. “Well, that’s how I see it, anyway. I haven’t checked with Kagura herself.”
“I see.”
“To be frank, though, it doesn’t matter what kind of tasty treats get served or how much our rivals know about Sakura. Kagura is still the front-runner by miles.”
“Oh, really?”
“I can’t say I know too much about Sakura personally, but I know she didn’t come here just for the sake of studying abroad. She’s here to help expand her family’s TV and online streaming business into the Japanese market, and in the future she might even be the one in charge of that arm of the company. If so, she’ll be eager to make a connection with Kagura as well. Kagura’s upcoming sporting goods brand will be the kind of content that really draws in the viewers, not just locally but worldwide, and it’s backed by the Mikage Group, which has many of Japan’s most important companies under its umbrella. Why wouldn’t she want to be close to Kagura?”
“Right, yeah. When you put it that way, it makes sense.”
Lady Sakura seemed like a strong-willed individual. If she was fully focused on her own future, she’d no doubt decide that joining the Sky Salon to network with Lady Kagura was the most beneficial option.
Even so, I felt like Mei’s confections were amazing enough to make up for that all on their own. We also had no idea how much information Lady Shion had actually fed to Lady Rosalie. Taking all that into account, I still didn’t think we could consider it a done deal.
“My, my. It looks like you’re still not convinced.”
Frowning, I replied, “Well, I wouldn’t say that.”
What Lady Saeko had said was totally reasonable, but I couldn’t help having some reservations anyway.
I thought she might get annoyed with me, but an amused smile appeared on her face. “Personally, I’m seventy or eighty percent certain that Kagura will snatch victory, but if you’re still worried, why don’t we go the extra mile to make sure? The only downside is that then I’d be ninety-five percent sure, and that would take a lot of the excitement out of it.”
“Do you know of something that might beat Mei’s baking?”
“Hmm? No, not at all. I haven’t tasted any of it, after all. Still, when you attend a tea party, the sweets aren’t the only thing you get to savor, right?”
I cocked my head, unsure of what she was getting at. “What do you mean?”
“This tea party is a battle of hospitality in general. Flavor alone won’t earn us the win. Here’s an idea for what else we could do.”
Then Lady Saeko pulled me closer and whispered something into my ear.
Hearing it, I couldn’t help exclaiming, “What?! Can we really do that?”
“We absolutely, positively can. It doesn’t matter if the sweets are store-bought or handmade, so trust me, this is fair game.”
“That would draw Lady Sakura’s attention, I guess.”
“Of course, in this case it would be you and Kirara who hold the key to victory. Talk to each other and decide whether you can do it.”
“Okay! I’ll discuss it with her!”
Despite my vague reply, the idea was a solid one. Even if we didn’t win, I was pretty confident we’d capture Lady Sakura’s heart.