With a grunt of frustration, Lady Asuka grimaced. She had been absolutely certain of her victory, which could only have magnified her annoyance.
Meanwhile, Lady Rosalie collapsed onto the table with a sigh. “No luck for us.”
Lady Kagura stayed silent, but I could see a measure of relief on her face.
Continuing, Lady Sakura explained, “Honestly, it’s painful to have to choose only one. The Paradise Palace is made up only of other girls my height, which is something I’m quite conscious of. I’m sure I’d have felt a sense of kinship and enjoyed many more carefree afternoons drinking tea there. The tart you served was also absolutely incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything so delicious in all my life. If it were purely a matter of flavor, the Paradise Palace would win hands down; I can say that for sure.”
She closed her eyes a moment, savoring the memory.
“The Gloriana Guesthouse had a truly extraordinary atmosphere, and I had a sense that I would have been right at home there. Here in a foreign country, far from home, I got a taste of my own country. It’s also rare in this day and age to have many opportunities to wear such fine dresses, so wearing one every day is such a fabulous idea. The dish you presented was the same as the Sky Salon’s, and I’ll share my thoughts on the two cakes in a moment, but yours was truly scrumptious as well. Seeing cherry blossoms at this time of year was also a rare pleasure indeed. I could tell what great pains you’d gone to in order to show me a warm welcome. At the Gloriana Guesthouse, I’m confident that we’d have pushed each other further in an atmosphere of mutual respect.”
Her opinion of both salons so far was exceptionally high. It actually made me nervous to hear what she’d say about the Sky Salon.
“Last, but certainly not least, the Sky Salon has a breathtaking view, and I’m certain that I’d thoroughly enjoy spending time there. However, that’s not the key point. The Sky Salon isn’t seeking members just to enjoy one another’s company over a cup of tea. Everyone is there to share in and support Kagura’s dream. In a sense, our meeting was about whether we could be of use to each other. I found this greatly appealing. If I were here purely to enjoy my time as a student in Japan, the Paradise Palace and Gloriana Guesthouse could easily have provided that. However, I came here with my future in mind. To that end, you could say it’s vital that I...yes, that I make use of Kagura.”
She spoke with passion. She had come to Japan for the sake of her own dream.
“However, that alone would have only barely scraped a win for the Sky Salon. In the end, I was able to judge based on another important factor, which is the prospect of forming a real connection with the members. As such, what really cinched it was the Sky Salon’s fruitcake. Isn’t that right, Sara?”
Smiling, she turned to her Seraph, who was standing a short distance away.
However, Sara just looked to the side and said, “I haven’t the foggiest idea what you mean.”
Her mistress chuckled. “Is that how you’d like to play it? In that case, allow me to explain. You see, that fruitcake is something Sara often made for me when we were younger. Naturally, she’s capable of making far more elaborate sweets, but whenever I wanted to eat fruitcake, she’d make one just like that. It always had little emphasis on presentation but a huge variety of flavors. That’s why I found it so interesting that you recreated exactly that dish. So perfectly, in fact, that I almost thought Sara might have made it herself. I don’t know if the Gloriana Guesthouse made the same choice by coincidence or if they’d investigated my tastes and preferences. Either way, although it was the same type of cake, the flavor and appearance were quite different. Naturally, the one from the Gloriana Guesthouse was more delicious.”
Lady Sakura looked in Sara’s direction again.
“What surprises me is that Sara told other people about this. She tends to be shy around strangers, so I’d never have expected her to tell anyone about the distant past. It looks like she’s been able to make good friends at this school. Sara is family to me. Our meeting changed both our lives. Now she has friends she can share her past with, and that’s precious. That might even be more of an achievement than forming a connection with Kagura. That’s why I’ve chosen the Sky Salon. It’s the place where both the past and the future can be honored.”
Now that Lady Sakura had poured her heart out, everyone looked pretty convinced by her explanation.
Lady Asuka went over and shook her hand. “At least you agreed that Mei’s dish was the most delicious. We’ll have to be satisfied with that.” From her point of view, it seemed she’d lost the war but won the battle.
“It really was incredible,” Lady Sakura replied. “I could eat it every single day.”
From above the petite pair, Mei grabbed on with both hands as if she still didn’t want to let Lady Sakura go. “You’re welcome anytime. Even once you’ve joined the Sky Salon, you could still visit every day.”
One thing was clear: Mei was far more frustrated at the loss than her mistress.
“If I’m eager to eat one of your confections, I’ll definitely call on you,” Lady Sakura replied politely.
She released Lady Asuka’s hand and turned to the Gloriana Guesthouse members next.
“Your salon was absolutely lovely as well. I know you’re pulling out all the stops to make it really special. It would have been an honor to have helped you with that.”
“Don’t worry,” said Lady Rosalie, “I appreciate the sentiment. Even though I couldn’t recruit you, I’ll keep improving my salon. One day, you’ll say it’s a shame you didn’t pick the Gloriana Guesthouse after all.”
“I can’t wait. If you reach that point, I’ll ask, no, demand that you let me visit.”
“The day will come! In the meantime, would you mind if I occasionally ask you for advice on British customs? There’s so much I don’t know.”
“Of course not. That would be absolutely fine.”
A relieved expression formed on Lady Rosalie’s face. She’d done absolutely everything she could and achieved plenty.
Finally, Lady Sakura shook Lady Kagura’s hand. “We’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on, and not only in a social sense! I’m eager to get started.”
“Yes, I think it’s going to be a fruitful partnership. However, I don’t want you to think the Sky Salon is all business all the time. There’ll be plenty of time to sit and relax, and I hope you have a wonderful time there. To me, both the members and the salon itself are absolutely irreplaceable.”
“I see your point. If you only cared about business, things might not have turned out this way.”
Both ladies looked at me and Kirara. It was almost like they were showing recognition for us.
Gently embracing me from behind, Himeko giggled and said, “I’m glad your efforts were appreciated.”
“I didn’t do it on my own. Lady Saeko gave me the idea in the first place, and we couldn’t have done it without Sara.”
“True, but I think your own popularity is what put you in that position to begin with.”
She squeezed tighter and nuzzled her cheek against mine, indifferent to all the gazes now firmly focused on us. Feeling a complicated mixture of happiness and embarrassment, I let Himeko keep cuddling me until she’d had her fill.