*Tap*
The young man and his future wife take one step closer to where the head of the JRA and his wife are sitting. They are all positioned on the back deck of the yacht. The layout of the back deck is the main table, surrounded by chef's tables on all but one side. You don't need to be Gordon Ramsay to know that all of them are very prestigious in their career.
And yet, the young man and the man focus solely on the other.
*Tap*
"..."
"..."
But when they are only about 10 meters from each other, the 2 men grin. They don't know why, but it feels like they're looking at a mirror. The young man smiled as he entered the older man's zone of influence and felt the hair on his neck stand up. He feels intimidated, pushed, and pressured, but also a sense of familiarity.
The older man feels the same way. When the younger man entered his zone, he caught a glimpse of his younger self. His eagerness, selfishness, and hunger for more. Cigame Fujita understands that if he is searching for someone to replace him, it will be this young man.
"Greeting, Mister Igo Heita. It's a pleasure to meet you. Miss Mejiro Ramonu's stories have quite given me a wonderful impression of you."
To everyone's surprise, the head of the JRA stood up from his seat and walked to meet the young man. Anyone familiar with Japanese business conduct knows that it should be the young man who walks toward the head of the JRA, and not the other way around.
"The pleasure is all mine, Mister Cigame Fujita. I do hope that Miss Ramonu has not overestimated me in her story. How can I hope to fulfill the expectation of someone such as you?"
Even more surprising is the young man's ability to match the head of the JRA beat-to-beat. Standing in front of someone so important in your field will make anyone in the world nervous, especially when there's a huge gap between you and them, but the young man doesn't look nervous at all. It looks as if he is talking to his friend.
"Ahahaha!! You have no need to worry, Mister Igo Heita. Please! Please sit down!"
"Thank you. Excuse me."
Once all the important people are seated, the chefs begin cooking the meal. Flame lit up, spices are sprinkled, meats are cut, and water is boiled. All of them are cooking meals befitting a king.
"Greetings, Mister Igo Heita. My name is Forever Darling Fujita. Should I start calling you Mejiro Igo instead?"
"Ahaha!! That would be nice, but I'm nowhere near joining the Mejiro Family."
"Ufufu~~ Your chance might be closer than you think, Mister Igo Heita."
Mejiro Ramonu couldn't stop glancing to her side at the young man when he was talking with Forever Darling. She is wondering how he will use the name Mejiro. Will it be Mejiro Igo or Igo Mejiro, or maybe he will use 2 family names?
"I would like to apologize if we were late, Mister Cigame Fujita."
"You have no need to apologize, Mister Igo Heita. You reached the dock at the right time. It will be our fault if you come late to the yacht."
The appetizer came first to the 2 couples. The amount wasn't grandiose. It might as well be considered a snack, but it is there to get your mouth watering. It would be weird for appetizers to fill your stomach.
The plates hold 3 caviar with blinis each. The young man gently put one of his caviars into his mouth. The richness and saltiness of the combination stimulate his mouth to produce saliva.
"Tell me about yourself, Mister Igo Heita. How do you meet with Miss Mejiro Ramonu?"
"Great minds think alike. Since we both are chasing the same goal, we eventually crossed paths, and the rest is history. I'm lucky that Miss Ramonu is such an understanding umamusume and very cooperative. I could never ask for a better partner than her."
Goddesses… You're a dangerous man, Igo Mejiro. Please learn how to control yourself, dear. You might attract hundreds of umamusumes.
"Her future husband will be a lucky man."
That settles it. I'm buying wedding rings.
"Indeed, you are a lucky man, Mister Igo Heita. To find an umamusume that pursues the same goal as you is rare in this world. That's how Darling and I met."
The next plates come in, and it is a light seafood course—poached salmon with dill sauce. The young man pressed his fork into the meat, and the juice oozed out from how rich it was. The young man cut the tender meat before putting it in his mouth. The meat disintegrates completely the moment it touches his tongue, and it cleanses his tongue for the main course.
To wait for the next course of food, the waiters pour a glass of red wine for the 2 couples. The young man put the glass near his nose before taking a deep sniff.
"Aaaah… Quite the beautiful smell."
"Indeed. Old grapes expressed their richness much better than young ones."
"But the young grapes are fresher and healthier. Can't exactly say the same about the wine now, can I?"
"Hahaha… Indeed."
"Grapes give off different tastes and pleasures depending on their ages, but mixing those products into one might ruin both of them, no? Eating a fresh grape while drinking red wine at the same time doesn't sound very nice to me."
"Indeed. The water content in the grapes will dilute the richness and taste of the red wine."
"Separating the fresh and the experienced is sometimes necessary for both of them to shine at their brightest. Don't you agree, Mister Cigame Fujita?"
"I could not say it better, Mister Igo Heita."