"Ah...... The air in the countryside is really refreshing!"

When we arrived at Fukuda Farm in Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture, we were struck by the way of life that was very different from Tokyo. Looking at the chestnuts and ginkgo trees scattered on the road that no one has harvested, many people are excited like children. So much so that when Miko arranged a room for everyone, almost everyone stuffed their backpacks with chestnuts.

But what really makes everyone feel happy is the extravagant Wagyu barbecue in the evening, watching the desperately expensive pine plate beef on the supermarket shelves on weekdays being served in unlimited portions, no one will miss this rare opportunity to feast.

"Sakurako-chan, are you already up?"

"Hi Babble......"

Hearing Miko calling outside the door, Sakurako turned around and gently pushed the sliding door open. Then I saw Miko actually standing outside the door wearing a pair of suspenders. So, Sakurako couldn't help but ask a little strangely:

"Miko-chan, why did you get up so early?"

"Alas...... Why do you think I don't want to come back, I was sent by my mother to take care of the newborn calf early in the morning, and I haven't eaten breakfast until now......! It's better for me to be a cartoonist!"

"Scared, did you get up so early?"

Yes, my mother and the aunts in the ranch have specially prepared breakfast for everyone, so I'll drive you there later!

"Hmmm!"

It's a drive to get there for breakfast, and now Sakurako is a little used to this kind of counterintuitive operation on the farm. In fact, just before Miko was assigned a room to everyone yesterday, almost no one would have thought that there was a building that looked like a hot spring inn hidden in this farm. It wasn't until Sakurako inquired that she found out that this was originally a dormitory for trainees from overseas. There is no way, there is almost nothing lacking in the Miko family's farm, and the only thing that is lacking is the young labor force. That's why the chestnuts and ginkgo on the farm go unharvested.

When Miko woke everyone up, she led everyone downstairs, where several farm trucks had been waiting for a long time. As soon as they walked into the restaurant, they saw a lot of fresh fruits and rice balls on the table, as well as a jar of white milk.

"Sister Yuzi, can these fruits also be eaten casually?"

"Hmm...... You can eat as much as you want, as long as you don't waste it, and when you're done with lunch, can you go to the barn and help take care of the calves?"

"No problem, we love critters the most!"

……

Amid the cheers of the crowd, a hearty breakfast with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables began. Yamaoka Katsumasa sat silently at the edge of the long table, then picked up a piece of honeydew melon and took a bite gently. When the sweet juice contained in the honeydew melon soaked into his throat, Yamaoka couldn't help but smile happily.

When breakfast was over, the group continued to ride the car to the barn of Tomita Farm. Before entering the barn, everyone has to change into the waterproof shoes that are used on the farm, and walk through the lime water used to disinfect them. Immediately after that, Miko gave everyone a few more words to pay attention to, and it was not until he was sure that everyone understood that he led everyone into the core area of the farm.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now in the young cowshed of Futian Farm, where newborn calves are raised, because the calves are so young that they can't eat anything but milk. Wait a minute, you can feed the calves with the bottles in front of the stalls, and the only thing to note is that the bottles should never be mixed!

"Understood!"

When Miko had finished giving instructions to everyone, they scattered towards the bullpens on both sides. Because most of the employees at Shoan are women, when everyone sees the demanding eyes of the calf in the cowpen, many people are overwhelmed by the cute calf. So they took the bottle and slowly stretched it out to the calf in the pen, and when the calf wrapped the bottle with his tongue, he sucked greedily, and for a moment the barn was filled with excited sounds such as "kawaii".

"Mi-chan, how long will it take for these calves to be slaughtered!"

"In the past, Futian Farm was raised until the age of three or so, and it was directly handed over to the slaughterhouse, but ...... In recent years, because there have been fewer and fewer people on the farm, it has ...... Most of the calves are sold to nearby farmers when they are raised to 10 months. Although this makes a lot of money, the manpower on the farm can only maintain the current business model. But...... Don't look at the calves that are only 10 months old, if they are sold, the price of each head can almost be sold for 1 million yen, so ...... The income is still very good!"

"So...... If Matsuan procures beef directly from the farm, how much will it cost?"

Taking advantage of the fact that there was nothing around, Sakurako quietly whispered in Miko's ear about the cost.

"What do you think of 5,400 yen per kilogram? Don't worry, I'll definitely leave the best beef for Sho'an, if Sho'an can really purchase beef from the farm in the future, it will help us a lot!"

"Isn't it too cheap for 5,400 yen? You know that in ordinary high-end Wagyu beef shops, the price of a customer (about 100 grams ~ 200 grams) is about 5,000 yen, and if a kilogram of Matsusaka beef is sold in the store, the price is estimated to be about 50,000 yen. Will the store make too much money?"

"Eh, 50,000 yen?"

"Well, if we can really reduce the cost to such a low price, our profit will be very considerable, are you really willing to sell the best Matsusaka beef to the store at such a low price?"

"That...... I don't know much about business, but ...... This is the first time I have partnered with you to open a store, and my only hope is that I don't hurt everyone to lose money, otherwise, I really won't have the face to see everyone!"

"Okay, you don't want to look at who the manager of Songan is, if you want to say that you are losing money, are you underestimating me? Please rest assured, I will definitely let Songan gain a foothold in Shinjuku as soon as possible. Other than that...... The fruits in your orchard are also very good, so why don't you consider giving Sakura-no-Sato a good price?"