MENU 23 - LET'S GO TO A PICNIC!
It has been two years already since 'Happy Cooking Hour' was first broadcast. Ringo is doing a show with Mahito. Ringo is answering a fan letter who is asking her how is her cooking lately. She tells the audience that she is improving slowly and now, she already know how to cut apples into the shape of a rabbit. She will try her best so that she would become a real genius in cooking. When she mentioned about the continuation of the show throughout spring, Mahito seems to be a bit surprised about it. Ringo announces that there will be a special program which will pre-empt them so their show would return later on.
Director Watanabe and the crew encourage Ringo for her hard work and everything turned out alright even after the revelation that she is not a real genius cook. Ringo notices Mahito so she greets him and asks if there is something wrong. Ringo assumes that he is not eating enough so told him to to keep healthy since he have a lot of programs this spring. Mahito pats her on the head and thanks her. Mahito bids her goodbye as he goes with his agent.
At home, Ringo is surprise to see Kazuomi at her house. It turns out that her mother, Ami, asked him to cook some omrice [an omelet with rice in it] since she cannot do it. Ringo washes up for dinner and thinks that lately, she does not understand Kazuomi especially after what he did to protect her secret. Ringo asks if it is hard to make an omrice. Kazuomi says that it is easy but the folding in of the omelet with the rice in it is a bit technical. Ringo writes down what Kazuomi says and she explains to the others that she is making notes for some things that she does not understand.
Ami comments that Kazuomi's omrice is quite delicious and Ringo's dad wants to taste his wife's omrice. Ringo suddenly blurts out that her mother kept on depending on Kazuomi so she would not learn. She decides that she will try her best to learn how to make one. Ringo then tells Kazuomi that they would go to a picnic together. She will make an omrice lunch box for him and begs him to let her. Kazuomi agrees and they would go next week. So for the whole week, Ringo tries to learn how to make an omrice.
During the train ride, Ringo is a bit sleepy so Kazuomi asks if she spent the whole night making the omrice. He wants to take a peak at it but Ringo does not want him to until lunch time. Ringo yawns and falls to sleep on Kazuomi's shoulder.
In the picnic grounds, they lay the blanket and then learn that Ringo forgot to bring some drinks. Kazuomi offers to go to a snack booth to buy some. Ringo notices the nice dandelions growing around the place. Then, she notices some kindergarten kids out for a field trip. Then, behind the tree, she hears two kids talking. The little boy asks if they can eat the dandelions but the little girl says that he cannot not. The little boy comments that butterflies eat them as the little girl says that he is a person not a butterfly.
Ringo interrupts by saying that there are flowers that can be eaten like chrysanthemum and cauliflower. She asks them why they are not joining the others to eat their lunch boxes. The little boy starts to cry as the little girl tells him not to. Ringo asks if they don't have any lunch box. The little girl says that their mother is so busy that she forgot to make a lunch box. Then, the little kids stomach growl. Ringo gets Kazuomi's lunch box and offers it to the children. They thank her and leaves.
Ringo happily thinks of the good thing she has done when Kazuomi returns, saying that he is hungry. Ringo is shock for she realizes that she has given away his lunch box. When Kazuomi opens the basket, nothing was there. Ringo tries to explain but Kazuomi assumes that Ringo was not really able to make one and that he felt like a fool, waiting for nothing. Ringo tries to protest and explain everything but she decide it would useless and leaves. Ringo is very angry at Kazuomi for what he thought but when she remembers about Kazuomi mentioning about waiting, she blushes and goes off to buy some food.
Kazuomi berates himself for what he had said and he should not be so frank about it. Kazuomi notices the two kids opening their lunch box as the little boy asks if it is a dandelion lunchbox. The little girl says that it is omrice which looks like a flower. Kazuomi thinks that it is the same as Ringo's lunch box. The two kids notices him and asks if he is hungry. Kazuomi's stomach growls in reply. Kazuomi thinks that the omrice looks really good in terms of presentation and smell. Kazuomi tells them that their mother is a good cook. The kids tell him that their mother did not make it for they do not have a lunch box. It was given by a girl whom they do not know. Kazuomi realizes that it was Ringo.
Ringo arrives back with some food and apologizes for the lunch box. Kazuomi motions for her to sit down and when she did, he puts a wreath of dandelions on her head. Kazuomi thanks her for the lunch box and explains that he has seen the lunchbox which she gave to the two kids. Kazuomi says that it reminded him of when they were still kids, his father just died and his mother cannot cook. He was the only one who does not have a lunch box so he only watches the others. Ringo then offers to share it with him but since it is not enough, they ended up crying. Ringo has forgotten all about it but Kazuomi did not since it was the time when he start to notice Ringo. Kazuomi tells Ringo that he tasted what she made and it was delicious. Ringo is glad about it.
Somewhere in some building, Mahito is protesting about quiting since he still likes to work. His producer says that it was already decided so this is an order, he will leave 'Happy Cooking Hour.'
To Be Continued. . .