Nakahama

Taraka smiles.

"I will admit to having a bit of a sweet tooth. I am really happy that the boba tea ice cream I made for the Jade chef competition came out as well as it did. Then again, having some salt can really make you appreciate sweet. Like salty peanuts and a sweet sugary soda, it really hits the spot. Oh, or mixing chocolate popcorn with cheese popcorn? Divine." she offered.

“Huh. I actually spice my popcorn up. Have you ever tried mixing in gochujang into the kernels before popping them?” She takes another sip of her energy drink. “It’s really good if you like things with a little kick to them.”

Taraka shook her head.

"Can't say that I have. I like enough spice to give things a little kick, but not so much all you're feeling is pain." she admits. "Are you someone who really enjoys spicy foods, Kaiu-san?"

“Yeah! I really like spicy curries.” Nagisa leans forward with a bit of a smirk. “I do have to say I did beat my entire squad in one of those spicy hot wings challenges while I was doing my service tour.”

Taraka noted the Kuni's thrill.

"Hmmm, are you on the Wall of Heroes at Rainbow of Pain?" she asked. I took Asako Hikari there the other day. It was pretty cute to watch him push himself through the entire gauntlet."

“Rainbow of Pain? I actually haven’t been there… There’s a challenge there?” The Kaiu gives a thoughtful look, obviously contemplating trying out this challenge herself.

Kaiu Nagisa wrote: Mon Nov 24, 2025 12:39 am “Rainbow of Pain? I actually haven’t been there… There’s a challenge there?” The Kaiu gives a thoughtful look, obviously contemplating trying out this challenge herself.

Taraka nodded.

"Yeah, it's over on Golden Shotengai. They've got these seven wings that they've somehow managed to get the sauce to mimic the colors of the rainbow. It starts hot with the red one and is mind-melting hot by the time you get to the violet one. But they have a challenge where if you finish the plate you get your picture on the wall." she explains.

“That’s really interesting… I’ve never eaten wings that were so colorful. I wonder if they use some kind of edible dye in the sauce?” Nagisa tilts her head to the side before placing another mochi into her mouth.

Taraka nodded.

"Most definitely. I mean, I know they use some very exotic ingredients to get the those levels of heat, but I can't believe you get such a vibrant violet for Vitriolic strictly through sheer cookery alone. I"m pretty sure. Then again, some of the peppers they use certainly weren't around when Lady Sun and Lord Moon named everything. A lot of careful breeding to get things that intense." she explained.

Nagisa can’t help but chuckle at the explanation. “The Scoprion do like breeding increasingly hot peppers. The hottest known pepper keeps changing year to year.”

Another sip of her drink before she places the can down on the counter and signs. “One day they will make one that’s just too spicy for anyone.”

Taraka chuckled at that.

"I'm not sure the pride of the Crab will ever allow for that Kaiu-san. It feels like about on the level of claiming that someday they'll make a ship too fast for the Unicorn to handle or....."

She paused a moment.

"Something too artsy for the Crane to Crane." she finished, not coming up with a reasonable example.

Now that got Nagisa to do a little more than chuckle. It was a full-on laugh that she had to catch before speaking. “I guess you’re right! A true Crab would let the pepper burn a hole through their stomach before admitting defeat to such a thing.”

It was a good laugh. An honest laugh. And now Taraka felt like the scales were back in balance.

She got up from the chair and stretched.

"Ah well. As much fun as it'd be to hang out and chat with you all day, Kaiu-san, I should probably let you get back to work. I'll leave the rest of the baked goods with you. Feel free to share them with any customers that come by, or freeze them as you see fit." she offered.

“Ah, yes, I really should be getting ready for the rush today. Thanks again for the goodies, Yasuki-sama.” Nagisa rises to the door, offering to open it for Taraka. “I do hope the rest of your day goes well.”

Taraka bowed.

"And you as well, Kaiu-san. I don't need a truck repaired every day, but we should get together again sometime to just socialize." she said.

And with farewells made, she'd make her...

/exit!