Kantaro Ametani,
if my intuition is correct,
you are the man behind the popular sweets blog,
Amablo.
Dobashi, what can I do for you?
Kantaro, do you like dorayaki?
I wouldn't say I like them,
but I don't dislike them either.
-They are okay. -Is that so?
Actually, the other day, I found some very delicious dorayaki
in a department store in Ikebukuro.
Do you want to try one?
-Thank you. I'll eat it after lunch for... -It spoils easily.
Eat it now.
Then, I shall eat this now.
What's the matter?
This is...
no department store dorayaki!
The dark, rich shell gives off...
a fragrant aroma.
Plus, the sweet honey flavor of this shell
and the premium sweet bean paste combine for a superb harmony!
This dorayaki is
from the long-established Seijuken in Ningyocho!
Well done. That's right.
These dorayaki are actually from Seijuken.
But I thought you neither liked or disliked dorayaki.
Just as I thought,
Kantaro Ametani,
while you do sales visits, you play hooky and...
Silence!
I am very angry right now!
Do you have any idea
how much time and effort Seijuken put into creating
the flavor of these dorayaki?
The extraordinary skill and passion that went into making these dorayaki
allows them to proclaim to the world that they were made by Seijuken.
Yet you lied, telling me that they were made somewhere else.
You have mocked them!
I didn't intend to do that.
It seems to me that you deserve to be punished.
Punished?
I cannot...
forgive what you have done!
Kantaro...
Dobashi.
Yes?
This dorayaki looks very delicious.
I will eat it later.
Well...
Is there anything else?
No.
Something is wrong.
He doesn't seem interested in the dorayaki at all.
Was my intuition wrong?
That woman claimed those dorayaki were from a department store,
but those are my favorite Seijuken dorayaki!
I almost started to lecture that woman on the magnificence of Seijuken.
If she had found out that I'm the author of Amablo
and reported me for playing hooky during working hours...
Goodness. That was close!
I have to calm down.
I'll bring up a beloved image from my secret folder.
There it is! Kajitsuen Libre's fruit parfait!
It is a true garden of fruit.
The way this fruit is cut makes it a work of art.
Speaking of Libre,
their limited-time parfait made from seasonal fruit is unbeatable.
During this season...
PEACH BOY
Could it be?
Kantaro?
What is it, Yamaji?
The sales meeting is starting.
All right.
PARFAIT
Dobashi,
check out that look on Takarabe's face.
He's so confident.
It looks like he got the top sales this month.
Then that will make it 12 months in a row.
Amazing! It's no wonder he is called the Prince of Sales.
-Good afternoon! -Good afternoon, sir!
I'll announce the top salesman for the month.
This month, the top salesman by far is...
the newbie Kantaro.
-What? -What?
Kantaro is amazing!
What is Takarabe's reaction?
There is no way he is that calm deep inside.
Kantaro, congratulations on becoming the top salesman.
Just as I had suspected, you can't be underestimated.
Thank you.
Compared to you, I'm ashamed of myself.
I just happened to be top salesman for 11 months in a row.
On top of it, I was under the illusion that I was a talented salesman.
But thanks to you, my eyes have been opened.
From now on, I will start afresh and do my best
-to follow in your footsteps. -Please don't.
To be frank, this month I merely followed in your footsteps...
Oh, I'm sorry. You need to go on your sales visit now.
Let's have a drink sometime. See you.
All right! Get back to work!
That guy looks like a good guy, but you should be careful.
What?
You know, that type of person in school
who says, "I didn't study at all,"
but then they get perfect test scores.
I'm sure he's that type.
The other day, when I went up to the roof...
He was exercising like crazy all by himself.
I'm sure he loves his handsome self more than anything else.
Therefore, since he's been toppled from his position at the top,
he just might...
Kantaro!
I didn't care in the least
about the Prince of Sales or who was top salesman.
The only thing I'm interested in are sweets.
Then, I must work like crazy.
I worked like a madman!
I wanted to finish as quickly as possible and rush to the garden of fruit!
Enough of work! I'm dying to eat peaches!
Finally, after completing my work, I visited Shinjuku.
It's the greatest business district in all of Japan, or to be more exact,
in all of Asia!
I arrived at the revived and renovated South Exit.
SHINJUKU SUBWAY STATION
My heart is racing!
I feel like...
Peach Boy.
Onward, solitary Peach Boy!
Though, not even your dog, monkey, or bird will accompany you.
But there are sweets here that you can only have during this season.
It's the limited-time summer parfait.
I have finally arrived.
I'm finally here,
my dear fruit garden.
Kajitsuen Libre.
The owner, Takashi Nagamine,
has dedicated 50 years of his life to fruits.
It's a popular store that shows his overflowing love of fruits.
"I want my customers to experience the taste of fruits as much as possible."
The store owner's desire is reflected from every nook and cranny.
Welcome. How many?
One.
This way, please.
Just look how busy it is in the middle of a weekday.
And it's not just women. There are even a few solitary men like me
sprinkled here and there.
A man enjoying fruit parfait while in his suit.
It's a time of supreme bliss, isn't it, my comrade?
Are you ready to order?
I'd like to ask you a question.
What is the MoPa?
I know what that means.
Passionate Libre fans
call the monthly limited-time parfait as MoPa.
Please tell me what the MoPa is.
This month's limited-time parfait is peach.
I have no choice but to order it!
All right, I'll have a peach parfait.
Certainly.
Yes!
The most popular among the seasonal parfaits is peach.
I'm so lucky to have one!
I'm so looking forward to this.
I want it now!
Right about now, in the kitchen...
Freshness is the key when it comes to fruits.
The owner himself selects the freshest fruit from the market.
In order to serve them
without sacrificing the freshness and the flavor,
little time can be spent cutting them.
It's a battle against time!
If we're talking about Libre's parfait, then we must mention
their guru, Chef Takeda!
Chef Takeda combines skill, speed,
and playfulness all into one
to create a parfait with artistic proportions.
The way he wields his knife is mesmerizing.
While keeping the ripe fruit
juicy and fresh as if they were just picked,
he slices them with daring yet precise cuts
before placing them in the glass.
Then, Chef Takeda's inspiration and creativity
fuel his magnificent parfait decorations, which now...
Here is your peach parfait.
Look at all these peaches!
Libre's peach parfait
uses more than two entire ripe peaches!
I thought it was just a rumor, but it's true.
Wherever you look, from top to bottom, there is nothing but peaches!
The determination of Mr. Nagamine, the owner,
that his parfaits be 80 percent fruit and 20 percent cream
is true.
I can hardly believe that
I got these juicy peaches all to myself in the middle of Shinjuku.
Allowing myself such a luxury as this makes me feel like...
Peach Boy!
Thank you for the food.
At last...
Into the paradise of sweets!
This fruit is so incredibly wonderful.
It's soaked with so much sweetness!
These peaches are so fine!
Kantaro, born from a peach.
I'm at my strongest.
Who is there?
You're the Prince of Sales, Yutaka Takarabe!
Look at those muscles!
If I'm Peach Boy, then you must be...
the Exercise Demon!
You saw me.
Demons must be driven out.
Bring it on.
You must be kidding!
My thighs can't keep up!
My peach-powered thighs are in season!
Don't underestimate me!
-Peaches! -Peaches!
You truly are amazing, Kantaro.
You are amazing too, Takarabe.
-Tumble! -Tumble!
You truly are wonderful, Kantaro.
Oh, stop that, Takarabe.
Kantaro, what are you doing?
It's still working hours.
Takarabe, what are you doing here?
Didn't I tell you?
I said I was going to follow in your footsteps.
I was going to secretly watch you and study your sales technique.
But this is inexcusable.
It's just so wrong.
This is more than just taking a break.
I'll report this to my superior.
Is this the end of...
my days of sweetness?
I'm very sorry.
I was merely imitating someone.
Imitating?
Who were you imitating?
You, Takarabe.
It was my mistake to believe
that if it's acceptable for you, then it's acceptable for me.
I'm not sure what you're talking about.
Please don't play dumb.
Though you carry the title of Prince of Sales,
this is what you do during working hours.
How did you...
I told you, didn't I?
This past month,
I've been following in your footsteps, Takarabe.
When I saw you working out at a gym
even during office hours...
I realized something.
In order to be a successful salesman, one must have a way to relax.
Are you saying that this is my fault?
You see, if you're going to report this to your superior,
then I will report this as well.
I will also include a video.
That is enough!
I'll delete these photos of you and this parfait.
All right.
DELETE PHOTO
DELETE VIDEO
Now then, go ahead.
DELETE
Let's agree that this never happened.
I should take my leave now.
But I really look up to you, Takarabe.
What?
Even though you're enjoying yourself at the gym,
you also focus on your work,
and you are even the number one salesman.
Well done.
Kantaro Ametani,
I swear I'll make a comeback and regain my position at the top.
I'm looking forward to it.
The limited-time peach parfait at Kajitsuen Libre
is a dessert that anybody shouldn't miss.
But that was really a close call.
Yutaka Takarabe.
He is already fit,
yet he still works out at the gym.
He is incredibly disciplined.
After several days of eating sweets, I think I'm the one who is in trouble.
Since it has come to this...
I'll sprint to my next sales visit!
What kind of sweets should I eat the next time I do a sales visit?
Only sweet heaven knows.
BASED ON THE COMIC BOOK KANTARO: THE SWEET TOOTH SALARYMAN
THIS STORY IS A WORK OF FICTION BASED ON ACTUAL PLACES AND SWEETS.
Subtitle translation by Brian Athey