Dagashi Kashi 30

P93

30th Sweet:
Cabbage Tarou


P94

Kokonotsu-kun.
Look at this.

Cabbage Tarou
A well-known and popular item.
This round Worcester sauce-flavored snack
is light and crispy
and very tasty!

bag: Cabbage Tarou
Light and crispy!!

Cabbage Tarou…
Are you buying that?
It’s 20 yen.

Calm down, Kokonotsu-kun.
……
But I AM calm.

What’s this?
Ramen Tarou
Bag: Ramen Tarou
Yum!
Chicken flavor

And yakiniku Tarou.
package: Yakiniku Tarou
spicy!

Squid Tarou.
package: Squid tarou
healthy
Tasty

Corn ring Tarou.
With garlic

Grilled eel Tarou.

Wasabi seaweed Tarou

Who the heck…
is Tarou?

Oh, I get it!
You wanna see which “Tarou” snack is the best!

There’s no way to decide that!!
They’re all champs!!


P95

You sure say some scary things.
Sorry…
Why’d she get mad…?

…Anyways, there are lots of snacks named “Tarou”.
You’re right. There really are.

And most of them have some kind of mascot character.
Like a boxer, a frog, or a round squid… They’re very diverse.

So which of them…

…is the real Tarou…!?
Huh!? What is she talking about!!?

Aren’t all of them real?
Wait!! Don’t stop my train of thought…


P96

Huh…? Hmm… Then…
Tarou… Tarou…
Isn’t “Tarou” just a name…?

What do you mean?
Ah, no… This just came to mind, but…
I thought it was funny…

What if the characters all existed for real…
Work hard, okay?
Yes!
and started working at confectionary companies as employees?

Yay!
They worked very hard and got promotions…

Chief.
[Chief]

C.E.O.
[C.E.O.]
calligrapy: Cabbage

Tarou.
Cabbage Tarou!!


P97

Kokonotsu-kun…
I guess it doesn’t make sense, does it…?
Haha…
No…

Thank you…
Tears of gratitude!!

It’s been a long time since I heard such a moving story.
The “office theory”… It’s perfect.
Oh, no problem…

But it still leaves some questions.
?

Why is he wearing a police uniform? Is he an officer?
And what is the meaning of the name, “Cabbage Tarou”?
And why is it a frog?


P98

Even though it’s called “Cabbage Tarou”, there’s no cabbage in the snack.
Oh…
That happens a lot with Dagashi…

Well, this should explain it.
The snack is round, so it looks like a cabbage.
And you usually eat cabbage with Worcester sauce. So they named it this way because it’s sauce-flavored.
I see.
Cabbage Tarou tastes like Worcester sauce.

There’s also a theory about the costume.
Oh, really?

It’s because he’s protecting a cabbage patch.
He’s a security guard!?

I see… There’s no way he could be a C.E.O. at a company then…
Real life is harsh…

But he does carry a pistol. Isn’t that hardcore?
Freeze!
I’d prefer him to solve conflicts peacefully!!


P99

His cabbage is so important he’ll do anything to protect it…
That makes me wonder what he has to protect it from…

What if it’s not a cabbage patch…
but a Cabbage Tarou patch…?
packages: Cabbage Tarou
Yes, that’s it!!

In that case, it totally makes sense for him to draw his pistol!!
I said freeze!!
It doesn’t!! Wait, does it!?

Stealing someone’s Cabbage Tarou is an unforgivable act… It’s the worst… Seriously…
Does she have some kind of trauma…?


And frogs are really quick, so they could catch the thieves easily. That would explain why it's a frog.
Don't think you can get away
That's scary! What's he gonna do with you if he caught you!!

Well...



P100

Alright, now we’ve solved all the mysteries.
Did our crazy imagination really solve anything…?

I’ve completely accepted it inside my heart as a possible answer. Especially your “office theory”.

We’ll have to try our hardest as well…
just as the little frog who became “Tarou”. Then we can run great sweets shops…

Wait, hey!
Don’t use the story about Cabbage Tarou to decide my future!!
Tee hee hee!

Kokonotsu was in a good mood that day.

……