The title of this article is conjectural. Although it is based on canonical information, the actual name is conjecture and may be supplanted at any time by additional information.
"I feel bad about it, but the hourly wage here isn't very good. Not many people want to work here. Then there's this slow economy. I wonder if these Japanese cakes just aren't popular anymore..."
The Proprietress of Sengoku Sweets (千石屋の女将,Sengoku-ya no okami)[1] was the boss of Tsukushi Makino and Yuki Matsuoka, whom worked for her part-time. She was sometimes a little ill-tempered, though she was usually nice. On two occasions, members of the F4 completely sold out her shop, Sengoku Sweets, which made her happy.
The proprietress hired Tsukushi Makino and Yuki Matsuoka to work at her stop while they were in high school.[2] She occasionally rebuked them for talking too loudly.[3] During one winter, she gave the girls five percent on everything they sold. The store sold out on the day after Christmas, selling approximately five years' worth. The Proprietress was ecstatic and gave the girls their five percent, which was around 500,000 yen.[4] A couple months later, Tsukushi returned to her job at the shop. The proprietress heard the girls yelling and scolded them.[5] A few days later, she asked Yuki about Tsukushi who had not been to work lately. Sojiro Nishikado then walked in and asked to borrow Yuki for a few minutes. When the proprietress said that she was working, he offered to buy everything in the store which surprised her.[6]
Some days later, Yuki called to inform her that she would need to take some time off. The proprietress, who looked worn out, asked Tsukushi to "work twice as hard."[7] Yuki returned to work some time later. When she and Tsukushi were chatting, the proprietress yelled to remind them that they had customers.[8] Later, she informed Tsukushi that she would not be able to raise her hourly wage no matter how loud her voice was. Tsukushi then attempted to rush off for her next job, but accidentally knocked over some trays of sweets and had to pick them up. The proprietress appeared somewhat exasperated while saying to Yuki "It's nice that things are so lively when Miss Makino is here, but..."[9]
Physical appearance[]
She was likely in her forties or early fifties. The Proprietress had light brown hair which she wore in an elegant bun style. Due to her profession, she was mostly seen wearing traditional Japanese kimono.
Personality and traits[]
The proprietress was somewhat taciturn, yelling at Tsukushi and Yuki for talking too loud at work.[3] She also had a nice side, which was shown when her store completely sold out. Being generous, she gave Tsukushi and Yuki a hefty bonus that day.
An unknown actress plays her in two episodes1 of Meteor Garden (2001). She is the boss of Dong Shan Cai (Tsukushi) and Xiao You (Yuki), whom she has promised to give a raise if sales improve. When the F3 help sell out the bakery, she thanks them and the girls. She encourages the F3 to come again and agrees to follow through on her promise of raising their salaries. Later Xi Men buys the store's entire stock for an upcoming tea party he is hosting. Shan Cai's boss also appears in two episodes of Meteor Garden II (2002), likely portrayed by a different actress.
She is voiced by Yume Marika in the musical, Hana Yori Dango (2019).[14] Offscreen, she calls for Yuki to help her with the inventory in the back of the store.