Reluctant to go home when summer vacation begins, Hachiken accepts Aki's invitation to work at the Mikage Ranch, but city kid Hachiken is in for more than he bargained for.

If there's one thing the farm school has taught Hachiken it's that food production is a laborious process. So when Nakajima-sensei taps the Equestrian Club to help rebuild his precious cheese stores, he is hardly surprised by how many careful steps go into making the perfect wheel of cheese. One small fluctuation can spoil the whole endeavor; the same is true throughout the farming world. And when Komaba Ranch finds itself in financial trouble, Hachiken...

"Year's end is traditionally the time when students return home to ring in the new year with their families--the very last thing Hachiken wants to do! He'll be the only one staying in the dorms, but after all, on a farm, someone always has to stick around to care for the animals. Little does he know that when the students are away, the teachers have their own tradition: a year-end feast of the bounties of Ezo Ag! Happy New Year, indeed!!"--Page 4...