This chapter is updated by wuxiaworld.eu
ā» I think itās a story somewhere between Volume 2 and 6, but even I, the Author, forgot which volume this was from
It all started one late afternoon- when Kuro suddenly told me something.
Normally, Kuro is always cheerful and smiles a lot, but for some reason, she has a serious expression on her face right now, looking like she was troubled about something. Tilting my head upon Kuroās words, my mind was filled with anxiety and worry.
Thereupon, after pausing for quite some time, Kuro spoke with a serious expression on her face.
[What do you thinkā¦ā¦ is the āultimate baby castellaā?]
It was so unimportant that I was surprised!? Eh? What? Thatās what you were wondering with that serious expression on your face!?
[I seeā¦ā¦ Iāve actually been having trouble figuring it out too.]
Errr, are we still going to continue this conversation? To be honest, Iām not interested in this topic at allā¦ā¦ F- For the time being, should I say something?
[Errrā¦ā¦ What about the tastiest baby castella?]
[Unnn. I suppose so. Itās true that when it comes to food, taste is an important factor. However, I want you to think about it. For example, a super-premium baby castella made with only the worldās finest ingredients, carefully selected and refined to the finest detail, may bring about the supreme flavors. However, can we really say that āitās the ultimate baby castellaā?]
[I think that the simple tastiness is one of the charms of baby castellas. If you remove that and just pursue the tasteā¦ā¦ I think that as a baby castella, that couldnāt be described as the ultimate one.]
I love Kuro. I love her cheerfulness that is fun to be with, her indulgence that envelops me in her tender embrace, and her somewhat childish personality.
But unfortunately, this abnormal fixation with baby castellasā¦ā¦ is something I just couldnāt understand. I mean, if itās possible, I donāt want to understand it at all.
[Unnn. However, I guess it really would be better to actually try something than to just talk about it. Thatās why, Kaito-kunā¦ā¦ Together with me, letās pursue the ultimate baby castella!]
[ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦]
Did she just naturally include me in this headcountā¦ā¦ Do I have the right to veto this? Guess not huh. Kuro looked very serious, looking at me with expectation in her eyes.
Kuro coming up with something outrageous out of the blue is just the usualā¦ā¦ I guess it will be tough for me this time.
Thereupon, Kuro brought me to a huge kitchen with Teleportation Magic. There, all kinds of ingredients and seasonings were prepared.
Wearing a cute frilly apron, Kuro tightly clenched her fists as she spoke to me.
[Alright! Well then, Kaito-kun. What kind of baby castella should we make to start with?]
[ā¦ā¦Letās see. For the time being, letās start with clearing away those āmeatā and āfishā that are piled up over there.]
[Eh? B- But if we clear those awayā¦ā¦ We wonāt be able to make baby castellas with meat and fish, you know?]
[Thereās no chance that theyād bring about the ultimate baby castella.]
[N- No, but baby castella, you see, it has infinite possibilitiesā¦ā¦]
Iām willing to go along with her search for the ultimate baby castella. However, Iād like it if youāll excuse me from those failure baby castellas.
Iāll actively remove any ingredients that would obviously end up giving it a strange taste, mainly for my own safetyā¦ā¦
[Well, since weāve come this far anyway, Iāll go along with making that ultimate baby castellaā¦ā¦ but Iād like it if we could decide on an objective.]
[Hmmm, I guess so. Well then, how about we aim to make the ātastiest baby castellaā for the time being?]
Because I studied to make baby castellas before as a present for Kuro, I know a little bit about making them. And I think that objective is good.
At least this way, we could avoid a parade of failed baby castellas.
Putting on the apron that Kuro handed me, I started making an orthodox baby castella.
[Since it would be the tastiest, Iāll use the best ingredientā¦ā¦ but how can we vary the flavors?]
[It can be divided into two main categories: adding something to the batter or adding something inside as a filling. Iād like to try changing the batterā¦ā¦]
[I see, you could change the texture and stuff like that, so it may bring about a nice change.]
[Unnn! Letās do it together!]
Seeing Kuroās smile, I naturally smiled as I continued cooking.
Thereupon, we tried to make baby castellas with different batter variations. Using Earthās knowledge as a guide, I tried kneading matcha tea, chocolate and even tried changing some ingredients to strengthen its chewy texture.
As a result, all of them turned out pretty goodā¦ā¦ but if I were to be asked if any of these is the ultimate baby castella, Iām not sure.
I mean, I know that my baby castellas arenāt as bad as Kuroās, but I think finding the ultimate baby castella among my creations would be difficult. Each person has different taste preferences, and the texture of the food may or may not be suitable for its taste.
How should I say this? Itās just, I feel like there isnāt really any right answer.
[Hmmm. Itās difficult. I mean, is there even a right answer to this question?]
Looking at the many prototypes in front of her, Kuro had a complicated expression on her face. It seemed like she had come to the same conclusion as me, as her shoulders slumped and she muttered to herself.
[I supposeā¦ā¦ Indeed, I think it would be impossible to find the baby castella thatās tastiest for everyone. But Kuro, if we limit it to just this time, wouldnāt the right answer be the baby castella for you, the initiator of this project, find best?]
[Ahh, thatās right! Iāve got an ideaā¦ā¦ Why donāt you try to make a new version based on the tastiest baby castella that Kuro has ever had?]
This is a very fine play, if I say so myself. After all, Kuro has been eating baby castellas everyday without getting tired of it. I think she has eaten an immeasurable number of baby castellas, so the best baby castella for her would probably be the closest thing to the ultimate baby castella.
[The tastiest baby castella that Kuro has ever eatenā¦ā¦]
After I told her that, Kuro looked at me onceā¦ā¦ She suddenly clapped her hands, looking like she had come up with something.
Looking at Kuro who suddenly started laughing, I tilted my head, but she didnāt seem to mind and laughed for a while, before speaking with a big smile on her face.
[Kaito-kun! Now that weāve made all those different baby castellas, letās eat them together!]
[Eh? Ah, unnn. I donāt really mindā¦ā¦ but what about the ultimate baby castella?]
[Ahh, thatās okay. Iāve already figured it out.]
[Eh?Ahh, wait!? Before you prepare the tea, tell me what youāve figured out!]
[Donāt wanna, itās a secret~~]
What is this, I have no idea whatās going on. I have no ideaā¦ā¦ but seeing Kuro looking so happy, I guess itās okay.
ā¦ā¦Iām still curious though!!!
Looking across at Kaito, who was eating a baby castella while curiously tilting her head, Kuromueina smiled once more.
(The tastiest baby castella Iāve ever eatenā¦ā¦ would be the baby castellas you made for me, Kaito-kun.)
While muttering this in her mind, Kuromueina looks at Kaitoās face from the side with loving eyes.
(In the end, that was what it was all about. No matter how luxurious the ingredients used in baby castellas, no matter how top-notch the technology used to make themā¦ā¦ Nothing can compete with the baby castellas āeaten with the person you loveā.)
What is the ultimate baby castella? There may not be an answer to that question that will satisfy everyone. But for herā¦ā¦ The right answer to this did exist.
(For me, the ultimate baby castellaā¦ā¦ is the baby castella that I eat with my beloved Kaito-kun. Well, thatās a secret to Kaito-kun though.)