Kuro's proposal to explore new possibilities for baby castellas. We talked about asking various people for their opinions, and we started out in my room, but where should we go?
[So, Kuro. Where do we go first?]
[Unnn. About that, why don't we start with those close by... And so, Shalltear, give us your opinion.]
[I suggest stopping this already. I'm not really interested in getting involved in whatever strange ritual you're gonna make to explore the possibilities of baby castellas... Seriously, I couldn't care less... This is quite important, so I'll say this again. I seriously couldn't care less...]
When Kuro called out, Alice appeared from behind me and said this with a genuinely uninterested look. But well, there's no way resistance of that level is gonna stop the Baby Castella Demon.
However, with Alice being like that, I found it unlikely that she'd come up with anything constructive... While I was thinking that though, Kuro took out a cloth bag from her pocket and gave it to Alice.
[Here, consultation fees.]
[...Haahhh... I'll say this now, but I can't be swayed with———- Eh? This much?]
What is this? Have I awakened the ability to predict the future? I could already vividly predict what was gonna happen next already.
As if to affirm my thoughts, Alice put the bag in her pocket and a dazzling smile appeared on her face.
[...Well, it's a request from none other than Kuro-san! As Kuro's family, of course, I will do my best to help you!!!]
[Thanks~~]
See that, she really was bribed. I don't know if I should say she doesn't betray expectations or not...
[And so, once again... Shalltear, what do you think is necessary to bring my baby castellas to a higher level?]
[How about simply adjusting the quality of the ingredients and the length of time you bake them? It seemed that Kuro-san had been making various strange... original things, but I don't think changing things up is all there is to it. By trying to maximize the original goodness of baby castellas, you can then improve the overall quality of the product.]
That's a very reasonable thing to say. No, Alice certainly is quite decent in the culinary field. She often stops Kuro's odd behavior and even instructs Anima...
In terms of actually enhancing the taste of baby castellas, Alice would be almost right.
[However, Kuro's baby castellas are usually made by Ein-san, right?]
[Unnn. That's often the case. I sometimes make them myself, but most of the time, Ein makes them for me.]
[In that case, wouldn't it be difficult to improve the baby castellas' quality?]
Yes, it's Ein-san who makes Kuro's baby castellas, and I don't think that that perfect maid would compromise on the quality of the ingredients or how they're baked. If it's something specially made for Kuro, there's no doubt that she'd be serious about making it.
[Well, in terms of technique, it certainly is difficult to surpass the ones Ein-san currently makes. In that case, it would be the ingredients then. Baby castellas are made with pastry flour and baking powder... Well, to make it easy for Kaito-san to understand, it's just standard to make it with the same ingredients as a pancake mix. However, there are other ways to make it, like using rice flour.]
[Rice flour?]
[Kuro-san already knows what rice is, but the rice we're talking about here isn't the white rice you usually eat at the dinner table, but rather short-grain rice or glutinous rice that has been ground into a fine powder. When made with rice flour, pastries would have a unique chewy texture, so the taste of the baby castella will be quite different.]
[What's that!? I want some!!! Where is it? Where do I get them!?]
As expected of Alice, that's a very interesting suggestion. Changing the ingredients does change the taste and texture of baby castellas….. Rice flour baby castellas sound delicious, and I would like to try them out.
Kuro also seemed to like the idea herself, as she urged Alice for answers with considerable momentum.
[I have them in stock, so I'll give you some. I'll also give you short-grain rice and glutinous rice seedlings, so if you like them, you can give them to Raz-san and ask her to grow them.]
[Yay! Thanks, Shalltear!!!]
[...One question. Why do you have rice flour?]
[Ahh... that's because I needed glutinous rice when I made Hikari Manjuu...]
Now that she mentioned it, that did happen. Come to think of it, Alice... or rather, Hapti-san made the Hikari Manjuu. Heehhh... I wondered if Hikari Manjuu is made with glutinous rice... or rather, with rice flour huh. That sounds delicious. Next time I go to Kaori-san's shop, I'll go find someone selling them and buy some for myself.
[That was a great accomplishment right from the start! The future is bright for baby castellas!]
[...No, I mean, we've already found a new possibility with that suggestion, so how about we end this...]
[Now, Kaito-kun! Let's keep going!]
[...Guess not huh.]
[Well, please keep up the good work. Then, I'll excuse myself here...]
I thought this would be the end for this subject since Alice gave a very good opinion, but it seemed that such a thought was quite naive. I mean, Alice, you're just gonna leave at that? You do realize you're the valuable tsukkomi slapper against Kuro, right...