When I told Kaori-san how we are currently traveling around and gathering information in search for the possibilities of baby castellas, her face is, well, how should I describe it... It looked as if the subject of space had been suddenly dumped in front of her.
Well, I guess it's understandable. I may have been infected quite a bit by this topic, but in the first place, talking about new possibilities for baby castellas isn't something that makes sense.
[...H- Hmmm. In short, you're asking for an ingenious way to make baby castellas more delicious, right? Hmmm, just like salted caramels, how about putting a little salt in baby castellas that are daringly made sweet to emphasize their sweetness...]
[Fumu fumu, that sounds interesting. By daring to combine two opposing flavors, you can enhance one of them. However, finding the right balance would probably be difficult, right? I guess it's a matter of trial and error then...]
If you just listen to what she said, it sounds like she's making use of a serious idea... but considering her previous results, how she produced dark matter out of baby castellas, using such a technique makes me uneasy. It's like, I feel like she'd go about it the opposite way. Sprinkling sugar on salty-seasoned baby castella, I'm scared of how she'd seriously do something extreme like that.
As I thought about such things and we finished our orders, Kaori-san seemed to have suddenly remembered something and spoke.
[Ahh, that's right. Kaito-kun, you mind if I reserve the seat next to yours?]
[Unnn? You mean here?]
[Unnn. Olivia-sama will be here soon, so I thought it would be better to have her sit next to you.]
[Ah, Olivia-san will be here today huh. I'm alright with it... However, if you're saying she's coming soon, I guess she'd always perfectly come on a certain time?]
[Unnn. Olivia-sama will come at exactly 12:00 noon. Incidentally, there's not even a minute difference in each of her arrivals.]
Well, Olivia-san certainly seems to be extremely punctual. Since 12:00 noon is really only about 5 minutes away, I guess our timing really is just right.
[I haven't seen Olivia-chan since the Festival of Heroes~~ While we're at it, let's ask Olivia-chan about baby castellas too!]
[H- Hmmm... Well, we might as well just ask her.]
To be honest, I can't imagine Olivia-san voicing her opinion about baby castellas. I mean, in the first place, has Olivia-san ever eaten baby castellas?
While I was thinking about this, at the exact moment 12:00 came, just as Kaori-san said, the door to the restaurant opened and Olivia-san, dressed in a priest's robe, appeared.
Incidentally, it seems like she changed into casual clothes at first, but now that she's already recognized as a regular, she just decided to come wearing her usual clothes.
Olivia-san entered the store, looking quite familiar with the place, approached the counter, and upon noticing us, she flinched in surprise.
[Miyama Kaito-sama and Underworld King... What a coincidence.]
[Good afternoon, Olivia-san.]
[Long time no see, Olivia-chan.]
She was surprised, but after bowing lightly, she checked the reserved seating tag, and saying "Excuse me" to me, she took her seat.
[Olivia-sama, are you fine with the grilled eggplant set meal today?]
[Yes. I'll have that.]
[Understood. It will be ready soon.]
According to Kaori-san, unless there's a seasonal menu, Olivia-san orders set meals in a sequential order from the top of the menu, so Kaori-san already knew what she was going to order and was ready to serve the set meal in advance. It seemed like she had really become a regular customer, as Kaori-san herself didn't seem too nervous around her and instead looked quite familiar with her.
[It really was a coincidence.]
[Yes. However, I am very happy to have met Miyama Kaito-sama in this way. Even though I'm feeling awe-inspired, being able to sit next to you is a great honor.]
[Even so, it's refreshing to meet Olivia-chan outside of the Cathedral~~]
[Indeed.]
Olivia-san still looked very serious, but even still, her expression seemed to have softened a bit compared to when I met her the first time.
[I had heard about it from Kaori-san, but it seems like you really have completely become a regular.]
[Yes. Since the time Miyama Kaito-sama brought me here, I have been visiting as much as possible. Thanks to this, I feel that my interest in food has increased compared to before. This too is thanks to Miyama Kaito-sama who brought me to this restaurant. Miyama Kaito-sama's words are like an oracle bestowed upon me, guiding me to the path I should lead. Yes, describing it this way should be no exaggeration.]
[Nope, you're exaggerating there.]
Olivia-san, who looks at me with glittering eyes brimming with respect, is still over-the-top in a strange way.
Thereupon, Kuro spoke to Olivia-san with a bright smile.
[Olivia-chan also likes Japanese food? I eat them a lot too.]
[Is that so.]
[...Your reaction sure is totally different from when you're talking to Kaito-kun.]
The moment Kuro talked to her though, it was like she turned into Founder Mode, or rather, it's like her expression changed to that of a cold-hearted, indifferent person. If you ask me if it's just like Olivia-san to act like that though, I guess that really is like her.