At the bustling food collection area, Vasida scanned the assortment of ingredients laid out in front of her. She reached for a basket, carefully selecting ingredients for egg fried rice, fried steak, and a fresh vegetable salad. As she strolled away, she ran into Lyra, who was standing nearby with a basket that looked much fuller than necessary. A quick glance inside left her stunned.
"Lyra! Why on earth did you take so many seasonings? Especially salt and sugar?" Vasida's voice was full of disbelief.
Lyra shrugged, already eyeing a jar of honey on the nearby shelf. "I'm worried I won't have enough decent food in the next few days. And you know how breadfruit tastes, it's awful. I figured I'd experiment, maybe make it more palatable."
Vasida's expression softened as she remembered breadfruit's notorious reputation. While it had a faint aroma of bread, the taste was anything but comforting. Some claimed it was juicy, but only in the blandest way possible. She mused for a moment before a realization hit her.
"Wait; didn't Senior Lilith say breadfruit can't be cooked?" Vasida slapped her forehead, embarrassed by her forgetfulness. "But then again, you're from another world, Lyra. Maybe your world has different ways of cooking that could work!"
Lyra grinned, ever the tinkerer. "If this turns out well, you'll have to be my first taste tester."
Vasida's stomach rumbled at the thought. While other witches could be satisfied with just a few breadfruits, Vasida was an exception; she could devour hundreds and still feel peckish. The idea of Lyra's cooking intrigued her. "Oh, I'd be more than happy to help with that! If you can make breadfruit taste good, I'll be forever in your debt!"
With their baskets in hand, they headed home. Vasida enlisted Wahida's help, and the three witches wandered into the breadfruit forest, gathering bunches of the large, yellow fruits. Despite her initial skepticism, Vasida's curiosity got the better of her, and she couldn't resist seeing if Lyra's culinary experiments would pay off.
Back in the kitchen, Lyra decided to start simple. "I'll try making candied breadfruit first," she declared. "It'll be easy to store and perfect for snacking." Breadfruit, she explained, had no seeds and a thin skin, so she quickly sliced two open, their pale flesh ready for experimentation. After cutting them up, she tossed the pieces into a steamer.
Lilith's warning echoed in Vasida's mind. "Remember what Lilith said about breadfruit cooking... Should we really be doing this?"
"Too late now," Lyra said with a smirk, fastening the lid securely. They all stood back, eyes fixed on the pot as it started to heat. Moments later, a loud, rapid "bang, bang, bang" came from the steamer, making the witches jump.
"That... doesn't sound good," Vasida muttered, nervously stepping forward as the sounds stopped. They hesitantly lifted the lid.
Inside, the pot was filled with a gooey, bright yellow mush. It didn't look promising. Vasida wrinkled her nose. "Uh... can we even use this?"
Lyra chuckled, undeterred. "Well, it's not going to be preserves, but this might just work for breadcakes." Undeterred, she scooped out the sticky pulp, adding a generous helping of sugar to combat the tartness of the breadfruit. To round out the flavor, she mixed in some pumpkin puree before spreading the mixture onto a baking tray. With the oven set to a low temperature, they waited, watching as the mixture slowly dried and took shape.
An hour later, the result was a basket full of soft, golden breadcakes. Lyra handed Vasida and Wahida each a piece.
Vasida bit into hers and her eyes lit up. "Mmm! Sweet and tangy, just the way I like it!" She beamed at Lyra. "You did it! You nailed it on the first try!"
Lyra, however, wasn't so quick to celebrate. "It's tasty, sure. But I don't know if the breadfruit's special effects; its super filling and magic-restoring properties, are still there."
To test it out, they all ate a few pieces, but to their surprise, they didn't feel the familiar full-belly sensation breadfruit usually brought.
Lyra glanced out the window, the sun still hanging in the sky. "It's still early. I bet Senior Lilith and Sylph haven't eaten yet. They should try this too."
Before anyone could protest, Vasida was already halfway out the door, running to fetch them. A few minutes later, the four witches were gathered around the table, staring at the strange yellow flakes.
Lilith raised an eyebrow. "Is this really made from breadfruit?"
Lyra nodded. "With a bit of pumpkin mixed in. Vasida and I tried it, and it's delicious, but we're not sure if it still has the filling or magical properties."
Sylph took a piece, inspecting it carefully before popping it into her mouth. "Tastes pretty good. If this still works like regular breadfruit, you may have just revolutionized our food supply, Lyra!"
The room buzzed with excitement as they all reached for more, eager to see if Lyra's cooking could solve the breadfruit problem once and for all.
Lilith and Sylph each took a piece of the breadfruit cake, curiosity evident in their expressions as they tasted Lyra's creation.
"How is it?" Lyra asked, her voice brimming with anticipation.
Sylph's eyes widened in delight as she savored the sweetness. "It's amazing! I can't believe this came from the sour breadfruit!" She was genuinely surprised, and for a moment, she seemed to forget all the unpleasant memories of trying to eat breadfruit raw.
Lilith, though more reserved, gave a thoughtful nod. "The taste is definitely impressive. But..." she paused, glancing at the slice in her hand, "the magic-restoring effect seems to be gone. Did you heat it up?"
Lyra nodded, looking a little uncertain. "Yeah, I steamed it."
"Ah, that explains it," Lilith said, her expression becoming more serious. "One of the senior students researched this a while back. When breadfruit is heated to the point of exploding, it loses its magic-restoring properties. That might be why your pot exploded earlier."
Lyra's excitement dimmed slightly. The one thing she had really wanted to preserve; the ability to restore magic, was gone. Her shoulders sagged just a little, disappointment creeping in.
But before she could dwell on it, Sylph chimed in, her tone more optimistic. "Even though the magic-restoring effect is gone, I still feel full! I was hungry before I ate this, but now, after just one piece, I feel like I've eaten an entire breadfruit."
Lilith nodded in agreement. "Yes, the feeling of fullness isn't affected. That's a relief. It still has some value."
Vasida clapped her hands, her enthusiasm returning. "This would be perfect as a snack! Imagine taking it with you to class at the castle. You'd only need a few pieces, and you'd be full for the whole day!"
"Exactly!" Sylph added. "It's way more convenient than carrying actual breadfruits around, and it's packed with nutrients too. You've really stumbled onto something useful here, Lyra."
Lilith smiled at her younger classmate. "It may not restore magic, but it's definitely practical. You should be proud of that."
Lyra's mood lifted a little. Though she hadn't succeeded in keeping the magic-restoring properties, at least her breadfruit cake could serve as a quick meal when she didn't have time to cook. And this was only her first attempt. After all, if making breadfruit taste good was easy, everyone would be doing it by now.
With a grin, Lyra divided the breadfruit cake into four portions, wrapping each piece in wax paper. "Here, I made enough for everyone. Consider it a gift."
Lilith blinked in surprise. "Oh, we couldn't possibly take this. You worked hard on it!" She hesitated, clearly feeling that it wasn't right to take food from someone still learning her way around the kitchen.
"Please, it's a gift for tasting!" Lyra insisted. "Besides, I still have a lot of ideas I want to try out, and I'll need your feedback when I do."
Lilith relented with a smile. "Well, if you put it that way, I won't say no. Just let me know when you're experimenting again."
"And me!" Vasida and Sylph chimed in eagerly.
Lyra chuckled. "Of course, I'll need all the help I can get."
After seeing her friends off, Lyra returned to the quiet of her home. She glanced at a smaller breadfruit sitting on the counter and sighed. As much as she had enjoyed making the cake, she couldn't indulge in too much of it. With classes starting tomorrow, she needed to reserve some space for plain breadfruit to help restore her magic power.
She picked up the fruit and ate it in small bites, feeling the familiar surge of energy return, though the taste left much to be desired. Tomorrow would be a long day, and even though she wished she could eat more of her cake, she knew she needed to restore as much magic as possible for her lessons.
Her thoughts drifted to the upcoming classes at the castle. "Introduction to Alchemy" was first on the schedule, and though she had no idea what it would entail, the excitement of learning something new made her smile. Would they hand out wands before class started? Or maybe spell books? She imagined all the things they might be given on their first day, her mind buzzing with possibilities.
Lyra finally went to bed early, knowing she'd need a good night's sleep to wake up at six for the long hike to the castle. But even with her best efforts, she tossed and turned, too excited to settle down. When she finally drifted off, she dreamed of herself in class, wand in hand, happily casting spells.
In her dream, she was making magic swirl through the air with a flick of her wrist, sending bright sparks of light dancing around the room. "Biubiu~" she whispered to herself in delight, feeling more like a witch than ever before.