549 - - 547th Episode of Imo-ni-kai Held

We were supposed to have made all possible preparations to enjoy the sweet potato stew party, but a problem struck us from another angle. We had not prepared the sweetmeats that Mr. Wright was looking forward to. If you are going to invite the king of spirits to a banquet, you should naturally follow up on the sweet ......The emergency mission begins in order not to make Mr. Light sad.

I would like to start working on a new sweetness immediately, but many spirits are waiting for me to start, so I have to announce the opening of the sweet potato stew party first.

I stand in front of the two huge hearths with many eyes on me, and take out a huge pot full of stewed potatoes from my magic bag and set it up.

The little spirits are astonished when they see the huge pots. I am concerned about the sweetness, but seeing the little ones surprised like this makes me feel that all my hard work has been rewarded.

The second huge pot is also set up on the stove, and we greet the start of the taro stew party.

Thank you all for coming today.

I feel like I'm being too formal at the beginning of my greeting. Even though most of the spirits are older than me, they are still young in spirit as well as in appearance. I can't enjoy the stewed potatoes like this. Let's get back on track.

"I've prepared a lot of delicious taro stew, so eat a lot and enjoy!"

...... I tried to imitate a refreshing older brother from a children's TV show, but I'm embarrassed because I feel it's incredibly unfitting for me to do so.

I am aware of the blood gathering in my face, but it was easy for the little ones to understand and they responded in high spirits. As expected of a gymnast, even just imitating him seemed to make a good impression on the little ones.

Let's continue to push through with our fake gymnastic brother style.

"Okay, I'm going to give out the taro stew, so everyone line up, starting with the miso flavor.

Little kids start to line up at the sound of my voice. The line is so large and most of them are flying, that it snakes around like an oriental dragon.

"We're in line!"

The little kid in the front of the line cheerfully tells me he's in line. His hair and eyes are similar to Belle's, and I wonder if he is also a lower class spirit of the wind.　

He is an energetic boy, with a twinkle in his eye that makes me smile.

"Yes, Yuta."

"Thank you, Sylphie."

Sylphy hands me a tray with dishes and utensils. Since the spirits are humanoid, it is an orthodox set of obon, a large bowl, a fork and a spoon.

Since there are many spirits coming, it is a good thing that we discussed how to serve them in advance. The Great Spirits, Ruby and the others, and Gina and the others will be assisting us, so if we can ripen the food quickly, we will have time to make sweetmeats.

"Yes, it's hot, so eat it carefully!"

I pour a bowl full of stewed potatoes and pass it to the sobbing toddler. I don't think the genie will get burned, but I can't help but pay attention to him because he looks like a toddler.

"Yes!

The toddler responds cheerfully, carefully accepts the obon, and flutters away from the line. I would like to see him eat it and be happy, but I have to be patient because the next little one is waiting for me, looking very excited.

Hmmm?　Come to think of it, it wouldn't be good if we didn't give the spirit kings taro soup first. ...... The spirit kings joined the little ones in the line.

That kind of openness and lightheartedness is very helpful.

As there were no more problems, we distributed the stewed potatoes one after another with the assistance of Sylphy and the others.

Some of them moved to a good place to enjoy the stew slowly, and some of them moved away from the line a little and ate it without patience.

I don't know the reactions of the children who moved far away from the line, but I can directly see the reactions of the children who ate the food near me, which is very encouraging.

I don't know how much they feel the heat, but when I see them eating the hot and nettlesome taro with a huff and a puff, and smiling as they sip the miso soup, I'm really glad that I did my best.

Well, I still don't want to do that simple task all over again.

"Ah, Earth-sama! Actually, I have a big bowl prepared for you, Earth-sama.

I prepared a bowl as big as a pot, thinking that an ordinary bowl would definitely not be efficient in front of Master Earth's appetite.

When I showed it to Master Earth, he nodded his head in excitement. He seemed to like it.

I poured a lot of sweet potato stew into the custom-made bowl and handed it to Mr. Earth.

He seems to like the big bowl, and the atmosphere of Earth-sama as he gazes at the bowl seems to become more cheerful.

I'm so capable that I even pay attention to the bowl!　I would like to think that I am competent, but then I guess I am not, because I forgot to taste Mr. Light's sweetness. It's a little sad.

"This dish looks like something called pork miso soup. I'm looking forward to it."

Next stop, Mr. Fire. You told me at the last banquet that pork miso soup was your favorite. Then I'm sure you'll like taro stew too.

"I'm very proud of this dish. I'm sure it will meet your expectations.

If I had made it myself, I would not be so confident, but since it was Ruby and her friends who decided on the taste, I can recommend it with confidence.

I handed the stewed potatoes to Fire-sama, who narrowed his eyes at me, and Dirk-sama was next.

"Looks delicious. Hmmm, since Yuta frequently holds banquets for us, the spirits have more to look forward to. Thank you."

Yes, yes. No, I'm enjoying myself, and I'm happy if everyone is happy.

I was a bit nervous at the sudden compliment from a bewitching beauty with a bewitching charm.

It's a wonder that I don't feel any sense of discomfort at all, even though Mr. Dirk and imoni...... seem to be a great mismatch. Did Mr. Dirk's charm cover the simplicity of taro stew?

Then Mr. Wind, Mr. Water, and finally Mr. Light.

"Hey, Yuta!"

Mr. Wright, looking a little soppy, spoke to me.

"Yes, what is it?"

I kind of know what I'm going to be asked, but I hope it's not what I think it is.

"Is this all you're cooking today?"

I knew you'd ask that question.

......I'm afraid to make a big show of it here, but as long as you have a sweet potato, you can almost certainly prepare a baked sweet potato.

We had rice, coffee, soybeans, and even konnyaku potatoes. It is hard to imagine that there would be no sweet potato, so it would be safe to get our hopes up.

"Of course, this is not all. After everyone has had enough of the sweet potato stew, please look forward to the new sweet dishes we will be serving.

"Hmm, I see. Well then, I'll make sure to check out the new items as well.

Perhaps he is trying to keep a dignified face, but his ears are twitching and he can't hide his happiness, which is adorable.

I can't see it, but I guess their tails are wagging, too.

"Yes, please."

Well, now that I've put myself in a tight spot, I'll do my utmost to squeeze out all the wisdom I can to make Mr. Wright happy now that he's expecting me to do so.

But first, I'll have to distribute taro stew to everyone.

**

Nomos, Dolly, summon!

After distributing the first cup of taro stew to everyone, I immediately asked Sylphy to bring me to the field. I wanted to see the little ones happy, but I had to do it to make Mr. Wright happy.

I left the sweet potato stew to Gina and Ruby. I'm sure they'll do it well.

"Hmm. Yuta, what's the matter with you summoning me out of the blue?"

It helps that Nomos has a soft attitude. If he were serving alcohol at a banquet, he wouldn't be angry, but he would be grumpy.

"Yes, I'm sorry, but I want Nomos to build a big stone kiln. I'll carry it in my magic bag, so please make it mobile.

"Hmm, that's about right, but you're going to build something bigger?"

Nomos' eyes tell me, though he doesn't say it in words, that he has just built something big and regretted it.

"It's okay, this time I'm just going to burn it. But we need a bigger kiln to serve everyone in the hall.

Repeating the process of baking and storing would give us the numbers we need, but not enough time. Besides, it would definitely be more fun to hand them directly from the huge kiln than to take them out of a bag and hand them over.

It's the same idea as with taro stew, but baked taro doesn't require any cutting or frying process, so it's not a problem.

"So, I'm supposed to grow something to bake?"

"Yes, that's what I mean. I need purple potatoes, you know Dolly?"　　

I'm sure it'll be fine, but if we don't have any sweet potatoes here, we're stuffed.

"Is it a purple sweet potato? ...... Oh, I know. There are several kinds, which one are you talking about?"

I'm glad you know. This saves me the time of explaining the details of sweet potatoes.

"Well, I'm not sure about the kind, but the one with a lot of starch, please. It would be helpful if you could give me two types: one that is ...... starchy and one that is nettlesome."

The slow roasting in the stone oven should turn the starch into sugar and make it sweet, so there should be no problem if you have the ones with a lot of starch.

There are two types of starch: the crunchy type and the nettlesome type. I'm a nettlesome type, but there are many spirits out there, so it would be safer to prepare both.

I understand. It is possible to increase the starch when you grow them.

It'll be sweeter if they increase the starch, but what happens if they get too much starch?

"Are those potatoes wild?　Or are they grown in general?"

"In some areas it is grown as a staple food."

"Staple food?　Does that mean it's not very sweet?"

"I don't think they were very sweet."

Huh?　Is the sweet potato not sweet unless it has been bred?

In that case, we'd better have more starch. Oh, I remember I heard that sweet potatoes need to be aged to make them sweeter. ...... Oh no, I forgot something pretty important. There's no time to age them.

"......Erm, Dolly...... can you ripen harvested sweet potatoes in a short period of time with Dolly's help?"

"Aging?　Yes, the potatoes are still alive after harvest, so it is possible to ripen them."

Safe. I thought my baked sweet potato project had been scrapped, but as long as it can be aged, it's all good.

That's the Great Spirit of the Forest. I'm so glad Dolly signed on.

"Well, more starch, please."

I understand. Two kinds with more starch. Then I will prepare the seed potatoes and you plant them.

Dolly prefers to do the parts she can do on her own. I think that's important, but it's a little hard to do now that time is short.

Well, I can't complain after all the help I've received, and I'll finish this project with a lot of energy. It won't take too long if we summon Belle and the others to help us.

Ugh, I don't have time to think of a new sweet.