551 - - Art. 549. A Smiling Delivery Man

For the second sweet dish, we decided on a simple baked apple. Although I have some doubts about its compatibility with sweet potato stew, a hot, cinnamon and butter-filled baked apple would satisfy Mr. Wright and the little ones who came to play with us.

"...... should be good by now."

The baked apples are already finished and stored in the magic bag along with the huge stone oven. Now all that remains is to taste the potatoes that have been baking slowly for two hours in front of us, and if they taste good, then the sweet potato stew party will have been a success.

In a sense, this is a tense moment, but actually I am not that worried about it.

Because the potatoes grown by Dolly, the great spirit of the forest, and baked by If, the great spirit of the fire, would not taste bad, right?

The baked sweet potatoes in the huge stone oven have a nice char on them, and honey is pouring out from the surface of the potatoes, spreading a sweet smell all around.

I guess Dolly had increased the starch to ripen them, so the honey was so rich that the skin couldn't hold it all together.

Do I need to taste it?　The taste is so good just by looking at it.

But, well, as a host, it is impossible not to taste what you serve to your guests.

Since we don't have newspaper handy, we take a large heat-resistant leaf that Dorie has prepared for us to wrap around the hot baked sweet potato.

The heat of the baked sweet potato is radiating to my hand through the heat-resistant leaf. This is definitely too hot to hold with bare hands.

I hold both ends of the sweet potato with the leaf and crack it open from the center with all my might, and a golden, net-like fruit is revealed.

This is definitely delicious.

I feel a strong gaze on me, and I look up to see Bell and the others staring at me furiously. A few of them have glistening liquid dripping from the corners of their mouths.

They seem to be completely fascinated by the sweet smell of baked sweet potatoes and the impact of their golden color.

I'd like to feed him right now, but I'd rather he eat it with the others on Snow Island than in the heat of the day, so I'll ask him to be patient.

I've made him endure two consecutive meals of roasted whole apples, and it pains me to say the least. I'll give them a quick taste and let them eat it on Snow Island.

Trying not to mind the intense stares from the others, I blow on the hot, steaming golden fruit, letting it cool down before putting it in my mouth.

"Yum!"

Before I could even recognize the taste, a simple comment popped out of my mouth.

What is this? Is it really just baked sweet potatoes?

The texture is smooth like sweet potato, and the intense yet natural sweetness fills the mouth.

It's as if you've just eaten a top-notch sweet treat despite the fact that it's just baked. Yet, the simple sweet potato flavor also spreads in the mouth at the same time, slightly confusing the brain.

For a moment, I couldn't tell whether I was eating a baked sweet potato or a top-class sweet.

Not having a keen sense of taste, all I could tell was that this baked sweet potato was an exquisite sweet.

But my brain must have recognized that it was enough for me to know that, and I couldn't stop myself from putting the baked sweet potato in my mouth.

What the heck, this is delicious. It tastes so good.

The next thing I know, the baked sweet potato I was supposed to have picked up has disappeared, leaving only the skin. It seems that I have devoured it all with all my heart.

When I looked up, I saw Belle and the others drooling like a broken dam, and Sylphy and the others looking at me with interest, probably because my reaction was so strong.

I'm a little embarrassed.

"I'm a little embarrassed..." he said, "I'm a little embarrassed.

I tried to change the mood by clearing my throat and giving them a taste, but it didn't help the mood, and the stares from Sylphy and the others only made me more dumbfounded.

"Yuta, beru too!" Cu!　Cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu!""" I want to eat.""Kuh~n""Make me eat!"" ............""Uh-oh!""

The silence around me brought a swarm of belles who had been glued to the baked potato that had disappeared into my stomach.

The pressure was much stronger than usual.

Belle was moving her arms and legs at high speed in a state of excitement, Rain looked desperate, Tulu looked up at me with a reserved look, Tamamo had eyes filled with sadness, Flare had a strong will to fight, Moon was vibrating violently, and Sakura was making strange noises that I couldn't understand, but she wanted to eat... They are appealing to me.

I know it's hard for me to say, but basically I put Belle and Gina and the others first. I guess they must have understood that the baked sweet potato was quite delicious, since I devoured it without paying any attention to them.

If I make them endure any longer, I might make them cry for the first time. Let's hurry up.

"Okay, let's go back to Snow Island to eat quickly. Sylphy, please!"

Even in such a situation, I can't get rid of the situation of baked potatoes in the snow on the snowy island, I might be obsessed in a strange way.

**

"Yuta, welcome back!"

"It was no problem here. Did Yuta's preparations go well?"

Sylphy took me back to Snow Island at high speed, and I was greeted by Dine and Vita, who had asked me to take care of them.

As I couldn't have all my people leave Snow Island, I had asked Dine and Vita to take over the role of hosts, and they seemed to have done their job without any problem.

They came to check on me once while I was baking potatoes, but I was relieved to see that no problems seemed to have occurred since then.

Looking at the snow island, it seemed that the little ones were satisfied to some extent, and there were quite a few of them playing in the snow.

Some of the children are pouring the stewed potatoes into the huge pot as if they had remembered something, but there seems to be no problem with the appearance of the dessert. ...... Earth-sama is still pouring the stewed potatoes into his mouth with a good amount of force.

The other spirit kings seem to be chatting with spirits in their hands. ...... Well, Earth-sama is going to keep eating for a whole day as long as there are still some dishes left, so there's no point in waiting for him to come back.

The belles have reached their limit, so let's move on to dessert time.

Next to the two huge pots, a stone oven with a huge baked sweet potato in it is brought out with a thud.

"It's time for a snack!"

When the sudden appearance of the huge stone kiln attracts attention, I loudly announce that it is time for a snack, and the little spirits start to look at me curiously.

I felt a strong gaze that seemed to have a physical effect on them, and I followed it to Mr. Light.

He seems to be expecting a lot from me.

I'm under a little pressure, but I'm sure I'll be able to live up to his expectations since I've made a baked sweet potato that even I, who'm used to sweet tastes, can't help devouring.

"All the kids with a sweet tooth, please stand in line in front of me."

"Rananda-" "Queue-" "Queue-" "Queue-" "I can't wait to eat it!" ......""Ai!""

Instantly, the belles lined up in front of me. I had meant to say this to the little ones who had come to play, but I guess it can't be helped. They want something sweet, too.

Seeing my words and the actions of Bell and the others, the little ones understood the situation and started to line up behind Bell and the others.

"Yes, sir. It's hot, so eat carefully."

I take out a heat-resistant leaf that Dolly has prepared for me and wrap one of the baked potatoes from the oven and hand it to Belle at the front of the line.

I start with the nettlesome type of baked potato that I like. The second round of baked sweet potatoes and the last round of baked apples.

"Ah!"

Bell, who had received the baked sweet potato, split it in half on the spot and bit into the golden sweet potato with a big haggle.

"Delicious!

With a bright smile, Belle tells us what she thinks of the taste. Yes, that smile alone conveys what she wants to say. But you know what: .......

"Belle. If we eat there, the kids behind us won't be able to catch it, so let's eat a little further away.

This is a rare mistake for Bell, who can read the atmosphere quite well. I'm sorry I made you wait.

At my words, Belle turns around with a huff and moves a little shyly.

After Belle, I pass the yaki-imo to Rain and the others, and then to the little ones standing in line.

The smiles and shouts of joy from the little ones increase as I pass them around, and I feel like I'm doing something very happy, even though I'm just handing out baked potatoes.

I'm a smiler ...... and I'm starting to get a little bit of a kitchen tingle.

As I was thinking about something silly, I was again met with a strong gaze that seemed to have a physical effect on me.

I look at the corner of my eye and sure enough, there is Mr. Light looking at me. It seems that he is curious about the baked sweet potato.

I thought that if he was so anxious, he should have stood in line like he did at the time of the taro stew, but I see, the situation is different.

At the time of the sweet potato stew, Mr. Wind was standing in line with us. But those Wind-sama and the others had settled down with a bottle of spirits in their hands.

It must have been embarrassing for Mr. Light, who values his dignity, to stand in line with the little kids in such a situation.

I don't think anyone would mind, but it can't be helped because there are things that only he himself can understand.

I will finish distributing the first row in a few minutes, and then I will be on my way. When I looked at Mr. Light with such feelings, he nodded his head and his intense gaze disappeared.

It seems he somehow understood my thoughts.

It is said that the eyes speak louder than the mouth, and I realized the power of the gaze when it is conveyed in this way. I sometimes find myself looking at Dine's chest, but I'll do my best to avert my gaze from now on.

After we finished giving out baked potatoes to the little ones in line, and finally to Gina, Mel, Sylphy, Ruby, and the others who were waiting for us, we put the huge stone oven into the magic bag and headed for Mr. Light.

It's funny how his ears twitch as I approach.

The smiling deliveryman has arrived.

"Thank you for waiting, Mr. Light. I'd like you to check the sweetness, please.

"I've been waiting for ...... no, well, if Yuta wants to ask for my help, I can't help it. Very well, take it.

I'm trying my best to appear dignified, but let's not mention that I'm not at all composed.

The other spirit kings are looking at Mr. Light with smiling eyes, but why don't they notice?

......Well, that's okay. Mr. Light was the one who inspired me to make this exquisite baked sweet potato. Taste it and tremble with delight.