CH 6

In the kitchen break area, Sebastian and I drinking a cup of coffee while standing, enjoying our time.

Amelie, the maid, is not here, having been summoned by the head maid, Cohen-san.

“So what kind of tea party are we going to have?”

With his eyes closed, Sebastian was enjoying the taste of coffee.

This guy is addicted to coffee.

Ginjiro started the conversation, while thinking about treating him to a coffee with a different bean next time.

“This tea party is attended by Lady Sophia’s schoolmates, the eldest daughter of the Viscounts Saxony, Lady Laina, and the second daughter of the Barons Heidelberg, Lady Iris.”

Ginjiro takes out a piece of paper and a pen from his item box and makes a note.

When I hear the words “viscounts” and “barons,” I realize once again that this is a world with aristocrats.

“You have a pure white piece of paper and an unusual pen.”

I was little taken aback when Sebastian pointed this out to me, but I lightly brushed it off because it was important for me to hear about the tea party first.

“Now that I understand that tea is not a problem, what about food?　Should I prepare only sweets or should I prepare a simple meal?”

Sebastian then thinks for a moment and replies that since it is a tea party for young ladies only, it might be better to have a meal.

“I understand. I will prepare some sandwiches.”

Sebastian reacts quickly this time to Ginjiro’s casual remark.

“What is a sandwich like?”

This is a different world, and apparently there are no sandwiches.

I tried to explain, but I couldn’t think of the right words because it was something  usual for me.

“I’ve brought the ingredients, shall I try to make it once?”

Even though it is difficult to explain in words, making a sandwich is easy.

When Ginjiro explained that he was going to make a sandwich, Oliver, the head chef, looked at him with great interest and offered to help.

Since it was their first time, Ginjiro decided to make an orthodox ham, lettuce, and egg sandwich.

This is a menu item that is often served at his coffe shop.

Since the ingredients were already prepared here, Oliver was able to make the sandwich in no time.

“This is called sandwich.”

When I presented the sandwich in front of Sebastian, the maid, Amelie, was back before I knew it.

When I explained that it was a light meal with vegetables, ham and eggs sandwiched between bread, which she could grab and eat with her hands, the maid Amelie’s eyes lit up.

“Is it okay if I grab it with my hand and eat it?”

I thought it might be bad manners to grab it by hand and eat it, but it seems that she genuinely just wanted to eat it as soon as possible.

“This bread is white and soft, I can’t stop eating this egg bread, and this sauce is also delicious.”

“Oh, that’s mayonnaise~”

Seeing Amelie about to choke on her sandwich, Ginjiro offers her a glass of water.

“This is so good!”

Oliver, the head chef, stuffs his mouth with sandwiches he made himself.

I asked Sebastian about the food that he grabs with his hands, he said that it is not a problem as it is normal to grab food with your hands.

The meal seemed to be fine, so we decided to ask Lady Sophia to do a final check on the rest.

As I took out a scone and chiffon cake from the item box, the maid, Amelie, looked at me greedily.

“Later.”

Ginjiro said.

“That’s a promise!”

Amelie happily left the room and went to call Lady Sophia.

When the butler, Sebastian, opened the door, a room with well-crafted tables and chairs was there.

There is a hot water supply room in the back, where Ginjiro, together with Oliver, the head cook, prepares dishes, cakes, and snacks.

When they were ready and waiting, the maid, Amelie, entered the room with Lady Sophia.

“Ginjiro, I’ve been looking forward to seeing you.”

Lady Sophia bows deeply.

She smiled as she straightened up and brought back her hair, which was hanging down on her shoulders.

He was almost sucked into Sophia’s clear blue eyes, but Ginjiro managed to hold back.

“I look forward to working with you, Sophia-sama.”

Ginjiro braced himself and then bowed.

“Again, Just call me Sophia.”

Sophia smiled with a slightly sullen expression.

Sebastian, the butler, glanced at him, and Ginjiro led Sophia to a table.

He pulls out a chair and Sophia slowly sits down.

“This is tea called Darjeeling, which the other day you told me was delicious. This white porcelain teacup is my favorite, painted in blue, the same color as Sophia’s eyes, and featuring beautiful flowers.”

“Ginjiro… I’m happy. Thank you.”

Sophia, whose cheeks are slightly reddish, half circulates the cup before bringing it close to her nose to enjoy the aroma of the tea.

As Ginjiro admired her elegant gesture, Sophia looked at him as if she wanted to say something.

He did not know what it was, but he was a little relieved to see mouth relax after Sophia put her mouth on the cup.

There is no problem simply offering tea and sweets, but this is a different world and the other party is an aristocrat.

There are probably many common sense things that Ginjiro does not know.

It would be too late if something went wrong, so I decided to check.

“I am unfamiliar with the climate and customs of this country, so please tell me what the upcoming tea party will be like.”

“Just a cup of tea and a chat with my friends. Right, Sebas?”

Sophia turns to Sebastian and asks for consent. Ginjiro feels that the relationship between Sophia and Sebastian is somehow good.

“Yes, it’s exactly as Sophia-sama said. The tea that Ginjiro-sama brews is wonderful, and the sweets and cakes are something I’ve never seen before. I’m sure it will be a tea party with endless conversation.”

Sebastian will liven up the conversation while praising the other party.

“That’s right. Iris is celebrating her birthday soon, so it’s also a celebration.”

Sophia seems happy as she talks, and I sense that they are very good friends.

If that’s the case, Ginjiro makes a proposal.

“If it’s her birthday, would you like me to prepare a birthday cake?”

Sophia tilts her head.

“What’s birthday cake? Ginjiro.”

Once again, Ginjiro realizes that this is a different world and that his common sense is no longer aplies, so he begins to explain in a loud voice so that everyone around him can understand.

“In the place where I was born, a cake is presented to celebrate our birthday. We sing a song to celebrate, and at the end of the song, we ask them to blow out the candles.”

“Candles and cake?”

It’s hard to convey the birthday cake thing in a different world.

It was the same with the sandwiches, so since it’s quicker to show the real thing, I decided to prepare a few things for them.

Ginjiro rents the hot water supply room and buys a birthday cake and candles using Skill’s online store.

When he returned to the room with the birthday cake and candles, everyone’s eyes were glued to the cake.

The room has become strangely quiet, but Ginjiro tells everyone how the surprise is going to be, since the conversation will not go on at this point.

“The first step is to darken the room at the right time. I’ll give you a signal, so Amelie, close the curtains, and Sebastian, turn off the lights and darken the room.”

“Close the curtains. It’s okay.”

“Amelie the maid proudly said that.”

“Understood.”

Sebastian bows deeply after saying the words.

Apparently, the magic device for lighting goes off with the push of a button.

I was tempted to ask him how it works, but now was not the right time, so I decided to ask him over a cup of coffee some other time.

“How old is Iris-sama, who is celebrating?”

“She is turning sixteen. Her actual birthday is a little further away, but since we won’t be able to see each other during summer vacation, we’re going to celebrate with a tea party.”

As Sophia happily talks about her friend, Ginjiro thinks about making the surprise as exciting as possible.

“I will prepare sixteen candles. Please help me, Cohen-san.”

Cohen-san, the head maid, is a little surprised when Ginjiro suddenly calls her over.

“Certainly. What can I do for you?”

Ginjiro asked Cohen-san, the head maid, to be in charge of bringing the birthday cake when the room gets dark.

He asked Oliver, the head cook, to light the candles and open the door to the hot water room.

“Sophia, please take the role of Iris-sama.When I give the signal, please blow out the candles.”

“Okay. It’s kind of exciting.”

The girl in front of me, who was going to become a ridiculously beautiful woman in the near future, although there was still a little bit of innocence left, pretended to extinguish a candle.

“Please give me a signal when the candles are ready.”

Oliver, the head chef, lights the candles with his magical tool.

“All lit.”

“Then Amelie, close the curtains.”

After answering yes, Amelie vigorously closed the curtain.

“Sebastian turn off the lights-“

The room immediately darkened.

“Okay, Cohen-san, bring the cake!”

Cohen-san, the head maid, brings it slowly so that the candles will not go out.

Happy Birthday to you♪

Ginjiro sang the birthday song and Sophia, playing as Iris, blew on the candles.

The candles were not all extinguished at one time, but at the third time, all the candles were extinguished.

“Happy Birthday, Iris-sama!”

Ginjiro applauds. The room remains dark. No one says a word. Only Ginjiro’s applause is heard.

“I forgot to tell you. Sebastian, turn on the lights.”

Then the room immediately lightened up.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for instructions from Ginjiro, not knowing what to do.

“I’m sorry. Once the candles are extinguished, let’s light up the room first. Sebastian turns on the light. Amelie opens the curtains. Please do this.”

Yes, Amelie replied cheerfully, and Sebastian nodded silently.

“When the room lightens up, we tell Sophia happy birthday.”

“It’s fun to surprise people, isn’t it?”

—–

To sum up, we decided to practice the surprise again tomorrow.

We all had a cup of tea while eating the cake as a reminder of the day’s events.

The birthday cake was beautifully cut and placed on a plate by Cohen-san, the head maid.

The leftover cake was shared among the other maids.

“Let’s keep the curtains closed right from the start.”

Amelie, the maid, suggests.

Indeed, the room is bright without opening the curtains because of the magical lighting device.

“Ginjiro, surprise me on my birthday too.”

This is not something usually said by oneself, but since she seems to be genuinely enjoying the surprise, I tell her that I understand.

Sophia’s birthday is December 25, apparently.

This lovely lady certainly can have everything, Ginjiro thought in his mind.

I tell her that I will prepare some birthday gift for her, along with a birthday cake.

“A birthday present?”

Sophia’s silver hair, tied back with a ribbon, swung as she tilted her head.

It seems that there is no culture of birthday gifts in this another world.

Although there are many similarities, such as taste, the culture and climate are very different from Japan.

“I think giving someone a gift on their birthday will bring them joy. Especially if it’s something they use in their daily life, they will be reminded of it every time they use it, and that will make them happy.”

The family of Iris-sama, the young lady celebrating her birthday, is a large merchant family.

Even though they are a baroness, they are a wealthy family, so Iris can get most things if she wants.

Since it is not customary to give gifts to friends on their birthdays, Sophia decided to ask me honestly.

“Hey ginjiro, what should I give to her?”

“If you give someone a gift with them in mind, I’m sure they’ll be happy with anything you give them ……”

Ginjiro thinks with his hand on his chin.

“Do you know what brand of cosmetics Iris-sama uses?　I’m sure she’d be delighted with something high-grade of the same brand, or some other cosmetics she doesn’t normally use.”

“I don’t wear makeup. And what is brand?”

Today, Ginjiro was reminded of the gap between Japan and another world.

However, he did not feel bad about it, so he started to explain using the knowledge he had.

“I don’t know much about cosmetics, but they make women look beautiful and improve the condition of their skin. By the way, a brand is simply a producer.”

Sophia just nodded her head and said, “I see.” but Cohen-san, the head maid, bit the bullet.

“Ginjiro-sama, may I ask you to elaborate?”

The words are polite, but I feel something big and intimidating.

It was as if I had touched something I shouldn’t have.

“I’ve heard that it moisturizes the skin, though I don’t think the beautiful Cohen-sama needs it.”

First, Ginjiro tries to gauge the distance with a jab.

“I don’t mind if you flatter me that I’m beautiful, but do you have that cosmetic product now? And you don’t have to call me ” Sama “. Ginjiro-sama.”

Cohen-san, the head maid, pursues me sternly with a no-motion jab.

It seems she is not going to let me off the hook this time, as if my earlier forceful cut-off about beauty had backfired on me.

“I don’t have it now. I’ll bring it tomorrow. I apologize.”

For some reason, Ginjiro apologizes.

Cohen is a beautiful person, but when it comes to beauty, people seem to change.

Sophia is not interested in cosmetics, but she is very interested in cosmetic birthday gifts.

In addition to the birthday girl, Iris, another schoolmate and the eldest daughter of the Viscountess, Miss Laina.

She also offered to give a gift to her mother and Cohen-san, the head maid

The situation was about to get very dangerous, so Ginjiro managed to leave the place with a promise for tomorrow.