CH 122

At my signal, the family servants who were waiting outside came in with my new product. This was also kept secret from Katharina. I wanted to surprise everyone when we all had a tasting party today.

The dark brown liquid is dripping from the top down onto the light brown body. Without the ability to puncture air holes, it would be difficult to get it out of the container without it losing its form. I don’t think you have to turn it over and put it on a plate, but is it for formality this time? It looks like it’s out of the vessels.

Yes! Everyone’s favorite: Japanese custard pudding!

Making the pudding itself is not that difficult. You would have thought it could have been made long ago when sugar, eggs, and milk were available, right? But that’s not enough without the critical ingredient. That’s why I never made pudding.

What’s fatally lacking in today’s pudding is vanilla. Without the sweet scent of vanilla, the charm of the pudding is halved. The taste itself will not change because vanilla has no sweetness. I just think that delectable scent complements the deliciousness. Since I didn’t have vanilla, I’ve given up on making ice cream and custard cream alongside pudding.

I want more spices and ingredients native to the tropics and the Americas. My base is Japanese so I personally miss Japanese and East Asian spices like wasabi, mustard, and chili. But that’s not all, you also need spices native to the Americas like vanilla, and spices native to India like pepper. Even with just pepper and vanilla, the breadth of things and seasonings that can be made is greatly expanded. It may also be that fruits native to the Americas such as cacao have not yet been discovered in this world.

It seems that coffee and pepper are already circulating around here, but I haven’t even seen the plants they came from. It would have been possible in medieval Europe, but the area was limited and the price was very expensive. Until a sea route was discovered to reach India by circling the African continent, pepper and coffee had to travel overland across the Middle East and across the Mediterranean Sea.

Since there is a tea tree, you can make black tea by cultivating it and teaching how to process it. In comparison, it is difficult to cultivate coffee trees unless the climate is like tropical highlands or savannas with rainy and dry seasons. It’s not something that can be made anywhere as long as you get seeds and seedlings.

So it goes with pepper as well. It has rain and drainage problems in warm climates. It’s not something that can be cultivated in the territory just by purchasing seeds. Coffee and pepper must be obtained through trade.

To the sea… if I have to go out to the ocean… if I want to get what I want, I have no choice but to go to the distant sea. Right now, our trade range is still small, but someday we’ll have to carry spices, coffee, and tea…

Well, anyway, there is no vanilla, so the scent is insufficient, and it’s a dissatisfying result for me, but the taste and sweetness are not much different. If this is still acceptable, there is also a way to sell pudding.

“What’s this?”

“Woah……”

“What is with this color…?”

But everyone’s reaction was not good enough. For those who see it for the first time, it’s a strange brown object. I shake the plate to make it jiggle. Caramel is also dark brown and may not look very appetizing. It doesn’t smell like vanilla, so I don’t think it’s too intriguing. After all, the fragrance is important.

“Aren’t you all going to eat it? Then I’ll go first, then,” I said.

No one will touch it, so I will take the initiative and try it first. Scoop the plump pudding with a spoon and bring it to my lips. The pudding I put into my mouth crumbles and I don’t even need to chew it.

“Yeah. Sweet, isn’t it?” I said.

There is no dissatisfaction with the taste itself. As I said many times, vanilla itself does not change the taste greatly. Vanilla is just something to enjoy with a scent, and it is not absolutely necessary for baked goods and the like. 1 However, it is indispensable for ice cream and custard cream. I’ll hold off on ice cream and custard until I have vanilla.

“We-Well, me too, then…” Mikoto said as she watched me eat first.

I guess you can’t trust me alone. I guess they’re trying to decide whether or not to eat after watching other people eat.

“Mm~mnnn…!!!”

“Ar-Are you okay? You can spit it out?” Claudia asked, panicking.

I feel even Louisa is staring at me. I wouldn’t make them eat anything weird, would I?

“Delicious! What is this!? It’s amazing!” Mikoto yelled.

“… Huh…?” the other four go, dumbfounded.

Mikoto is also confused. It’s as if I fed them something weird, after all.

“What is this incredible food? It crumbles and disappears quickly!” Mikoto yelled.

Seeing Mikoto start eating greedily, the other four timidly scoop their pudding with their spoons. Then, they closed their eyes and put it in their mouths…

“It’s sweet!?” Claudia yelled.

“So soft!” Katharina cried.

“I’ve never eaten food like this before!” Louisa said.

But, one person remains silent. After taking a bite, I called out to Christa who was still holding her spoon.

“Christa, didn’t it taste good?” I said.

“…………”

Christa doesn’t move when I called out. She just stares at the pudding.

""

“Christa?” I asked.

“… -zing,” she muttered.

“Huh?”

I wondered if there was something wrong with Christa who was so unresponsive, so I thought I’d approach her, but she let out a few words. I couldn’t hear well, so when I asked again, Christa’s mouth suddenly started running nonstop as she said:

“Amazing! Delicious! What is this?! How do you know how to make sweets like this, Floto?! What in the hell is this?!”

“This is pudding,” I said. “As for how to make it… it’s still a secret. As for how I know how to make it, I invented it.”

Well, I didn’t really invent it, I just reproduced it based on the knowledge of my previous life, but there’s no way to explain that. That’s how I came up with the many dishes and sweets that are reproduced in this world. It’s heartbreaking to think that someone’s hard work and the results of years of research are being stolen as my achievements, but it can’t be helped. If the person who made it public first becomes the creator, then in this world I have no choice but to call myself that.

“Are you a genius, Floto, to come up with such a wonderful thing!? Could it be… aren’t there more sweets you haven’t shown yet?” Christa said. “Hey, aren’t we comrades? There should be more of these wonderful sweets!”

“Huh… uuh… well… when I make something new, I can have you try it out, Christa…?” I said, overwhelmed by Christa’s sudden enthusiasm.

But, Christa just said “Absolutely, I will!” while she was devouring her pudding. Then came the moment of despair for everyone else:

“There’s… no more…”

“No way…”

""

“How can it only be this much…?”

Yes, everyone’s puddings are gone. If you eat a pudding that’s only about a full cup in a hurry, it’ll be gone in no time. If you scoop it up slowly with a small spoon and eat it, it’s not bad, but if you eat it like that, it will be gone quickly.

“Miss Flora! I would like another pudding!’” Katharina said.

“That’s right, I want one too!” Claudia said.

Claudia agrees with Katharina’s words. And everyone asks for pudding one after another as if imitating her. But it’s useless… this is going to be a little dangerous…

“I can still serve more pudding,” I said. “But, is it alright for me to? I’ll tell you one thing: if you eat too much pudding, you’ll get fat, you know?”

“-!?”

At that moment, everyone’s faces froze as if they had been struck by lightning. Pishhan! Dokkan! I can almost hear the sound effects of both.

It’s not just about pudding, but of course, if you eat too many sweets, you’ll get fat. Sugar was still precious in this world, so the thought of eating too much sugar and getting fat wouldn’t come up. However, since I spread beet sugar, the amount of sugar production is gradually increasing. Naturally, this means that there are gradually some people who eat too much and become fat or sick from sugar.

“Even if I get fat! One more! Just one more please!”

“Christa…”

She bows her head while saying that with some kind of tragic resolve.

“Me too! I should be fine! So one more!” Claudia said.

“I’ll be alright with one more!” Mikoto said.

The rest of us said one more, one more. Only Louisa is looking down. Her gaze is aimed at her chest… or maybe her belly. Among them, Louisa has the plumpest body. She probably has a lot of opportunities to eat beet sugar, judging from the nature of her work. Of course, she has to take in a lot of calories and the flesh around her stomach is a little flabby.

Of course, she’s not fat enough to call her fat. But those who care may care. In a world like this, I don’t think you should worry about being a little overweight… there aren’t many people in this world who think it’s better to be thin no matter what, but I guess there are some people who care about their body shape.

“Louisa… Louisa, you’re not fat at all,” I said. “I think it’s better for you to have a fuller feminine figure.”

“Floto…”

With that follow-up, she looked at me with sullen eyes. Yes, yes. It seems to have worked. Just because you’re skinny doesn’t mean you’re beautiful. Being overweight is bad, but being too thin is also a problem. We have to get rid of the misconception that anything goes so long as you’re skinny and being skinny is being beautiful.

“Understood! Thank you, Floto! I’ll have another one too!” Louisa said.

No, no…. am I sure I said Louisa isn’t fat? I told her not to worry much about it but that doesn’t mean I’m telling her to get another pudding…

And the other three. Shall they stop checking their breasts and buttocks? I certainly said that a fuller feminine figure would be better, but that’s not what everyone wants. In the first place, the most important thing is whose body it is, not what kind of body it is. Make no mistake about it!

In this way, the pudding-tasting party ended with great success. From the middle of it, the four of us and Christa were having fun talking, and I think we got along quite well. After all, if you feel happy after eating sweets, it will help you open up. It has been proved here that sweetness is useful for world peace. 2

After the tasting party is over, Christa will go home, so I head to the entrance to see her off.

“Floto, thank you for today,” she said.

“No, it’s nothing, please come try and sample new sweets when I make them,” I said.

“I will. No matter what!” Christa said strongly.

Christa repeatedly asked for more sweets, if there were any, and then she left. It was a busy and fun time. I would like to create such an opportunity again. I never thought the day would come when I could play with a female classmate like this.

By the way, the other four are having secret talks with just them. I’ve been kicked out to maintain confidentiality. Probably those four, five after Alexandra is free, are discussing fairness in approaching me. Katharina just has too much of an advantage as she lives with me.

Of course, the longer you spend together, the more your roughness will stand out, and you may not like them. However, it can be said that it is a high risk, high return because there is a great chance that we’ll get even closer from the physical proximity.

Well, I ended up saying something like those four or five people are fighting over me, but is this just my self-consciousness? Those four may not have such intentions. It’s scary to think that I might have too many strange expectations and get my hands on them and end up being hated like before. I still can’t take a step forward, is it because the heartbreak I’ve had up until now has become a deep-seated trauma?

I’m scared… if, due to my misunderstanding, I end up approaching a woman with the expected heterosexuality and who thinks loving other women is disgusting… and if I get rejected again like before… I may never recover again.

I don’t think anyone who came back to me would do that. Otherwise, they wouldn’t bother to come back to me, to begin with. Even if I think so with reason, I’m afraid to step forward from my emotions…

I wonder if the time will come when I can take the step forward with everyone again…

“Flora dear? You seem to be trying to wrap things up neatly, but of course, Mother can have some of this ‘pudding’, can’t she?”

“Hiiiuuu…!?” I squealed.

I felt a tremendous aura behind me as I was seeing off Christa’s carriage at the entrance. This is dangerous. If I say that I don’t have pudding, I might end up suffering a fate worse than death.

“Of-Of course, Mother…” I said.

“I see. I’m also looking forward to dinner then.”

“Father……”

It wasn’t just Mother… even Father seems to be looking forward to the pudding… this is bad……. actually, no…. we ate all the pudding I prepared at the tasting party earlier. In the end, while they were all saying “one more” and “one more”, those five ate it all up. I have to hurry up and prepare now…

If Father and Mother find out that I don’t have pudding, I probably won’t be able to go to school tomorrow. While confirming in my head that there were ingredients left, I hurried to the kitchen in a cold sweat, wondering what I would do if there weren’t any ready.

T/N: 123 onward starts the “Alexandra Rescue Operation”. It’s a doozy of an arc, as you might expect, so I’ll be taking some time to translate and process the whole thing to get it out in a timely fashion without too long delays between each chapter.

From the start to the climax to the denouement, it spans all the way up to 133, 10 whole chapters! (133 in particular fades into the next arc, which is a Ludwig and Royal Family-focused one.) Anyway, the daily update schedule might break as I prep everything for a smooth upload schedule.