<Author’s Notes>
I will return to the continuation of Isis Extra Chapters tomorrow.
This is a story of when the Six Kings were still living with Kuromueina in the Central Demon Realm.
Shalltear was cooking in the kitchen of Kuromueina’s home when Isis and Kuromueina arrived.
[……That smells good…… Shalltear…… Are you…… making something?][Unnn? Yes, I kinda felt like eating some, so I’m making baby castellas.]
[Baby castellas? Is that some snack from the world Shalltear lived in?]
[That’s right. Well, they’re just simple confectioneries, so it might be possible that it already exists in this world, just having a different name, but in my world, this confectionery I’m making was called baby castella. Since you’re here, Kuro-san, Isis-san, would you like to have some?]
Shalltear is a being who came from another world, possessing knowledge unlike those Kuromueina and the others know. She would sometimes cook on a whim like this, and it was quite fascinating for Kuromueina, Isis, and even for Ein, who isn’t present at the moment.
This time too, she had made baby castellas, which were unfamiliar to Isis and Kuromueina, and Alice and put them on a plate in front of the two.
[……Ahh…… delicious…… It has a very…… gentle taste.]
[…………………][The dish is simple, but it’s pretty good, isn’t it? The dishes that were elaborately made with all sorts of techniques certainly may be good, but even if that were the case, simple stuff like this can be the most delicious…… Wait, Kuro-san? Is it not to your liking?]
After eating a baby castella, Isis had a smile on her face, while Kuromueina, her eyes closed, froze where she sat. Wondering what was going on, Shalltear asked while tilting her head, and after a few moments, Kuromueina’s eyes opened wide.
[It’s this! This is it!!!]
[That? What is?]
[This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Reasonably sized, gentle and easy to eat, simple yet profound, this is the snack I’ve been looking for!]
[……U- Unnn? I don’t really know what’s going on, but I’m glad you liked it.]
Despite feeling somewhat bewildered by Kuromueina’s unusual excitement, Shalltear, thinking all is well if she liked it, thought that this matter is concluded and was about to return to cooking, but immediately after that, Kuromueina’s swiftly placed her hands on Shalltear’s shoulders.
[Shalltear, what kind of confectionery is this baby castella?]
[W- What kind? No, it’s just a simply baked confectionery made with flour and eggs…… If you liked them that much, I can give you the recipe, you know? It’s so easy that anyone can make it as long as they have the ingredients and a baking mold.]
[Anyone can easily make this taste……. A- Amazing. Are there other variations or options for this?]
[Well, since it has a simple taste, it also makes it possible for various possibilities of application. You can put chocolate inside it while baking, or you can also knead something into the dough.]
[……It has wide expandability as well…… Amazing……. This is amazing.]
[You can put it in a paper bag and easily carry it around.]
[I can carry it in one hand and eat it whenever I want…… W- What ground-breaking item this is……]
Seeing Kuromueina praising so much in a way they’ve never seen before, Shalltear, as well as Isis, looked surprised.
Due to the overwhelming enthusiasm and praise from Kuromueina, with a complicated expression on her face, Shalltear decided to intentionally say random things.
[……You can go on a platform and eat it on a moonlit night to have it as tsukimi baby castella.]
(T/N: She’s basically changing tsukimi dango.)
[C- Changing with the circumstances…… H- How adaptable is this!?]
[…………When you’re talking, you can intentionally mistakenly say “It’s heavy cocktail”, to which another would throw out a “No, it’s baby castella” tsukkomi, which has the effect of livening up the conversation.]
[I- It even has the effect of facilitating communication…… Its possibilities are infinite!!!]
[……No matter what I say, you’re gonna give them high praises huh. You like them that much……]
As Shalltear watched Kuromueina in a state of overwhelming praise, despite the random things she blurted out, she had an indescribable expression on her face.
It was difficult for Kuromueina herself to explain how she feels, but to put it simply, it was a situation where “she had encountered the food that perfectly matched her preferences after a long period of time”. Her eyes sparkled with excitement and looked deeply moved.
[I knew the moment I tasted it. Baby castellas have endless possibilities!]
[……Errr…… Shalltear…… Is that how it is?]
[No, even back in my previous world, I’ve never heard anyone say things like baby castellas having infinite possibilities……]
[It’s decided! I have decided! I will pursue the infinite possibilities of the baby castellas!!! And then, I will come across a multitude of baby castellas!!!]
[……Ahh, that so. Yeah, do your best there…… Then, I’ll be excusing myself here……]
Shalltear, feeling that things were going to be troublesome, tried to leave the scene after giving a noncommittal response, but Kuromueina quickly swooped in front of her.
In terms of ability, Kuromueina is superior to Shalltear, and it’s impossible to escape from Kuromueina when she’s serious.
[……Hey, Shalltear. Tell me more about baby castellas…… please?]
[I have a bad feeling about this! You kinda look like Ein-san when I taught her about maids!!! I guess a servant would really resemble her master huh? I’d prefer if you both don’t involve me in this……]
[Thank you, Shalltear! Well then, the two of us, let’s talk about the possibilities of baby castellas!]
[Did you even listen to what I said just now!? Where in the heck did I say I agreed!!!?]
Kuromueina going into a frenzy with her eyes sparkling is extremely unusual, or rather, it was something both the newcomer Shalltear and her long-time family Isis were seeing for the first time. Anyhow, just like that, she cheerfully dragged away the shrieking Shalltear.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [I see, this marks the day the Baby Castella Demon was born…… No, including that maid matter, isn’t that all your fault!!!?]
? ? ? : [I mean, I didn’t know random stuff like that would bite me in the ass like that! Heck, I still don’t know what drives Kuro-san that much…… Rather, Alice-chan is a victim here, okay? A victim.]
