Though it took quite a bit of time, I finished drinking the coffee that Kuro had prepared. To be honest, there are many where I can’t tell the difference. After all, I’m an amateur, so I can’t tell subtle differences in coffee with just one sip.
However, among them, I picked out about 5 kinds that caught my interest or simply suited my taste.
[……I think these are the ones that might go well with baby castellas.]
[Ohh, as expected from Kaito-kun! My opinion might also be close to that…… I was thinking this or this might be good too.]
[Yeah, those two certainly are top-level among what I sampled. They also seem to pair well with baby castellas, so with our opinions aligning, these should be good?][Unn, unn. Since these are coffee chosen by the main members of the Baby Castella Adoration Association, me and Kaito-kun, there’s no doubting that!]
I’d prefer it if she didn’t make me a key member of an obscure fan club I don’t remember joining…… With how Ein-san also gave me some inexplicable position like Maid Advisor without me knowing, I guess this master and servant duo really would resemble each other huh……
[Thanks, Kaito-kun! This was very helpful!]
[I’m glad I could be of help…… That said, even though I only had one sip each, that was still quite a lot.]
[Unn, it might have been a bit too many…… I had so much fun restructuring them that I may have made too much.]
[Well, you do tend to go overboard when it comes to baby castellas……]
[Eh? T- That’s totally not the case…… right? I’m just a bit, umm, a bit passionate when it comes to baby castellas…… is it…… no good?][If you yourself aren’t confident about it being otherwise, just give up and admit it.]
[Ugh…… Yes.]
I mean, Kuro was aware she goes overboard when it comes to baby castellas huh…… It seems like her excitement just makes her lose control, and unlike Eden-san or Ein-san, she is reflecting on her actions. Based on what I’ve seen so far, I have a feeling that those reflections don’t really lead to improvements……
[Well, that said, Kuro being on a rampage is still cute when compared to Eden-san’s.]
[Kaito-kun, Kaito-kun, even I would get shocked when you compare me to her…… Errr…… Ahh~~ That’s right, just remembered something! I brought some snacks to share with you, Kaito-kun!]
[……You were losing the argument and have now changed the topic huh.]
[T- That’s totally not the case, you know?]
Given that Kuro is aware that she’s aware she does go overboard, continuing this topic would be disadvantageous for her…… I mean, knowing she had almost no chance of breezing through this topic, she changed the subject to dodge away from this discussion.
Seeing this rare, vulnerable side of hers that she probably doesn’t show to others, I couldn’t help chuckling. Kuro going on a rampage really is just cute. Even so, it’s fun to hang out with her……
[Well, nevermind…… So, what did you bring?]
[Tadaaa! It’s this!]
[This is…… a pot filled with pudding?]
[Yep. There’s a small shop in a city east of Archlesia Empire. It’s basically a shop that deals with ceramics, but they sometimes make their own pudding and sell it in these special ceramic containers. It’s a delicious pudding known to those in the know.]
[Heehhh…… the container is stylish, and it certainly looks delicious.]
Kuro, who has a hobby of food touring, sometimes brings over sweets she likes. As expected from someone who has written several food guidebooks, Kuro’s choices are always spot on, and what she brings is always delicious.
[I’ve got custard and chocolate flavors. Which one would you like, Kaito-kun?]
[Hmm. I think I’ll go with the basic custard.]
[Okay, then I’ll have the chocolate. Here, the spoon.]
[Ah, a spoon also comes as a set with the ceramic huh…… It’s certainly stylish.]
I took the spoon and took a bite right away, and as I thought, it was incredibly delicious. It wasn’t refined like high-end puddings but had a simple, gentle homemade taste that was wonderful.
[Kaito-kun, try out chocolate too. Here, ahhhn.]
[Thanks…… Unn, the chocolate is good too…… Kuro too, want to try out the custard?]
[Ahhhn…… Mmm, delish! Ehehe, it’s strange how when I eat with Kaito-kun, the food tastes even better than when I eat it on my eating tours.]
Seeing Kuro smiling happily like that made me smile as well. Just like that, occasionally feeding each other as we did before, we enjoyed our pudding.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [……Just when I thought we were talking about coffee, these two suddenly started flirting with each other. I felt like I’d been suddenly slapped when I let my guard down……]
? ? ? : [……With all the times you’ve been suddenly slapped like that, why are you still so careless…… You some kind of complacent queen or what?]
