This takes place between chapters 158 and 159.
The perspective is that of Akashi.
It’s all about sweets, endlessly.
Those who dislike sweets and have a vivid imagination, beware of getting nauseous.
Lunch today is all about sweets!
The desk is covered in cakes!
Tarts topped with gem-like fruits, cakes with crisp caramel over something resembling an apple, pies filled with juicy peaches, butter cakes with rum raisins and nuts…
And there’s plenty of puddings, mousses, muffins, cookies, and macarons too!
Cheers rise from the girls surrounding the table. Yes. I want to eat quickly!
“Please enjoy, ladies.”
The maid… Maito finishes pouring tea for everyone with a bright smile.
Yay, it looks delicious!
Which should I eat first?
It all started when I saw Maito and blurted out, “I want something sweet.”
Maito is good at making sweets, you see, and often brings them to school, so I just, well, blurted out.
…But then, she said, “Shall I bring a lot of sweets then?”
And this is it! I didn’t expect her to bring so many!
And with maid service too! Isn’t it the best?
“…Girls’ love for sweets is almost like madness,”
I heard Shindo’s voice from afar as I started eating, but really? To that extent? Hey, is it that mad?
Madness level? Is it really madness level?
“Don’t you get heartburn from eating so much…?”
“Heartburn? Not at all! Each has a distinct flavor, and the sweetness is just right, delicious. Plus, not all of us are girls!”
At the table next to ours, nibbling on sweets were… what were their names? Hariu and Katori from the chemistry club?
Yeah, those two. Shindo made a weary face after seeing them.
“Chemistry club’s mad too…”
It’s just those two indulging in sweets, while others are eating something like noodles with meatballs in tomato sauce, but that doesn’t mean they’re not eating sweets.
“Shindo, you don’t dislike sweets, you should eat some!”
“I don’t dislike them, but, you see, there’s a limit…”
Shindo had been eating the tomato sauce noodles, but it seemed he had finished.
“Shindo, how about this then? Huh? Huh?”
Mori handed a slice of orange tart to Shindo.
Yeah, that was delicious! The cream was tangy, and the scent of orange wafted through.
The orange on top was juicy.
The tart base, with a hint of cocoa flavor and restrained sweetness, was crunchy and delicious too.
Overall, the acidity and bitterness were well balanced, making it delicious!
Forced with a plate of tart and a fork, Shindo ended up eating it.
“…Ah, delicious.”
“Right? Right?”
As Shindo began to eat, other boys approached too.
“Let me have some.”
Natsuki took a strawberry mousse.
Yeah! That’s delicious too! The relatively light mousse with strawberry sauce as an accent is delicious! However, strawberries in this world are originally pink, so the mousse turns almost white! It doesn’t look like strawberry at all!
“Eh, can I have some too?”
Hagino took a mango pudding. Ah, I haven’t tried that one yet!
“Ladies, would you like more tea?”
I noticed Maito next to me, happily smiling with a pot in hand.
Yeah, Maito, you know, she loves seeing people eat what she made. Somehow, that aspect reminds me of my grandmother… I wonder if she’d get mad if I said that?
“Yes, please!”
…Hmm, I think she’d be pleased. It’s Maito, after all!
“Wow, that was delicious!”
“You finished everything…!”
Even Shindo, who was startled, ate not only that orange tart but also puddings and grape rare cheesecakes. I don’t think he’s one to talk!
…No, correction. I ate way more than Shindo could ever imagine.
Yes, I ate a lot. Maybe Shindo has a reason to be startled.
But can you blame me? When there are so many delicious sweets, any girl would want to try every single one!
“Maito-san, that was delicious.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
“They finished everything… over there too…?”
…Yeah. Over there, among the 8 boys, 2 of them must have eaten most of it, but they finished everything. Even if the quantities were different, I think it’s amazing!
That side seems more fearsome, I think!
“It was so good, so good… right, Maito?”
I asked Maito as she and the maid dolls began cleaning up.
“How did you manage to make so many sweets by yourself?”
“Hm? Ah, that’s because I prepared them in advance, stored them in an unused classroom turned into a sweet warehouse, and then brought them out.”
…A sweet warehouse.
“Can I see?”
“Let’s go!”
Maito took out a gem from her pocket and tossed it.
Whoa! Amazing!
“This shelf, it’s all pudding!”
“Yes. There’s a senior who runs on pudding as fuel.”
There were also many of the cakes we ate today lined up! I want this classroom! I want to live here!
“Today, I plan to go around and share sweets with others.”
I see.
…Yeah, since coming to this world, at first, we just ate meat directly grilled without salt! I think many people do that, and they would definitely be happy!
“Maito, it’s nice that you can make so many things.”
“It’s all about practice and skill. …Want to try making something together?”
“Eh, impossible. You know I’m not good with my hands, right? I’d like to try, but…”
I’m the person who ended up making scrambled rice when trying to make pudding…
“I see. Then let’s make panna cotta.”
…Eh?
“Which sauce would you prefer… Akashi, between strawberry, orange, and grape, which do you like?”
“Eh, strawberry… eh?”
“Yes. If we start now, we can have it for dinner. Alright, let’s get started. I’ll go get the ingredients, so wait here!”
…This is rare. Maito being this proactive…
“Alright. Let’s get started.”
Others went on sweet deliveries, took turns riding the G*ndam, or played dodgeball with all their might.
Once, a ball hit the classroom window with a loud noise… But not a scratch on the classroom, so I guess this classroom is invincible!
“The ingredients are milk, cream, sugar, water, your choice of fruit, and lemon juice. That’s all.”
Ingredients are placed on the desk in bowls and jars.
“In this world, dairy products are cheap because of Aegis. Strawberries were propagated from ones found growing on the 4F south. Lemons are from 2F south. Sugar and gelatin are homemade.”
…Gelatin too?
“How do you make gelatin?”
“Boil chicken wings.”
“Right.”
Delicious, right? Simmered with ginger and soy sauce, until the meat falls apart tenderly…
“Boil without seasoning, let the broth cool, then let it set to make jellied broth.”
“Right, right.”
I get that. The broth from stewed chicken wings turns into a delicious, jiggly gelatin…
Placing that set gelatin on warm rice, and eating it as it begins to melt a bit with the rice, is a humble delight!
“Then, you do the ‘cleaning’, you know?”
…Hm? Yeah.
“You shred it and with the help of the maid dolls, apply a combination of ‘Petite Fire’ and ‘Petite Wind’ for a warm air dry… Once it’s dried, you just need to grind it into powder.”
…Yeah! I got lost after the ‘cleaning’ part, but I got it!
“First, let’s soak the gelatin. Pour about 2 tablespoons of water into a small container, then add the gelatin.”
“Okay.”
Yeah, I know gelatin clumps up when you add water. I’ve done it before! Akashi Chihiro is a learning creature!
“While the gelatin is soaking, let’s warm up the cream, milk, and sugar in a pot.”
While I was putting everything in the pot, Maito lit the fire and waited.
Wow, fire is coming out of Maito’s fingertips! Just like gas! Ah, maybe it’s fire magic! Hehehe.
“Once it’s on the fire, stir well to dissolve the sugar. Stirring prevents the milk from forming a skin.”
“Ah, but the skin on milk is delicious, isn’t it?”
I love microwaving milk and then eating the skin that forms on top.
“…Is it delicious? That… well, it’s like yuba (tofu skin)… hmm, no, no… hmm.”
Maito seems like she might try it next time.
Yeah, I’d love to join in then. Milk skin in a dish sounds delicious, doesn’t it? Richer and creamier than yuba.
“Ah, it’s starting to bubble; is that okay?”
“Let’s take it off the fire then. Never let it boil.”
I place the pot on a trivet! Ah, Maito extinguished the fire with a duster… Maito’s duster must be one of the wonders of this world!
“Then, while it’s still warm, add the soaked gelatin.”
“Added!”
“Stir it until it dissolves. Always add gelatin after removing the pot from the fire. If gelatin boils, it won’t set.”
I remember, a long time ago in home economics cooking class, when we made orange jelly, the teacher told us something like that.
…Yeah, that was when I got scolded for adding water to the gelatin…
“Stirring.”
As I stirred, the gelatin that had swollen and become spongy gradually dissolved and disappeared.
“It’s dissolved!”
“Good. Let’s pour it into containers.”
Maito brought a lot of glass containers, and we poured the mixture into them with a ladle.
“By the way, these glasses are made from Kukurtz’s magical gem glass. They cool down.”
Ah, true. They feel cold to the touch! How interesting!
It’s just so otherworldly and nice!
“Alright. Since these glasses cool down on their own, let’s leave them as is. Let’s make the strawberry sauce in the meantime. Crush the strawberries. Here’s a fork.”
“Alright, let’s do this!”
I might be clumsy, but I’m good at this kind of thing!
Next to me, Maito is cutting some strawberries for decoration, but I’ll leave that kind of delicate work to her!
“Once they’re crushed, please strain them.”
“Got it!”
I strain the strawberry juice, pressing the remaining parts with a fork to push through the strainer.
“Then put it in a pot, add a little sugar, pour in some lemon juice, and boil. Use a stainless steel or enamel pot for this. Cooking acidic foods in aluminum or iron pots can discolor them.”
“Why?”
“Because they react with the acid. It also damages the pots. Similarly, for cutting fruits, stainless steel knives are better than carbon steel ones. This is to avoid damaging the knives.”
Hmm, I see. All our knives at home are ceramic, so it doesn’t matter!
“Stir while boiling, and skim off any scum that forms.”
I scoop up some fluffy foam-like scum into a dish.
“…The scum that forms while boiling jams and such is actually tasty…”
I feel like I understand!
“Once it’s boiled a bit, pour it into a container to cool. Later, just before eating, drench it generously with sauce and decorate with strawberries. …See? Easy, right?”
Right? It’s surprisingly easy, isn’t it?
Yeah, even I can make this with no problem!
“Would it be okay to have a joint dinner tonight with the drama club and the chemistry club?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
…At that moment, a ball hit the window with a loud noise again, bouncing back with incredible force.
“…I won’t be leaving the room for a while…”
Yeah, if that ball hits Maito, she’d turn into splinters! Just hugging her might break her bones!
“Then, I’ll go join the dodgeball game! Behold my bravery!”
“Take care… oh, wait a moment. Akashi, what do you want for dinner?”
As I was about to step out the door, Maito asked.
What I want to eat… hmm.
“Hamburg steak!”
“Got it.”
Alright! I’ll look forward to dinner while playing dodgeball!
“Ah!”
The thrown ball flew in a completely wrong direction, hitting the classroom window squarely.
…I saw Maito flinch inside. …Sorry…
After gorging on dinner (when I called for seconds on the hamburg steak, it came out immediately! Predicted!) I’ll help with dessert prep.
“Pour the sauce.”
“Pouring.”
“Place the strawberries.”
“Placing.”
Done!
Yeah, the strawberries are whitish-pink, so the contrast with red and white isn’t quite there, but this has its own ephemeral beauty!
When I told the drama club members that Maito and I made it, they were apprehensive at first, but it turned out to be a hit once they tasted it!
Yep, it’s silky, rich, and the tartness of the strawberries matches perfectly!
Hehehe, since Maito gave me plenty of ingredients, I’ll make it again before returning to our world!
I want to make a huge batch in a bowl and hug it while eating! Or even try making it in a bucket! Bucket panna cotta!
Ah, looking forward to it!
When making pudding or panna cotta in a bucket, make sure to choose a bucket that’s safe for food use.
Also, if you’re not confident, I recommend starting with a 1L basin pudding.