As expected—or perhaps I should say, just as I’d anticipated—Kaori had managed to pull herself together while she was back in her room. By the time she returned for breakfast, she was her usual self again.
She dug into the meal that had been delivered to my room, looking just as satisfied as she had during dinner the night before.
"Mmm, this croissant is incredible! There really is nothing quite like freshly baked bread."
"That reminds me," I said, "you mentioned you were working on some bread-based items for your shop. Are you planning on baking them yourself?"
The stew she’d had me sample with Akane earlier was a prototype meant for a bread pairing, so I figured her preparations were well past the conceptual stage.
However, the idea of baking bread seemed like a major undertaking. When I asked if she intended to outsource it instead, Kaori paused to think.
"Well, it sounds like it would be fun to do it myself, but the equipment is the problem. I worked in a bakery for a while during my travels, so I technically know how to do it."
"True. If you were going to bake in Suiren’s current kitchen, you'd probably need to do some full-scale renovations."
"I actually have a magic tool with an oven function, so it’s not entirely impossible. But besides that, the bread menu is still in the trial phase. For now, I think I’ll just source it from somewhere else. If it gets popular enough to justify expanding the menu, I’ll reconsider the logistics then."
"I see..."
"Kaito, do you happen to know any good bakeries? I haven't found anything that really stands out near my shop."
"Hmm, a bakery..."
I usually ate rice myself, and since the Central Area where I lived was geared toward nobles, most of the shops were prohibitively expensive. You didn't really run into a standard bakery unless you ventured out to the Main Street.
The bakeries there were certainly good, but that one shop was better known for its jams... Bread, huh...
"...Oh, right. If I remember correctly, Til mentioned she grows and distributes wheat. Since her agricultural skills are the real deal, I bet she supplies some fantastic bakeries."
"Til? Hmm... I'm getting a bad feeling about this. That’s a nickname, isn't it? Her full name wouldn't happen to be... Tiltania, by any chance?"
"Yeah. Til from the Seven Princesses."
"I definitely asked the wrong person! Could you please stop casually dropping names of the Six Kings’ Executives? Even if the bread is amazing, there’s no way I can negotiate with someone like that!"
Kaori looked at me with an exasperated expression, but in this particular instance, I actually thought she could handle the situation.
"Actually, Til is very close friends with Raz, so I think if you asked her, she’d be happy to give you an introduction. Or I could just introduce you myself..."
"Ah, right. Since Raz-sama is a Fairy too, they’d be connected. In that case, I might actually be interested."
"Also, I know someone named Trois who’s incredibly knowledgeable about local businesses. If I ask him, he could probably point you toward the best shop in the city."
"...I see. Out of curiosity, is he someone important too?"
"He’s a Special Advisor for the Seditch Magic Tool Trading Company—a High Trent, Count-class High-ranking Demon."
"............Do you have any normal human friends at all?"
Trois served as the Special Advisor for Sales at the Seditch Company. He was an impressive individual who was well-versed in the products of countless shops and associations.
He was kind and a smooth talker, making him easy to approach... but the one catch was that if you consulted him about a product, you’d often find yourself having bought it before you even realized what was happening.
His sales pitch was simply that good. Just listening to him made your urge to buy skyrocket. He was truly a master of his craft; I couldn't help but be impressed by his silver tongue.
"I don't mind introducing you to Trois, but he’s a master of persuasion. There’s a very high chance you’ll find yourself signing a contract before you even know what’s hit you."
"A high-powered sales shark? That makes me a little hesitant... Hmm, I'll think about it. I might just stick with asking for an introduction to Tiltania-sama."
"Sure, just let me know whenever. Til is just as social and fun as Raz, so I think the two of you would hit it off immediately."
Til was a safe bet for an introduction—on par with Raz in terms of being approachable. Her communication skills were top-tier, so I felt confident she wouldn't overwhelm Kaori.
As we shared such idle chatter, I enjoyed the rest of my breakfast with Kaori.
??? : It looks like that’s a wrap for this scene... Well then, it’s about time for those scattered unexploded bombs of stomach pain to start detonating.
Serious-senpai: Someone please stop this Dempsey Roll of fluff and stomach aches...