"It's been a while, Vee."
"It has, Stea."
On June 27th, Vivienne paid a visit to House Eschenbach.
Since they were close friends, the two of them sat in the living room rather than the drawing room, chatting comfortably. Stearena welcomed her with a serving of Kuhe.
"How have you been lately, Vee?"
Vivienne hadn't been stopping by Hourai Island much recently. Curious, Stearena asked her friend for an update on her life.
"I just finished compiling the folktales passed down among the nomadic tribes in the eastern Celuroa Kingdom."
"Heh, that's impressive. Did you investigate all of that by yourself?"
"No, that Lucol I mentioned before was with me."
"Lucol... wait, you mean that old man?"
"Old man... well, you're not wrong. He looks older than he actually is."
Though she said that, Lucol would be turning sixty-four this year. On Planet Ars, that was considered old age.
"Hmm, I didn't think you were into older men, Vee."
"Stop it."
"I'm just joking."
Laughter echoed through House Eschenbach.
Just then, Saki poked her head in. In her hand, she held the "Are"... candied sweet potatoes.
"Welcome, Vivienne-san."
"Saki-san, thank you for having me."
Saki placed the "Are" on the table.
"I made these myself. What do you think?"
"You made them, Saki-san?"
"That’s right," Stearena added. "Saki-san said she wanted to learn how to cook recently, so she's been starting with simple things."
"Hmm... is it for Goose?" Vivienne peered into Saki's face with a mischievous grin.
"Eh! N-No... well, I wouldn't say it's not for him." Saki’s face turned slightly red.
"Vee, don't tease her too much," Stearena rebuked her. "Well then, since they're here, shall we dig in?"
Vivienne poked a fork into the "Are" Saki had prepared.
"Oh, I'll brew some green tea."
Stearena stood up to head toward the kitchen, but—
"Madam, I have already brought the tea."
Aaru arrived, carrying a tray with teacups, a teapot, and a hot water pot.
"Oh, thank you."
With that, Saki, Stearena, and Vivienne began eating the candied sweet potatoes.
"Mm, these are delicious."
"They really are."
The dish received high praise from both Stearena and Vivienne.
"Kufu. They're so simple you can barely even call it cooking."
"That’s not true. They're cooked all the way through, so they're nice and fluffy."
"Kufu. I failed a couple of times before this. There were moments when the middle was still raw." Saki, looking a bit embarrassed, let slip a failure story she didn't really need to share.
"The syrup coating them is delicious too. This is sugar, right?"
Saki nodded. "Yes. This time I tried making the syrup from white sugar instead of maple syrup."
You can make syrup by dissolving white sugar or granulated sugar in a small amount of water, putting it over a fire, and boiling it down. One must be careful, however; if you boil it too long, it turns into caramel.
When frying the potatoes in oil, they turn out best if fried slowly at a low temperature (around 160°C). Once a bamboo skewer passes through them easily, finishing them at a high temperature (around 180°C) makes them perfectly crispy. Depending on one's preference, a sprinkle of toasted white or black sesame seeds adds a lovely fragrance.
"They're delicious. They go well with the tea, too."
"They do."
"Kufu. I'm relieved they’re a hit."
In that moment—
"...Ugh!"
Stearena clapped a hand over her mouth and suddenly stood up. She dashed out of the room.
"Stea, what's wrong!?" Vivienne chased after her.
Saki stood there dazed for a second, but she quickly snapped out of it.
"Aaru, could you contact Elsa just in case?" Saki said before hurrying after them.
"...Haa..."
"M-Mother-in-law, are you alright?"
Saki rushed to Stearena's side. Finding her looking pale, Saki asked with deep concern.
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry for worrying you."
"Don't say that!...Was it my cooking? The oil? Or maybe..."
Just then, Aaru’s voice rang out.
"Saki-sama, Elsa-sama and Jin-sama have arrived."
"Saki-nee, what happened?"
"Ah, Elsa! Please, take a look at Mother-in-law! I'm so worried she got sick from eating my 'Are'...!"
"Mm. I understand. Saki-nee, calm down for now."
After soothing the flustered Saki, Elsa went over to Stearena, who was slumped exhaustedly against the sofa.
"Stearena-san, are you alright?"
Stearena replied weakly. "Oh, Elsa-san... I think I'm fine."
"Regardless, I will Diagnose you. 'Diagnose'... This is..."
"Aaaah, Elsa, what is it!?"
"I said, calm down, Saki-nee. Stearena-san isn't sick. She’s expecting."
"How am I supposed to stay calm at a time like—!...Eh? What did you say? Expecting?"
"Mm. Congratulations, Big Sister." Elsa gently patted Saki on the shoulder as the latter stood there with a slack-jawed expression. "Two months."
"Um... so that means..."
At that moment, Jin arrived, pulling Toa along from the laboratory.
"Toa-san, congratulations."
"Eh...! Lina!"
"Dear... it seems so."
"Is that so? I see!"
As the two held hands and shared their joy, everyone present offered their heartfelt congratulations.
"Congratulations."
Leaving Toa and Stearena alone together, Jin, Elsa, Saki, and Vivienne returned to the living room.
"Oh, candied sweet potatoes... the 'Are,' huh."
"Kufu. I made them. I was so startled because I was sure I'd failed and given Mother-in-law a stomachache."
"Mother-in-law? Saki, did you just call her Mother-in-law?"
"Ah...!"
Only after Jin pointed it out did Saki realize she had been calling Stearena "Mother-in-law" for a while. Her face turned bright red.
"Isn't it fine? You were able to call her that naturally without even thinking about it."
"You think so?"
As Saki looked down bashfully, Elsa backed her up. "Saki-nee, you've been saying for a while that you wanted to call her that but couldn't quite bring yourself to do it, right?"
"Kufu. Was that so?"
"Ufufu, well then, all's well that ends well. If this were a story, it would be a happy ending," Vivienne added with a smile.
The season was early summer. House Eschenbach was overflowing with happiness.