Today was finally the day of the party.
From the crack of dawn, everyone was swept up in the frantic rush of preparations. Rufe—the Little Witch—and I had decided to take on the challenge of making the wedding cake ourselves.
As we prepared to start, the Little Witch suddenly stood tall, brimming with confidence. She planted her hands on her hips and announced proudly, "I learned exactly how to make a cake from Priest Pandia just for today. So, leave everything to me!"
It seemed that at some point, she had completely mastered the art of baking. She had been visiting the Church quite often lately, but I’d had no idea she was receiving culinary lessons from Priest Pandia of all people.
Actually, I didn't even know Priest Pandia could bake. Being such a high-ranking official, I had simply assumed she would be hopeless at that sort of thing.
If anything, the one who wasn't particularly good at baking was me. I had made a cake once with my mother in my previous life, but that was it. Having lived as a Duke's Daughter in my second life, I had become more of a specialist in eating delicacies than in preparing them.
Furthermore, I was an Alraune now. Even if I made a cake, I couldn't actually eat it. Still, I was going to do my absolute best for the sake of the couple getting married!
"We’re going to make the most delicious cake ever!" I cheered.
"Yeah!"
Rufe and I raised our arms in unison. Our enthusiasm was perfect. The only real problem was the actual cooking.
"I’m thinking of making something like this," I said.
I transformed the tip of one of my vines into a hard branch and sketched a picture of the finished cake on the ground. I had agonized over the design, but I eventually settled on a decoration cake piled high with fruit. Since I could produce an infinite supply of fruit, I wanted to use a lavish, extravagant amount. Fresh fruit was a luxury, so I figured it would give the cake a truly grand appearance.
For this specific day, I had asked the self-proclaimed botanist Mercurée to share various seeds with me. True to her elven nature, she knew of fruits that even I—Iris—had never seen before. Apparently, some were native to other continents.
Well, they were all things I recognized from my previous life, though.
With the plan set, I began growing the fruits using Plant Generation.
"Alraune, what are these red things?"
"Those are strawberries."
Bright red, perfectly ripe berries hung in clusters from my vines. They looked mouth-watering just from a glance.
"Rufe, do you want a taste?"
I plucked a strawberry with a vine and brought it to the Little Witch’s mouth. It seemed it was her first time seeing one; she looked at the fruit with a blank, wide-eyed stare. Her expression was so adorable!
"Well? It's good, isn't it?"
"Yeah... it's sweet and delicious! I'm shocked!"
Strawberries, perennial plants of the Rosaceae family, were a staple of cakes in Japan. Strawberry shortcake had always been a personal favorite of mine. However, strawberries are actually quite unique compared to other fruits.
You know those tiny, seed-like grains on the surface? Those aren't actually seeds. Each of those little specks is actually an individual fruit in its own right. The tiny "seed" is the actual body of the fruit. In other words, a single strawberry is an aggregate fruit made up of hundreds of tiny fruits clustered together.
As for where the actual seeds are, they’re inside those tiny grains. The round, red, succulent part that Rufe was currently enjoying is actually the "receptacle"—the swollen tip of the stem. Fruits like this are scientifically classified as accessory fruits.
The flower language for a strawberry includes "a happy home" and "respect and affection." As a wedding gift, it was perfect. And above all else, they tasted wonderful.
Rufe couldn't seem to stop herself from reaching for more. "Alraune, I think I really love strawberries."
Just seeing her happy smile made me feel warm inside. Come to think of it, strawberries also symbolize "you make me happy," which perfectly described the scene.
"I have plenty of others, so eat as much as you like."
I let various fruits ripen on my vines one after another. There were blueberries, and then peaches—which were incredible when soaked in nectar liquor. Then came oranges and kiwis. Even for a high-ranking noble, gathering such a diverse variety of fruit regardless of the season or climate would be nearly impossible.
The cake’s appearance was going to be flawless!
Next was the whipped cream. I had already secured the ingredients we couldn't find in the forest from city shops and dairy farmers. I set about making the cream from fresh milk. I’d worried that whisking it would be a chore, but with my vines, it wasn't a struggle at all.
"Rufe, you've never had whipped cream before, right?"
I scooped up a dollop of cream with a vine and offered it to her. She took a big bite, vine and all.
"It's so sweet... it's melting! What is this?! It's amazing!"
Her eyes were practically sparkling. Commoners rarely had the chance to eat something like this. Plus, because Rufe had lived in the forest for so long, I hadn't really given her many sweets other than my nectar.
I’ll make sure you get to eat lots of delicious things from now on. Big sister is going to work hard for you!
"But... is it really okay for us to be having such a good time?" Rufe asked, looking at me with sudden anxiety.
I blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I've been worried... Is it okay for us to be leisurely making a cake? Shouldn't we be making the food for the party?"
Ah, yes. There was a significant hurdle regarding this party: the shortage of cooks.
I could have hired outsiders, but I wanted to do everything ourselves. With so many important figures attending, I didn't want to bring in strangers. Despite that, the only confirmed cooks were Merk and that Flashy Man. Merk was handling elf-style Buddhist cuisine, and the Flashy Man was likely preparing a whole-roasted bear.
We were overwhelmingly short-staffed. And yet, none of my other acquaintances could actually cook.
Therefore, I had decided to fill the gaps myself. Since there weren't enough cooks, the organizer would simply provide them. In other words, I would become the cooking staff!
"Alraune, if you're making a cake with me, can you really handle the rest of the food? Will you be in time?"
"Don't worry. I have a plan."
If I was too busy with the cake, I just had to have someone else do the cooking. Namely, me.
"Actually, I think I'll go check on things for a moment."
I needed to supervise to make sure "I" was doing the job properly. Leaving the cake to Rufe for the time being, I decided to inspect the other squads.
I teleported to the location of the Cooking Squad. Hiding in the shadows of the trees, I observed the temporary forest kitchen. Several adult-sized Alraunes wearing tall chef hats were rooted there. Every single one of them looked desperate as they worked.
"Hey, you over there, is the prep done?"
"I'm working on it!"
"Wait, what was I supposed to do for prep again?"
"Just cut the vegetables for now! That'll be fine!"
"Fruit Production Squad! We're running low over here!"
"Who did it?! Who mixed a poison apple into the fruit basket?!"
"I'm not a 'who,' I'm an Alraune, so I don't know anything!"
"Look! There are apples growing on that one's vines! She's the culprit!"
I nodded to myself. Yes, everyone was working hard. A few of them were being idiots, but otherwise, there didn't seem to be any major issues. I was relieved to see them cooking obediently.
This was my "good idea." If there weren't enough cooks, I would simply multiply myself to handle the workload.
"Hey, look over by that tree! The Original is here!"
"How dare you push all this grueling work onto us!"
"I wanted to make the cake with the Little Witch, too!"
"I'm so jealous she gets to be with Rufe. Even if you're the Original, that kind of tyranny is unforgivable!"
"Can we swap places? My vines caught fire again..."
"Can't we just make every dish out of nectar and call it a day?"
"That would only work if Hachi-san was the only guest!"
"Let's just make a nectar cake and drown the guests in it!"
My clones were quite vocal with their complaints. Even though they were technically me, they did nothing but nag. Unlike the "children" I had created before, these clones had very strong individual egos. It made them more capable, but it also made them a handful.
In the past, when I made Child Alraunes, they all called me "Mama." But these clones called me "the Original." This was because they weren't the usual young-girl-type Alraunes; they were clones I had grown directly into their adult forms.
Since I could now manipulate spirit power freely and had absorbed vast amounts of nutrients through my expanded root system, my power had grown significantly. I now had the capacity to force my offspring into immediate adulthood.
I had done it because preparing for the party was so much work, but even I was surprised by the result. Not only did they look like me, but their personalities were just as stubborn as mine. It was incredibly noisy.
"I’m the most suitable one to bake with the Little Witch!" I shouted back. "Because I'm the Original! That's just how it is!"
"Tyranny!"
"We want to have fun, too!"
"What's the difference between the Original and us, anyway?"
"The eye color is a little different, I guess."
"Our eyes are crimson, but hers are 'honey-colored.'"
"But other than that, we're the same, right?"
"Exactly! We aren't little kids anymore, so we're on the same level as the Original!"
"We are the true Originals!"
"Uprising! Down with the Original!"
The nerve! Even though I was the one who gave birth to them, they were trying to rebel against their own parent. I was going to have to make it crystal clear who the real Original was.
—But first.
"Everyone, look at those 'us' over there!" I said, pointing.
I directed their attention to the base next to the Cooking Squad. There, several other adult Alraunes were rooted. However, they weren't cooking. They were performing a task that was simpler than cooking but, in some ways, far more grueling.
"Everyone! Produce more nectar! Faster!"
"I can't... I’m empty..."
"We’ve given so much already, how can you want more?"
"I hate squeezing... I want to stop..."
"When is our next break?"
"You just had a nap while sunbathing! Keep working!"
"Leader, we’re at our limit!"
"There are customers all over the world waiting for our nectar! Stop whining and squeeze!"
That was the Nectar Production Squad, the domain of the Nectar Production Leader Alraune and her team. As usual, it looked like a total war zone. With orders for Saint Nectar pouring in from across the globe, it was an inevitable nightmare.
The Alraunes in the Cooking Squad stared at the scene in a daze.
"What is that...?"
"They've been producing nectar since this morning. How long can they keep that up?"
"I’ve been wondering about the group next door the whole time..."
"Wait, look. There's a girl over there wearing a chef hat, too."
I decided to reveal the truth to the shaken Cooking Squad.
"Those," I said ominously, "are the 'me's who tried to rebel against the Original."
In short, it was the graveyard for any adult-form clone who had challenged me for the title of Original and lost. The losers were stripped of their hats and assigned to the Nectar Production Squad. The Saint Nectar they produced would be shipped to cities everywhere, where humans would praise its flavor.
Of course, they were provided with three meals, a daily nap, and their labor was strictly capped at seven hours with a two-day weekend. The working environment was actually excellent.
And for the record, I hadn't lost a single fight. No matter how strong an adult clone might be, I wasn't so weak that I’d be usurped. I had selectively bred their seeds from the start to ensure the Original would always come out on top. My anti-rebellion measures were perfect.
"If you don't want to spend your entire day producing nectar, you'd better get back to cooking," I threatened.
Strangely, however, the Cooking Squad seemed... relieved?
"Wait... maybe that side is actually easier?"
"I mean, we are pretty bad at cooking."
"We’ve been making nectar for the Little Witch every day for years. We're experts at it."
"At this point, squeezing out nectar isn't even hard."
"I can do it in my sleep."
"I... I kind of want to transfer to the Nectar Production Squad."
Wait, what?!
To think they would actually prefer manual nectar labor over cooking... Well, I suppose I understood. Honestly, making nectar was easier for me, too. I had produced an astronomical amount over the years. I had filled buckets with it daily. I, too, could do it in my sleep.
But still! With so many versions of me, couldn't at least one have been born with a passion for the culinary arts?!
"Strike! We’re going on strike!"
"Living just by producing nectar is the dream!"
"I’m going to make nectar liquor!"
"I wanted to try making nectar bread!"
"I have to make nectar juice for the Little Witch!"
"If we opened a nectar cake shop, we'd be rich!"
"Actually, we already make a ton of money just from the nectar. Let's just use that to hire a real chef!"
"The Original can do all the cooking herself!"
Grrr! That was it! These girls needed some discipline! I was officially angry.
As the clones began to lash out with their vines in intimidation, I prepared to show them the true strength of the Original.
"I’ll show you exactly who the real Alraune is!"
As Alraune clashed with Alraune, the preparation time for the party ticked away. There were only a few hours left until the guests arrived!
Strawberry: Rosaceae family. In the world of horticulture, strawberries are actually classified as "vegetables" rather than "fruits." This is because botanical classification defines fruits as things that grow on trees, while things that grow on herbaceous plants are vegetables. However, since they are eaten as fruit, they are often called "fruit-like vegetables." Melons and watermelons fall into this same category. It’s quite fun to look up vegetable classifications if you’re curious!
Finally, the 5th volume of the "Plant Monster Girl Diary" manga adaptation will be released next week on March 23rd! The cover art has been revealed, and it features Alraune and the Little Witch again, but with a slightly different vibe than usual. It shows just how close the two of them are, so please check it out! (´▽｀)
Next time: The forest party begins.