As I was talking to Jester, Pino and Shiroru approached with mischievous grins. Pino held what I assumed was the takoyaki the two of them had been working on.
Though, calling it "takoyaki" might have been a stretch. It was the right shape, sure, but the color was a violent, vivid red. They hadn’t even tried to hide the trap. It was an Extremely Spicy Takoyaki, absolutely packed with bright red Chili Peppers.
"What happened to you two?" I asked. "Wasn't the plan to make Russian Takoyaki?"
"Master, we realized something," Pino said, looking as smug as if he’d just made the discovery of the century. "It’s surprisingly hard to make something both spicy and normal-looking."
Shiroru nodded with pride, looking like someone who had just completed a high-stakes mission.
"If you try to have it both ways, you end up with nothing, right? So, we decided to stop caring about the appearance, I tell you!"
Well, alright then.
I felt like they’d completely missed the point of Russian Takoyaki, but since their ultimate goal was just to trick someone into eating something insanely hot, maybe they hadn't strayed too far from the path.
"If you're happy with it, that's fine. What's the plan for those?"
"We're going to make someone eat them, obviously!" Shiroru declared.
"Say, Master, do you want one?" Pino offered.
"Do I?" I wasn't particularly fond of spicy food, and seeing something that looked that lethal didn't exactly whet my appetite. "I'll pass."
"Eh? Why!?"
"Y-You might find it surprisingly delicious if you just give it a try, you know!"
Why were they so shocked? Did they really think I’d just eat something that looked like a warning sign? It seemed they had put all their effort into the spice level and none into the sales pitch. Now that their primary target had declined, they were left looking lost.
"May I have one?"
Jester was the one to offer a helping hand. Pino and Shiroru jumped at his proposal without a moment's hesitation. Their mischievous "Nishishi" laughs returned as they held out the tray of Extremely Spicy Takoyaki.
"Then, if you don't mind."
Jester took a takoyaki off the tray with a Toothpick and brought it to his mouth. Just watching him made my mouth sting, but he didn't hesitate for a second.
"Mmm... This is...!"
As he chewed, his eyes went wide. His expression shifted instantly, but not in the way I expected. He didn't look like he was suffering at all. Instead, a massive grin spread across his face.
"Excellent! This is truly excellent! Such a stimulating, addictive flavor. What a marvelous piece of takoyaki. It’s so delicious, I have absolutely no complaints!"
"Wait, what? Is it actually good?"
"Huh? Did we forget to put the chili in?"
"No way. It was bright red."
Pino and Shiroru were visibly confused by the lack of suffering. I had to agree; if they’d used as much chili as it looked like they had, Jester's reaction was far from normal.
Then again, I remembered that Jester was a notorious spice-hound. He supposedly made his personal batches of Curry mind-numbingly hot.
"Could I have another?"
"Hey! Store Manager, that's not fair! Let us have some too!"
"It’s cheating if you're the only one eating while we're working, sir!"
It turned out Jester wasn't the only one with a high tolerance. Several members of his Shop Staff were apparently of the same breed, and a sudden scramble for the Extremely Spicy Takoyaki broke out. Watching them shovel the neon-red spheres into their mouths while shouting about how great they tasted was a bizarre, almost surreal sight.
Pino and Shiroru weren't the type of gluttons who could just stand by and watch others enjoy a feast. Hearing everyone rave about the flavor made them start to wonder if they’d accidentally made something gourmet, despite knowing exactly what they’d put in it.
Finally, unable to resist their own curiosity, they both reached for a piece.
"Mugh...! H-Hot! It's so hot... it's burning, I tell you!"
"Why!? Why is it so spicy!?"
Their faces twisted in agony in less than a second. I had to give them credit for not spitting it out, though that might have just been their greed talking.
"Tort, water! Give me water!"
"Me too! I need water!"
"Alright, settle down."
I summoned a few Water Balls with magic. Since I didn't have any cups handy, the two of them just lunged at the floating orbs of water.
"You truly don't appreciate the beauty of this heat? How tragic," Jester murmured with genuine pity.
Shiroru and Pino were in no condition to listen to his philosophy on spice.
"It hurts! My mouth is on fire, I tell you!"
"Water isn't enough! Master, help me!"
"I guess I have no choice."
Spiciness is technically a pain response, right? I wondered if my healing magic, First Aid, would do the trick.
After that, I’d give them something sweet to wash the taste away. I happened to have the prototype Pudding I’d made yesterday on hand.
"Wait, what's that!"
"It's a new sweet!"