My visit to Shigenobu-san’s home remained pleasant from start to finish, and they even treated me to dinner. Both Shigenobu-san and Hanna-san were truly wonderful people, making the whole experience quite enjoyable. As Akane-san had mentioned before, I’d really love to get all the otherworlders together again sometime soon.
The following day, something unusual happened. Kuro visited my house early in the morning. Since she was typically busy during the day and tended to drop by at night, seeing her so early was rare. Not that it never happened—she did show up in the mornings from time to time—so it wasn't exactly out of the ordinary.
I welcomed her in, and as usual, we chatted in my room while snacking on baby castella. After a while, however, Kuro adopted a solemn, strangely intense expression.
“...I think it’s finally time for my baby castella to progress to the next stage,” she declared.
“...U-Uh, yeah?”
“Baby castella possesses infinite potential. However, I feel I’ve only managed to draw out a mere fraction of it so far. To truly advance, we need more than just the same old approach; we need to challenge ourselves from multiple perspectives. Fortunately, thanks to Shiro and the Earth God revising their contracts, new ingredients unique to other worlds are now available. I believe the time for a breakthrough has come.”
“...”
Had her chronic obsession flared up again? It was surreal to hear one of the Six Kings—one of the Summits of the Demon Realm—speak those words with such a dead serious face. Honestly, where on earth did this passion for baby castella even come from?
And if I were being honest, this was a rather ominous beginning. It didn't feel like this would end with just idle chatter; I had a sinking feeling that action was about to follow. I wondered if I could still change the subject. Personally, I didn't want to delve any deeper into the ‘potential of baby castella’... but knowing her, that was probably wishful thinking.
“And so, Kaito-kun! Let us pursue the new potential of baby castella together!”
“Is it okay if I say no?”
“As expected of Kaito-kun! I’m so happy you’ve readily agreed!”
“There really is a limit to how unreasonable you can be... Sigh. Fine, but what specifically are we doing to ‘pursue new potential’? I’d at least like a general sense of direction...”
Was this a forced event? The conversation was moving forward on the assumption that my answer was a fixed ‘yes.’ Well, I’d already resigned myself to this the moment she started talking about baby castella. When it came to those snacks, she was stubborn and prone to running wild.
“Hmm, let me see. Even though the core members of the Baby Castella Research Society—you and I—are both here, it’s not something we’ll find just by searching aimlessly. You’re right, having a clear direction is vital!”
“...”
Exactly when did I become a ‘core member’ of a research society that gave me a headache just by name alone? And yet, much as I hated to admit it, I could see why she thought so.
Since arriving in this world, I’d eaten baby castella almost every single day. I’d experienced such a vast range of flavors that I probably did know more about them than most. If we were strictly talking about the total number of baby castellas consumed, I might actually rank among the top tier of all humans. Again, it was a very reluctant realization.
“Hmm, I think it might be best to seek outside opinions. It’s good that we have deep knowledge of baby castella, but I worry that might cause us to be trapped by our own preconceptions. By talking to people from various walks of life, we might see facets we’ve overlooked until now.”
“I-I see... So, basically, we’re going to travel around and consult with people who are good at cooking?”
“Exactly. Though I don’t think we need to limit ourselves to chefs. We’re looking for new ideas, so someone far removed from the kitchen might actually offer a more original perspective. Anyway, the general plan is to gather fresh ideas and then figure out how to implement them.”
“I see...”
Somehow, the plan sounded relatively... sensible? In practice, it meant we’d just be visiting people we knew, so I suppose you could call it a slightly unusual date.
“By the way... Kaito-kun, what do you think defines the ultimate baby castella?”
“...The one that tastes the best?”
“Yes, that is certainly one form the ultimate could take. But tastes vary wildly from person to person. I don’t believe that an ‘ultimate’ flavor for one individual is necessarily the ultimate flavor for everyone.”
“Y-Yeah, that’s true.”
“Besides, baby castella isn't some high-end gourmet cuisine. We shouldn't focus solely on pursuing flavor. Its portability and that comforting, gentle taste are also part of its charm. If we sacrifice those qualities just to chase one specific ideal... can we really call that the ultimate baby castella?”
“...That’s a difficult question.”
It was impressive, in a way, that she could think so deeply about baby castella. Also, I wondered how much longer this philosophical debate—one that seemed to have no answer—was going to last. I was ready to call it a day and just get going...
“Yes, it is difficult! Baby castella holds infinite possibilities. That’s why there are so many choices to make... It won’t be easy to find an answer.”
“A-Ah, right... Well, we can talk more about that later. We don’t have all day, so why don’t we get moving?”
“Ah, good point! All right—let’s set off to find the new potential of baby castella!”
“O-Okay.”
And so, through a strange turn of events, I found myself dragged into the quest for the new potential of baby castella.
Serious-senpai: “So this is basically a web adaptation of the extra story from the ninth light novel volume?”
???: “Seems like it. His social circle is way bigger now than it was back then, so I feel like the people he consults might change... honestly, I hope they do. If it follows volume nine exactly, Alice-chan is just going to suffer, isn't she?”