Speaking of Lilia-san’s mansion, Aoi-chan and Hina-chan would have been good candidates to consult, but they were currently out at the Adventurer Guild. Since my parents were also away at work, we headed straight from the mansion to Fia-sensei’s clinic.
Looking back, I realized I could have stopped by my house to ask Anima and the others or Nebula for their opinions... but the thought came to me too late. Well, we were going to end up back at my place eventually, so I could just ask them then.
"Ah, Chrome-sama, Kaito-kun! Welcome."
"Sorry to drop in so suddenly, Fia."
"No, not at all. Chrome-sama and Kaito-kun are always more than welcome here. I’ve just finished my morning consultations, so I was actually about to take a break."
Fia-sensei greeted us with a bright smile when we arrived at the clinic. She prepared some herb tea for us, and the three of us sat down to talk.
"...And that’s the situation. Kaito-kun and I are exploring the potential of baby castella right now."
"Ahaha, Chrome-sama loves baby castella as much as ever, doesn't she? But I see, so you’d like my opinion on the matter?"
"Yeah. Do you have any ideas that jump out at you, Fia?"
"Hmm..."
Fia-sensei crossed her arms and sank into thought at Kuro’s question. After a short while, an expression that suggested she’d hit on something appeared on her face.
"Rather than an idea, this is more of a request from my perspective as a doctor... but it would be nice if there were a healthy version. Baby castella is delicious, but the nutritional balance is quite poor. That isn't an issue for High-ranking Demons like Chrome-sama or myself, but it makes it difficult to recommend to humankind or weaker species."
"I see, I see. So, a baby castella that takes nutritional balance into account?"
"Exactly. Setting aside whether it’s actually possible, I think it would be wonderful to have something like that. If it were both delicious and healthy, it would be much easier to recommend."
"That’s certainly a perspective I haven't given much thought to until now. For me, eating is just a hobby; once I swallow it, the food is immediately converted into magic power. Nutrition doesn't really factor into it for me, so I suppose I was a bit oblivious to that part."
When high-ranking demons like Kuro or Alice eat food, they don't absorb it as nutrition; instead, they convert it into magic power. In extreme cases, they can even convert stones into magic power, so for them, eating is purely a matter of taste and preference.
"But Fia-sensei’s idea might actually be a good one... and following along that line, baby castella is quite filling, so it can feel a bit heavy as a post-meal snack. If that could be addressed, it might be even easier to eat."
"I see. Kaito-kun and the others can’t exactly convert what they eat into magic power right away, after all. As I thought, hearing opinions from so many different people is great. There are so many ideas coming up that I would never have thought of on my own."
Kuro nodded with a satisfied look, seemingly having found a useful reference for her new baby castella-making. We had technically achieved our goal of visiting Fia-sensei, but since we were already here, we spent the rest of the time chatting until we finished our tea.
"How have things been with you lately, Fia? You haven't been having any clumsy accidents, have you?"
"Fufufu, Chrome-sama. Even I am at quite a mature age now. I wouldn't be so clumsy as to—ah!"
"Oops. Fufu, it looks like you're the same as ever. You have to be careful, you know?"
"Auu..."
Fia-sensei had confidently thumped her chest at Kuro’s words, but as she moved her hand back, she clipped her teacup, nearly knocking it over. Kuro gave a wry smile and used magic to keep the cup from falling.
"Oh, that’s right. Fia, you and Kaito-kun became lovers, didn't you?"
"Yes, though it was partly due to Big Sis Tre looking out for us in her own way..."
"I see. Well then, I’d love for the three of us to go on a date sometime."
"I’d like that! That sounds like so much fun!!"
Fia-sensei truly adored Kuro. When she spoke with her, she seemed more joyful—or perhaps it was that her expressions seemed a little more youthful than usual.
It was a very heartwarming sight. Considering their past relationship, seeing the two of them so close now made me feel that they had found something truly happy.
"By the way, Chrome-sama? Where are you planning to go after this?"
"Hmm. It’s a tough choice, but I think I’d like to travel around the Human Realm first."
"If you're looking for innovation, the Hydra Kingdom might be a good choice. It's the cutting edge of trends, and they have a lot of unconventional things there..."
"They seem to have a lot of seafood, though, which makes me a little uneasy..."
As an aside, I realized that I didn't actually have many acquaintances living in the Hydra Kingdom. Was it just Laguna-san and Shigenobu-san?
While such thoughts crossed my mind, our conversation continued in a peaceful and pleasant atmosphere.
Serious-senpai: "True, he has a fair number of acquaintances in Alcreasia like Amel, Moloch, Chris, and Lilim, but in Hydra, it's just Laguna and Shigenobu?"
???: "Technically, Catastro lives in the Hydra Kingdom since she's the General Manager of Information there. She just uses a split body to double as the Guild Master of the Kingdom of Sinfonia."
Serious-senpai: "Wait, why is the General Manager of Information for the Hydra Kingdom acting as the Guild Master of Sinfonia?"
???: "Well, she was originally the Guild Master of the Hydra Kingdom, but the Kingdom of Sinfonia ran into a shortage of Guild Masters for their Adventurer Guild. They sent a formal request to the central guild, and she ended up taking the post to fill the gap."