Kuro and I finished our trial production of baby castellas, focusing primarily on varieties made with chocolate and jam. Honestly, I was exhausted... Every time I let my guard down, she’d pull out some bizarre ingredient and start rambling about "infinite potential" or some such nonsense, so I’d spent the whole time desperately reining her in.
Thanks to my constant vigilance, no Strange Baby Castellas were born. Instead, we ended up with a batch that looked perfectly normal and delicious.
"We’ve made quite a few. Should we head to my room and eat them?"
"Good idea! It looks like we ended up with mostly fruit-type flavors, didn't we? Though I suppose the Leaves of the Spirit Tree are a bit unusual."
"The batter turned a deep green once I kneaded them in... I wonder how they’ll taste. They look like matcha, but Sieg-san mentioned they have a bit of a unique flavor profile."
"I’m curious too! Let's go compare them with the others!"
While there were certainly some unique options, nothing involved obviously dangerous ingredients, so I could finally relax and look forward to the tasting.
In fact, I felt like we were actually pursuing a legitimate evolution of the snack. We were choosing things that actually looked appetizing—which was a massive improvement over using meat or fish.
I carried the finished baby castellas up to my room. Given the sheer variety and quantity, there was no way I could finish them all myself, but I could leave that to Kuro and her bottomless stomach. I planned to sample a bit of everything and then focus on the ones I liked best.
"...All right, should we start with the Leaves of the Spirit Tree?"
"Yeah. That’s the one I’m most interested in."
Since I knew the Elf Race ate them regularly, I figured it wouldn't be anything inedible. I popped one into my mouth. While it looked like a deep green matcha, the taste was closer to mint—it had a cooling, refreshing sensation. The flavor was quite strong, almost enough to wake someone up. I could see why it might be an acquired taste for some.
"It tastes like mint."
"You’re right, it’s like a fresh herb. It’s also got a bit of a grassy scent, so kids might not like it. But the aftertaste is so clean... it could be great in a combination."
"Yeah, it’s a bit strong on its own, but that refreshing finish is nice. It would probably be delicious as a Chocolate Mint version."
"I like that! Since the flavor is more intense than regular mint, it would probably hold its own against other strong ingredients."
On its own, the flavor was a bit too unique, but I had a feeling it would lead to something interesting if paired correctly. Yes, this was exactly what pursuing "potential" should look like. This was the right path.
Instead of trying to stuff them with fish or using frog meat to make a Gold-shining Baby Castella, we were taking a sensible approach...
"...You know, to match this level of freshness, maybe White Fish would—"
"..."
She was talking about the Leaves of the Spirit Tree by themselves, right? She definitely wasn't thinking about a Demonic Fusion inside a baby castella, was she?
Sure, the herbal notes might pair well with white fish, but in the context of a baby castella, the fish was a completely unnecessary addition.
"K-Kuro, let's move on to the next one!"
"Eh? Oh, right. This one is... mmm, these ones with jam are great."
"You’ve always liked fruit-type flavors, haven't you, Kuro?"
"Yeah. At the end of the day, they're a reliable choice. Strawberry jam is good, but the ones with marmalade are so bright and tasty. Here, Kaito-kun, you try. Say 'ahh'."
"...Mmm. It's delicious. It's a classic for a reason—you really can't go wrong with this combination."
The jam-filled ones were excellent. Baby castellas and jam were naturally compatible, making for a safe and delicious treat.
They were a little on the sweet side, though. If we were going to use jam, we might need to reduce the sugar in the batter itself. Still, they paired beautifully with coffee.
"Hehe, exploring the potential of baby castellas with Kaito-kun like this is so much fun!"
"Well, I suppose experimenting like this has been fun in its own way."
"Ehehe, let's do it again sometime."
"In moderation, please."
I gave a wry smile as I stroked her head. She beamed with joy as she leaned against me. There had been plenty of headaches and absurd moments along the way, but traveling around and working through trial and error with her had been genuinely enjoyable.
As long as no weird ingredients were involved, I enjoyed myself enough to think that joining her for something like this every once in a while wouldn't be so bad.
Serious-senpai: "Yes. This is a good way to end things. Moving on to the next chapter!"
???: "Wait, isn't this where the Sugar Development starts?"
Serious-senpai: "...Stop. Just stop."