Although the number—thirty-seven—surprised me, I realized upon further thought that I didn't actually need to drink a full cup of each. A single sip would be enough to judge the flavor... though thirty-seven was still a lot.
"I've already got the coffee ready. How about we start with the ones that are coarsely ground and have a milder flavor? I think it’ll be easier to distinguish the tastes if we save the stronger ones for later."
"Even so, I don't really know enough about coffee to judge what’s good or bad."
"Don't worry, just go with your gut. Keep it casual—like, 'this seems like it would go well with baby castellas' or 'I like this one.' We'll make the final call in a meeting later, so this is just for reference."
"I see, I can relax then."
It seemed my opinion was only for reference, so I was glad I could evaluate them casually. With that, I immediately tried the coffee Kuro had prepared... and it was already delicious.
"I feel like even the first cup would go quite well with baby castellas."
"Yeah. Well, everything here was adjusted specifically for the purpose of being paired with baby castellas, so they all have good compatibility."
"I see... By the way, does Kuro's Trading Company have anything other than the Baby Castella Blend?"
"Of course we do. There are new products planned to be sold along with this Neo Baby Castella Blend. Ah, that's right. I'll give Kaito-kun some samples, so if you have any acquaintances who like coffee, please recommend it to them. It's scheduled for release at the beginning of the month after next."
People who like coffee... The first ones who came to mind were Ozma-san and Elise-san. Ozma-san seemed to really like coffee, and Elise-san had said she was a coffee lover herself, so recommending it to them seemed like a good idea.
Who else... maybe someone like Shia-san? I didn't recall us ever discussing it, but I had a feeling she'd prefer coffee over black tea.
But that was about it for immediate candidates. I had the impression that most people here drank black tea. There might be others who liked coffee that I just didn't know about... well, it was for promotion, so if they didn't dislike coffee, it might be worth recommending.
"...Oh, I might like this one best so far. It has a crisp aftertaste that would be great for the morning."
"I see, Number 9... Wait, I get it! As expected of Kaito-kun! It’s not just about the pairing; the 'best match' changes depending on whether you're eating baby castellas in the morning, at noon, or at night! In that case, maybe I should release three different types: Morning, Midday, and Night..."
"I, uh, wasn't thinking quite that deeply... But I suppose since morning-specific blends exist, the idea might work?"
I hadn't actually considered all that; I just honestly thought it would be nice in the morning. Still, since "morning blends" exist even for canned coffee, I figured it was a solid concept—as long as I ignored the fact that she spoke as if eating baby castellas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner was perfectly normal.
"By the way, do you have a personal favorite, Kuro?"
"Personally, I think this one, or maybe these over here, are the best. The bitterness is a bit on the strong side, but I think it highlights the simple sweetness of the baby castellas. They pair really well."
"True. Since your mouth gets coated in sweetness after eating baby castellas, a bitter coffee might be better to reset the palate."
Tasting the various coffees to find the best match for the baby castellas was surprisingly fun, and Kuro and I continued our lively debate over the Neo Baby Castella Blend.
Serious-senpai: "Looking at the title, it feels like it'll go as far as the introduction and sale?"