Once the brief introductions were finished, Canalis-san set glass tea cups before Jutia-san and me.
These cups were the work of Nebula and Illness-san, who had recently started producing glasswork. They had a beautiful, refreshing quality to them, and they looked quite elegant once filled with the tea.
"Is this... is this iced tea?" Jutia asked.
"Yes, precisely," Canalis-san replied. "We plan to launch the Lineup of Iced Tea Specialized Tea Leaves once the weather turns a bit warmer, and this is one of our upcoming varieties. It is designed for easy extraction in cold water, and this particular blend is characterized by its mellow sweetness."
"I see, I see! Iced tea is wonderful, too. It has a completely different profile from hot tea, and this looks incredibly delicious, ze-i!"
The new blend Canalis-san had prepared belonged to the Iced Tea Specialized Tea Leaves Series. Five varieties were slated for a simultaneous release in about three months. While the climate in the Kingdom of Sinfonia was so stable it could be hard to track the passage of time, the launch was timed to coincide with the height of summer.
Canalis-san arranged a few tea sweets, bowed, and then excused herself from the room. Jutia-san looked at me with sparkling eyes, clearly unable to wait a moment longer. I couldn't help but offer a wry smile.
"Well then, shall we try it?"
"Yes, yes! I was just about at my limit, ze-i! Well then, well then, time for a sip—!? Amazing! For iced tea, the flavor and aroma are so distinct! Usually, it feels like it’s been blurred out."
"Does iced tea usually lose its flavor and aroma compared to regular tea?" I asked.
"It does. Ordinarily, the sense of taste becomes less sensitive to cold temperatures, ze-i. Think about a cold juice, for example—for example! It’s delicious while it’s chilled, but once it gets lukewarm, it tastes strangely, overly sweet, right? It’s the same principle. When you chill a drink, the flavor inevitably ends up feeling muted, ze-i."
Now that she mentioned it, I had experienced that before. Cola was probably a good example. It felt way too sweet and not particularly good if you drank it after it had gone flat and warm.
So, that overly sweet state was actually the original flavor. Coldness just masked it, making it seem less intense.
"And as for the aroma," she continued, "most scents rely on heat to volatilize and spread. Cold drinks usually have a very faint smell... but this iced tea doesn't have that problem at all! It's truly impressive!"
"I see. But if this tea were to get warm, would it become too sweet like the others?"
"That’s the incredible part! Just now—just now!—I took a sip and used magic to change its temperature inside my mouth. Even when it got warm, the flavor barely changed, ze-i. These leaves must have been specially adjusted so the flavor remains easy to perceive even when chilled. Amazing, simply amazing! I’m always discovering something new with you. I’m honestly moved, ze-i!"
"Haha, if it makes you that happy, I'm glad I served it."
"Yes, yes! I'm truly glad I got to know you, Kaito, ze-i! Oh, wait, sorry—sorry! That made it sound like I only care about what you give me. But even without the tea, I’m truly glad I met you. You’re so much fun to be around, and I love you for being so kind, ze-i!"
"Er... thank you. I'm glad you feel that way."
I knew she was expressing the pure affection of a friend without any hidden meaning, but being told "I love you" with such a radiant smile still made my heart skip a beat.
Regardless, I was genuinely happy she felt that way. Talking with someone as bright and gentle as Jutia-san was always a pleasure for me as well.
"Let’s try the sweets, too. Knowing Canalis-san, I’m sure she’s prepared something that pairs perfectly with iced tea."
"True, true! Cold drinks don't wash away fats and oils very well, so she’s probably chosen sweets that avoid those ingredients. I’m really looking forward to this, too, ze-i!"
Discussing her favorite tea made Jutia-san even more talkative than usual. Combined with her petite stature, it made her look quite adorable.
But... wait. Was it just my imagination, or were the wooden horns on her head growing a little?
Serious-senpai: This is just a guess, but just like how flowers bloom on Lilliwood's head or the color of the flowers on Lilie's head deepens, this is likely a sign of when she is extremely happy. If that's the case, the nuance behind 'I love you' might be a bit different than she thinks...