After buying the books, Dru and Tris returned home.
It was around three o’clock in the afternoon.
“Shall we brew some tea and take a break?” I suggested.
And so it was decided.
When I say tea, it’s not yet mainstream in this country. It’s treated as a medicinal import from distant lands, and wine is the drink of choice for the nobility.
If you want a non-alcoholic beverage, you’d have fruit juice. But even fruits are quite expensive as they are, so crushing them to drink only the juice is a great luxury.
In Europe, tea and coffee became popular mostly because the royal family at the time liked them. So in this world, there’s a chance they might not catch on at all.
However, since I was a tea person in my previous life, what’s served here is tea made from leaves from ‘The Garden’. A world without tea is unbearable…!
I’ll make it royal milk tea. With sugar, too.
I prefer it straight, but Tris probably likes the sweeter version.
If I don’t say anything, Tris will try to 맞춰 everything to me. It pains me to see her force herself like that.
I may be taking the lead, but that’s precisely why I should cherish and care for Tris. If someone is 맞춰ing to you, you should care for them. This is very important.
That’s why I’m mindful of it and try to make sure Tris can enjoy various things.
“The water is boiling, Andrews-sama.”
“Mm, bring it over.”
“Um, what is that black thing…?”
“Ah, I finally managed to make chocolate recently.”
“Chocolate…?”
“Ah… it’s a new kind of sweet.”
“I see! I’m looking forward to it!”
Chocolate, well, after traveling to the south and getting cocoa beans from a mysterious tribe, it was relatively easy to make.
They were a strange tribe that used a technique of throwing spears that exploded at the point of impact while wearing huge masks, but when I walked around with my whole body glowing with magic, they seemed to mistake me for a god or something and offered me all sorts of things. Score.
Now, about the chocolate.
The difficult parts of making it are gathering a large amount of sugar and grinding the cocoa thoroughly, then stirring it to incorporate air.
The sugar is fine since we can produce as much as we want in ‘The Garden’….
The problem is the grinding and stirring.
Actually, it seems you have to grind the cocoa quite thoroughly.
At least, just putting it in a blender is not good enough at all. It has a gritty texture that’s inedible.
You have to grind it even further from the blender level, until the powder becomes almost liquid.
That can’t be done by hand. You need a large machine to do it. Chocolate is the taste of civilization.
…But I can do it with magic.
I can grind it cleanly in an instant with magic… and even stir it to incorporate air, so it melts smoothly in the mouth.
By doing that, I was able to make chocolate that’s on par with what you’d find on Earth.
Well, I’ve only made plain chocolate so far, but from now on, I plan to try making milk chocolate, assorted chocolates, chocolate cake, and various other things. Indeed, life is interesting. There’s always something to do….
…While giving that boastful explanation, I brewed the tea and gave it to Tris.
“~~~ッ?!! T-This! It’s, it’s so delicious!!”
Then, Tris was overjoyed, almost exaggeratedly so.
This… it’s not an act, is it?
It seems she really likes it.
So far, the foods that Tris has been overjoyed with are “Butter Chicken Curry,” “Hamburger Steak,” and then “Fried Chicken,” “Shortcake,” “Custard Pudding,” and “Ice Cream,” I guess?
She should be older than she looks, but her palate seems to match her appearance. That’s cute, too ♡
“This… is so, so delicious! Um… could you make it again?”
Tris said, her cheeks lightly flushed, as if she was embarrassed by her exaggerated reaction.
“Yeah, it’s easy for me to make, so I’ll prepare it again.”
“Yay! I’m so happy!”
“Chocolate can be mixed into cakes, ice cream, and all sorts of things. It’s also good on fruit.”
“On?”
“Ah… chocolate melts when it’s warmed up.”
“Ah, you’re right. It’s melting in my mouth! I’m not just imagining it because it’s so delicious!”
“If you warm it with milk, you can make chocolate sauce. Right, next time, should I invite the girls to ‘The Garden’ and let them eat chocolate fondue? In winter, cheese fondue too…”
“I don’t really understand, but I’m looking forward to it!”
And after finishing our tea time, we lazed around.
I’m an outdoorsy person, but this isn’t bad once in a while.
My house is also a shop, but the first floor is mostly shop space.
So, to relax, we go to the second floor.
On the second floor, there’s my room, Tris’s room, three guest rooms, and a study.
I put the new books I bought earlier in the study and lay down on the floor.
Well, this place is more like a living room than a study now.
You take off your shoes and lie down on the fluffy carpet, it’s basically a rest area.
Well, there’s a desk and chair for writing… but I end up writing the charts in the examination room downstairs, so this place doesn’t really have much purpose.
But I want one, a study. It’s a space I want to create even if it has no meaning. It’s kind of cool.
I lay down on the fluffy cushion, on the sofa, and take a nap.
Tris started reading, leaning against me….
It’s kind of like a father and a cute daughter on a holiday?
It’s fun, I lost custody in my previous life!!! I’ve never held my own child and spent time like this!!!
After all, Earth women are no good!!!
Thinking about such things, I hugged Tris, who was snuggling up to me, and fell asleep….