Chapter 88

"Ugh... My strawberry jam is running out..."

I let out a voice full of lingering attachment in the kitchen.

I ended up making strawberry jam cookies for I-chan.

...Of course, that meant I needed ingredients.

I had to use the strawberry jam I had stocked up for myself.

"It's a shame... but this time, I can't use I-chan's jam..."

In one corner of the kitchen, on a wooden shelf, rows of strawberry jam jars were lined up.

Among the jam jars, the ones with green ribbons were for I-chan.

The ones with red ribbons were for me, and the ones without ribbons were for guests and the chefs like Gilbert.

It was already early summer.

The strawberry season had passed, and from now on, we would rely on preserved strawberry jam.

Thanks to I-chan, the gardener cat, we could harvest some out-of-season strawberries, but it was not advisable to overwork her.

To prevent I-chan from overusing her powers and getting sick, I decided to manage the limited strawberry resources carefully.

...By the way.

As can be seen from the ribbons tied around the jam jars, the ownership of the strawberry jam was clearly and firmly decided.

It was the result of a serious negotiation (or so it seemed) between I-chan and me.

"...When we were negotiating about the strawberry jam, I got too carried away, didn't I..."

Thinking back, I let out a dry laugh.

Lucian, standing beside me, also had a distant look in his eyes.

--- As the strawberry season drew to a close and we finished making jam that night, I faced I-chan with unprecedented seriousness.

"40% how about it?"

"Meow!!"

"Too difficult? Then 45%..."

"Meow~? Meow meow!!"

"Wait, that's impossible? Completely no good? Start over?"

I-chan shook her head, and I kept talking, as the spring night deepened.

The negotiation with I-chan eventually turned into a passionate exchange of feelings about strawberries, and the two of us got heated up.

I-chan, who meowed "meow meow," was incredibly expressive and passionate when it came to strawberries.

...As a result, I didn't realize it was already morning, and I welcomed a strangely refreshing sunrise with I-chan.

Talking all night with I-chan, who can't speak, is a bit of a strange story, but I don't mind...

...That day, Lucian also told me in a very serious tone,

"I will swear my unwavering loyalty to you, no matter what happens to the young lady."

I decided not to worry about it.

...I changed my mood and checked the ingredients laid out before me.

"...Well, it's for I-chan, who loves strawberries so much."

I decided to use my strawberry jam and start making cookies.

I was making classic cut-out cookies.

I decided to make cookies with I-chan's strawberry jam, as well as some for myself and the staff of the palace.

I had already made cookies many times in this palace.

Considering the humidity and temperature, I adjusted the amount of butter to avoid failure.

I mixed butter and sugar, blending them with a spatula.

Midway through, I switched to a whisk and mixed it thoroughly.

Lucian was also making the dough, so the quantity was well secured.

When the dough turned pale, I added the beaten egg in 2-3 portions, mixing it well.

After adding flour, the dough came together.

To let the dough rest, I placed it in a box with ice to act as a refrigerator.

While waiting, I decided to make the cookie dough with I-chan's strawberry jam.

I mixed the ingredients in the same way as the plain dough and added the strawberry jam.

Thanks to not being stingy with the jam, the dough turned a beautiful pink.

I let the strawberry cookie dough rest next to the plain dough, preheated the oven, and prepared the cookie cutters.

Round, star, paw, and wolf paw shapes.

...At first glance, the two paw-shaped cutters look similar, but they are subtly different.

This attention to detail doesn't make the cookies taste different...

But it makes the process enjoyable for me.

"Alright, now to roll it out with a rolling pin..."

I took out the rested dough and rolled it to about 5mm thickness, then cut out shapes with the cutters and baked them in the oven.

"The aroma of baked wheat and butter, and the sweet and sour scent of strawberries. ...And as expected, I-chan."

Drawn by the scent of strawberries, I-chan came over.

The chefs smiled at the sight.

"Oh, here she comes again."

"Coming for the scent of strawberries, I-chan is still I-chan today."

"What a cute one."

I understand!

I understand that feeling!

I-chan is so cute and perceptive!!

I deeply agreed with the chefs in my heart.

I-chan, waiting at the kitchen entrance for the strawberry dishes, had become a mascot for the chefs.

I-chan, used to the routine, ignored the doting humans and focused on the oven containing the strawberry cookies.

Feeling the silent pressure and urging from I-chan, I watched the cookies bake, took them out, and placed them on a wire rack.

After confirming they had cooled, I put them on a plate for I-chan and took them out of the kitchen.

"I-chan, they're ready."

"Meow!!"

Unable to wait, I-chan stood on her hind legs.

She skillfully picked up the cookies with her paws and stuffed them into her mouth.

"...Like a hamster..."

Despite looking like a cat.

I-chan ignored my laughter and continued to stuff the cookies into her mouth.

Her whiskers moved with her cheeks, and her eyes occasionally closed in contentment.

"Being a chef is truly rewarding..."

Seeing I-chan's happy face, I no longer felt the strawberry jam was precious, and I felt it was worth it.

Thank you for reading.

This work, "Mofumofu Cooking," will be published by M Novels on December 20th!

The cover illustration is by Nagi Kasumi, and it is very cute.

The book includes the revised and expanded main story from the web novel, as well as two new side stories featuring Gū-sama and I-chan.

I have posted detailed information and the cover illustration in today's activity report, so I would be happy if you could read it.

I will place a link to the activity report page at the bottom of this page.