Chapter 46

"Is our master here, causing trouble?"

A girl suddenly appeared.

She was about the same age as Efa.

Her unruly brown hair was forced into a red hood, and her freckles were endearing.

"What, Kamila. Did you come to pick her up?"

The moment the girl's face was seen, the tone of the witch-like guest softened.

Pulling the girl closer, she began to comb her hair with a hand comb.

"Master Ingrid, please stop touching my hair! You're really drunk again, aren't you?"

As Kamila pushed her away, the hood slipped off.

Revealed was a beautiful woman with silver hair. Her long hair was tied back, and her green eyes were hazy with intoxication.

She looked to be in her thirties, but she might be a bit older.

Even a child like Efa would sigh at the sight.

"Welcome."

"Ah, welcome! Welcome!"

At Shizuno's voice, Kamila and the guest seemed to be remembered by Shizuno.

"Ah, no, I just came to pick her up. I'm not here to order anything..."

Efa also thought that made sense.

After all, it was strange for a child to order anything at an izakaya.

"But, do you have any sweets?"

Sweets!

At the sound of that, a shiver ran down Efa's back.

Sweets were the witch's favorite.

"Our master stops drinking when she eats sweets. I can take her home then."

"Sweets, you say," Shizuno replied.

"Dried fruits or anything like that. If you have any, could you give me a little?"

Shizuno put her index finger to her chin, thinking, but it seemed she couldn't think of anything right away.

Of course, this was an izakaya, so it was natural that there were no sweets readily available.

Efa felt a bit relieved inside.

Without any sweets, this suspicious master and apprentice would probably leave soon.

Just as she was thinking that, Shizuno snapped her fingers.

"That's it. I have that."

What could it be?

Shizuno took a small teacup from the refrigerator.

"Ta-da, Shizuno's special homemade pudding!"

" Homemade... pudding?"

Efa repeated it, but it was a dish she had never heard of.

From the look of it, it seemed to be a relative of chawanmushi, perhaps a cousin.

But was chawanmushi sweet?

"Oh, pudding. It looks delicious."

"No, Taisho. It's not for you."

"Huh, but there are enough, right?"

Ignoring Taisho's slightly sulky tone, Shizuno began to count the puddings.

"One for Ingrid, one for Kamila, one for Efa, and one for your brother and sister."

"Is that okay? It doesn't seem like there's one for you, Shizuno."

"It's fine for me and Taisho."

Shizuno smiled, but Taisho still looked a bit resentful. He had said chawanmushi was his favorite, so he probably liked pudding too.

"Here, Kamila. Please enjoy it with Ingrid."

"Thank you, I will!"

"Efa, you should eat it too."

Holding the wooden spoon, Efa faced the pudding.

It was indeed a bit different from chawanmushi. The cool, chilled bowl felt nice in her hand.

Just as Efa was about to take her first bite,

"Delicious!"

Ingrid let out a surprised cry.

Kamila was also enthusiastically eating the pudding.

The mysterious aura from when Efa first saw Ingrid had disappeared, and she looked rather cute eating.

Efa had thought she was a witch, but seeing this, she began to doubt it.

But how delicious was this pudding?

Taking the first bite, she let it linger in her mouth.

It was sweet!

The smooth sweetness spread throughout her mouth.

Efa's eyes widened as she peered into the teacup.

What was this yellow food?

"Is it delicious, Efa?"

"It's delicious, really!"

As she dug into the pudding with the wooden spoon, a black, honey-like substance seeped out from the bottom.

Scooping a little with the tip of the spoon and tasting it, it was also sweet!

A different kind of sweetness from the yellow part.

Next, she mixed the two parts together. It was a wonderful taste.

It was a happiness that made her reluctant to finish eating.

As she carefully ate, making sure not to leave any at the bottom of the bowl, Ingrid suddenly started giggling.

"This pudding is wonderful. Truly wonderful. It's like magic. I must have another one."

"I'm sorry, Ingrid. The pudding is all gone."

"Was it for the staff as a souvenir... hmm."

With a sigh, Ingrid took a small amulet from the sleeve of her robe.

"This is something I received from a female mercenary. It's a powerful amulet that brings unexpected encounters."

"Is that magic too?"

In response to Shizuno's question, Kamila reacted.

"Master, did you say something about magic in this shop!"

"Well, it's the night of the two new moons, so I just..."

"Ever since we moved to the ancient city, people have been wary of us. Please stop saying such things."

"U-um, I'll be more careful next time..."

Ingrid seemed hurt by her disciple's scolding and shrank back.

"So, Ingrid isn't a witch...?"

"That's right, manager. Master is actually a skilled pharmacist, despite appearances."

According to Kamila's explanation, they had recently lived in a forest in the Baronetcy of Brantano, but as the area was gradually being developed, they decided to move to the city.

"So, the talk about magic?"

"It's more like a hobby for her. She seems to know a bit about such things."

"A bit? Kamila."

"Alright, alright. Let's go home now."

"But, the pudding..."

At this, Shizuno bowed deeply.

Ingrid still had a lingering desire for the pudding, but the remaining ones were for her brother and sister.

It was so delicious, she wanted them to taste it too.

Feeling a bit guilty, Efa noticed Taisho smiling slyly.

He opened the refrigerator and started searching inside.

He seemed to have found what he was looking for.

"Oh, there's another pudding here."

In a strangely flat tone, Taisho said this, and Shizuno turned around faster than she had ever seen before.

"Huh, what, that pudding, um..."

"Shizuno, you didn't make an extra one just for yourself, did you?"

"U-um..."

With slightly teary eyes, Shizuno watched as Taisho handed the last pudding to Ingrid.

"The last pudding of the day. Please enjoy it thoroughly."

"Ah, thank you. But, is it okay?"

"It's fine. Please enjoy it."

Although Shizuno didn't complain, Efa noticed her temples twitching.

Shizuno must have really wanted the pudding.

Ingrid praised the second pudding as delicious and ate it so cleanly that the bowl didn't need washing before leaving.

From the way she acted, she would probably come back to the shop.

After they left, Efa found an amulet left on the table.

It was a carefully crafted amulet with a beautiful blue stone.

Since Shizuno and Taisho were arguing about the hidden pudding, Efa decided to place the amulet on the kamidana.