Chapter 95

Pumpkin pie, pumpkin tart, pumpkin pudding, and pumpkin cream were all completed!

For the drink, a bit of pumpkin cream was placed on top of tapioca milk tea.

You might be wondering if eggs were used?

Yes, they were. I used eggs from the So-mon bird and milk that I received as a gift from a certain dairy maiden. Everything except flour and tea leaves was sourced locally.

The sweetness comes from the pumpkins themselves and the sweet honey that Bartholomew collected.

Taking the opportunity to call Charlotte over with the milk, we ended up having a pumpkin party.

I made a lot of sweets, but I only contributed by brewing the tea and adding the pumpkin cream, which I feel a bit guilty about.

Most of the ideas came from Rumburgh and Elly. They modestly said they just used existing famous recipes, but I’m really impressed that they could come up with so many ideas on the spot. It’s clear they are very familiar with cooking.

The four housekeepers, Charlotte, Rumburgh, who was renewing old ties with the masked gentleman Richmond, and I, a total of seven people, gathered around the dining table.

“Who would have thought Rumburgh had this side to him…”

Richmond’s expression was hidden behind his mask, but he must have been very surprised. His shoulders and even his fingertips were trembling. He was still pointing at the pumpkin tart.

I boasted about Rumburgh as if he were my own.

“Rumburgh can do anything and is amazing. He’s a butler, but he does a wide range of things, and all of them are wonderful!”

“Rumburgh-sama!”

“Joshua-sama…”

Just as Richmond spoke with force, I remembered something.

I had forgotten that Rumburgh was right there.

He was wiping tears from his eyes with a silk handkerchief he had taken out from somewhere.

It was probably not a good idea to boast about him as if he were my own, with him right there.

I could understand Rumburgh being moved to tears, but why was Elly crying too?

Bartholomew was also sniffling and looking solemn, and Richmond had droplets falling from under his mask.

I might have overdone it. But their reactions were way too big.

“Let’s eat, Alru.”

“Yes! It looks delicious!”

I called out to Alru, who was relatively calm. She enthusiastically raised both hands and perked up her ears.

She wasn’t drooling, but if I made her wait, she might start.

I wouldn’t let her do that for her honor, though!

I would do it to some wild child, though.

“You were thinking something strange, weren’t you?”

“What? No!”

Suddenly, a face appeared on my shoulder.

What is this, a monster? It had fox ears, so it must be some kind of ghost or something.

“You’re too jumpy. I heard you were doing something fun, so I came to see.”

“Well, if that’s the case, you should have come from the front. When did you get into the room?”

“Everyone except you noticed, you know?”

“Well, if that’s the case, you should have brought Penguin and Garam too.”

“Garam and the others are in the middle of a drinking party. Soshirou is there too.”

Where?

Oh, there he is.

He was standing fuzzily under the lacy table.

So, why are both of you in a position where I can’t see you?

I need to prepare drinks for them too.

“I have brought them.”

“H-how fast… when did you…?”

Rumburgh, who had been wiping his eyes with a silk handkerchief, elegantly placed tapioca milk tea on a tray and bowed to me.

The conversation was completely interrupted, but I’ll start over.

I cleared my throat dramatically, and everyone’s attention turned to me.

Even if they all look at me, it makes it harder to speak.

Oh well. If I worry about it, something strange might interrupt again.

“Thank you all for gathering. Let’s start the pumpkin tasting!”

I raised my glass of tapioca milk tea, and everyone except Penguin, who couldn’t hold a glass, raised theirs too.

“Cheers!”

I thought it was a bit odd to toast with tea, but it felt like a kind of formal beauty.

Starting the event with a drink as a signal, well, it just happened.

Oh, I can’t do this. If I don’t start eating, no one else will.

Except for Penguin and Sequoia.

So, I quietly said “Itadakimasu” and reached for the sliced pumpkin pie.

Munch, munch.

Oh, wow.

Even without sugar, the natural sweetness of the honey and pumpkins might be even more to my liking.

The pie crust was crispy and went well with the pumpkin.

“Delicious! Everyone, please eat properly.”

I quickly put the pumpkin pie on small plates and handed them to Elly and Rumburgh.

They stepped back a bit, looking embarrassed, but I pushed them forward and continued to hand out plates to Alru, Bartholomew, and Richmond.

The wild child will take what he wants, so it’s fine.

But I made sure to put pumpkin pie and other sweets on a plate for Penguin and placed it on the floor.

Because his flippers can’t reach the table, and even if they did, he wouldn’t be able to grab them properly, which could lead to a big mess.

‘Munch, munch… Hmm, this is good. It reminds me of my time in Japan.’

‘Oh, right. Penguin didn’t eat sweets before. Is it okay for him to eat them now, considering his species…?’

‘Well, it’s fine. If anything happens, I’ll—’

‘I get it. Please don’t do it here if it does happen.’

‘Of course. I know better than that.’

Penguin’s eating habits are still messy. He sounds like an elderly gentleman when he talks, though…

Oh, how do you eat the pudding? You can’t stick your beak into the container.

Got it, got it. Stop trying to bash your beak into it!

I silently inserted a spoon into the pudding that Penguin was fixated on and fed it to him with the spoon.

‘Munch, munch… Mm-hmm.’

‘No need to rush. This is Penguin’s portion, so I’ll make sure to scoop it all out for you.’

‘Hmm. I wasn’t in a hurry or anything. Speaking of which, the discovery of the amethyst and quartz veins was amazing, wasn’t it?’

‘I was surprised too. In Japan, that would make someone very rich.’

‘I’m satisfied as long as I can eat and do research. I don’t need a lot of money. I’m sure you feel the same way, don’t you?’

‘Yeah. I don’t particularly care about money. If I were in Japan, I might want a bit more, but…’

Thinking about Japan, I suddenly remembered.

This world and Earth are quite different. What’s common sense on Earth doesn’t apply here.

Especially the climate.