Chapter 360 - Tasting

"Hello~"

""Hello~""

"Takumi-dono, you have come. Follow me inside, please. The President is restlessly waiting for you."

When we visited the Fiji Company's store, a shopkeeper immediately guided me to the reception room.

"Takumi-dono, thank you for coming. Come, come, please take a seat."

I was greeted by Stefan-san in the reception room, and he immediately urged us to sit down.

"The ice cream prototypes were made quite quickly, weren't they?"

"Sometimes in business, speed is of the essence!"

It appears that Stefan-san was a businessman first at heart, after all.

"We have a few basic milk-flavored ice cream flavors available today, and we'd appreciate your feedback."

"Several varieties of the same flavor?"

"Yes, we have prepared several kinds of milk of Moo from different regions, as well as milks from other animals."

Heeh~ milk from different places. It is true that the thickness and flavor of milk differs depending on the environment in which the animal is grown. But to be able to do that in just a few days… that's amazing, Stefan-san~

"I'm looking forward to it, but my opinion might not be helpful, you know? I'm sure I will say, 'Everything tastes good' anyway."

"Nono, if something is to your liking, I will have confidence to move on, so please give me your honest opinion."

"Err… alright."

So, we started tasting the ice cream that Stefan-san prepared for us.

"May I serve it without mentioning the place of origin, and just number them?"

"I don't know where the milk comes from, but if I find out it's not from Moo, I might be prejudiced. That should be fine."

"Then, let's start with the number one."

Immediately, the first kind of ice cream was served, and what a surprise! It was served round.

"Stefan-san, this is!"

"We used the tool that you have told us about. It is just a prototype, but we can serve it in a beautiful shape like this already."

"That's amazing. And it works fast!"

"We have no problem with it as far as we are concerned, but would you please check it later? If there are no problems, we will have a finished product made."

"Understood!"

It seems that the scooper was already ready. If you can hollow out the ice cream so beautifully, it will not be a problem, even if it is different from the tool I have in mind.

"Now, now, you should try the ice cream before it melts."

"That's true. Then, let's dig in."

""Itadakima~su!""

Putting the utensils behind us, we tried the first one first.

The first was light and refreshing, the second was rather rich. The third one was a bit more peculiar and tasted like… Mee milk, I guess? The fourth was refreshing, similar to the first.

"Wow! This is delicious!"

""I like this~!""

The fifth ice cream was even richer than the second one.

Allen and Elena also seemed to like it, and although it was a small portion for tasting, they devoured it in one go.

"Number five is the one that stands out at me."

"The milk of No. 5 is the milk of Moo, which we feed with special care. Takumi-dono and the children have as good taste buds as they can be."

"No, it was simply that delicious. Oh, so it seems like you can't get a very good supply of No. 5 milk though, right?"

"Yes, that's exactly right."

As I thought~ I guess there are people in this world who are particular about raising animals, too~

"We're thinking of setting the price higher and offering it in limited quantities."

"That sounds great. If you start offering them for sale, I will be the first one to come and buy."

""Definitely buying~""

"And these kids seem to like it, too."

I'm really looking forward to seeing these on sale.

"How was everything else?"

"Let's see. I think the second one is rich and milky. On the other hand, the first one tasted refreshing, so I think it would be easier to mix it with different flavors. Oh, it would be delicious with fruit jam. Wouldn't it be nice to choose the jam you use for shaved ice and pour it over it?"

""That sounds yummy! Wanna eat!""

"The Refreshing Arbour" seems to have a variety of fruit jams for shaved ice, so it would be fun to choose one.

"That is a wonderful idea! Would it be all right to put that idea of yours to use?"

"Yes, of course. Come to think of it, I forgot to ask you last time, how many kinds of jam do you have for shaved ice?"

"Oh my goodness! Takumi-dono, let me leave the seat for a second, please."

I only asked what kind of jams, but Stefan-san looked despairing and hurried out of the reception room.

""What is it~?""

"… I wonder what?"

As I tilted my head along with the children at the sudden turn of events, Stefan-san soon returned.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! Takumi-dono, please take these home."

When Stefan-san returned, he was carrying a large amount of jars of jam.

It might be the jams that are sold at the Refreshing Arbour.

"Eh, sorry. I did not mean to place demands or anything…"

I didn't bring up the subject to demand these, but did it sound like that from Stefan-san's point of view?

"Nono, I was originally going to give it to you, but I was so excited about the ice cream that I forgot about it the last time. So, Takumi-dono, please don't hesitate to try it whenever you feel like it."

I see. The look on Stefan-san's face when he hurriedly left the reception room was because he remembered that he had forgotten.

"If that's the case, then thank you very much."

""Thank you.""

I thanked him, followed by the kids.

"That's quite the variety~"

"There's so many!"

"Looking forward to it!"

I looked at the jams again, and they all seemed to be of different kinds.

"Which one is the most popular, by the way?"

"Unfortunately, we don't have one that is outstandingly popular yet… Since it is the first time people try something like this, everyone seems to be trying out different flavors."

"I see~"

It is true that shaved ice is something that has just started to appear. For now, they are probably starting with their favorite fruits, so I wonder if they are going to order the full range in the end?

"Women and children are mostly ordering sweet Ichi or sweet and sour mixed berries the most. For men, it's a refreshing lemoné."

"Heeh~ By the way, what is in the mixed berries?"

"Oh, it's a mixture of blueberries, redberries, and blackberries."

""Wanna try~""

Mixed jam, huh? That sounds delicious, too. I will try making some next time.

After that, we continued discussing ice cream for a while.

At that time, I suggested pancakes or pound cake and ice cream platter… Stefan-san's eyes lit up instantly.

I had only a lighthearted hope that we would be able to buy pound cakes, but it seemed to have stimulated Stefan-san's motivation. I'm sure they will start selling them in stores in the near future.