NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 227 - Divine Cat Mii-chan Shows Interest in Water Candy
227 Divine Cat Mii-chan Shows Interest in Water Candy
On the second morning of the festival in Beruna, I’m busy cooking. It’s not food for the festival but for the kids in the slums.
After witnessing that scene, I felt I had to do something. So, I decided to organize a soup kitchen, gathering the slum kids occasionally to feed them. For the sick ones, I can give them some of Mii-chan’s mineral water. I might also ask the Commercial Guild to collect unwanted clothes to distribute. It may feel like a drop in the bucket, but it’s better than doing nothing.
“Mii~.”
Mii-chan wholeheartedly supports what I’m doing.
Next to me, the Munakata siblings are busy with something.
“Toshi-kun, shall we begin?”
“Yes, Dr. Kaorin.”
What are they doing? A skit starts, and after a while…
“Look, Toshi-kun! Just as my hypothesis predicted!”
“Dr. Kaorin! The experiment is a success! This deserves a Nyabel Prize!”
They’re working with a big pot next to me, acting out their skit as they continue.
“This… this is divine! What a heavenly color!”
“Dr. Kaorin! With this, many sweet-tooths will be saved!”
“Ha-ha-ha-ha!”
A sweet smell is wafting from their pot. It seems to be water candy. If I remember correctly, it’s made by saccharifying starch with enzymes. I learned that in chemistry. Nicely done, Munakata siblings.
“Heh-heh-heh! Making water candy is basic knowledge for brewing! It’s only natural I know this!”
“Since we have barley, I made it with glutinous rice and malt. We also have potato starch, so I’ll try making it with that next.”
“But wait, Nero-kun! Ta-da!”
Dr. Kaorin dramatically holds up a bottle.
“Yeast!”
“With this, we can bake delicious bread, Dr. Kaorin!”
“I want to eat soft bread!”
“We can even make red bean buns!”
“Mii~!”
Mii-chan reacts to the mention of red bean… It’s made from dried fruit that Perro often eats. They’re already starting to bake bread with Katia-san. I try a little bit of the water candy. It’s not as sweet as sugar but has a gentle sweetness, which might work well for red bean paste. Hopefully, Mii-chan will like it.
As I twist the candy around chopsticks, it turns white. Tasting it brings back memories of my childhood at my grandma’s place. They say twisting it like this makes it smoother and fluffier due to the air, but who knows if that’s true. Either way, it’s fun watching the color change. Mii-chan, do you want to try?
“Mii~.”
Huh? You do?
“Mii~.”
I bring the twisted water candy to Mii-chan, and she starts licking it. Recently, she’s been more adventurous with trying new foods, which is a good thing. Even though the divine cat food must be delicious, there are so many other tasty things out there. It’d be a waste not to try them.
The Munakata siblings and Katia-san finish kneading the dough and are letting it rest. If it rises, it’s a success. I hear there’s a first and second fermentation process, but I’m not too familiar with it. Since they used milk and butter, I’m looking forward to this real bread.
In the meantime, they use the leftover malt to make more water candy. Water candy was once used as a nutritional supplement and medicine. Since it seems easy to make, it might be worth mass-producing. I’ll have the fae folk help with this and make it a local specialty.
By noon, the bread is ready for tasting. At first glance, it looks like regular bread, but when I pick it up, it’s light and soft. The expensive butter adds a nice aroma, and the soft texture when I bite into it is satisfying.
The bread I’ve eaten before wasn’t bad, but it was dense and filling. It had substance.
“It’s so soft~!”
“I’ve never had such soft bread before.”
“Yeah, bread should be like this.”
“Exactly.”
Lara and Yana are blissful, Katia is surprised, and the Munakata siblings are pleased that it’s similar to the bread from Japan.
I ask Katia and the others to make sandwiches with this bread for everyone to enjoy at lunch.
“This is amazing… It almost cuts by itself when I bite it.”
“What is this? I don’t even feel like I’ve eaten!”
“This is delicious. I can’t believe such tasty bread exists.”
“…Munch, munch.”
“It’s delicious, nya…”
“It’s so good, I could eat it forever.”
Yuri’s exaggerating, but Rosalinde and the women seem to love it. The men like it too, though Jin seems a bit unsatisfied. Meanwhile, Letty eats quietly, and Perro is so moved that he’s crying.
“Is it really that good?”
“It is, nya! I want to share this with Mama-nya…”
“Hmm, I don’t think it’ll keep well.”
“Nyaa~…”
I notice Perro hiding some bread in his clothes, much like a certain mountain girl. I explain that while Mii-chan’s bag could preserve it, Perro’s cat pouch might not work. So, he decides to gorge himself to savor the moment. That’s just like the hungry little devil he is.
“Mii~.”