#690 Japanese Confectionery Rush

The elves’ overwhelming tea strategy... on a global scale?!

Who would’ve thought they had been preparing to launch tea to such a thorough degree...?!

Although it wasn’t precisely because of their inspiration, I had been feeling motivated since early spring.

Something indispensable when it comes to enjoying tea: sweet things.

The rich sweetness that harmonizes with the bitterness of the tea is, after all, an essential element of a tea ceremony!

The caffeine content of tea—said to surpass even coffee—and sugar—the driving force behind brain function. 

This combination that stimulates and nourishes the brain is a tried-and-true combo loved even by the great people of the Sengoku era.

If I bring that to this other world, they’ll arrive at the same result sooner or later.

It seems Aileron also concluded to pair the Yggdrasil tea leaves, imbued with the spiritual power of the Yggdrasil, with sakura mochi wrapped in Sakura Yggdrasil leaves.

But!

Sakura mochi is not the only sweet thing that goes well with tea!

Various super sweet things have been developed and loved along with tea.

In order to respond to the elves’ hard work, I’ve started to feel like flexing my culinary muscles too!

So, without further ado, I’ll get to cooking in the kitchen immediately.

Ingredients:

Red bean paste.

Powdered agar.

Sugar.

Water.

All right. Let’s get cooking.

For now, I’ll put the prepared ingredients on the fire and mix them vigorously.

Once they’re mixed well and become syrupy, I’ll remove them from the heat and let them cool.

Then, the effects of the powdered agar will solidify the mixture with a jiggly texture, and a transparent sweet with the black color of the red bean paste is complete.

Yes, it’s yokan jelly!!!

Everyone’s favorite dessert!

Come on, guys, feel free to indulge!

“Um... are you sure this is... safe to eat?”

Are they frightened by the unusual appearance of the yokan?!

Well, it does have a unique texture and transparency, and it’s black!

Even the farm residents, who have delighted in tasting unfamiliar, otherworldly dishes countless times, hesitate with this one.

I-It’s okay, guys. Yokan isn’t scary, okay?

“Yokan jelly was said to have been made as a substitute by monks who couldn’t eat meat.”

“Huh? Monks? Why don’t they eat meat?”

...

So it starts from there...?!

It’s a stark reminder of cultural differences, huh?

“In short, if it’s supposed to replace meat, it must be tasty, right? In that case, I, the great me, will have the honor of tasting it!”

When it comes to taking the first bold step at times like this, it’s always Veil.

As expected, dragons are fearless!

“It’s a meat substitute, huh? Sirloin? Thigh? If it has a kalbi-like flavor, I’ll praise it. It better not be intestine-flavored,” she speculates, excitedly anticipating as she takes a bite of the yokan. “Sooooooooooooooo sweet!!!”

Then, to her utter surprise, she burst out at the unexpected intense sweetness.

“What the, what the, what the?!?!?! What is this sweetness?! I’ve never tasted such sweet meat!”

True that.

What were people thinking when they considered this super-sweet flavor as a substitute for meat?

If you think about it, considering the manufacturing process, it’s absurdly sweet because it uses sweet red bean paste, heavily mixed with sugar, and then more sugar added on top.

I, the producer, myself, am surprised because I made that dessert using my automatic-habitual action, the Hand of Supremacy.

“Ah, but this is delicious in its own way. I love sweets.”

“Hey, is it really that good?! Let me have a bite too!!!”

And just like that, a crowd of dessert-loving sweets quickly gathered.

They all flocked around from Platy to Batemy, Belena, the satyrs, and the Maidens of Bacchus.

“I see! This is also a perfect partner for tea!”

Among them, Aileron is particularly fond of it.

While munching on a large block of yokan jelly, she says, “I’ve always thought that sweets are essential to serve along with the tea we’re selling, but having sakura mochi alone isn’t reassuring. Besides, it’s difficult to take them outside the farm.”

That’s right.

Because they’re wrapped in Yggdrasil leaves, they’re treated as hazardous substances that could potentially resurrect the dead if mishandled.

“But isn’t it possible to reproduce this easily outside the farm? The ingredients are just red beans and sugar, right?! Sugar production might be difficult outside the farm, but we could grow sugar beets in the elf forest in the middle of reforestation!”

The serene elf forest is being smoothly turned into agricultural land.

Though I’d like them to focus on growing trees primarily.

“Well, Letasreit can prepare as much red bean paste as we need. After all, that’s the main ingredient.”

There’s hardly anything impossible for that girl when it comes to beans anymore.

I can already hear her say, “From soybeans to adzuki beans, I can provide anything.”

Alright, I’m getting hyped!

Let’s try another dessert!

“I’ve actually been preparing for this day for quite some time!”

Indeed, the main ingredient of the yokan jelly—powdered agar—is one of them!

I’ve been cultivating it on the farm for a while now, looking for a chance to put it to good use!

There are also many other such crops, and now is the time for them to shine!

The next Japanese confectionary to be produced using this alternative ingredient is...!

“Kuzu mochi!”

“That’s mean of you, Dear!”

Huh? What did I do?

I didn’t expect to be criticized just for announcing the dessert’s name...

“How can you say such a terrible thing?! Calling mochi ‘garbage... that’s really mean!”

“Yeah! Mochi is good! It’s certainly not garbage!”

That’s what they’re angry about?!

I do feel like calling it garbage mochi is quite an insult, but that’s not what I meant by kuzu mochi.

“The ‘kuzu’ in kuzu mochi doesn’t mean garbage... it’s called kuzu mochi because it’s made from a kuzu plant.”

“Okay...”

But I agree, though, that the name ‘kuzu’ can be misleading...

Why did people in the past name it like this?!

“Well, let’s give it a try since it’s already here.”

Upon simmering the kuzu starch into a thick goo and then chilling it, it solidifies into a semi-transparent, jiggly substance. 

This is what kuzu mochi looks like!

It’s semi-transparent, see?

“What’s this? Slime?”

I knew they’d react that way!

Its transparency and texture do remind you of slime, don’t they?! I mean, I encountered slimes in RPGs before I ever tasted kuzu mochi in my world, so that impression sticks!

Moreover, this time I’ve made kuzu mochi manju, where I’ve encased sweet bean paste in kuzu mochi, making it rounder and even more slime-like!

“Let’s see how it tastes... Ahhh... Mm, it’s good! It’s sweet!”

Teeenen-tenennn.

“The texture of this transparent dough is smooth and springy, different from normal mochi! Plus, it’s cool and refreshing, which makes it even more delicious! It’s like ice cream!”

Kuzu mochi has to be cooled to settle the dough.

That’s why it’s like a chilled dessert and tastes so good...

“This mochi is far from garbage! It’s a mochi that doesn’t suit the name ‘kuzu’ at all! It’s a misnomer! Or is it a win because of its name?”

“That’s right! There’s no such thing as a mochi born to be garbage! This mochi deserves a more fitting name! How about Slime Mochi?!”

I think that name is a little weird too...!

It doesn’t sound very appetizing...or does it?

“Uooooooooooooh! This sweet is perfect as a tea accompaniment tooooooooooooo!”

And there goes Aileron again, gulping down the kuzu mochi with tremendous vigor.

She just finished eating an entire block of yokan, yet she still has room for more.

I couldn’t do that.

Even though I made them, I feel like I’d get heartburn from all the sweetness.

“Because it’s a cool and refreshing mochi, it might go well with cold teaaa! No matter how cloyingly sweet it is, if you rinse your mouth with a bit of tea, you can eat as much as you want! It’s an infinite loop!!!”

There’s no way that’s possible...

This must be the famous ability of women to eat infinite amounts of sweets...

A separate stomach for dessert?!

It seems like the male brain has a function to prevent overconsumption of sweets.

“Tea! Red bean paste! Tea red bean paste! Bitterness! Sweetness! Bitterness, sweetness, bitterness, sweetness! This infinite loop will continue forever! Now bring us the next confectionaryyyyyy!!!”

Aileron’s broken.

It’s mainly her dessert receptors, though.

Well, I still have plenty of ideas stocked up, so I’ll heed her requests.

As such, this spring dessert festival is far from over.