SWNOVELXO Chapter 196 - Divine Cat Mii-chan, cherishes our customers.
196 Divine Cat Mii-chan, cherishes our customers.
The Munakata siblings seemed to be physically and mentally exhausted. Since they didn’t come down, I went to check on them and found both sleeping in their beds. Since there was still some time before dinner, I decided to let them rest.
“Mii~”
Yankun and the others returned, so I explained about the siblings. I had mentioned they were heroes, but it seemed they hadn’t expected to live together. I asked them to treat them normally.
The sales from the food stall were doing well, and it seems the usual guild sisters had become regular customers. As the daytime temperatures rose, ice candies and frozen treats were also selling well. We were doing great!
Since we were running low on mochi, we decided to make some outside.
Lala-san brought steamed glutinous rice, while Ru-san and Perro pounded it, and Ilze-san was responsible for returning the pestle. Everyone sat around the mortar, waiting for the mochi to be ready. Of course, we had taste testers because the Divine Cat Trading Company is strict about quality control.
“Mii~”
As the sound of pounding mochi echoed, the Munakata siblings came outside as if drawn by the sound.
“Wow, you’re making mochi!”
“So you’re the one making it, Nero-san.”
“Want to try?”
““Yes!””
Young people these days probably haven’t done much mochi pounding. The Munakata siblings took turns with Ru-san but struggled as they tried to pound the mochi. It looks easy, but it’s quite difficult until you get used to it. Even with strength, if the timing with the person returning the pestle is off, it can be problematic. Plus, if you use an awkward posture, you’ll end up with muscle soreness the next day, which is a whole different issue.
The Munakata siblings ate the freshly pounded mochi without any toppings.
“It’s delicious, Toshi.”
“Because we made it ourselves, right?”
That’s right, that’s right. The Divine Cat Trading Company’s mochi is the best in the other world!
“Mii~”
Since we were still making more mochi, I left it to Ru-san and went to the kitchen at home with Mii-chan. In the kitchen, Katia-san and Yana-san were preparing dinner while Lala-san was steaming more glutinous rice.
I heated the sweet red bean paste I had stored in the refrigerator, adding a little salt to it. I also found some milk in the fridge, which I warmed up and added an appropriate amount of honey. I then cut the freshly made mochi into suitable sizes and added them to the milk with melted sweet red bean paste. It’s a classic anko mochi, along with a unique milk mochi variation.
Before taking it to everyone, I had Katia-san and the others taste it. Even Mii-chan got some.
“Mii~”
I gave Mii-chan a small plate with anko mochi that didn’t have any mochi inside. Of course, I served the ones with mochi to Katia-san and the others.
“It’s delicious.”
“The sweet red bean paste clings to the mochi, giving it a different taste compared to dumplings.”
“The one with sweet milk is like a dessert, and I really like it.”
Yeah, it seems to be well received. What about Mii-chan?
She licked the milk a few times but quickly started licking the sweet red bean paste.
“Mii…”
It seems she didn’t particularly like either. However, she thoroughly licked the sweet red bean paste…
When I took the mochi outside, I found Jin-san and the others joining in on the mochi pounding.
“This is kinda fun!”
“Hm. I’ve eaten dumplings before, but this is the base for them, huh?”
“It’s delicious!”
Of course, it’s delicious since it’s a main product of the Divine Cat Trading Company!
“Mii~”
When I treated everyone to the mochi I brought, it was also well received. I was surprised at how much they liked the milk mochi more than I expected.
“It kind of feels nostalgic. It’s a taste that warms the heart.”
“Meow.”
“Gaw.”
“Kyuu~”
Lala-san brought the last of the glutinous rice, so I thought I would help out at least this once. But then I noticed Jin-san and Glenhart-san having fun pounding the mochi, so I left it to them.
“Phew, I worked up a good sweat. I’m going to take a bath!”
““Bath!””
Why are the Munakata siblings so surprised?
“Nero-san! Is there a bath here?”
“I want to take a bath!”
If you were at the royal palace of Rotalingia, didn’t you have a bath? Or were you not allowed to use it?
“The place over there has a sauna culture.”
“All we had was a cold bath…”
Rotalingia is to the east of the Lumiere Kingdom, with a desert to the south, according to the books, but the climate shouldn’t be too different. The Duchy of Hildenburg to the south is known for its sauna culture, but there should have been regular baths too. Cultural customs are indeed mysterious.
“Mii~”
Mii-chan loves baths. Rather, all my pets love baths.
“If you want to take a bath, you can do so anytime, feel free.”
““Yay!””
“Well, I guess I have to. Perro will teach you how to take a bath. It’s a special treat.”
Perro-kun, they probably know more about taking baths than you. After all, they were originally Japanese.
“Please teach us, Nyanko-sensei!”
“I’ll take a bath by myself… Nyanko-sensei.”
“Oh, is that so? What a shame… Everyone, let’s go!”
“Alright!”
““O-Okay!””
“Gaw.”
“Kyuu~”
Yankun got dragged into this too. More importantly, when did Perro become a teacher? Nyanko-sensei… haha.
I cleaned and put away the tools with Ilze-san and the others. Having water skills comes in handy at times like this. I can move the water freely to wash and even boil it for sterilization at the end. It’s a very useful skill.
The Divine Cat Trading Company takes food hygiene seriously. We cherish our customers.
“Mii~”