Who Is the World’s Strongest Appraiser? ~Living in Another World With Satisfying Meals~

We’ve Arrived At The Sweets Buffet

“It’s delicious, isn’t it?”

“… Yeah.”

As Yuuri murmured contentedly, it took a beat for Brook to respond. In front of them were plates with sweets, a plate pasta, a cup with soup, and a glass of water. It looked like a small meal scene, but the plate with sweets was much larger, and the pasta seemed like a side dish.

This is a paradise of food, and they had come to the sweets buffet that was held twice a month. As the name suggests, most of the people around were women, with a lot of young women. Occasionally, there were couples, but generally, the men seemed to be there to please their partners, showing little personal interest.

In this environment, Yuuri, happily eating sweets with a big smile, was being looked at by the men with expressions as if they were seeing something strange. Even the staff serving the food had similar expressions. Beside Yuuri, Brook was eating quietly with a nearly expressionless, calm face, and everyone was looking at him with pitying expressions.

… By the way, despite not showing it on his face, Brook was thoroughly enjoying the situation where he could eat as many sweets as he wanted. He just wasn’t showing it.

Brook didn’t show his feelings because he knew grinning over sweets wouldn’t suit his image. His self-evaluation was accurate. No one wanted to see the cool, handsome Brook, who had the dignity of a seasoned warrior, lose his composure in front of sweets. And Brook didn’t want to show it either.

“Hey, hey, I brought out the new roll cake~”

“Welcome back, Lelei.”

“Here’s Yuuri’s portion. And this one is for Brook-san.”

“Thanks~”

“… It’s a help.”

Lelei, who had returned with a plate piled high with roll cakes, divided some onto Yuuri’s plate and some onto Brook’s plate. With a cheerful attitude, Lelei sat next to Yuuri and cut the roll cake in half with a fork, bringing it to her mouth. She smiled, saying it was delicious, and she always ate with a genuinely delighted expression.

The roll cakes Lelei brought were all plain sponge cakes with cream and fruit in between. However, the fruits paired with the cream varied, giving different flavors. Some versions had colored cream, suggesting fruit juice was mixed in. Even though it was the same roll cake, the different fillings changed the taste, making it practically a different sweet.

Incidentally, this idea was Yuuri’s suggestion to Lucia, the pâtissier of this food paradise. By changing the contents and the fruits used in desserts made with the same process, variety can be increased. Using seasonal fruits is also a good approach. Additionally, this method is convenient, requiring less effort and easily increasing the variety of sweets.

Moreover, even if the suggested method was simple, it was Lucia who brought it to a level suitable for serving in the shop. Yuuri was very satisfied as he could enjoy a lot of delicious roll cakes. The roll cakes were about 5 cm in diameter, wrapped with sponge on the outside, and filled with cream and fruit in the center. They were rich with cream and delicious.

“Why don’t you go get some yourself, Yuuri?”

“Well, I was thinking about going to get some.”

“But?”

“I’m back~. Hey, this jelly looks really delicious, so I brought some for Yuuri too. Oh, of course, I brought some for Brook-san as well?”

“… Lelei and everyone else are like this too.”

“Yeah. I guess I was wrong. Yuuri, you don’t have to get up.”

Returning in high spirits was Helmine. Since her back wings were not out to avoid being in the way, she was carrying a plate with several bite-sized jellies. These round jellies were very cute, with different colors indicating different flavors. Helmine cheerfully laughed and rolled the jellies onto Yuuri’s and Brook’s plates.

Yes, Yuuri had intended to enjoy the buffet by seeing and choosing sweets himself. However, after going to get some once, he was now waiting quietly for them to be delivered. The women had no ill intentions. They were naturally bringing sweets for Yuuri as well as for Brook, who found it difficult to choose sweets for himself. That was all.

Brook, thanks to them, was savoring the happiness of having sweets delivered without having to leave his seat. He only got up to get soup, pasta, bread, or drinks. … Basically, the sweets zone was mostly women, making it awkward for the manly Brook to approach. After all, no one would believe he’s a sweet tooth with his appearance.

“Oh, Lelei and Helmine have brought quite a lot.”

“We can’t say much about others ourselves, Frau.”

“… Well, that’s true.”

Returning cheerfully were the older sister duo, Frau and Tifaana. Frau held a plate with pasta in one hand and a plate with sweets in the other, skillfully managing two plates. Tifaana carefully held a plate with several bite-sized tarts in both hands. The two were always contrasting.

They also gave some of the sweets they brought to Yuuri and Brook. Both accepted gratefully, but Yuuri wondered why he also received some. It was probably just a side effect. Yuuri was looking forward to another chance to enjoy choosing from the array of sweets.

So, the group that had come out to the sweets buffet today was all assembled. They had originally planned to come earlier, but since the place had been packed since opening, they realized that it seemed to be getting even more crowded. Noticing that it was getting busier rather than quieter, they decided to go ahead with their visit today.

“Mmm! Sweet and delicious!”

“Lelei, you’ve got cream on your nose.”

“Huh? Ahaha, it’s just that it’s so good, I got carried away.”

“Seriously, how do you get cream on your nose?”

“Hmm? I don’t know.”

Lelei, happily munching on roll cakes, was being looked at with an exasperated smile by Helmine. Helmine, too, was smiling happily as she enjoyed the colorful jellies. The contrast between the lively Lelei eating and the serene, almost painting-like smile of Helmine was subtly attracting attention. However, they didn’t mind and were simply enjoying their treats.

Frau was eating pasta gracefully. While she was enjoying the sweets as well, she had brought the pasta to balance out the sweetness, which could become overwhelming. Next to her, Tifaana was slowly savoring small tarts, eating quietly without engaging in much conversation.

Yuuri and Brook were surrounded by these four women. Neither was particularly concerned about the situation; after all, they were both there to enjoy delicious sweets, so the situation was perfect for them. Yet, from the outside perspective, it seemed like Yuuri was just an add-on and Brook was a forced companion, either as a bodyguard or wallet, which was far from the truth.

“Still, with it being so busy, Lucia must be having a tough time…”

“But Lucia is happy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. After all, her dream is to have many people taste her sweets.”

“In fact, now that her dream has come true, she should be very fulfilled.”

Helmine said with a smile. She had a long-standing, deep relationship with Lucia. For Helmine, who loved delicious sweets, Lucia was an invaluable pâtissier. Besides that, their personal friendship added credibility to her words.

Occasionally, Lucia could be seen carrying sweets from the kitchen. Despite her busy work, her face was full of smiles. When she made eye contact with Yuuri and the others, she would bow slightly. They, not wanting to trouble her, waved her off cheerfully.

“… The sweets here are really good.”

Brook muttered softly. The lowered volume of his voice suggested he was concerned about being overheard. Yuuri was the only one who thought it unnecessary to worry. The women, however, hoped he would keep his intense sweet tooth hidden for the sake of the surrounding ambiance. The stark contrast of a cool beauty loving sweets was quite shocking.

It might have been a bit better if he were a child, but knowing that Brook, a man in his thirties, was finding happiness in sweets among young girls was too much of a gap. Also, Brook, having hidden this side of himself until now, found it impossible to reveal it immediately. Even though he enjoyed it, it was so ingrained that he ended up with a serious face. The concealment mode was intense.

“Yes, indeed.”

“Even with just the sponge cake, the quality of the ingredients and the skill must be excellent. There’s no strange sweetness.”

“Yeah, exactly. The sponge cake here doesn’t get dry or crumbly!”

“I prefer the fresh cream. Sometimes others’ are oddly too sweet~”

When Brook praised the sponge cake, Lelei joined in. She explained emphatically how cheap ones stick to your mouth! Lelei’s plate was almost empty, and her eating speed was quite extraordinary. Helmine praised the fresh cream, noting that it didn’t mask the milk flavor with excessive sugar, which was her favorite.

Thus, the three of them began discussing what was good and what wasn’t. Mostly, it was Lelei and Helmine responding to Brook’s comments. Although they weren’t particularly close to Brook normally, the shared appreciation for delicious sweets made them sociable enough to engage in conversation.

“It’s so delicious.”

And despite being surrounded by the three-person discussion, Yuuri ate his sweets at his own pace. Delicious sweets were a reward. Although he could make some things himself, professionally made sweets had a different taste. Yuuri smiled happily, enjoying the delicious treats.

Incidentally, on their way out, there was a lucky surprise when Lucia, who came rushing out in a hurry, secretly handed them some baked goods as souvenirs.