We're in the forty-second ward.
In the kitchen of a failing cake shop with a deep history.

Ginette's birthday party included Demilly, the lord of the fortieth district.
I wanted to talk to him about some things related to sugar rights, and I also wanted him to help me in some way.
If we could produce sugar in our own territory, it would generate enormous profits. With that in mind, Demilly agreed to attend my birthday party.
Estella, who was taking care of Demilly, told me that he was very happy because of the sewage.

So, what we're going to do today is a gathering that I've offered and Demilly has requested. ......



I'm extremely frustrated right now.
Maybe I should really stop. I'll teach you.

Today, I'm supposed to personally teach the representatives of the forty districts how to make shortcakes.

And yet, this is his attitude.

...... What is "Luxury"?

I was introduced to a man named Pompeo, who was the owner and chef of the restaurant. ...... This man was snarky and snide.
He is such a nasty man that I want to write him down as an example of the word 'nasty' in the Kojien dictionary.

'I had to make time for you because my lord asked me to. You should be grateful.
'Hey, you. Is that the attitude of someone who is being taught?

Paula was just as annoyed as I was.
Why is Cantartica from the tavern in the cake shop?
I asked the food and beverage people from District 42 who were attending Ginette's birthday if they wanted me to teach them how to make shortcake. All of them raised their hands, so we decided to play rock-paper-scissors. I'm going to teach the recipe to all the stores anyway.

That's why I decided to teach it to Paula, the winner of the big rock-paper-scissors tournament.

'Yashiro. You don't have to teach this guy the cake recipe, do you?

Paula gives me a look of obvious disgust.
You could say that. ......

'I want to spread the cake as much as possible. The more 'proper' cakes are available in the forty districts, the more demand there will be.

The demand will definitely increase if we promote very tasty cakes at a reasonable price instead of those rip-off brown sugar buns.
We need to get as much sugar into the market as possible.
And fast.
As for shortcake, we have to give up our monopoly.
We have to give up our monopoly on shortcakes. That's what I decided to do this time.

'Well, it's not much of a thank you, but ......, in honor of you, I'm giving you permission to use our beautiful kitchen. You should be grateful.

I'm the one who should be thanking you. ......
However, ...... hmm. The kitchen looks pretty nice.

'Looks like a good kitchen to use.
I'm sure you're right.That's why the poor people.

Hmm?

'Please don't use the word 'kitchen' in a muddy way. This place is called a 'kitchen'.'

Kitchen and kitchen are both 'kitchen' after all. What a hassle.

'The kitchen of my coffee shop was designed and built by Mr. Umaro Trubek, the young master builder of the famous Trubek Construction Company. It's easy to use, that's a given, you'd have to say.

...... Ila.
I'm not sure what to make of that.

I'm not sure what to make of that. ......

I'm not sure what to make of it.

There's a storage space in the dead space. You're the best, you're the master.

'You!How dare you speak so rudely to Umaro-sama?I can't let you use this wonderful kitchen!Get out of here!

I use Umaro's kitchen every day.

'Are you going to disobey your lord's orders?Didn't he tell you to teach me how to make cakes and spread them throughout the forty districts?
'What does the lord want?He's just a nobleman, isn't he?

How dare you call the lord 'such a person'? ......
It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has a problem with this. This is why they are given preferential treatment in many ways and are looked up to. You can get brown sugar bread and tea in a third-rate restaurant that doesn't even know how to make tea.
How high does his nose have to go for something like that?
I'm going to steal all your customers, Kola.

'Yashiro-san, we're ready.
'Oh. Thank you.'

Ginette, who was quietly preparing the food I brought in.
Looks like it's ready.



'Well, let's get on with it and get the hell out of here.
'Wait. I said you're not allowed to use it.
'I've got my own reasons.
'I don't know!If you can't worship Master Umaro, you have no right to bake a cake!

Who would worship such a thing?

'Um, Yashiro-san, what should I do with ......?
'That's fine. Let's go home and have a study session at the sunny pavilion. There's no need to teach this guy.'

I can understand why you would want to do that, but ......

I know you want to say that, but at the moment, this store is so well known that it's called "Luxury when it comes to cakes".
So, if this shop sells shortcakes, it will have a great advertising effect.
Anyway, we need to bring sugar to the point where ordinary people can eat it. And that's within the next few weeks.

'Oh well. I'll just have to win that old man over.

I'm perfect and well known, and I'm learning to cook from a guy in a restaurant I've never heard of in the 42nd district. That's what you can't tolerate. From the very beginning, he has been openly hostile to you.
Then you have to get rid of that hostility.

'Magda'.
'...... Yes, yes.'

Magda and Loretta come in from inside the store.
As soon as they arrived at the store, they went to the seats to 'observe the shopkeeper's movements'. ...... They didn't seem to have a good opinion of him. The two men's expressions were sullen.

'I'd like to call Umaro, any ideas?

I have a feeling that if we put Magda in a gothic lolita costume, she'll fly to us no matter what district we're in.

'...... Then we don't have to think about it.'
'What do you mean?'
'...... Magda. I want to see Umaro.'
'He's here, Magda!

Suddenly, Umaro came running into the kitchen.
...... What?You've finally classed up as a pervert who can transcend dimensions and space?

In fact, when we were observing the shopkeepers in the seating area, a poorly disguised Umaro came into the store. I'm sure he came to see Magda-chou.
'No, I came to see him, you can see him at the ...... sunlit pavilion.

What's this guy stalking me for?
I'm sure he doesn't have time for this. ......

'Oh, who are you?The young lion of design!You're Umaro Trubek, genius!

Pompeo straightens up and says to Oumalo in a tense voice.
He's a funny guy, even for Oumalo.

'Hmm?Who are you?
'It's me!I'm Pompeo, owner and chef of Luxury, which serves the best cakes in all of Broome!You've designed the best kitchen in the world!
'Hmmm, I don't remember .............'

It seems that this is the best kitchen that people are talking about right now, but this guy seriously can't remember.

'But well, if you're a cake maker, you should learn about Yashiro's cakes. It's a delicious cake that I can vouch for.
'Of course!That's exactly what I'm about to learn!

Hey, ......, you've flipped your hand nicely, .......

'Now, go ahead and teach me, fool. Thank you for listening, and surrender all of your skills to me.

...... I want to punch you.

'Umaro.
'What is it?
'No magda for three days.'
'Why are you taking it out on me?You're terrible!
'Because that's what ...... says.'
'Aaah!Magda!Don't go!I'm confident that I'll die of exhaustion without you!

Don't have such confidence, you idiot.

In spite of Umaro's shameful appearance, Pompeo's eyes were filled with a glow of envy.
...... believers are scary.

'So, Yashiro-san. Let's make a shortcake right away.'
'Yes, let's. I have to go home early to open the store.

I've decided to open from noon today.
I was afraid that some of my regular customers might complain, but when I gave the reason that it was for the promotion of cakes, they agreed to it.


Everyone seems to be obsessed with cake.

Shortcakes should be sold in the 42nd and 40th districts at once.
That alone would greatly increase the distribution of sugar.

'I want to see it properly once too!
'...... visit Magda too'.
'Well, me too!Isn't that right, Magda?
'...... Sorry. I'm banned for three days.'
'Magda?

Oh, shut up.

I'll lift the ban. Just watch.
'Yashiro-san!You're so kind!Thank you!I'll never forget this favor!

I'll never forget this debt of gratitude!' I've just unbanned something that was restricted on my own, and the debt has been sold.
What is this business? It's too risky.

'Well, I'll ask you to make something for free some other time...'
'Ha-ha-ha. What are you talking about now?I've never received a single Rb from Yashiro-san.

............ Is that right?
............

'Hey, Pompeo ......'.
'What is it?
'This kitchen, how much did it cost to make?
'It's the kind of price that would make the average person's pores expand to the size of their nostrils if they heard it.

That's scary.
...... I see. The value of things can change so much depending on people and places.

'......Yashiro'.
'What is it?'
'...... I think I can buy this kitchen ...... Magda with ten 'Ahhh' tickets.'
'Nah, three tickets will get you change, probably.'

I'm starting to feel a little sorry for Pompeo.
At least I'll teach him how to make a good cake.






After the shortcake workshop, we all went back to the 42nd district.
As a thank you for being our lecturer, Demilly provided us with a carriage, so we were able to arrive earlier than expected.
We said goodbye to Paula, who had to help out at the store.

'Thank you, Yashiro!I'll definitely make a better shortcake than that unsavory man!I'll also find a drink that goes well with the cake and make it our signature dish!See you!

Paula waved as she ran.
I don't know if there's ...... any liquor that goes well with ...... cake.

'You don't have to run like that.
'Maybe you want to go home and make it early. I understand that feeling.

Ginette says smilingly, looking at Paula's back as she runs at full speed.
'Well, when I was younger, I used to want to try out my freshly learned scamming techniques on someone else.

'Well, let's go back to the sunlit pavilion, shall we?
'Yes, sir. I'm glad we made it in time for lunch.

Demilly's carriage, huh?

'So, how was it?What about the 'high class coffee shop' in District 40 that you actually saw?'
'...... out of the question.'
'I agree. That's not customer service!It's disrespecting the customer!

It seems that Luxury's attitude towards customer service was unacceptable to these two.
Well, it can't be helped with that kind of attitude.
No greeting, no greeting, no greeting, no coming to order, no explanation of the food, how can you feel good?

'...... Magda, I'll do my best to over-serve you.
'I'm bleeding out, too!

The spirit of the two waitresses blazed with enthusiasm.
It's a good thing that the sight of poor customer service has fired them up, but don't get hurt.





Well.
We had planned to have the sunshine pavilion and luxury as the representatives to spread the cake to each district, but ......

'There were so many people who wanted to participate that we had no choice but to add more people.
'Why did you say 'unavoidably' so strongly?

Well, don't worry about it.

There will be a total of six locations over the next two days. I'm supposed to hold a cake workshop.
I'm going to choose a store with a large kitchen and gather representatives from each store there to teach them how to make cakes.
Since it was impossible to teach everyone at once, I set up six different locations and asked everyone to come to the one they wanted.

And at the first venue we visited that day, ......

'Yay, Yashiro-san!What the hell is this?



When Jeannette and the rest of the class saw the cake I had made, their eyes widened.
No wonder. I was expecting to get a shortcake, but instead I got a different cake.

'This is a rival to the shortcake ......, and in my country, there was even a specialty store for it, a major faction in the cake world. It's a cheesecake!
''''' Cheesecake! '''''

This is the most popular type of cake in the world. It's a superstar that can be enjoyed in a variety of flavors, such as rare, baked, and soufflé, just by changing the cooking method. That's what cheesecake is.
This time, I tried baking a soufflé cheesecake. The apricot jam on the surface sparkles and shines.

'Oihii~reasu!

Ginette wept.
She writhes uncontrollably, her fork in her hand flailing about.

'I didn't know there was such a cake.

After carefully tasting the cake, Jeannette lets out a sigh of relief.
I approached Ginette, and quietly asked her.

'There's more where that came from.
'......What?

Seeing the smile on my face, Ginette's expression stiffens for a moment.
The surprise is evident in her eyes.

The cake is a sweet that broke the conventional wisdom.
It's a powerful menu that makes you think that you can live off of it for the rest of your life in this world.
But that's just a small part of the many cakes.

'I'm going to teach you a different cake at every venue you visit.
'What, what?
'Then the 42nd district will be flooded with different kinds of cakes.

Then you will have more fun on your holidays, wondering what to eat and where to go.
If we only taught shortcake, there would be only occasional days when we would say, 'Let's eat cake today! If we only taught shortcake, there would be only occasional days when we would say, 'Let's eat cake today!
However, if there are many kinds of cakes available, it is human nature to want to eat all of them!
Before you know it, you'll be eating cakes more often.
And then, 'I've come full circle, let's have another shortcake! And so on, eating cake becomes a habit!
At that point, there will be people who will compare the cheesecake of this store and that store.

That's what I'm aiming for.
If it takes root to that extent, no one will be able to put restrictions on sugar anymore.
When that point is reached, this operation will finally be complete.

'Mr. Yashiro, you're amazing!

The shock of the 'seven kinds of cakes' made Jeannette lose her expression, but as the shock penetrated into her body, a dazzling smile appeared on her face.

'Yashiro-san is a genius at making people happy!
'Um, can you stop using ............?It's embarrassing. ......'

...... I just wanted to wish you a very happy birthday.
.................. No, no!No! No!
No, no, no!That's right!
I wanted to popularize cakes to get rid of the 3 p.m. demon hour when customers stop coming in. I forgot all about it. Hahahaha!

...... Ginette's birthday is a big promotion to promote cakes.
So I don't really care about the warmth and feel of a hug, the smell that tickled my nostrils, or ...... anything like that. ............

'Gofu!
'Yashiro-san!What's wrong with you?
'...... Sorry, sorry. I'm excited to remember. ......'
'What are you doing?

Yeah!I can't afford to be horny right now!
It takes time to bake a cake!Let's roll it up!

'Okay, Jeannette!Let's move on to the next venue!
'Yes, sir!






By the time the last class was over, the sky was darkening and the moon was slipping a little.

'It's getting late, isn't it?
'I'm really tired, aren't I?

Ginette, who had been running around with me, looked exhausted.

'But, everyone. You all looked so happy.'
'It's .......'

Some people complained that it wasn't a shortcake,...... but even those who did ate the finished cake and said, 'This is better,...... no, this is the best cake! No, this is the best cake!' In the end, he affirmed.

If people think that our cakes are the best, the competition will increase and the quality will improve.

'But you're a little disappointed, aren't you?
'What's that?'

With an exhausted body, I trudged towards the Sunken Pavilion.
On the way there, Jeannette looked at me with an implied smile on her face.
It's the 'I'm going to mess with you' look that she sometimes shows.
I'll take it.

'You really wanted to monopolize that cake, didn't you?You're a good person, but you didn't go so far as to teach your skills around for free, did you?


'I'll drop the tech where it's needed. It will eventually be to my benefit.'

I've given Estella the sewage rights, Umaro the sewage construction know-how, and the truth about popcorn to the Yaploks. ...... I'm willing to give my knowledge where it's needed.
Sure, I've never sold it at a huge discount like this, but ...... it's a milestone.
You could say it's a seed sowing.

Someday, in the ...... not too distant future, the seeds sown today will sprout, bloom, and eventually grow into a dense forest.
We have created that soil.

And the benefits are sure to come to me.
Because ............ No, wait.

'I'll tell you the answer tomorrow.
'What, why tomorrow?Can't you tell me now?
'Come on, let's go home.
'Huh, Yashiro-san~?

Yeah. Tomorrow.
Tomorrow, I'll tell you the answer.






And the next day.

'So that's how it was.'

Ginette nodded broadly as the scene unfolded in the cafeteria.

'...... This is a sight to behold.
'There are so many things I didn't know about. ......'

The table at the sunlit pavilion is lined with a variety of colorful cakes.
Shortcakes, cheese soufflés, gateau chocolates, Mont Blanc, mille crepes, chiffon cakes and apple pies. And this is the ...... cream puff that I haven't told you about anywhere else.

'Hmm. I see. In other words, you can eat all the cakes that are now available here and there in the 42nd district if you come to the Sunshine Pavilion, that you can!
'Well, that's how it is.

After all, cakes are only beautiful when they come in a wide variety.
Besides, this is undoubtedly the main store. The mainstream of cakes in the forty-two districts. This is the original.
There's no way you can't get customers here.
Which means, if we release a new cake, it will become the trend of the town.

After spreading the cake culture, the competition will intensify.
In the midst of it all, we've gained a status that's hard to get.

"The original," "the main store," "the latest trend.

All of these words are appropriate for sweets.

The grand birthday party of Ginette's must have left a deep impression on people's minds.
As long as that image remains, the cakes at the Sun Goddess Pavilion will continue to be 'different from other places, with the authentic taste.

'That's why, Becko.
I understand!We should make food samples, that we should!

That's what I meant.
That's why I called you here.

'Haaah ...... I'm so happy ............ to be able to handle such beautiful things at the sunny pavilion.'

If this goes well, I may be able to fulfill my promise to Ginette.
A promise made a long time ago: ......


"I'm going to rebuild the diner.
"...... What?
"I'm going to make it a popular restaurant that can attract more customers.
"The Sunken Pavilion, you mean?
Yes. We're going to make it a place where many people come every day.
Like when your grandfather was at ......?


I don't know how crowded the Sunken Pavilion was when your grandfather was here, but I'm sure it's as good as it gets.
You must accomplish this not with your grandfather's power, but with Jeannette's power.

Then I'll be able to ............ I'll be able to ............ What?



If that happens, what am I going to do?



'Yashiro-san?
'............'
'Yashiro-san.'
'Hmm!Oh, oh, ...... bad. What is it?'
'No, what's wrong?
'No, it's ...... nothing.'

...... What the hell are you thinking, man?
Now you should do what you have to do. ............ is that a given? Haha.

'Okay!We'll start selling cakes at three o'clock today!
'''' Oh! ''''

The shopkeepers of the sunny pavilion and even Becko are raising their fists in the air.
Finally, the cakes are on sale.

And so....

'I'm sorry, but can we have the whole place to ourselves for about thirty minutes from three o'clock?
'What?You mean here?


'For now, I'll just take one table.'
'No, sir. If Mr. Yashiro is planning to do something, please let him take priority.
'Then, can I ask you guys to help me too?
'Yes, sir. I'd be happy to.
'Oh, I'll help too!
'...... I'd love to.
'What should I do, that I should do?
'Oh, don't worry about Becco. Make me a food sample, ASAP, in a hurry.'
'Duh, urgent type?Oh, I see what you mean!I'll finish it in a hurry, that I will!Then, excuse me!

...... and that's about it for preparations.

'Well, I'm off for a bit.

There's one last thing to prepare.
To get it, I'm heading to a place.

'Um, Yashiro-san.

I was about to leave the cafeteria when Jeannette stopped me.

'Where are you going?'

It's a simple question.
So I'll answer it casually.

'To Millie's.'
'Millie's?
'I'll explain the situation later. I'll see you later.
'Yes, sir. Have a safe trip.

Ginette sees me off, and I leave the sunlit pavilion.

I have to keep my promises, you know. Yeah.


I'm a fraud who keeps her promises, aren't I?