Chapter 1748: Launch of a New Brand ⑤

I would go visit Ein-san and Jutia-san to promote the launch of our tea brand and to bring them some samples, so I went to Ein-san’s place first.

Prior to the visit, I sent out a hummingbird to inquire whether it would be alright to come and meet without revealing the details. Surprisingly, a swift “no problem” response came back, almost as if Ein-san had already guessed the reason for my visit.

[Welcome, Kaito-sama. I have been waiting.]

[H- Hello……]

Upon arriving at Kuro’s castle, the fact that Ein-san appeared with a beaming smile immediately suggests she fully understands my purpose here. Seeing the usually composed Ein-san with such a beaming smile…… This is just a guess, but after being taken away by Kuro by her last charge, she was definitely sternly warned and was never able to come to my house.

However, considering the amount of information she gathered about our new tea leaves in that short period, she probably knows about our new sugar cubes as well, so she must have been really looking forward to it.

[Come, Kaito-sama. Let’s not stand around and chat here…… I’ll show you to my room.]

[Yes. How should I say this…… You seem to be really happy.]

[I’m ashamed to say this, but I’m aware I had been hasty. No, I’m not yet convinced that Kaito-sama’s errand is what I’m expecting, but I still think that being the case is highly likely……]

[Yeah, you’re all fine with that. I’ve probably brought exactly what Ein-san would want.]

[I see! That makes me very thrilled!]

Seeing Ein-san acting more innocent than usual, I couldn’t help but smile wryly and followed Ein-san as she guided me to her room. As usual, it’s a simple room with few belongings, but I felt that the furniture had changed a bit since the last time I came.

[Arehh? These table and chairs are different from the ones I saw before.]

[Yes, I basically don’t use my private room, so I only had the bare minimum, but I did change some of the furniture to accommodate Kaito-sama when you come to visit.]

[I see…… Ahh, let’s cut to the chase. Here are the new tea leaves and sugar cubes. Also, these are notes about the tea leaves that Nebula wrote.]

[T- This is…… Fumu…… I see, by minimizing the changes in taste due to extraction time and quantity, even those lacking in technique can brew a delicious cup of tea…… Not only that, but by combining it with the tea leaves from before, one can significantly diversify the flavor…… I see! The high stability of these new tea leaves allows for bold adjustments without ruining the taste, making it possible to harmonize flavors. It’s wonderful! I’m always impressed by Nebula-sama’s ideas. The expansiveness of the flavors is incredibly vast, and it can be altered in various ways depending on the skills of the brewer……]

After receiving the tea leaves and notes from me, Ain-san immediately started examining the notes with intense concentration, muttering to herself. After a while, a sparkle appeared in her eyes.

[Kaito-sama, please take a seat and wait. I will immediately go and brew you a pot of tea with these tea leaves.]

[Ah, yes. I’m looking forward to it.]

I couldn’t help smiling seeing her so excited. It goes without saying, but Ein-san has a particular fixation with maid-related things, and according to her, tea has a deep connection with maids…… so discovering new possibilities must be genuinely exciting for her.

Soon after, Ein-san served me a cup of tea, which was as excellent as always…… but I felt that it tasted so different from the tea I myself brewed and drank.

[These sugar cubes are fantastic too. I’ve never seen sugar of such good quality before.]

[I’m glad you liked it. And so, about our new brand…… We’ve named it “Nifty”, and it would be great if you could help us promote it.]

[Yes, please leave it to me. These tea leaves and sugar cubes are something that all maids should know about. I will make sure to convey about this to them…… Umm…… I know this is greedy of me to ask…… but if you could sell them to me on a regular basis, just like we did before……]

[Ahh, about that…… I thought Ein-san would definitely want it, so I got permission from Nebula and Anima to bring this here.]

When she saw what I took out of the magic box as I said those words, Ein-san’s eyes widened.

[C- Could this be……]

[Yes, the raw materials’ source, the tea tree and sugarcane. Unlike the tea leaves before, it seems that these can be easily cultivated. With this, I thought we could ask someone like Raz-san to secure as much as you need…… Ahh, as I mentioned earlier, I’ve obtained permission from Nebula and Anima. As long as you ensure not to sell them, there’s no issue with using those for personal purposes……]

[Kaito-sama…… My apologies, but could I ask you to stand up for a moment?]

[Eh? Ah, yes.]

Upon hearing my words about giving her tea trees and sugar cane as a present, Ein-san looked overcome with emotion, and then, for some reason, she asked me to stand up.

Confused about her intentions, I stood up, and out of nowhere, Ein-san approached me and suddenly hugged me tightly.

[E- Ein-san!?]

[Kaito-sama’s thoughtfulness makes me very happy. Please excuse my impropriety, I couldn’t think of anything better to express my joy…… It’s a drawback that with my physique, this feels more of a hug even though I intended to embrace you close…… but Kaito-sama, if it’s not too uncomfortable, I’d be happy if you’d allow me some time while we’re like this……]

[Ahh, errr, it’s not uncomfortable…… or rather, it feels comfortable but…… Errr……]

[I see. Then, until Kaito-sama is satisfied……]

With those words, Ein-san, whose tension is at its peak, tightened her grip a bit more and hugged me even closer.

While my thoughts haven’t quite caught up with the situation, what I understand for the time being is that it feels soft, smells nice and just as I inadvertently blurted out earlier, it’s undeniably comfortable.

If there was one problem…… Ein-san has completely left the decision of when to end to me, so I’m not quite sure when to bring this to a close.

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [Eh? I thought this would lead to a more gag-like development, but all of a sudden…… It feels like I’ve been hit with a sugar cane……]

? ? ? : [Well, I wonder what kind of feeling that is……]