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I made my way to the supermarket and purchased cherries as well as ingredients for dinner tonight with Kon, who’d started gripping onto my head with a lot more force after the incident. When I made my way back to my house, there were elderly beastfolk patrolling the vicinity—they must be the people Mr. Karashina had arranged. Before anything else, we headed to the bathroom and washed our hands.
After I meticulously washed my hands with soap, Kon, who was still clinging to my head, came down and washed his hands like usual. Then, he darted up my shoulders once more and glued himself to my head as if nothing had happened.
I definitely wouldn’t call Kon featherlight. Having his weight on my shoulders for so long had caused a significant burden on my muscles, and everything from my neck to my shoulders was stiff and taut. But this was Kon’s way of protecting me out of concern, and I didn’t want to discourage him. Oh well, that’s just life. I let out a small sigh of resignation as I went over to the kitchen to put away our groceries in the fridge.
Once that was done, I busied myself with making tea and tea confectionery for the elderly beastfolk who were kind enough to patrol the area. I boiled some water and transferred it into a vacuum water pot, then prepared a small teapot, teacups, and tea leaves. I fetched a large bowl and crammed it with every kind of sweets and snacks I could find. Moving everything onto a tray, I put it down on the veranda and called out to the grandpas and grandmas, “Please help yourself!”
Next, I moved back into the kitchen and began washing the cherries I’d bought today. Pouring cold water into a large bowl, I put in my cherries and washed them carefully so that I wouldn’t damage the fleshy fruit.
“Oooh, are you already making something? What is it?” Kon asked curiously.
“Oh, I haven’t searched up any recipes yet, so this is just for eating,” I replied as I continued working on the cherries. “I’m going to wash some, arrange them in a bowl, then enjoy them at our own pace while I do some proper research. The actual cooking will start after that.”
If I concluded after my research that all I had to do was to chuck them in the freezer, I could simply do that. But if there were any tips and tricks about making them better, I wanted to take proper notes and challenge my first attempt at frozen fruit.
I was bracing myself for failure because this was completely uncharted territory for me. Trying your hand at something new and succeeding without a hitch every time was rather rare in my opinion, so I was going to test with a small batch of cherries as an experiment.
I finished transferring the cherries into a bowl and carried it into the living room. With Kon still on my shoulders, I sat down at my usual seat. I reached out for the cherries—and sensed that Kon was starting to fidget restlessly on my head. He’d move his hips, as if he was trying to stand up, but he’d sit down again. His hands were moving all over the place as well.
Curling my lips with a small knowing smile, I dealt the finishing blow. “It would be terrible manners to eat on top of someone’s head, so you’ve got to sit down properly, Kon.”
Kon’s body jolted, possibly out of shock. Then, I felt him raise both arms in surrender. With the agility of an acrobat, he scaled down my back and settled in his designated seat adorably.
But I wasn’t going to go easy on him just because he was cute. I continued, “Not so fast. You touched my hair, so you’ve got to wash your hands one more time.”
Being the good kid as ever, Kon didn’t even protest or whine as he scampered to the bathroom, promptly washed his hands, then returned to his seat.
I smiled and pushed the bowl of cherries closer to him. “Perfect. You’re such a good boy, Kon. I know that you were trying to protect me, and I’m really happy you care so much. But hair isn’t the cleanest thing in the world, so let’s do this in moderation.”
“Got it, Mikura!” With a smile, Kon nodded. He reached out for the cherries, plucking one up by the stem and carrying it into his mouth. After chewing on the fleshy fruit, a brilliant smile lit up his face. I held out a small plate for him to spit out the pit. First, he placed the stem he was holding onto the plate, then carefully spat out the cherry core.
Without hesitation, he reached for the next cherry and soon spat out his second pit. He was smiling from ear to ear, looking more delighted than he usually was after a nice treat. The batch I’d bought must’ve made an impression on him, because he exclaimed, “The cherries today are really yummy!”
He made the cherries look so delicious that I couldn’t resist the urge to reach for a cherry myself. Slowly and happily, we savored one cherry after another. These cherries weren’t just sweet—they held a hint of sourness, combined with the unique aroma and tantalizing flavors special to the fruit. Due to the large cores, the edible part was relatively small, but it was still so addictive that you couldn’t help but reach for more.
As I enjoyed the exquisite cherries, I placed my phone on the table and began tapping away, searching for ways to process cherries and how to freeze them. When I came across a certain title, I froze. I looked at it again just to make sure my eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on me, but I froze a second time.
Kon noticed that something was off. He rushed over to me with the pitter-patter of tiny feet and peered at my phone screen, wondering what had happened. Keen interest and fascination overtook his expression as he chirped, “Huuuh, I wonder what that tastes like!”
This is the gist of what we were reading:
Cherries can be frozen directly, but if you preserve them in the liquid before freezing them, they will preserve for longer and maintain their taste and texture. A liquid that’s denser than water is recommended, such as juice. Ideally, you would want cherry juice, which would preserve your fruits even better.
If you don’t have cherry juice available, your next best option is the concentrate of Calp-is, a fermented milk drink, which is thick and gooey. Transfer your cherries into a container such as an ice tray, pour in the concentrate, and allow it to solidify in the freezer. That’s all you have to do.
I was shocked. Preserved in juice, of all things?! And the second best choice is the concentrate of that slightly pricey drink?! I would have never imagined that you could preserve food in such mediums.
I scrolled down. Apparently, freezing in dense liquids meant that the fruit wouldn’t become all soggy and watery, and the flavors of the cherries wouldn’t seep into the liquid either, meaning that you could preserve them in good condition.
I hadn’t tried it myself, but the text on the website was practically oozing confidence, and the word “Recommended!” was written in a relatively large and glittery font. Judging by the comments on the post, most of the people who’d tried out the recipe had good things to say about it as well.
Placing a hand on my chin, I hummed thoughtfully. “Looks like this might be worth trying out? I mean, even if the flavors end up blending into each other in the worst-case scenario, it sounds like cherries and that concentrate mix well together. Above all else, the hardest part about this recipe is buying the ingredients, which is a big bonus. …Yeah, I like it. Let’s test it out right away after we finish the cherries in this bowl.”
When unopened, the specific concentrate in question could last a long time, and its refreshing taste was perfect for the sweltering days that were waiting for us. Because of that, I’d already prepared a sizable supply of them at home. Freezing them with cherries meant that I wouldn’t need to use up that much either, which was another plus.
Mind made up, Kon and I proceeded to eat up the cherries in the bowl one by one and tidied up after we were finished. Wasting no time, we immediately dove into making frozen cherries.