The raven-haired elf—Selena—had likely noticed Fardania goggling at her. She stared back at Fardania and Alice. “Young lady, do you have business with me?”
“N-no, not at all.” Fardania shrank into herself as the woman’s aura overwhelmed her, averting her gaze.
“Hmm. I see.” Selena also turned away, sitting down in a random seat.
“Welcome! Oh, wow—I didn’t expect to see you again so soon! Sorry, but we aren’t serving red-bean soup yet.” The restaurant’s master himself apologetically explained the situation to Selena, rather than the demon girl who’d been there last time she visited.
“Mmm. I know. That’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.” She was aware that she was early. Only thirty years ago, the previous master—whom Selena hadn’t seen around lately—had explained that the restaurant only served red-bean soup on the first Day of Satur of the year. Yet she also believed this restaurant, with its diverse customers, would have a dish she’d enjoy. “I find myself wondering if you serve something else sweet. And, if possible, warm.”
“Let’s see…” The master mentally flipped through Nekoya’s dishes.
Selena wanted something warm and sweet: Pancakes fit the bill, but there was something else important. The customer in front of him was an elf. He wasn’t sure whether it was due to religion or allergies, but elves despised foods that included animal products; he’d have to serve Selena something made only with plant ingredients.
“I know!” the master exclaimed.
He considered whether the dish he’d thought of would suit Selena. It was something the previous master had put on the menu; he didn’t offer it currently, but he was confident that he could cook it well.
“How about candied sweet potatoes?” the master suggested. “They’ll take a while to prepare, but if you’re okay with that…”
“I shall order those,” Selena nodded. She wasn’t familiar with candied sweet potatoes. However, the master wasn’t just better at cooking than her, he knew far more about food than she did.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what he makes,” Selena said to herself. Something sweet and warm, without the scent of beasts.
Despite feeling the elf girl from before gazing at her again, Selena waited patiently. Her hunger and curiosity were building, but she typically spent most of the year in thought and meditation, so waiting wasn’t something she struggled with.
Eventually, the waitress brought out Selena’s food. “Sorry these took a while. Here are your candied sweet potatoes!” She presented the dish.
“Oh. These are… I see. ‘Sweet potatoes’ are kumaala.”
Selena looked nostalgically at the orange skin with black specks enveloping the vegetable’s yellow flesh. Sweet potatoes greatly resembled a vegetable eaten in the part of the Western Continent ruled by followers of Chaos.
The dish touched on a memory. It was distant; Selena had lived dozens of times longer than average, after all. I was still so young back then.
After concluding her pursuits in the capital city, Selena had journeyed to the Southern Continent. At the time, she’d planned to study the immortal Chaos and its dragon followers so she could complete her immortality spell. She was already considered a genius by her peers, but even for Selena, that journey was fraught with danger. She’d nearly died several times. Fortunately, people on the Southern Continent were pursuing knowledge and making more and more discoveries.
That Altrude fellow liked these, if I remember correctly.
Selena’s elven cohort Altrude had been fond of kumaala and had often brought large quantities of the plants back from the Southern Continent. He grew them in a nursery he’d created, using magic to reproduce the environment in the South. Selena specifically remembered Altrude smiling over how the kumaala had a different sweetness from dried fruit.
How time flies. Altrude had long since passed away. As far as Selena was concerned, he was fortunate he hadn’t turned into a lich. At the same time, it made her sad that someone she knew had passed on.
After indulging in this brief bout of nostalgia, Selena turned back to the candied sweet potatoes. I should start eating these. It would be a waste to just let the dish sit.
Selena took up her chopsticks and cut a large piece of sweet potato. She gently brought it to her mouth; brown, sticky honey dripped onto her plate. The warm kumaala’s sweet aroma made her stomach growl.
I can’t hold back anymore. With that thought, Selena took a bite. Oh…this isn’t just sweet.
She let the sweet potato roll around her mouth, appreciating its flavor and scent. It tasted like sugar and fragrant, black-flecked kumaala skin. Between those two flavors, Selena also tasted something else. The salty, slightly familiar flavor likely wasn’t sweet naturally, but it brought out the candied kumaala’s sweetness.
Biting into the sweet potatoes, Selena encountered a wonderful texture—a combination of crystallized honey and the firm, dry skin of the kumaala. Mmm. Chewing feels lovely, she thought. So, this is kumaala.
Eventually, the delicate candied sweet potatoes broke into pieces in her mouth, leaving behind a mixture of the kumaala’s slight sweetness and the syrupy honey. The sugary, salty crystallized honey and the tender kumaala—when these two combined, the dish became something completely new.
“Delicious,” she whispered, putting the whole sensation into a single word. Red-bean soup was delectable, but this was equally good. “Now I’m really looking forward to the new year.” On her next visit, she’d order red-bean soup and candied sweet potatoes.
As Selena quietly enjoyed her meal, the two elven girls watching from nearby got excited.
“Excuse me!” one called. “Can I order that candied sweet potato stuff?!”
“Those look delish! I want some, too!”