My initial thoughts, to be honest, were that I had no idea what was going on. It was a night just like usual, and Kuro came over to visit, but then, without warning, she smoothly knelt down in a dogeza.

It almost felt like she was sliding while doing that dogeza…… No, wait, was this the legendary sliding dogeza? Well, putting that aside, I had no clue why Kuro was bowing, so I stopped her and asked what was going on.

[Errr…… to summarize, you want to eat baby castellas in the shop in both Archlesia Empire and Hydra Kingdom?]

[Unn……]

[I mean, I didn’t even know they had baby castella on the menu……]

[Eh? Kaito-kun didn’t know?]

[I skimmed through the menu in the beginning and tried some sample cakes, but I left most of the menu decisions to Canalis-san…… only really looked at it at the very start, so maybe it was added later?]

I did try some food and drinks when I saw the store’s interior, but Anima, Caraway, and Canalis-san handled most of the decisions, so I didn’t contribute much this time. Unlike when we launched the brand and went around promoting it, I wasn’t very involved with the stores, so I don’t know the details.

[Well, in any case, about Kuro’s request……]

[I know it’s a sudden favor and it’s a lot to ask, but I really can’t resist…… Like, is there any way I could slip in, even for just five minutes before opening or after…… Even just a little while…… please!]

[Ahh, no, I can just reserve a seat for you. I mean, there’s actually a special seat reserved for that……]

[Eh? There is?]

[Unn. At all three Nifty stores, there’s always a table left open for someone like me or Anima to invite people. So if we use that, you can visit the café normally. I just need to give Canalis-san a quick heads-up, and I’m sure we can arrange it easily.]

Yes, it was Canalis-san’s idea, but there’s always a seat reserved for people we know at Nifty’s stores. So making a reservation isn’t hard for me at all, just a matter of mentioning it to Canalis-san.

When Kuro heard this, she lit up with a beaming smile and immediately jumped towards me, clearly overjoyed.

[Kaito-kun! Thank youuuuu!]

[Whoa there…… Ahaha, I’m glad you’re that happy. That said, Kuro losing the initiative when it comes to baby castella, that’s quite unusual.]

[Ugh, my research really had been lacking this time…… Part of it is because I had the impression that it was a high-end store, and for me, as well as most Demons, time feels pretty loose. I thought I’d wait 6 months until things calmed down before going, so I didn’t gather much information on Nifty’s stores.]

Many Demons have long lifespans and a relaxed sense of time. To them, a few years isn’t much, so unless it’s a particularly captivating store, they don’t usually rush to visit right after it opens.

[If I hadn’t gone to the Symphonia store with Ein, I shudder to think how much later I would’ve known about this…… I’ll make sure to do better research from now on.]

[Fumu…… So, how was that decorated baby castella? Was it good?]

[It was amazing! They managed to keep the charm of baby castellas while elevating it to a high-end dessert. It was so well thought out and executed. Even without the bias of it being from Kaito-kun’s brand, I’d easily give it a 10 out of 10 stars.]

[Ohh, Kuro’s praising it that much huh…… If they’re that delicious, I want to try them too.]

[Ahh, then let’s go there together! I’d be really happy to go with you, Kaito-kun!]

[Yeah, sounds like a good idea…… Let’s plan a day and go together.]

[Unn!]

As Kuro nodded with a cheerful smile and hugged me tightly once again, I returned the embrace. Thinking about how we’re having a café date at Nifty a little later, I couldn’t help but smile, feeling like it would be a fun time.

<Afterword>

Makina : [So, since he’s saying it’s “a little later”, does that mean they’ll have the date for another time, and the would be about checking out the store in Archlesia or Hydra?]

Serious-senpai : [……Probably…… They’ve already got a date scheduled…… D*mn it……]