What kind of a stupid thing to say to get to Kagura.

I said it.

　The day after we had shaved ice. I had come to the kitchen where Bartolo was working to make a parfait.

This time it's parfait. I'm going to be a pastry chef for a while again...

I don't like it.

　I feel a little sorry for Bartolo as he talks with a distant look in his eyes.

　It's fine to make sweets in itself, but when the ladies of the mansion start asking for them on a regular basis, it's Bartolo who makes them.

　Just like the mass production of cookies, the kitchen will be filled with a sweet smell all day long.

Well, a dish is a dish, even if it's a pastry. There's no harm in making a variety of things, and I don't mind it.

That's Bartolo!

　This time I need to remember multiple elements: ice cream, pudding and toppings, but Bartolo said it's fine and I won't say anything else.

''Well, let's start with the ice cream which is the key to the parfait... milk gelato to be exact.

　I haven't been able to find the plant that is vanilla in this world, so I can't make ice cream that tastes like vanilla like it did in my previous life.

　But I'm sure it's cold and delicious, and that's fine.

'Get the milk and sugar ready,'

Yes.

　As I say this, Bartolo quickly takes a milk bottle out of the fridge, an ice magic tool, and prepares a jar of sugar from the shelf.

　I meanwhile light the magic stove and put the frying pan on.

'Put about a liter of milk and five tablespoons of sugar in the frying pan.

Confectionery still uses a horrible amount of sugar, as usual.

　Well, I don't know what that feels like. It's something you don't really understand when you eat it, but when you cook it, you can see that it's quite a bit of sugar and butter.

　That's right, when I eat sweets all the time, I get fat, right? But the sweets are so magical that I still eat them.

The only thing left to do is to reduce the heat just before it boils and boil it down.

Well, that's a lot of easy work.

　I'd actually mix a few more things together, but that's about it for a simple milk gelato.

Let's make the pudding before it boils.

What. That wasn't all you got?

　Bartolo says something, but we're through.

　While we wait for the milk to boil, which is the source of the milk gelato, we go on to the next step, which is to make the pudding.

　All we need to do is to add four eggs to the ingredients we just used.

　We put the milk and a couple of tablespoons of sugar in a bowl, and then just the egg yolks.

　Then mix with a homemade whisk made by stacking chopsticks on top of each other.

All that's left to do is put this into a small container.

Do I have a bigger container?

'The pudding is just as pretty when it's small, and the amount is just right.

I can see why you like women so much.

　I totally agree. But there's also something romantic about a large size pudding. If I have time, I might make a bucket pudding or something. I'll never be able to eat it all by myself, though.

Oh, you've made nine just like that.

Haha, so there's no need to fight over it now?

　I poured the mixture into a small container and there was just enough for everyone in the mansion.

　It's not that I can make this much stuff quickly, but I was relieved that there didn't seem to be any needless disputes about who would eat first.

　Next to the milk gelato, I set up another frying pan with the fire on, and put the mixed pudding cup on it.

　I put a cup of mixed pudding in it and covered it with a towel to prevent water from leaking out.

'When it comes to a boil, I'll turn the heat down and let it steam, I guess. I'll keep an eye on the pudding and Bartolo will keep an eye on the milk gelato.

Oh.

　I look at the pudding and Bartolo looks at the milk gelato.

　It looks like it's starting to boil down nicely over there, and Bartolo seems to be lowering the heat and mixing it down with a spatula.

　About ten minutes later, the liquid in the pudding starts to boil, so I lower the heat for him.

　All that's left to do is to let it steam enough to get it going and then put it in the fridge to cool.

It's starting to boil down and thicken up nicely.

　I looked at the Bartolo pan and saw that the amount of milk had been cut in half and it seemed to be thickening.

'Well then, all that's left to do is cool that one too.

　Transfer the boiled milk to a bowl instead and refrigerate it.

　I can use ice magic to chill it right away, but it's not that urgent.

'Al, there's still some leftover boiled stuff in the frying pan, is that okay?'

It's called condensed milk, and it makes a sweet syrup, so I thought I'd save it for you.

　That's right, when you mix milk and sugar and boil it down, it becomes condensed milk.

　This alone would revolutionize the way we ate shaved ice in the future.

"Oh, I'll just have a taste.

　Saying that, Bartolo scoops it up with a spoon and tastes it.

'....Hoho, it's like milk thickened and sweetened. I like this one better than the butter.

Oh, it's less fragrant and more pleasant.

　The aroma of the butter wasn't too bad, as it was appetizing, but the condensed milk would be easier to eat for those with a less-than-sweet tooth.

'Well, now all we have to do is chill it and wait.

　I spent some time thinking about the structure of the parfait.

'Ooh, it's hardened up nicely.'

　I opened the fridge and found the pudding in the container to be wonderfully hardened.

''If I put the caramel sauce from earlier on top of this, it's all done?

'Yes, the pudding alone is good, but it's even better with that sweet sauce too.

It's just laden with eggs and sugar, and you throw in some extra sweet sauce... how deep can you go with sweets?

Maybe that's why people are so glued to it.

　I checked on the milk gelato, saying to each other, "Oh, this one's hard, too.

Oh, the milk gelato is hard too. Does that mean the milk gelato is ready too?

Sure, it's still good, but the milk gelato is smoother if you mix it twice or three times and chill it.

Oh, really?

　Taking a bowl from the fridge, I put a spoon in it and stir it.

　The milk gelato mixes into a semi-solid mixture that makes a crunching sound.

'Do you want to taste some?'

Yeah.

　We each take a spoonful and we taste the milk gelato before it's finished.

　Biting into it made a nice crunching sound, and the sweet milk taste started to melt on our tongues. The flavor and taste may not be as strong as that of vanilla ice cream, but the mild sweetness of the milk was very good.

'They're cold and delicious. Tastes so much gentler than the other sweet treats.

'Yes. It's a gentle milk taste.

　Probably, in a previous life, it would not have been possible to recreate this kind of taste with the milk sold in supermarkets. It must be because it is freshly harvested in the village of Koliat.

　It has a nice, soft taste, not too sweet and not too persistent.

The rest can be chilled in the refrigerator and mixed again, but it's too much trouble, so I'll just use ice magic to chill it.

The boy's magic is quite useful. It's amazing how it can shorten the cooking process at will.

　Hmmm, magic has its true value at times like this.

　While Bartolo looks at me enviously, I activate my ice magic to cool the milk gelato.

　I watch it carefully so that it doesn't freeze, and when it hardens, I stir it again with the spoon in the same way.

　After another round of that process, the milk gelato is done, as it has become much smoother.