Shopping Tour (1)
The next morning, I got some powdered matcha from Maria, whose face clearly said “I pulled an all-nighter” with dark circles under her eyes.
Since I’d made her stay up, I told her to rest properly, and reassured her that I’d make sure she got her share of the new dishes, so not to worry.
When I showed the powdered matcha to the head chef, he frowned and said, “It’s green… is this really alright?”
I explained that it was made from tea leaves, so it was safe, and asked him to mix it into the white bean paste. But since he still looked uneasy, I had him prepare hot milk with sugar, then mixed in the matcha powder and tasted it.
Yep, matcha milk.
I handed it to the chef, who drank it.
“This tea flavor is delicious. If we adjust the sugar, I think even those who don’t like things too sweet will enjoy it.”
Next, I brewed some green tea and handed it over.
“This one tastes… more bitter than delicious. But that sweetness from earlier’s matcha milk is gone from my mouth now.”
“It might taste bitter if you’re not used to it, but it should pair well with dorayaki and other bean-paste sweets. And as for the powdered matcha, if you mix it into white bean paste, cookies, ice cream, or sponge cake, it should make them less sweet overall. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Understood. I see what you mean, so please leave it to me.”
“And also, since Maria stayed up all night making this matcha powder, please let her taste the finished dishes as well. I’ll negotiate with our clients about the powder after we see how the dishes turn out. Oh, and try making a milk tea–flavored ice cream if possible.”
I left things in the chef’s hands—he’d manage.
Now, where should I take the four of them?
When I asked where they wanted to go, they said the new district that’s still under construction. But since we’d be serving matcha sweets this afternoon, we’d save that for tomorrow—it takes a whole day for the round trip, after all.
So I asked for their next choice. This time it was the glass workshop.
In fact, they specifically wanted the one I favor.
When I asked why, they said it was the first workshop to make glass pens and glass accessories, and they wanted to see it.
I asked Raphael if that was fine since he’d already been there, but he said Carlos’s workshop made the smoothest glass pens and he wanted to buy more.
When we arrived at the glass workshop, Sherry came rushing out.
“Young Master Reinhardt, has something happened?”
“No, sorry for the sudden visit, but my cousin and friends want to buy glass pens and accessories. Could you show us some?”
“Of course.” She led us to the reception room, said she’d bring the items, and stepped out.
I wondered if Carlos was out.
After a short while, Sherry returned with a man I didn’t know, each of them carrying a box case in both hands. They set them on the table. Inside were glass pens and glass accessories.
“I must apologize. These are all the items we currently have outside of existing orders. If none please you, we can take new orders and make them right away.”
“No, these are all beautifully made. May I try writing with the glass pens dipped in ink?” asked Brother Hubert.
“Yes, I’ll prepare them.” The man with Sherry fetched ink and paper from a shelf and handed them to him.
“By the way, is Carlos not here?”
“He is, but he’s in the restricted workshop. He told us not to disturb him while he’s inside. But since you’ve come, Young Master Reinhardt, we were just about to go call him.”
“No need. He’s probably in the middle of some experiment. Don’t disturb him.”
He’s likely working on those glass paintings (like mock stained glass).
As Brother Hubert tried out the pen, he said, “Raphael was right—these are smooth to write with. The craftsmanship here is on another level.” The others also tried the pens they liked and nodded in agreement.
“I’d like to buy some for my family, but there aren’t many.”
“There are eight pens, so let’s each take two, and place an order for any extras we need.”
“As Brigitte says, that’s fine. Everyone agrees?” Brother Hubert asked, and the three nodded.
With the pen orders done, we turned to the accessories.
There were mostly cufflinks and necklaces. The necklaces had flat backs.
“They’re not round?”
“Young Master Reinhardt, when necklaces are perfectly round, they bump against clothes. Flattening the back made them more popular. They’re all glass beads, so while the designs are the same, each color pattern is unique.”
“There are so many patterns and shapes, and the colors aren’t just solid—they’re mixed. These will make great gifts for maids.”
“Yes, they could wear them under their uniforms. They’ll be delighted,” said Brigitte and Diane.
“I think I’ll choose cufflinks for the academy. Jewels are nice, but these feel original. Brother Chris also said his cufflinks at the academy were glass beads.”
Diane perked up at Brother Hubert’s words and looked at him.
She seemed like she wanted to say something.
“Diane, speak up properly,” Brigitte suddenly urged.
Prompted, Diane said,
“Young Master Hubert, may I choose them together with you? And if possible, I would like to gift them to you myself.”
Ahh, so that’s it.
She wants him to wear cufflinks she picked out for him when he goes to the academy.
Brother Hubert looked a little surprised, but smiled and said, “Shall we choose together then?” Diane’s face lit up with joy.
“I’ll give some to Young Master Isaac too! Why didn’t I think of that sooner? How careless of me,” Brigitte said, then started seriously looking through the cufflinks.
Raphael and I exchanged glances and couldn’t help but laugh.
What do you think about this chapter?
