Chapter 680

God… no, I mustn't let it go any further.
Judging from Sei’s reaction, Mariel-chan and I concluded that there was demand for this, so we decided to pitch a refreshing yet stamina-boosting menu to our usual café.

“Cristea-sama! I was just thinking I needed to consult you about developing new menu items! As expected of the Goddess of Food! Have you already read our wishes from long ago...?!”

The café’s head chef knelt before me as if in reverence.

… No, I have no idea what your wish was, and what the heck is a Goddess of Food!?

The chef immediately shoved us into a private room for VIPs the moment we entered the café.

Realizing this might turn into a long conversation, I tried to steer things by asking him to hear our new menu ideas first, and then this happened.

“F-First off, kneeling is unsanitary, so please stop that. As a chef, you should be mindful of hygiene.”

“Ah, yes.”

Just in case, I cast a cleaning magic spell over the flustered chef as he got up.

“Ohh… My chef’s coat is sparkling white!?”

I added a bleaching effect while disinfecting, after all.

“It’s one of the effects of Clear Magic, so don’t worry about it. More importantly, about the new menu. Lately, some people are adding spices to the beef bowl to change the flavor and enjoy it that way. Isn’t the place doing even better now?”

“Haha… That’s right. It’s becoming trendy to sprinkle spices, which started in the Ellisfeed Duchy. People enjoy how they can have different tastes in a single bowl. So, we’ve packaged a few types of spices into small bottles and added them to the menu as optional extras, and they’ve become quite popular.”

Oh… adding flavor-change options, nice job.

“However… as the weather’s gotten hotter lately, some students who originally had small appetites are finding it difficult to eat beef bowls. We’ve been getting more and more requests for something lighter, yet still energizing.”

Ah, so there are students like Sei who’ve lost their appetite and can’t handle heavy food.

So just as the chef was thinking what to do, I showed up. Wow, what great timing!

“Goddess of Food, Cristea-sama! Please bestow upon me a new menu—!”

“Wait, kneeling is banned! And calling me the Goddess of Food doesn’t make sense, so that’s banned too!”

“Ehh…!? Then what should I call you!?”

As the chef tried to kneel again, I hurriedly stopped him and banned the goddess title, earning a rather confused response.

No, seriously, I’m the one who’s confused here...?

“Just calling me Miss Cristea is fine, right? I-I mean, if you keep calling me a goddess or something, it might make me avoid coming here…”

“From this moment forward, the title ‘goddess’ is hereby banned in this establishment! Hey! Go inform all the staff immediately!”

The chef shouted, and the server waiting by the door replied, “Sir! Right away!” and dashed—no, sped out of the room at race-walking speed. Not even running and still that fast... a model server!?

…Wait, did all the staff call me goddess!?
Was a new religion about to be founded or something!?
Chef, are you the founder!?

Please don’t ever do that!?

“... My apologies. So, about the new menu…?”

With a clearing of his throat, the chef asked about the menu, so I gave him a rough explanation of the dish I had made the other day.

I didn’t include the pickled plum since only the Bastea Company has it in stock.

“So, about the udon. It might be difficult to manage the noodles, but even without them, the toppings can be put on bread or rice, and the soup can be served as part of a set, so I think it works either way.”

“...…”

“And this minced vegetable sauce—sort of like a mock-dashi—I think it can be served in a small bowl and eaten on its own, or mixed into beef bowls for a lighter taste.”

As for the mock-dashi, I used a lot of yam and centered it around summer vegetables to give it a refreshing feel.

I don’t know if okra is grown near the royal capital, though.

As for the yam, I handed over a memo detailing how to find and dig them up, and suggested having students look for them in the Gathering Forest.

It could make a good part-time job for students good at foraging.

“…”

“… Chef?”

“Cristea-sama!”

“Yikes!?”

He hadn’t said a word for a while, so when I peeked into his face, he suddenly lifted his head with vigor.

S-Scared me…!

“Magnificent, truly magnificent! Each item is light and refreshing, yet filling and completely satisfying. And this sauce—this will definitely sell as a new add-on for the beef bowls!”

I was taken aback by the chef’s passionate words, but relieved that he clearly found it promising.

“I’m glad. I wrote out a rough recipe, so I’d appreciate it if you could adjust the sauce to best complement the beef bowl.”

“Leave it to me! God—no, Lady Cristea!”

… Stopping at “God” makes it sound like God-Cristea or something big and powerful. Please don’t.

“Well then, I leave it in your hands. As for compensation, could we decide that after seeing how it sells? I don’t intend to gouge you; I’ll keep it minimal.”

“No, please! We can’t just let such contributions go unrewarded…”

“It’s fine. The most important thing is that everyone can enjoy their meals. Well then.”

“God… Cristea-sama…!”

I said stop calling me that!

… Ugh, the chef’s eyes are sparkling with tears!
Is it just me, or has his worship level gone up again!?
Terrifying!

Leaving the chef trying to convince me to at least have a meal, I quickly made my escape.

Needless to say, once the new menu was launched, the café’s popularity soared even more.

What do you think about this chapter?