Convenient Tools
The day after we made Daifuku, I decided to go to Grandpa Solâs magic tool shop to have a kneader made before I forgot.
ââHello~ââ
âOh! You came~â
As we entered the building, which still looked like a rundown haunted house, we were greeted by Grandpa Sol, the owner of the store.
âHello. Long time no see.â
âI heard you were leaving the Capital, but I didnât know you returned~â
âYes, we have some business to attend to here. Ah, this is a souvenir for you.â
âOh, thanks.â
I gave him some Daifuku we made yesterday as a souvenir.
âAh, itâs not a souvenir from our previous desination, itâs just something sweet we made.â
âHooh~ sweet, huh. Can I taste it right away?â
âOf course, itâs called Daifuku, it was made from Red Wheat and Red Beans. Ah, itâs quite springy in texture, so be careful not to choke on it.â
âThis is my first time eating Red Wheat.â
Grandpa Sol picked up the Daifuku with a curious look on his face and bit into it.
âOhh, it really is chewy~ but also very yummy.â
ââReally?ââ
âAllen also made this.â
âElena also did her best.â
âIs that so? That is incredible.â
Daifuku seemed to suit Grandpa Solâs palate.
âIs this chewy texture coming from the Red Wheat? I see, I see. So you want a magic tool made to help you crush Red Wheat into this chewy texture⦠something like that?â
ââ¦â¦â
âAm I wrong?â
â⦠You understand me too well.â
Grandpa Sol guessed exactly what kind of magic tool I was going to ask him for.
âFuoh, fuoh, fuoh. Looks like I got it right.â
ââOjiichan, amazing!ââ
âFuoh, fuoh, fuoh.â
âYou really guessed it right.â
âIâve never seen Red Wheat in the flesh, but I take it from the name that itâ should be grains just like White Wheat?â
âThatâs correct.â
He really knows what heâs talking about.
âHow about it? Can you do it?â
âLetâs see~ I could do something like a hammer that moves at regular internvals, but then⦠it could only crush in one place.â
âIndeed.â
Worst-case scenario, I could have just the hammer part made, and do the rest myself, butâ¦â
âN~ Letâs see~ Would it be possible if there was a mechanism for the action of shifting the Red Wheat, even just a little bit, at the bottom of the vessel?â
âFumu. I see, so itâs enough for the contents to be shifted around a little.â
âYes, the hammer doesnât have to reach all the way to the bottom, so I suppose it could be rigged up at the bottom⦠I wonder if that would be possible?â
It doesnât have to be mixing constantly, as long as there is an occasional hand-like motion.
âThat should be fine. I will give it a try.â
âPlease!â
âFuoh, fuoh, fuoh. Leave it to me.â
ââOjiichan, please do your best~!ââ
Good. He said he would give it a try.
I asked Grandpa Sol to make it for me, and the kids followed suit.
âOh, and excuse me, could you make a magic tool that gradually cools and freezes a liquid while stirring it?â
ââFor ice cream!ââ
âYes, thatâs right.â
Next, I asked for an ice cream maker.
It occurred to me that if I could freeze a liquid while stirring it, I could make it. I wanted making ice cream to be easier.
âHmm, I donât know what ice cream is, but I can do it.â
âReally? Then, I would like that made, too. Ah, by the way, ice cream is kind of like shaved ice made with milk.â
âHoh~ shaved ice, huh. Iâd like to try that.â
âIf you want, I can prepare it for you, but itâs a little cold today, so itâs not suitable today, you know?â
âWhat~ I will just make the room warmer. By all means, please let me try it.â
âAllen will eat too~â
âElena as well~!â
âRoger that. How about⦠milk and choco-ichi today?â
ââSounds good!âân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
I also like the idea of eating ice cream in a warm room.
âHere you go.â
ââYay!ââ
âOh, thanks.â
As the four of us started eating ice cream, for some reason, I was reminded of the kotatsu.
I donât absolutely need a kotatsu, but sometimes I miss it. Maybe I should have this one made, too.
âOhh, this is also tasty! I would love for Stefan to sell this at his place, too.â
âAh, come to think of it, we were talking about selling the shaved ice, didnât we? How is that going?â
I asked Grandpa Sol, remembering that shaved ice was sold by the Fiji Company, of which I am a frequent customer, and that Stefan-san, the chairman of the Fiji Company, had taken the lead in selling it.
âWhat, you havenât showed your face at Stefanâs yet?â
âNot yet.â
âStefan is going to cry.â
âEh?â
âHe once rushed over to me to tell me that he had received a special order from the castle for a shaved ice machine.â
âAh~â¦â
I remember that when I went to Creta, I gave shaved ice to Austin-sama, and the princes of Creta, Rain-sama and Cloud-sama, and they liked it so much that they told me that they were going to get the shaved ice machineâs magic tool.
âIt seems that you have an idea. If you have contacted him beforehand, Stefan would not have been in such a panic.â
âUwah~ I did something bad~ I will visit him later.â
âThat would be for the best. Iâm sure he has a lot of other matters he wants to report directly to you.â
âEh!?â
Was there anything else unrelated to the shaved ice? Curry powder or Easy Salt Series?
Oh, come to think of it, I need to go get a deposit slip from the Merchant Guild as well~
â⦠I canât run away, can I~â
âNope.â
ââOniichan, do your best!ââ
â⦠Yes~â
What a melancholy~ I thought, but the kids cheered me on.
âFuoh, fuoh, fuoh. You are going to have to do your best.â
âIndeed.â
After this, while enjoying their ice cream, the children told Grandpa Sol about the magic tool shop in the city of Byld in the country of Serdik, and other things that had happened on our trip.
âWell, I will leave things to you then.â
He said that the prototype would be ready in about five days, so we promised to come back around that time and then left the store. Oh, and of course, I didnât forget to ask him about the kotatsu.