Mia threw the rag over her shoulder and took the initiative to greet him, "Come in and sit. Do you want to drink some alcohol?"
Zephyr shook his head.
Even though he had drunk Divine Wine, he couldn't muster any interest in alcohol.
He explained with a smile, "I'm not particularly fond of alcohol."
"Oh?" Mia's eyes showed clear surprise.
In her memory, Zephyr had drunk alcohol a few days ago. Besides, it was impossible for an Adventurer hanging around Orario to completely avoid alcohol.
She frowned, guessing that he was just too shy to speak up.
Thinking this, her stern face wore an expression of refusal-proof decisiveness. "You treat us to food, I'll treat you to drinks. It's only fair to return the favor. What kind of Adventurer doesn't drink?"
"Um... Aunt Mia, before I joined the Loki Familia, I was actually a member of the Soma Familia, so I'm not particularly interested in alcohol."
Upon hearing this, Mia's face froze.
Everyone in that Familia was a drunkard. It was chaotic enough to give anyone a headache. They would come to her restaurant to eat, but when they couldn't afford the items, they would just find a spot to sit and drink, only to cause all sorts of trouble once they were slurring their words.
So, was this the reason Zephyr had transferred from the Soma Familia to the Loki Familia?
She fell silent for a moment.
Syr, who was standing nearby, clearly sensed the subtle awkwardness in the atmosphere and gradually snapped out of her spectator mode.
She placed the white plate onto the table and took the initiative to smooth things over. "Zephyr-san made dessert. Mama Mia, do you want to try some too?"
As she spoke, she lifted the lid. Immediately after, the fruit cream cake, which had a portion cut away by Zephyr but still looked perfect, was fully revealed before them.
Syr had never seen such an exquisitely beautiful dessert in all her years in Orario. Just from its appearance, it definitely couldn't taste bad.
The restaurant hadn't yet reached the dinner rush, and with only a few scattered tables of Adventurers drinking, the overall atmosphere was quite peaceful.
Syr cast a glance at Mia, who naturally understood what it meant, and not feeling particularly bothered, she waved her hand casually and said, "Go call them over. It won't take long to eat dessert."
"Yay!"
Syr walked toward the back of the restaurant.
Zephyr took the knife Mia handed him, made a rough estimate based on the number of people, and began to slice the freshly baked cream cake.
Soon, Syr led several girls from the restaurant out from the back.
No wonder the restaurant is so popular.
No one can refuse sweet, beautiful girls, and furthermore, in Orario, Zephyr hadn't seen anyone who looked particularly unsightly.
Anya had a rather lively personality, her pupils filled with curiosity. From far away, she sniffed the sweet scent of cream in the air.
"Nya!? Is it dessert? Is this what Syr was talking about nya?"
Chloe followed behind. Her expression was a bit more serious than usual, her eyes carefully scrutinizing the fruit cream cake on the table that looked good. But the tail resting behind her was not being very well-behaved, swaying.
Lunoire stood in the corner, wiping her hands, and nodded with a smile at Zephyr, who had come over to feed them again, as a gesture of goodwill.
As for Ryuu, her eyes held that calm, distant quality, showing no obvious emotional fluctuations.
Noticing Zephyr, she just gave a slight nod as a greeting. "Hello."
"Good evening." Zephyr responded with a smile.
He put the sliced cake into plates, signaling to the girls at the table. "Take your pick. I made it, so everyone just bear with it and give it a try. It might not taste particularly good."
Mia's gaze was focused on the changes in Zephyr's eyes than on the dessert. His attitude was very natural from beginning to end. It seemed all his attention was focused on that cake. The scrutinizing attitude she had originally held toward him dissipated.
'Could he have just come over to share it?'
Syr was the first to taste it. She scooped the cake with a spoon and put it into her mouth. In an instant, her eyes brightened significantly.
Her eyelashes fluttered, as if the fatigue accumulated from work was completely dispelled at this moment.
After coming to her senses, she placed the fork back on the plate and looked at Zephyr. She said in a serious tone, "Zephyr-san. This fruit cream cake tastes really delicious."
"Having worked in Orario for so many years, this is the first time I've encountered such a special dessert."
She looked toward the remaining cake, and on her smiling face, a faint sense of loss appeared. "It's just... will I ever be able to eat it again in the future?"
Hearing this, Zephyr was quite surprised. Syr's desire for the dessert was definitely heartfelt, and the key was that this kind of question was hard to answer.
After all, the key ingredient for this fruit cream cake was the mane from the Mont Blion, and encountering a Gourmet Creature was a matter of luck.
Not to mention, meeting the same species made the difficulty level skyrocket. If he couldn't establish a long-term cooperative relationship with the Hostess of Fertility restaurant, then if he wanted to cook in the future, he would have to return to his Familia's base. There was still a goddess at home waiting to be fed.
But for now, Zephyr hadn't found a suitable entry point for the conversation. He weighed his words, careful not to close off the possibility.
"I think there will definitely be an opportunity in the future. Let's talk about the details later."
A flicker of curiosity flashed in Syr's eyes, but her face quickly returned to a smile, with no intention of pressing further.
The other girls began to pick up their spoons one after another.
Upon tasting the cream fruit cake, Anya's mood brightened. "Delicious, nya! I feel like it's even tastier than the desserts Chloe makes. If only it had grilled fish... maybe the taste would be even better?"
"Anya!" Chloe's pupils contracted sharply.
Her expression soured on the spot, and she reached out to grab the ears on top of Anya's head.
"Nya! Take it easy, nya!"
"Zephyr-san, please don't mind her. That's just how she is." Chloe dragged Anya to the side by her ears.
After she began to taste the cream fruit cake, the complicated emotions in Chloe's pupils intensified, and she looked at Zephyr once again.
She seemed to have slightly misunderstood this idiot Cat Girl. The taste was indeed better than the desserts she cooked herself. That was a fact.
As for Ryuu, she hadn't touched anything from the beginning. Her gaze rested calmly on that piece of fruit cream cake, without reaching out to take it.
Syr noticed her reaction and moved the plate closer to her. "Try it. After all, it's Zephyr-san's thoughtful gesture."
Ryuu gazed at the dessert, which looked excellent, and then her peripheral vision glanced across at Zephyr, who was smiling very naturally.
In the end, she did not refuse. A soft texture that melted in her mouth, the fragrance of the cream, the warmth of the cake, and the natural sweet and sour juices of the fruit—multiple flavors intertwined on her tongue.
She lifted her eyes and looked towards Zephyr. "It's very delicious. It's a taste I've never tried before."
"That's for sure." Zephyr nodded with a smile.
He didn't plan on returning to the Familia base yet. Among the raw materials brought back from the Dungeon today, there were no other Gourmet Creatures. It was clearly unrealistic to think about going back to cook.