That was what Yuto had in mind.
He had already been thinking earlier about improving himself further.
When he had made a cake for Hatsune, he had developed the idea of learning more kinds of pastries
And now, after tasting this canelé, he had taken a liking to the flavor.
But for a cook, what he was asking about was one of the most fundamental secrets.
To put it more harshly, it was like cutting off someone's livelihood. Every outstanding cook had one or two dishes that they were best at.
And those were often the foundation on which they relied to make a living.
As a fellow cook, Yuto understood that principle and that rule.
That was why, inwardly, he felt awkward and embarrassed.
"I see." The girl's father let out a soft sigh of reflection.
"Dad~~~" Kaori Miyazono tugged lightly at her father's sleeve, acting a little spoiled.
It was obvious that she was pleading on Yuto's behalf.
Yuto had thought the man would refuse. But what he did not expect was to hear an open laugh the very next moment.
"Hahahaha, of course there's no problem! Kamisaka-kun saved Kaori-chan today. How could something as trivial as making canelés compare to Kaori?" The girl's father stated his position on the spot.
His expression was broad and generous, and the smile on his face was frank and bright.
Yuto froze for a moment, then a grateful smile appeared on his face as well.
"Thank you very much."
"It's nothing, it's just a small matter! Besides, Kaori already acted spoiled with me, so I have to say yes!" The girl's father laughed loudly, while the girl beside him flushed a little.
"Come on, Kamisaka-kun!" The girl's father stood up, called out to Yuto and walked toward the bakery's kitchen.
Yuto nodded to Mrs. Miyazono and Kaori, then followed him over.
Once only Mrs. Miyazono and Kaori were left behind, Mrs. Miyazono looked at her daughter with a teasing expression.
Kaori became a little flustered.
"Kaori, you've got pretty good taste."
"Hah?! Mom, what are you talking about?!"
....
By the time Yuto was ready to leave the bakery, it was already noon.
The main reason was that Kaori's father's instruction had been far too detailed.
Yuto had not expected him to hold absolutely nothing back. He could also see just how important Kaori was in the man's heart.
Under his guidance, Yuto had learned how to make canelés.
Even though he did not get to taste the ones he made himself, that was already enough. The memory of how to make canelés was crystal clear in his mind.
Once he got back to the restaurant, the first thing he wanted to do was try making them himself.
"Kamisaka-kun, once my foot gets better, I'll go eat at your restaurant. When that time comes, you have to make canelés for me!"
When their part away, Kaori smiled as she said this to Yuto.
She had also asked where Kamisakaya was. As for whether she would really be able to come, Yuto was no longer as pessimistic as he had been before.
After all, Asuna had remembered it back then too.
Yuto smiled softly and nodded.
He stood outside the bakery, sunlight spilling across his shoulders, so bright that even his smile seemed to glow.
That made the girl watching him feel her face heat up!
...
When Yuto returned to Ichinosuke Street, some of the storefronts along the road had already opened.
It was already noon now.
It was about time for the employees in the shops to grab a bite of lunch.
As Yuto walked down the street, he greeted everyone he passed. When he went by Hanako's karaoke club, its doors were still shut, so he decided to come ask again in the evening.
By then, all the shops on Ichinosuke Street would be open.
Yuto returned to his own restaurant. He did not go upstairs, but headed straight for the kitchen.
He had just learned how to make canelés, and he wanted to try doing it himself.
Besides, to make canelés properly, at least two days were needed for the preparation.
Click.
Yuto switched on the kitchen lights.
Although it was daytime, the kitchen did not get much natural light,
After putting on his apron, he stood before the counter. He picked up an egg and cracked it into a bowl. After beating it into a mixture, he sifted in some cake flour.
Once the flour was added, the egg had turned into a batter.
Yuto kept whisking.
He only stopped once the batter had become completely smooth.
He set the bowl aside, then took out a small saucepan. He placed it over the fire and poured in milk, vanilla extract, butter, and salt.
After stirring it lightly with a spoon, he waited for the milk to come to a boil.
During the process, the milk, mixed with vanilla extract, butter, and salt, heated up and began to steam.
A milky fragrance spread out.
Ordinary milk gave off nothing more than a normal dairy scent, but the milk in the pot carried a sweet aroma.
That was the lingering fragrance released when the vanilla and butter were heated. Rich and sweet.
Blub, blub, blub—
Bubbles rose to the surface of the milk in the pot.
As time passed, the milk began to boil.
Seeing that, Yuto turned off the heat. He slowly poured the pot of milk into the bowl of batter from before. He did not pour it all in at once, but divided it into several batches.
Each time he poured some in, he stirred for a while.
By the time he had finished adding it all, the batter in the bowl had become as light as water.
Only when it moved did it still carry a trace of stickiness. Its color had turned into a pale creamy shade.
A rich fragrance drifted straight into Yuto's nose.
It felt like flowers blooming in spring.
Yuto nodded inwardly in approval.
Then, after waiting for the batter to cool, he opened a bottle of white rum. He had bought it on the way back. After all, rum was essential for making canelés.
He poured in a little rum, then continued stirring for a while longer.
Once he finished all that, Yuto covered the bowl with plastic wrap.
Now he just had to wait patiently.
The next step was letting it rest for twenty-four hours.
Earlier, at the bakery, Kaori's father had taken out batter that had already been rested and demonstrated the later steps for him.
Yuto remembered it clearly, but this was his first time making it in his little restaurant, so all he could do was wait.
After putting the batter into the refrigerator, Yuto tidied up and came back out.
All in all, he had spent nearly an hour just on the early preparation for the canelés.
No wonder people always said desserts were expensive, the labor cost was too high!
In that one hour, Yuto could have stir-fried more than a dozen dishes.
When he reached the front of the restaurant, he looked around, then walked over to the wooden pillar Kazami Yuuka had made to support the little restaurant back when it was expanded.
It had been formed by bundling together the roots and stems of plants. It was hard to make out any clear edges between its sides.
Yuto touched the pillar and examined it for a bit, then nodded to himself.
This pillar was just right for hanging up the world-travel rules he had come up with.
After thinking about those rules for some time, he had written them down on a wooden board.
At first he had written them on paper. But considering how easily paper could be damaged, he had switched to wood instead.
Yuto found a nail and took a hammer.
Then he pressed the wooden board with the world-travel rules written on it against the pillar.
He raised the hammer in his right hand and started pounding.
Once the board was nailed up, Yuto stepped back a few paces. Looking at the board attached to the pillar, he nodded in satisfaction.
There were not many words on the board.
That was because the number of precautions Yuto had thought of for the time being was not very large.
If there were any oversights in the future, he could always add more later.
Several declarations written regarding travel to other worlds in the board:
To go to another world, one must obtain the consent of both Yuto and a native resident of that world.
In addition, a world-transfer fee of one million yen per trip must be paid to Yuto (items with sufficient value may be used in place of money).
And also, please do your best to maintain peace in other worlds!
Under no circumstances may you threaten, hypnotize, beguile, or otherwise use vile means to control other guests in order to satisfy your desire to travel between worlds.
Once discovered, you will be placed on the restaurant's blacklist forever (which means you will never be received again).
Group travel is not recommended for now.
Please wait for further research and notice from the Boss.
Note: If you have other special needs, such as residing in another world for a long period of time or falling in love with someone from another world, please discuss it in detail with Yuto. It may only be approved after Yuto's decision.
Those were the temporary travel rules for now.
Actually, Yuto still had some concerns.
For example, in the first rule, the line "items with sufficient value may be used in place of money" was meant to accommodate guests who could not produce cash—but how exactly was the value of those items supposed to be determined? That was troublesome.
"Base station... activate... unlock... more..."
As Yuto was thinking this over, a broken, intermittent voice sounded in his mind.
At the same time, his vision went dark.