Chapter 379: Yusa's Parfait!
The Ice-Chan Manju was small and soft to the touch.
Bringing it to his lips—
A fragrant aroma of wheat, mixed with the mellow scent of rum and the rich fragrance of butter, hit his nose, giving a sense of soft and sweet flavor before he even started tasting.
Ryohei opened his mouth and took a bite, feeling the thin and soft bun skin, which had a chewy texture, its aroma spreading between his lips and teeth.
Immediately, a smooth and rich molten chocolate filling surged out.
Within it was a gritty texture... it was orange zest!
"..." A trace of surprise flashed across Ryohei's face. He turned to Koji and praised: "Tastes great... the addition of orange zest can be said to be the finishing touch, wonderful!"
"Indeed."
Lucoa, holding a bitten crying face bun with her slender white fingers, spoke eloquently like a professional food critic:
"The mellow and slightly bitter aroma of dark chocolate occupies the entire mouth..."
"Just as this richness is about to settle, the orange zest turns into a bright citrus sweetness, cutting a refreshing light across the mellow chocolate base."
"The depth of the chocolate and the freshness of the orange zest dance together wrapped in the soft dough, sweetness and bitterness achieving a perfect balance on the tongue, with a refreshing and lingering aftertaste!"
"Mmm..." Pekola held half a smiling face bun in her hand and praised calmly: "The custard flavor is also delicious, the taste is very unusual..."
"It's okay."
Jashin-chan, who verbally disliked it, was eating with relish there, a standard case of saying no but body saying yes.
( ´ ▽ ` )
Seeing this, a bright smile blossomed on Koji's face. She then pointed to the desserts in another plate and introduced softly: "This is the multi-flavored Fruit Daifuku, also a popular dessert in the shop!"
"Don't just watch us eat; eat some together." Ryohei beckoned to her with a smile.
"I'll wait for Sister's parfait."
Koji didn't refuse, looked up with a smile, pointed towards the back kitchen, and said: "I'll go get you something to drink."
After speaking, she left holding the tray.
"Look at her, so sensible!"
( ﹁ ﹁ )
Ryohei turned his head and glanced sideways at Jashin-chan.
"Ha—!?"
Jashin-chan looked at Ryohei inexplicably, with an expression of "What are you suddenly saying?", then snorted lightly: "Weak demons should be sensible!"
"While for a naturally noble demon noble like me..."
She proudly pointed at herself with her thumb, lifted her chin slightly, and said arrogantly: "I was born to enjoy the 'sensibility' of these demons."
"You're hopeless!" Ryohei cast a look of disdain.
"..."
Soon, Yusa and Koji each walked over carrying a tray.
"So beautiful—!"
Six parfaits, each with a unique shape!
Ice cream, fruit, cream, biscuits, cake... layered in Collins glasses, topped with chocolate sauce and other jams, and sprinkled with crushed nuts.
Like exquisite pieces of art!
The crystal clear glass walls formed fine white frost due to the low temperature, as if covered with a soft light filter, adding a hazy and enticing beauty to the colorful layers in the glass.
To be honest, there's a reason why parfaits are the most popular dessert in dessert shops!
"Here... please enjoy!"
With a gentle smile on her face, Yusa distributed the parfaits to everyone one by one and sat down next to Lucoa.
She wanted to sit next to Ryohei, but her sister beat her to it.
"So magnificent... speaking of which, the portion is huge!"
Ryohei took a sip of the refreshing tea Koji brought, looked at the parfait in front of him, and couldn't help praising.
"To design these parfaits, I spent a lot of thought." Yusa tilted her head slightly, pretending to be troubled, but with a smile on her face.
"You have quite the artistic sense."
Lucoa picked up a long spoon and glanced at Yusa with a smile.
"I actually borrowed some parfait styles from the human world."
Yusa raised her slender hand, made a "little bit" gesture, looked at Ryohei gently, and said expectantly: "Everyone, try it."
"Mn."
Ryohei responded, picked up the long spoon, and started tasting.
The parfait was substantial, and the spoon capacity was limited, unable to scoop up all layers in one go, so he could only try his best—
Ryohei scooped up a spoonful of cream drizzled with rich chocolate sauce, embellished with fragrant crushed walnuts, topped with half a cherry, and wrapping half a spoon of vanilla ice cream, and put it into his mouth.
In an instant, coldness and warmth intertwined on the tip of the tongue!
The silky cream and cool ice cream melted first, outlining a sweet base, while the chocolate sauce timely infiltrated a trace of bitterness, adding a few points of profound depth.
Teeth closed gently; the burnt crispness of the walnuts and the sweet fruity tartness of the cherry burst instantly, making the entire flavor layer suddenly vivid and bright!
"Quite nice!"
Ryohei gave a thumbs up, giving a positive review.
"Ice cream texture is delicate and dense, cream is smooth and sweet, nuts are fragrant and crisp, fruit is sweet, sour, and juicy... plus the soft cake and crispy biscuits... very good!"
(´～｀)
Jashin-chan tasted her Centennial Festival Limited Parfait with plenty of ingredients while commenting one by one.
Lucoa and Pekola also gave positive reviews—making joyful smiles spread on Yusa's and Koji's faces.
...
The group ate and chatted in the dessert shop, sharing their experiences in the Demon World during this time.
Unknowingly, it passed 5:30.
Ryohei received a message from Yurine saying she had met up with Medusa and was preparing to go to the reserved restaurant.
She also asked if they were still at the Ice Clan dessert shop and could start heading out.
Ryohei replied casually, put down his phone, stood up, and said to everyone looking over: "Medusa has picked up Yurine; let's head out to eat too."
"Okay." Jashin-chan, Lucoa, Pekola, and the others responded one after another and stood up.
Medusa was treating tonight.
Earlier, when asking Jashin-chan to call her to help pick up Yurine, Medusa mentioned in passing, "Ask if Yusa and Little Ice want to come."
Ryohei didn't stand on ceremony with her either and had already invited Yusa and Koji just now—and the two sisters readily agreed.
However, Yusa felt embarrassed to go empty-handed and planned to bring some souvenirs, saying: "Wait a moment; I'll bring some desserts for them to taste."
"Sure."
Ryohei nodded and waited in the dessert shop with Jashin-chan, Lucoa, and Pekola...
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