Just Right for a Hatchling's Taste
The pot bubbled away, sending up thick clouds of steam. At the same time, heavy bubbles rose and popped on the surface. That was the signal that it was fully cooked. The visual was reminiscent of a witch's cauldron, but the contents were painfully plain. Then again, there weren't really any contents to speak of.
—Pop…! Pop…! Only bubbles rose and burst from the clear liquid as it boiled.
“Sniff sniff sniff…! It smells incredibly sweet, desu-yong-!”
Perhaps dragons had a keen sense of smell just like puppies. Right on cue, Derke's nose twitched. If I let it boil any longer, the mixture would burn.
“This should be good enough. Derke? Step back, it's hot.”
“Ah, got it, desu-yong-!”
—Glug, pour…! I tipped the thick, bubbling liquid from the pot onto a wide, flat tray. The clear, transparent liquid spread evenly across the tray's frame, taking on a jelly-like shape. It was closer to corn syrup, really. Either way, I had boiled it to the perfect consistency.
“It's super sticky, desu-yong…! And it smells so sweet-! I want to try it right now, desu-yong-!”
Derke let out an innocent exclamation, clearly fascinated by how the liquid spread out like glass across the tray.
“Not yet. Wait a little longer.”
Without thinking, I stopped her the way one might command a puppy. Thanks to Beast Taming, Derke followed my words immediately.
“I'll let you taste it as soon as it's done, so can you wait?”
“Yeah! Of course, desu-yong-!”
It was still piping hot, and it needed to set properly before I could work with it later. What I had just boiled was sugar water. That's right—I was making star candy. Using a very simple method.
‘If only I had some food coloring, it would look nicer……’
I had yellow sugar from the cafeteria, but it would have clashed with the color of the biscuits. So I had no choice but to settle for pure white sugar water. White was the original color of star candy anyway.
Making star candy wasn't difficult. Once it hardened, I just had to break it up. That was really all there was to it. Nothing else was needed. I took a short break while it cooled and set completely, checking the fire's heat as I waited.
And finally, once the sugar had fully hardened……
—Crack! Crack! Crunch!
I scraped it off the tray with a spatula and broke it into bite-sized pieces. The irregular shapes looked more like meteorites than stars. By the time I finished……
—Rustle…!
The biscuits had also turned a perfect golden brown, as if timed by a clock. Maybe it was thanks to the fire's steady heat. They looked surprisingly nice and toasty. I was glad I'd brushed them with melted butter at the end.
“Does this count as a success?”
“Waaah-! It smells so savory, desu-yong-!”
Derke cheered as she examined the finished result. Still, something felt missing.
“Huh? No message?”
When I made the sponge cake, a system message had appeared, but nothing showed up for the biscuits. I hadn't made a single mistake, either.
—Crunch, crunch…!
Both the outside and inside were perfectly crisp. The rich flavor of butter came through nicely. But that was all. There wasn't much taste to speak of.
‘Well, biscuits aren't exactly a fancy dessert……’
I muttered to myself after tasting the freshly baked biscuits. Maybe biscuits were just biscuits after all.
“Me too, me too! Derke wants to try some too, desu-yong-!”
“Ah, right. Blow on it, it's hot.”
I handed one to Derke as well, who was watching enviously from the side. I needed a local's opinion in case I was the only one feeling disappointed.
—Hoo…! Hoo-oo…! Haap-!
Derke held the biscuit in her palm, blew on it, then popped the whole thing into her mouth. After a few crunches, she spoke.
“Mmm-? It tastes savory…… but it's pretty bland, desu-yong……”
See? Even Derke, with her low standards, gave that reaction. She was clearly holding back from saying it was bad out of consideration for me.
“Right? We're not done yet.”
“What else is left, desu-yong-?”
“Yeah. I'll make it delicious in no time.”
If I'd finished the biscuits a little faster, I could've taken them to the cafeteria and asked them to fry them. But using cooking oil in the lounge would be too hard to manage.
—Rumble…!
After letting the freshly baked biscuits cool slightly, I poured them into the large wok I usually used for roasting coffee beans. I wasn't throwing them away because I'd failed. This had been the plan from the start.
—Tap! Fwoosh…!
I lit the stove and heated it over high flame.
—Shake shake shake shake!
Then I added a sprinkle of sugar on top.
—Stir stir stir stir…!
After that, I stir-fried the biscuits so the sugar would coat them evenly. The key was to stir gently so the biscuits wouldn't break. And only for a very short time.
—Tap!
After stirring just once or twice, I turned off the heat right away. There was no need to keep stir-frying. I didn't want the sugar to burn. Now all that was left was the finishing touch.
“Derke? Could you bring me the star candy?”
“Star candy……?”
“Yeah. The pieces we broke into little chunks earlier.”
“Aha! Leave it to me, desu-yong-! Star candy is such a cute name, desu-yong-!”
“Just pour one bag of star candy in here.”
“Ah, Derke will pour it, desu-yong-?”
“Sure. Since we're giving these to your friends, it might be nice if you did the finishing touch.”
“That's a very wise idea, desu-yong-!”
—Shake shake shake shake!
At the same time as her answer, Derke poured the portioned star candy from the paper bag into the wok. Now for the real finale. Before the melted sugar on the biscuits' surface hardened, I quickly mixed everything so the star candy would stick. As expected, star candy was what completed the biscuits.
Star Candy Covered Biscuits - ★★☆
No longer just combat rations. To prevent wars over biscuits, a steady supply of sweet star candy will probably be necessary.
Grade increased by ☆ thanks to the contracted target's special privilege “Dragon's Touch.”
Dragon's Touch — A dragon knows best what a dragon likes to eat. Especially young hatchlings have the most honest palates. Therefore, they can bring out straightforward flavors better than anyone.
Yeah, this was exactly the kind of message I'd been hoping for. Honestly, I wasn't sure if the biscuits would even work. But it got a solid two-and-a-half stars. I hadn't expected the system to recognize the biscuits and star candy. The game developer must've been a military veteran. This was a huge success. That said, what was with this special privilege? “Dragon's Touch” out of nowhere? Was this the reward for winning over Derke finally activating?
The sudden message made me tilt my head. Still, good things were good things. I was definitely benefiting from Derke today. I should make desserts with her more often from now on.
“It looks a bit rough, but want to try one?”
“I was waiting for you to say that, desu-yong-! I really want to eat it now, desu-yong-!”
When I picked up a piece of the star candy covered biscuits, Derke looked up at me with sparkling eyes like the candy itself.
“Here. Should I try one too?”
“Thank you for the food, desu-yong-!”
““Crunch—!!!””
We both popped a piece of star candy covered biscuit into our mouths at the same time and bit down. It was incredibly sweet. And crunchy. Sweet again… and sweet once more. When I'd tried the plain biscuits earlier, my mouth had felt dry and unpleasant, but adding sugar and star candy had turned them into something completely different.
“I-Ish delishush-?! Really super…?!”
“How is it? Do you like it?”
“It tastes like my tongue is melting, desu-yong……!!!!”
Derke's exclamation of delight followed right after. She looked up at me with shining eyes, her expression genuinely moved. Well, it was blatantly sweet, so it was probably perfect for a child's palate.
“Here, take these and share them with your friends. Tell them you made them.”
“But Breeder made these……”
“It's fine. I'm satisfied just seeing you enjoy them.”
“O-Oppa is such a kind person, desu-yong-! This snack is so delicious I'd feel bad giving it to my friends…! I almost want to eat it all by myself, desu-yong……”
“Hey now, that won't do. I made these so you could get closer to your friends, remember?”
“Aah! N-No, I was joking, desu-yong-! Derke isn't that greedy of a dragon, desu-yong-!”
When I teased her and pulled the biscuits away, Derke started fidgeting anxiously.
“Pfft, I'm kidding. You have to share them nicely with your friends, okay?”
“Hehe-♬ Thank youuu-!”
After portioning out a suitable amount into several paper bags, Derke thanked me in an unusually normal tone. And at the same time……
The target's favorability has increased significantly!
Derke (Lv.201) - Worship Relationship
You have confirmed a new favorability stage.
You have reached the pinnacle of the “Friendly” stage.
This contracted target will gladly use their abilities and special privileges for you.
‘What is this now?’
The moment I gave Derke the biscuits, another layer of system messages appeared. From what I could tell, it meant I could freely use Derke's abilities and the “Dragon's Touch” that had appeared earlier. Now I could borrow Derke's help every afternoon. The title “Worship” really suited the situation. Though “worship” felt a bit excessive. All I'd done was make some biscuits. Even if she loved snacks, I hadn't expected winning her over to be this easy.
It seemed that once I reached the worship stage with a contracted target, I could receive help through these privileges and the target's abilities. Ah, but more importantly……
“By the way, Derke? What did you just say?”
“Heh-? I said thank you, desu-yong-!”
“No, not that. Can you say it again, just like before?”
“Hng…?”
Derke stared at me blankly, clearly not understanding what I meant. After gazing at my face for a moment, she moved her lips again.
“Th-Thank you, desu-yong……?”
Derke's answer was completely different from before. She was using her usual speech pattern. Then she tilted her head with a puzzled expression and looked at me. From her face, it didn't seem like she was pretending.
‘I'm pretty sure she spoke normally just now…… what?'
Derke really was a mysterious kid sometimes. Whatever. It didn't matter. I was already looking forward to the first-year roll call tonight. I hoped this would help her get along with her classmates.