Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu - Chapter 218

Wanting to try running a popcorn stall, I went to Lumia’s place to get a magical tool that could keep popcorn warm.

“A magical tool that can make popcorn and keep it warm?”

“Yes. By the way, popcorn is this kind of snack.”

I handed Lumia the leather bag filled with popcorn as she tilted her head.

“May I try it?”

“Go ahead.”

“It’s crispy and delicious!”

Lumia exclaimed in surprise after eating the popcorn.

She then silently continued eating the popcorn, moving her fingers non-stop.

“…Um, Lumia?”

Her fingers just wouldn’t stop, so I hesitantly called out to her.

“Sorry! For some reason, I can’t stop eating!”

“I understand. It’s addictive, right?”

When I ate it yesterday, I couldn’t stop either because of how delicious it was.

“Wah! I ended up eating more than half by myself!”

“Don’t worry about it. I can make plenty more. I was planning to give this to you anyway.”

“Sorry.”

It must have been embarrassing for her, eating so eagerly like that. Lumia blushed as she received the popcorn.

“Uh, so you want a magical tool that can produce and keep popcorn warm, right?”

Lumia, trying to cover her embarrassment, returned to the main topic.

“Yes. The concept is something like this.”

I handed Lumia the design document I had prepared in advance.

What I had in mind was a popcorn maker like the ones at movie theaters or festival stalls in my past life.

You put the kernels in a pot inside a large box, and by heating them, the popcorn is produced. The popped popcorn automatically falls to the bottom, where it can be stored and kept warm at the same time.

“I see, that’s interesting! The mechanism itself isn’t very difficult, so I think I could make it right away.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But there’s one condition for making it.”

“…What is it?”

Maybe it requires special materials? Or perhaps I’d have to pay an extra charge due to being busy?

Either way, I could afford whatever it costs at this point.

I waited for the condition with anticipation, and Lumia slowly opened her mouth.

“I want to help you run the popcorn stall, too!”

“Huh? Together?”

“Yes! I’ve always wanted to try selling food at a stall… Um, is that not okay?”

Lumia shyly twiddled her fingers and looked up at me.

“No, not at all! In fact, I’d actually like to ask you to join!”

“Yay! Thank you!”

Customer service is still something I’m not quite used to, and it’s more fun to do it together than alone.

It’s unclear whether this will be the condition for Lumia to take it on, but she seemed very satisfied.

“Well then, I’ll prepare the estimate for the magic tool, so please wait a moment.”

“Understood.”

Lumia sat down in the reception chair and began writing numbers and letters on the documents while looking at the design I gave her.

She was probably calculating the rough costs of making it.

“Oh, if it isn’t Shuu-kun.”

“Excuse me.”

While waiting for the estimate, Saffy entered from the entrance.

I feel like it’s the first time Saffy has come in through the entrance.

She always gives the impression of being holed up in the workroom or her private quarters.

“Are you thinking something rude?”

“Not at all.”

“Hmm? I smell something good. What is this?”

I quickly brushed it off, and Saffy’s interest shifted to the popcorn I brought.

“This is popcorn made from Bombcorn. Would you like a taste?”

“I’ll have some.”

When I offered it, Saffy quickly grabbed a piece and put it in her mouth.

“Oh! It’s delicious! This would definitely go well with alcohol!”

Maybe one piece wasn’t enough, as Saffy snatched the entire leather pouch from my hand.

“No! You’re not allowed, Master! Please make sure to leave some for me!”

Saffy’s reckless act couldn’t be ignored, and Lumia leaned forward from the reception desk to protest.

“From the way you’re talking, you’ve already eaten some! The rest is mine!”

However, Saffy paid no attention to the protest. She fled into the back workroom.

“Ugh, I was planning to eat it while working…”

She must have been really looking forward to it, as Lumia slumped in disappointment.

“Don’t worry. There’s still plenty of popcorn left.”

I took out another leather pouch of popcorn from the magic bag, and Lumia’s expression brightened.

♥

“Shuu-san! The popcorn maker is ready!”

Three days later. When I visited Saffy’s shop, Lumia announced with a smile.

Next to her was a splendid popcorn maker.

It had a retro design, with red and yellow coloring as its distinctive feature.

“Oh, it has wheels!”

“I thought a wagon-type would make it easier for carrying and moving, so I added them. You can also remove them if you want.”

Lumia lifted the popcorn maker alone and showed how to separate it.

“That’s really convenient! Thank you!”

I had planned to rent a stall to sell it, but since it’s a wagon-type, it seems unnecessary. I can just pull this and take it to sell right away.

“By the way, the inside of the wagon is a storage space, so you can put ingredients and utensils in here.”

“Oh!”

When I opened the inside of the wagon, I found spare pots, salt, butter, and so on.

“What’s this transparent container?”

What caught my attention was a transparent, elongated cup-like object inside.

“It’s a disposable cup made from processed slime skin. I was thinking of putting popcorn in here to sell it.”

“I see!”

When I touched it, it was smooth and had a moderate strength. If I squeezed it, it easily crumpled.

The disposable plastic containers that existed in my previous life are very similar to this.

While it might lack a bit of strength for other types of food, it’s definitely sufficient for light popcorn.

“Thank you so much for preparing something this convenient.”

I feel embarrassed about the casual thought I had, thinking I could just use wooden cups and plates for returns.

“No, no, please don’t mind it. I just got carried away. Plus, the slime skin is just leftover material from when I made the raincoat, so I’m simply reusing it.”

When I expressed my thanks, Lumia smiled awkwardly and humbly.

It’s truly amazing what alchemy can do, to be able to create something like this from small leftover materials.

“Can I check if it works?”

“Of course!”

To make the popcorn maker, I had given Lumia some Bombcorn and taught her how to make popcorn. Without doing that, we wouldn’t be able to check if it works or test its durability.

Lumia nodded, then took the Bombcorn and seasonings from the storage space.

“The basic operation is done with the three buttons above. The right button is for turning on and keeping warm. The middle one is for heating the pot inside. The left one is for rotating the mixing rod.”

While explaining, Lumia pressed the button on the right side, turning on the light.

It seems that even if her hand goes in and out at this time, she won’t get burned.

She added oil to the pot inside, then operated the buttons to start heating and rotating the mixing rod.

“Next, we add the Bombcorn to the pot.”

Once the pot was sufficiently heated, Lumia added salt and Bombcorn to the pot and closed the lid.

Soon after, the Bombcorn began to pop.

At that moment, Lumia pressed the button to stop the heating.

Perhaps because she put in a lot of Bombcorn, the popping inside was very intense.

“Is there a possibility that the glass could break from the shock of the popping?”

“The glass of the popcorn maker has been mixed with glass mouse crystals, so it’s much stronger than regular glass. It won’t break from a little shock.”

Lumia confidently puffed out her chest.

I had heard that the durability of the glass was increased, but I never expected that they used glass mouse crystals.

It seems that the materials I gathered during the stun needle demonstration turned out to be useful in an unexpected way.

The popcorn made from Bombcorn spilled out from the gap in the lid, falling inside.

“It’s so fun to watch the popcorn pile up, right?”

“I know! I always get so caught up in watching it too!”

Looking at the two faces reflected in the glass of the popcorn maker, we couldn’t help but laugh.

“Once the popping is done, we tilt the pot to drop the remaining popcorn.”

After dropping all the remaining popcorn in the pot, half of the popcorn maker was filled.

To think that such a large amount could be produced from just one kernel, it’s truly cost-effective.

Thanks to the magical tool Lumia made for me, cooking is incredibly easy.

“After that, you just adjust the flavor to your liking.”

Lumia opened the glass door and, using a scoop, mixed the popcorn with vigor.

Even though the mixing rod can stir, with this much volume, it’s impossible to achieve perfect mixing.

After tasting one kernel, Lumia added just a little salt and mixed it again with the scoop.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.”

I placed the two kernels of popcorn Lumia scooped onto my palm and ate them.

“They’re delicious! The flavor is perfect, and the operation is even more convenient than I imagined!”

“Thank you! Do you think we can start selling right away?”

Lumia’s eyes, looking up at me, were full of expectation.

It seemed she was eager to start selling popcorn right now.

“If you’re okay with it, we could do it today or tomorrow…”

“Then, let’s go right now!”

Lumia eagerly exclaimed, and I nodded with a wry smile.