Chapter 1748: Launch of a New Brand 5
I would go visit Ein-san and Jutia-san to promote the launch of our tea brand and to bring them some samples, so I went to Ein-san’s place first.
Prior to the visit, I sent out a hummingbird to inquire whether it would be alright to come and meet without revealing the details. Surprisingly, a swift “no problem” response came back, almost as if Ein-san had already guessed the reason for my visit.
[Welcome, Kaito-sama. I have been waiting.]
[H- Hello......]
Upon arriving at Kuro’s castle, the fact that Ein-san appeared with a beaming smile immediately suggests she fully understands my purpose here. Seeing the usually composed Ein-san with such a beaming smile...... This is just a guess, but after being taken away by Kuro by her last charge, she was definitely sternly warned and was never able to come to my house.
However, considering the amount of information she gathered about our new tea leaves in that short period, she probably knows about our new sugar cubes as well, so she must have been really looking forward to it. nOVe(Lb-In
[Come, Kaito-sama. Let’s not stand around and chat here...... I’ll show you to my room.]
[Yes. How should I say this...... You seem to be really happy.]
[I’m ashamed to say this, but I’m aware I had been hasty. No, I’m not yet convinced that Kaito-sama’s errand is what I’m expecting, but I still think that being the case is highly likely......]
[Yeah, you’re all fine with that. I’ve probably brought exactly what Ein-san would want.]
[I see! That makes me very thrilled!]
Seeing Ein-san acting more innocent than usual, I couldn’t help but smile wryly and followed Ein-san as she guided me to her room. As usual, it’s a simple room with few belongings, but I felt that the furniture had changed a bit since the last time I came.
[Yes, the raw materials’ source, the tea tree and sugarcane. Unlike the tea leaves before, it seems that these can be easily cultivated. With this, I thought we could ask someone like Raz-san to secure as much as you need...... Ahh, as I mentioned earlier, I’ve obtained permission from Nebula and Anima. As long as you ensure not to sell them, there’s no issue with using those for personal purposes......]
[Kaito-sama...... My apologies, but could I ask you to stand up for a moment?]
[Eh? Ah, yes.]
Upon hearing my words about giving her tea trees and sugar cane as a present, Ein-san looked overcome with emotion, and then, for some reason, she asked me to stand up.
Confused about her intentions, I stood up, and out of nowhere, Ein-san approached me and suddenly hugged me tightly.
[E- Ein-san!?]
[Kaito-sama’s thoughtfulness makes me very happy. Please excuse my impropriety, I couldn’t think of anything better to express my joy...... It’s a drawback that with my physique, this feels more of a hug even though I intended to embrace you close...... but Kaito-sama, if it’s not too uncomfortable, I’d be happy if you’d allow me some time while we’re like this......]
[Ahh, errr, it’s not uncomfortable...... or rather, it feels comfortable but...... Errr......]
[I see. Then, until Kaito-sama is satisfied......]
With those words, Ein-san, whose tension is at its peak, tightened her grip a bit more and hugged me even closer.
While my thoughts haven’t quite caught up with the situation, what I understand for the time being is that it feels soft, smells nice and just as I inadvertently blurted out earlier, it’s undeniably comfortable.
If there was one problem...... Ein-san has completely left the decision of when to end to me, so I’m not quite sure when to bring this to a close.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [Eh? I thought this would lead to a more gag-like development, but all of a sudden...... It feels like I’ve been hit with a sugar cane......]
? ? ? : [Well, I wonder what kind of feeling that is......]
