Chapter 87: Summer Hunt (2)

The polar bear's recipe, "Summer Hunt," became immensely popular.

While the price of affogato made with gelato and espresso is expensive, Summer Hunt was only half the price.

Simply making a Maxim coffee and asking the polar bear would give you the amazing experience of having it frozen on the spot.

Above all.

"Bolitur, one Summer Hunt please!"

"...Understood."

Chirrup─!

"Ugh, so refreshing!"

The cold air coming from the coffee as it freezes blew away the heat.

Brrrrrr.

The refreshing chill felt through the clasped bear hands was exquisite.

"Oh my, the texture is so smooth."

"So this is why people eat Summer Hunt."

Even the young ladies who used to enjoy affogato frequently ordered Summer Hunt just to hold hands with Bolitur.

"Please wave at me too!"

"Ahh!"

In the meantime, due to those who went too far with inappropriate physical contact or boldly attempted to peek through holes, warning notices were posted.

● A polar bear is working inside.

● Don't startle the polar bears.

Perhaps it is because of the explosive popularity of the 'Polar Bear Cave Café'?

Wow! A Polar Bear Cave Café has been built in our neighborhood too!

"It's a Polar Bear Cave Café, so why is someone from the Miao came out instead?"

"Maybe this isn't so bad after all…"

Various cafés headed by the different beast folks, have emerged.

There even appeared 'hole-in-the-wall shops' that had a hole drilled into the wall on the street to do business.

While the popularity of Summer Hunt was causing an increase in hole-in-the-wall shops, the White Tower was planning the official release of the real "Summer Hunt."

Since Summer Hunt was essentially made by freezing mixed coffee there were no difficulties in production.

The wrapping paper can be made using the dwarves' papermaking techniques.

Of course, it will take some time to maintain the factory for mass production.

While the alchemists and dwarves were busy preparing for the summer hunt, our Magic Tower family went to the beach for a vacation.

Caw, caw.

The summer sky without a single cloud and the clear emerald sea of another world were spread out before me.

I lay under the shade of a tree and leisurely watched the beach.

Of course, I didn't came to the vacation spot just to have fun.

If I wanted to play I would just lie in the garden of the tower; I wouldn't come all the way to the beach.

This was all to shoot an 'advertisement' for the release of Summer Hunt.

'In summer, we go to the beach.'

There is nothing like a beach to beat the heat in summer season ads.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the models for the ads of 'cool sea' and 'cool outfits' were cheat codes for summer hunt.

─Alright, Miss Bianca! Good!

─That bastard, is he filming that?

At the beach, Zion, holding a crystal orb, was posing for the camera with a wide grin on his face.

'At this rate, they'll get sucked into the crystal orb.'

The model for Summer Hunt was Bianca, who became famous from the Milk Calisthenics Song.

Bianca's abundance, reminiscent of bountiful milk, was perfect for the summer advertisement.

'No, is it for all seasons?'

Bianca, who debuted in an advertisement with the Milk Calisthenics Song, entrusted her tavern to her father and was working part-time as a crystal orb model.

Personally, I see it as a desirable choice.

Losing such talent to a tavern would be a tremendous loss for the Empire as well.

Even though they were just splashing around, a miracle was happening where it looked like a photoshoot.

"...The view is nice."

I was leaning in the shade, blankly watching the summer hunt advertisement.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over my head.

"What are you doing?"

"Working."

When I looked up, Aria was staring down at me intently.

"Working while just laying around?"

"Just getting to the beach in the summer is already a hassle."

"You're funny."

Ignoring Aria's scoff, I got up and took out the summer hunt from the icebox.

"Want some?"

"Sure."

I tore open the wrapping and split the summer hunt in half.

"Ugh."

I tried to divide it perfectly, but it didn't break as I intended.

I handed the noticeably smaller piece to Aria.

"Why is it smaller for me?"

"That's just how it is."

"Where does it say things have to be that way? Change it."

"No way."

Without giving her a chance to take it away, I bit it and Aria clicked her tongue.

In the end, Aria, who had given up and was sitting next to me eating summer hunt, suddenly asked with a curious expression.

"Why did you make it like this? Just make the shape properly and cut it in half."

"Then it wouldn't be fun. It has to have the thrill of splitting to be interesting."

"That's not fun at all."

"That's because you ate the smaller piece."

"What the heck is that? That's totally unfair."

"That's why it's interesting."

What made Summer Hunt sell well was precisely this unfair distribution.

It was a wicked ice cream called Summer Hunt, which was difficult to split in half, so one side usually ended up getting a larger portion.

Even if it were perfectly divided in half, due to the asymmetrical shape, one side would inevitably have more.

Because of these characteristics, the summer hunt was also called the friendship destroyer, and it was common for children to fight over size.

So there was a time when they improved the shape to be perfectly halved...

Sales plummeted.

In a way, it's like the principle of a lottery.

Just like scratching a lottery ticket with anticipation, summer hunt was the same.

Cutting it in half and having the bigger side win was another kind of fun besides the taste.

It's a kind of trivial entertainment.

─Cut! The filming is all done!

Hearing Zion's voice, I got up from my seat.

*

The "Summer Hunt" was trending in the Empire, but it was not a formally released processed food; it was a "recipe" for freezing Maxim Coffee.

Even that was a dish difficult to taste without a magic cold storage.

The advertisement for Summer Hunt came out around the time the recipe was spreading.

[ Enjoy together! Summer Hunt! ]

It was an advertisement showing Bianca, dressed lightly and revealing her smooth skin, getting tired from splashing in the water and sharing a summer hunt with Lilith.

It was just a video of splashing around and eating ice cream, but...

"Huff!"

"This, this is the summer hunt?!"

"...Shall we go to the beach?"

The advertisement for the summer hunt, which could be considered radical for the Empire, shockingly etched itself into people's minds.

Thus, Bianca's Summer Hunt advertisement garnered such an enormous response that it became a hot topic in the Empire for a while.

"It's summer hunt time!"

"Wow, this even comes as a processed food."

As soon as Summer Hunt was released, countless crowds flocked to the store to taste it.

"Cutting it like this is the right way, right?"

"That's right, it's about tearing and splitting it in the middle."

The citizens who saw the advertisement bought a summer hunt and shared it with their close friends.

"I can't wait to see what it tastes like."

"It won't exactly taste just like Maxim, right?"

At first, the atmosphere among the people was warm and friendly.

The problem appeared after they split the summer hunt.

"Um? Wait a minute! Doesn't this size seem a bit off?"

"Just eat it. You can't reattach something that's already come apart."

"...What did you say? Then why is it bigger for you?"

"It's a mistake, a mistake."

"Let's switch!"

"Haha, if you can take it, go ahead and try!"

A bizarre scene unfolded as they fought over the uncut summer hunt or ran away with the larger half.

"You have to split it evenly. It's ice cream that can change in size."

"Leave it to me. Even though It look like this... Hmm?"

"Haha! What did I say? You have to split it properly."

"Haha, I'm sorry. I made a mistake."

"Give me the big one."

"Sorry, but that's impossible."

Summer hunt, which blows away the summer heat, is famous not only for its taste but also for its size.

Above all, the lower prices compared to gelato or espresso allowed everyone to enjoy the summer hunt.

Even in the scorching afternoon sun, even in the cool evening after the sun has set.

People paired up in twos, sharing their summer hunt and chatting.

And.

"It's summer hunt time!"

"Wow!"

Through the White Tower, Summer Hunt was donated to numerous orphanages across the Empire.

The cold breeze of ice cream was hunting the Empire's summer heat.

It was summer.

*

"Don't let go of my hand."

"Don't worry, I won't let go."

"You already said that earlier."

"This time, I'm not letting go."

"Really? If you let go, you'll die."

The emerald waves of the Empire's eastern sea.

Aria, who caught the buoyant stone floating on the water, is diligently splashing around.

In front of him, Yuri was holding the buoyant stone.

Even Ranya was swimming alone, while surprisingly, Aria was afraid of the water.

It was because Yuri was holding onto the floating stone.

"Didn't you put it down?"

"Uh, I'm holding on."

Aria frequently checked if Yuri was holding onto the buoy while swimming.

It was more like a child's splashing than swimming.

With her head submerged in shallow water, Aria diligently moved her arms and legs.

"Sigh, this is quite tough."

"...."

"?"

When there was no response, Aria's eyes, which had been lifted, trembled.

"Where did you go?"

What Aria was holding onto was just one buoyancy stone.

The moment she became aware of it, her body, which had been floating just fine, sank as if it was like a stone.

"Pant, pant, gasp!"

*

While Aria was struggling alone in the shallow water up to her chest, I was facing an unexpected person.

"You were enjoying it all by yourself, leaving me out."

She was a noblewoman who seemed to be draped in elegance.

I stood up from my seat and bowed my head.

"I am honored to meet Her Highness the Second Princess."

The woman who approached the shade of the tree was Princess Christina, the Second Princess.

What are the odds of running into the Second Princess by chance at a beach like this?

It was clear that she had come looking for me, so I asked with a puzzled expression.

"What brings you to see me?"

Christina frowned, perhaps displeased with my question.

"You're still as clueless as ever."

"Yes?"

"I just came to hang out."

"...."

"You don't seem to believe me."

"Yes, well... The princess is not someone who has a lot of free time."

Christina, who would be busy preparing to conquer the Demon Forest in alliance with the Cornel Kingdom, wouldn't have come to the beach without any reason. It was right to think that she came to see me.

"Tsk, what a boring guy."

Christina, who grumbled at my answer, took out the summer hunt from the icebox. Then she tears the paper and splits it in half without hesitation.

Summer hunting was cut exactly in half as if with a knife.

"Your skills are impressive."

"Hmph, it's nothing."

Christina, who had chuckled softly, handed me the summer hunt and sat down in the shade of the tree.

At that moment, Aria was splashing water everywhere and thrashing about.

'Even if she stands on her tiptoes, she still sinks.'

Where had she thrown away the buoy?

It was a mystery how she was flailing around like that.

It was while I was curiously watching Aria's flailing, which defied the laws of science.

Christina opened her mouth.

"I decided to send 'Summer Hunt' off to the upper echelons."

"Your Majesty, is it... the palace?"

"No, higher."

I widened my eyes at Christina's gesture as she pointed to the sky with her index finger.

"Imperial family..."

"It seems the Emperor was pleased."

You prefer Summer Hunt over Affogato? It was surprising, but Christina's words didn't end there.

"The Emperor has acknowledged that the cultural invasion of the Cornel Kingdom was effective. He decided to create the Cultural Invasion Department and make me take charge of it. With the White Tower as an advisory body."

"I assume you have received the permission of the Tower Master…"

Christina nodded.

Our Tower Master was someone who would fall head over heels for the imperial family, so there was no need to ask.

By the way.

"Um, what you mean is..."

Christina twisted her lips and laughed.

"Let's see each other often."

"...."

Am I being reeled in?

I was feeling frustrated when suddenly my cheek stung.

When I turned my gaze, Aria, who had emerged from the sea as a water ghost, was glaring at me as if she wanted to kill me.

It looked like she had been through a fierce battle, with seaweed strands hanging all over her head.

***

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