Chapter 226: The Dessert Research Team!
Ryohei Tanaka had a deep impression of the resort hotel he visited at the end of July. The guest rooms were distributed among 210 individual hillside buildings. The panoramic sky garden king room that Ryohei and Yurine Hanazono had stayed in was the only room in its building.
This extreme design for privacy amazed Ryohei; staying there felt incredibly comfortable. Therefore, he wanted to design his own inn in the same way.
Of course, his ranch was nowhere near as large as the resort, nor did he plan to host that many guests.
Ryohei and Minos went to the east side of the ranch for an on-site inspection. After some discussion, they decided to set aside several acres of land around the lake. This area would be used to build three separate inn guesthouses, one dormitory building, one multi-purpose complex (to house a restaurant, convenience store, and storage), and a dedicated hot spring building.
The ranch had hot spring resources. Ryohei consulted Lucoa, who confirmed she could create an underground channel and make two more hot spring pools. As for the one on the mountain, Ryohei planned to keep it for private use and not open it to the public. He was a bit of a germaphobe.
The remaining area would serve as the campground...
...
By the time everything was planned and they returned to the mountaintop villa, it was past 12:00 PM.
Jashin-chan and Yusa had already prepared lunch. After eating, the group went to rest.
After their break, Ryohei gathered Jashin-chan, Yusa, and Pino, officially forming the "Dessert Research Team."
The ranch was producing 300 to 400 liters of milk daily, and the blueberry orchard was in its peak harvest season, yielding fifty to a hundred kilograms of blueberries per day. It would be a huge waste not to utilize all these resources.
Yesterday, the Akino couple (the former owners) had introduced Ryohei to their business partners, but the negotiations had failed. The milk distributor wanted a ten-year contract. The terms were acceptable, but Ryohei wasn't willing to sign for that long. The fruit distributor tried to lowball him, and Ryohei didn't indulge him.
So, he had to find a solution for the ranch's output himself. This wasn't a big problem. He happened to own another commercial property, so he decided to open a dessert shop.
And that led to the creation of the Dessert Research Team.
...
"Yusa, you will develop ice cream. Focus on using our milk and blueberries. Let Lucoa know what other ingredients you need, and she'll take you to buy them."
"Yes!" Yusa accepted with perfect composure, showing the air of a true master. She was truly an expert in this field, capable of turning even Cockatrice venom into delicious, harmless ice cream. How amazing is that!
"Jashin-chan and Pino will be in charge of developing other desserts. Same thing, go to Lucoa for whatever you need."
"Am I just the tool for this?" Lucoa, who had followed them to the kitchen, interjected with a grin. She was leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed under her ample bust.
"You're the tool dragon," Ryohei joked back.
"Oh, am I?" Lucoa's smile didn't fade. She raised a hand, tapping her pale cheek with a finger. Her tone turned ambiguous. "If I'm your 'tool'... then please, Ryohei-kun, use me... correctly."
She was wearing a black, high-slit qipao today, showcasing her figure perfectly. The black silk wrapped around her neck, leaving her pale shoulders and delicate collarbones bare. The fabric formed a deep V at her chest, supporting her full bust. It cinched tightly at her waist, creating a perfect hourglass ratio with her hips. The high slit ran all the way up her leg, putting her long, smooth, pale skin on full display...
"..."
Ryohei was speechless for a moment. "What do you mean, 'use you correctly'? Am I using you incorrectly now?" He rolled his eyes, "I am using you correctly right now!"
"You're no fun," Lucoa sighed, looking down.
Ryohei: "..."
'Right, right...' The last time he was this exasperated was... the last time.
...
Pino glanced at the two, ignoring their "flirting." She cracked her knuckles. "Fine! I'll just have to show you the skills of Heaven's dessert-making champion!"
She had seen Ryohei ask in the LINE group if anyone was good at making desserts and replied with a "raising hand" emoji. Now she'd been drafted. But she didn't mind. She loved making desserts and seeing the shocked, amazed looks on people's faces.
"You're Heaven's dessert-making champion?" Jashin-chan looked at Pino, stunned. "Seriously? I never would have guessed!"
Yusa, who had been brainstorming ice cream ideas, also looked over in surprise.
"Well~, I haven't exactly shown off those skills to you," Pino said, putting her hands on her hips and squinting at Jashin-chan. She still held a bit of a grudge against the demon who had eaten her halo, ruined her mission, and left her in her current predicament.
"I didn't know we had an expert!" Ryohei feigned surprise. He patted Pino's shoulder. "Pino, I'm putting you in charge of dessert development!"
He could make desserts himself, but he was an amateur and hadn't studied it deeply. He needed someone to set a baseline.
"Yes! Leave it to me!" Pino straightened up, patting her ample chest. She still had a lot of respect for Ryohei. After all, she was living under his roof, his food was amazing, and he was a nice person. Her affection for him just kept rising.
...
After that, there was no more idle chatter. The group had Lucoa open a portal, and they all went to Tokyo to buy the necessary ingredients and equipment for making desserts.
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