"Really? That's great!"
Jun Shiomi cried out happily, hugging Satou. Although she was over thirty, she acted like a little girl.
"However, you must tell me all the results of your research, okay?"
Satou said.
"Mhm, that's a must."
Jun Shiomi tightly clutched the small bottle, as if it contained not spice but a treasure, smiling as happily as could be.
"Speaking of which, which part of which plant is your spice from?"
She thought of something and suddenly asked.
"Hmm, actually, it's not extracted from a plant, but from a kind of butterfly."
Satou said. Generally, spices in cooking are almost all obtained from plants; obtaining them from living organisms is extremely rare.
"A butterfly?"
Jun Shiomi was indeed startled and subconsciously blurted out, "Can I see it?"
"Sure. Here, that spice is the scale powder from this butterfly on Megumi's hair."
Satou pointed to the butterfly on Tadokoro Megumi's braid and said.
"It's actually a real butterfly? I thought it was a bow tie, no wonder it looks so lifelike."
Jun Shiomi bent down, brought her small face close to Tadokoro Megumi's braid, adjusted her glasses, and carefully examined the butterfly charm material.
"Hmm, it's indeed the same scent."
Hayama Akira also squatted down, examining it carefully.
"I don't know much about entomology. What species of butterfly is this? It's truly beautiful, and this is the first time I've heard of edible spices being extracted from butterflies. I wonder if it's poisonous?"
Jun Shiomi's eyes were wide open, and she instinctively wanted to reach out and touch it.
Tadokoro Megumi quickly recoiled. This butterfly was a gift from Satou, and she always treasured it.
"Can you give me this butterfly to study?"
Jun Shiomi asked eagerly.
"I'm sorry, Professor Jun, I can't give you this."
Tadokoro Megumi's voice, though soft, was firm.
How could she give away a gift from Satou to someone else?
"Satou, did you give this to her?"
Jun Shiomi looked at Satou again.
"Sorry, there aren't any left."
Satou said. The butterfly charm material itself produced very little spice daily, and he himself wanted to raise a few more, so how could he give one to Jun Shiomi?
"Alright."
A hint of disappointment appeared on Jun Shiomi's baby face.
"Then, can you sell one to us?"
However, she was still a bit unwilling and wanted to buy one with money.
"It's fine if you want to buy one, it'll be 500,000 Japanese Yen."
Satou said. He had no close relationship with Jun Shiomi, so he couldn't just give it to them for free. Selling it to her at cost was already giving this Instructor a lot of face.
If this kind of butterfly were sold outside, even without considering its culinary value, its ornamental value alone would be worth far more than this small amount.
Insect collectors would definitely pay a high price to buy it.
"That much money?"
Jun Shiomi was startled and said with some difficulty, "The research association's funds have been a bit tight lately, and I'm afraid I can't raise that much immediately. So, Satou, can you give me more time? I will definitely find a way to gather it."
She looked at Satou nervously. Although 500,000 wasn't an exaggerated amount, the research association's monthly funds rarely had any surplus, and recently they were often in the red.
"In that case, alright. Whenever you gather the money, come to me to pick it up."
Satou nodded and said.
"Really? Thank you so much! I'll go easy on you during exams in the future."
Jun Shiomi was immediately overjoyed and cried out happily.
"Hey, Jun, isn't that clearly against the rules? All these students are watching."
Facing his foster mother who lacked experience in handling affairs, Hayama Akira was quite speechless and couldn't help but remind her.
"Ah? Then, never mind about going easy on the exams."
Jun Shiomi immediately said somewhat timidly.
Looking at this unusual mother and son, Satou found it amusing. He felt that sometimes Hayama Akira seemed more like Jun Shiomi's guardian.
Hayama Akira nodded to Satou and said, "In any case, I'll remember this favor. If you need anything in the future, just come to the Jun Shiomi Research Association and call for me."
"No need, it's a small matter."
Satou smiled indifferently, but Hayama Akira's favor was an unexpected gain.
After all, he possessed the God's Nose and was also at the level of a quasi-Elite Ten; he would surely be useful in the future.
Next, Satou poured some spice powder from the small bottle for Jun Shiomi.
"After researching, I will send you all the characteristics of this spice."
As soon as Jun Shiomi got the spice, she couldn't wait to research it. She didn't even bother with class and hastily announced its dismissal.
Leaving the students in the classroom looking at each other in bewilderment.
"Satou, can you come out for a moment?"
Hayama Akira suddenly said.
Following him out of the classroom and into the empty hallway, Satou asked, "Hayama, is there something you need?"
"I want to know where you got your butterfly. If possible, could you sell me one? Because Jun seems to really like it."
Hayama Akira hesitated for a moment and said.
Looking at the mother-pampering maniac in front of him, Satou secretly found it amusing. This mother and son were quite interesting; sometimes Jun Shiomi seemed more like a child, while Hayama Akira seemed like a father.
After class, Satou went to his own research association, followed by Tadokoro Megumi, Ryoko Sakaki, and others.
In the clubroom, the others were not present, but Miyoko Hojo was making a dish.
Seeing everyone enter, she smiled and greeted them, saying, "Would you all like to try the crispy rice I just made?"
"Oh? Is this a new dish you're trying out?"
Yuki Yoshino's eyes lit up. Not afraid of burning her hands, she directly picked up a piece and tasted it while it was hot. "Mmm, it's so crispy and fragrant! It's really delicious."
"I'll try some too."
Ryoko Sakaki smiled slightly, brushed her hair behind her ear, and delicately picked up a piece.
Because Satou and Miyoko Hojo would try out dishes, the clubroom now resembled a tea room. Ryoko Sakaki, Tadokoro Megumi, and the others often came to sit with Satou in their free time, taste the trial dishes, and chat.
Satou also enjoyed this leisurely and peaceful time, drinking tea, eating snacks, and playing cards with everyone after class, which was very pleasant.
Occasionally, the Tsundere would also come and sit for a while, though she was more interested in playing poker.
The crispy and fragrant scorched rice pairs well with clear tea, making for a delightful tea snack. Everyone sat down, chatting leisurely.
Miyoko Hojo glanced at Tadokoro Megumi's braid and said, seemingly casually, "Megumi, is this butterfly your pet? It's really beautiful. It seems like Erina-san and Alice-san also have one."
A hint of sourness was detectable in her tone.
In recent days, many people at the academy had noticed the butterflies kept by Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri, making a group of girls quite envious.
"Ah? Mm."
Megumi Tadokoro's small face flushed, and she gently nodded, stroking her small braid.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"