Idle Talk 4: Potion Creation is like a TV Show
“First session! Let the edible potion creation competition begin! Yes, Applause!”
“Eh? What’s starting? I heard from Orlando-san that [Ryoji-kun said ‘This is a competition,’] so I came here, you know?”
Ryoji’s call was met with sparse applause and Elizabeth’s suspicious voice. The participating members this time were Carena, Lucia, Mateo, Mishika, Orlando, and Elizabeth, and for some reason, Marco was also invited to join them.
“Well then, let’s get started with the ingredients!”
“Eh? Are you ignoring me?”
Leaving aside Elizabeth’s words, Ryoji began explaining the ingredients.
“First of all, I will take out a quintuple potion specially made by the Uchino family. The purpose is to change this from a drink to food. Then, what are the ingredients to change it into food? Lucia-san, my assistant.”
“Eh? I am the assistant? Well, since this is the first session, I asked my father to prepare a variety of things for me. First, fruits and vegetables. And I’ve also prepared dried meat, fresh meat, fish, wheat, and nuts. Which one would you like to use first? My assistant, Mateo-kun!”
To Ryoji’s reckless request, Lucia answered with flippant enthusiasm and passed the baton to Mateo, who was standing next to her with the same vigor.
“Eh? Do I have to do it too? I drank too many potions before, and my stomach got all tummy-tapping, so we’re talking about making potions to eat, right? If that’s the case, I think I’d better have a smaller amount. This time my stomach might get bloated and I won’t be able to move.”
“Then let’s try pills or tablets we have in my country, or something a little softer in the form of a stick.”
At Mateo’s suggestion, Ryoji began to make potions to eat, imagining three different kinds.
“Tadaaaa! Here’s the first one, pills.”
“””And this one?”””
They all looked at Ryoji with indescribable faces as the pills were vigorously prepared. He tried to brush off the stares that were all looking at him at once, but he wasn’t able to do it well and asked a simple question.
“They are pills. If you eat these, they have the same effect as regular potions, and they won’t make your stomach bloat! Isn’t that great! Try them. My Sacrifi—Marco, my collaborator.”
“You! You were just about to say “sacrifice”! And it’s huge! I can’t eat it if it’s this big, and it’s hard to carry it around! That boy there said, ‘The quantity should be small. Else your stomach will get bloated and you won’t be able to move.’! There’s no way I can eat a bunch of pills bigger than my fist! And they only have the same effect as a normal potion! Rejected!”
Marco replied as he held up a pill that was too big to fit in even an adult’s hand.
Then, here’s the second one! Tadaa! Now, let’s hear what Eliezabet-san has to say.”
“Eh? Me this time?”
Ryoji placed a bowl in his hand in front of everyone. Inside were a large number of tablets the size of a pinky fingernail, and they looked good compared to the tablets they had just seen. Elizabeth, who had been nominated, took one of the tablets in her hand and looked at it, trying to evaluate it seriously.
“Ryoji-san. These look good. How much is one dose? About five tablets?”
“Seventy tablets.”
“Eh? I didn’t hear you very well. Seven tablets?”
“Seventy tablets! Put them in this little special cup and drink them all! Go ahead, Miss Elizabeth!”
“I can’t take this many in the middle of a battle! Not even during a break! I’m not even supposed to take them when I’m resting! And all at once? Can’t I just eat it? What are the effects?”
“It’s a tablet, so take it. It is slightly less effective than regular Potion.”
“I’ll just drink the potion normally! I can’t make sense of the size of the pills you just made, and why are these tablets in such large quantities?”
“You got some promise huh?”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about!”
“Ohh! I found Marco’s successor.”
“Successor? What are you talking about?”
“Dandan Tadaaa! This is the real deal! It’s much smaller in size than the pill! You don’t have to take as large a dose as you do with tablets! The jelly form makes it easy to swallow and carry! And it’s low calorie, low fat, and safe for women! And it comes in a wide variety of flavors, with more to come! What do you think? How do you like it, ma’am!”
“Please start with this one from the beginning! I’d like to know why they were introduced first.”
“Because I made them, and I want you to see them.”
When Elizabeth tiredly retorted, Ryoji happily explained the possible uses of the food.
Finally, the jelly-like eating potion that was proposed was easier to carry than conventional potions and could be easily consumed even during long battles.
The pills and tablets, which had received poor reviews, were also found to have unexpected uses. The tablets were marketed as a strength-enhancing supplement for elderly people who had lost strength and for infants who could not chew. The giant pills were advertised as “a snack for tired fathers!’ and were sold as a snack in a finely chopped form.
[TN: No fun to just post 3 page chapter at a separate date, so here it is.]
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Thanks for the treat.