A mid-level (middle-aged) office worker's laid-back industrial revolution in another world - Chapter 155

Translator: Jasper Kadowaki | Editor: NovelMultiverse

Takeo and Frederick entered the parlor.

What’s with the vibe in here?  Takeo thought.

Layla and the other two guests were looking right at Takeo with wide smiles on their faces.

Alice’s face was bright red, and she had her head down.

Ah… Lady Alice must have told them about the proposal… Takeo thought. Maybe the safest strategy here is to just not touch on that subject at all. Takeo decided to ignore the elephant in the room.

As Takeo sat down, Frederick poured him a cup of tea, refilled everyone else’s cups, put out some more tea snacks, and retreated a few steps from the table.

“Sorry to keep you all waiting,” said Takeo, bowing slightly.

“Hmm, yes, that’s fine,” said Grandpa Elvis, “Oh, Frederick – is this the dessert from yesterday?”

“Yes,” said Frederick.

“Looks like we’ve been served another dish I’ve never seen before,” said King Azupal, with deep interest. 

“I wonder what this one will taste like,” said Layla. She and William both looked excited to try it.

“Hmm, yes. Takeo, would you please explain what we have here?” asked Grandpa Elvis.

“Yes. This is a butter-forward whipped cream spread between two layers of chiffon cake,” said Takeo, “It has a heavy butter flavor, so we’ve added some raisins and come up with a kind of interesting flavor profile.”

“Hmm… What is this ‘whipped cream’?” asked Layla.

“Put simply, it’s fresh milk that has been left alone to make a thick cream, and then this is frothed up with sugar mixed in, to make a sort of fluffy product,” said Takeo, “With this, the butter… the thick cream I mentioned was left alone further, and the solid that it resulted in was smoothed out and frothed up. We wondered how that would end up, and this is the result.”

“Ah, it’s a food I’ve never heard about, before,” said King Azupal upon hearing Takeo’s explanation. He appeared impressed.

“It’s something that we made as an experiment just yesterday, but would you tell me if you like it?” asked Takeo.

“Hmm, yes. Well, let’s try it,” said the king.

The three guests tried the dessert, and became still. In other words, they were busy eating. 

“T-Takeo-sama! This dessert is amazing!!” said Layla, in a shocked voice, looking over at Takeo.

King Azupal and William nodded fervently in agreement.

“We should have some, too,” said Grandpa Elvis. He, Alice, and Smith joined in on the eating.

The three of them had already tried the dish the previous day, and so they weren’t wolfing it down quite as quickly, but they were still enjoying the dessert with big smiles on their faces.

“All of you are eating with such charmed expressions!” said Takeo cheerfully, “I am just happy that you have enjoyed the food.”

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“It was a blissful experience,” said Layla, stating her opinion. 

Everyone else seemed to agree, as they nodded vigorously.

“So, you have enjoyed the dish?” asked Takeo.

“Ah, yes. It was very good,” said King Azupal, “You used the strong butter flavor to your advantage… The raisins were a stroke of genius.”

“Yes, Father, I agree,” said William, “The raisins really stood out against that strong buttery flavor. I could have never imagined a dessert where the raisins take center stage over another main ingredient.”

“Yes, you’re right,” said Layla, “Raisins usually take on a supporting role, but now I see that depending on how they’re used, they can be the star of a dish. The potential that a supporting character can have… It’s quite impressive, isn’t it?”

Takeo laughed, softly.

“Ah, yes. I was quite surprised, myself,” said King Azupal, with a wide smile across his face.

“Now,” said Takeo, “You wanted to hear about my background. Well, my name is ‘Kitamizato Takeo’. My family name is ‘Kitamizato’, and my given name is ‘Takeo’.”[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]

“Hm? Your family name comes first?” asked the king.

“Yes. Where I’m from, the family name comes first, and the given name, second,” said Takeo. 

“Ah, I see.”

“Yes, and I am 35 years of age.”

“What?!” exclaimed all three guests at once.

“Is something the matter?” asked Takeo.

“Well, no. It’s just that you looked much younger than that. It appears you’re actually older than William,” said Layla.

“Yes, people from my home make that impression often,” said Takeo, “And, it seems I am not from this world, at all. I am from a different world.”

“…I see,” said the king.

“Even hearing myself say it, it sounds like a tall tale, but… I’ve reported the same thing to Elvis-san and everyone else. After all, that’s all I can say about my situation…”

“Yes, from where you stand, Takeo-san, I suppose there isn’t much else you can do or say about that. Do you have anything that could prove your claims, though?” asked Layla.

“Yes,” said Takeo, retrieving various things from his bag and laying them out on the table, one by one.

He lined up a wallet, a notebook, a phone (with 0 battery), and LED flashlight, a lighter, a ballpoint pen, and some other items.

“…I’ve never seen any of these things before,” said the king.

“You can try holding any of these items,” said Takeo, “I’ll answer any questions you might have about them.”

“Takeo-sama, you took an image with me earlier, didn’t you?” asked Alice.

“Yes, that’s right,” said Takeo.

“Can you do that again?” she asked.

“Hmm… Well, the power in this has been depleted to 0, and so I can’t use it,” said Takeo, holding up the phone.

“That’s unfortunate,” said Alice.

“Yes, it is. It was the best demonstration I could give to prove that I’m from a completely different world,” said Takeo, smiling sadly.

“Takeo-san, what is this?” asked Layla, holding up some paper money.

She continued to ask about various items.

Takeo answered all of her questions, one after the other.

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“Well, there really are some very peculiar items here,” said the king.

“Yes. It’s all been quite interesting,” said Layla.

“I liked the watch in particular,” said William, “After all, I believe the intervals between the bells we have now are too far apart.”

All three guests were excitedly talking about their impressions of these items.

“Layla-san, what did you think?” asked Takeo.

“Well… I only halfway believe your story that you’re from a different world,” said Layla, “You do indeed have many peculiar things, and you know many strange things, but you haven’t shown us any concrete evidence.”

His Majesty and William nodded in agreement with Layla’s statements.

“Ah, yes. Your opinions match those of Elvis-san,” said Takeo.

“Oh? You agree with me, Grandfather?” asked Layla.

“Hmm, yes. He does indeed have many new ways of thinking, but… There hasn’t been any decisive piece of information confirming anything. At least that’s what I’ve thought.”

“Yes, exactly,” said Layla, “And so, I guess we could conclude that it’s reasonable to say that he’s come from a different country.” 

“Hmm, yes,” said King Azupal, “I find that a reasonable thing to say.”

“Well, since there’s no definitive proof, that’s an unavoidable conclusion,” said Takeo.

“…Takeo-sama, don’t say that as if you’re not the subject of discussion…” said Alice, a bit exasperated.

“Well, let’s put aside his background, for now,” said Layla.

“I suppose we will have to, won’t we?” asked Takeo,  smiling sadly.

“Yes,” said Layla, “No one can settle the matter, right now. Well, I’d like to hear about Takeo’s story since he arrived here.”[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]