“Ah, of course, I can eat more!”

“Is it a snack like that yokan or chocolate bar? Of course, I can eat it!”

It seemed that both of them still had a little room in their stomachs.

With the Outdoor Shop's ability reaching level 5, a new selection of travel snacks, commonly used for energy replenishment during mountaineering and hiking, had become available. Since this was a good opportunity, I decided to have them try out these new items as well.

I operated the window and purchased the intended items, placing them on the plates and bowls in front of us.

“The ones on the plate are mochi, and the ones in the bowl are jelly. I'll cut the mochi now, so just wait a bit.”

The new items available for purchase this time were mochi and jelly drinks.

The jelly drink was a classic travel snack. It came in a pouch and was consumed by sucking it out. It was convenient to drink while walking and served as both a nutritional and hydration supplement.

The mochi, on the other hand, was a relatively new travel snack. Unlike the soft mochi pounded with a mallet, this one had a chewy, dumpling-like texture and was shaped like a bar. Besides this bar-type mochi, there was also a version that softened after adding water and waiting for about a minute.

“…This jelly has quite an interesting texture. It has a subtle sweetness with a bit of tartness, making it quite enjoyable. However, I think I prefer the mochi.”

“Yeah, this mochi has just the right amount of sweetness, and I love the chewy texture. The crispiness inside adds a nice contrast, making it really delicious!”

“I agree. The yokan and chocolate bars are sweeter, but this lightly sweet mochi isn’t bad either. But the jelly... the taste is a bit underwhelming.”

It seemed both of them found the mochi delicious. While the sweetness of yokan and jelly was stronger, the gentle sweetness of the mochi, combined with the crunch of walnuts, made it a great snack. However, the jelly drink didn’t seem to be a hit as it was.

“Mr. Lange, could you use ice magic to chill this jelly a bit? In my homeland, it's meant to be consumed cold.”

“Oh, really? Alright, just give me a moment.”

Mr. Lange held his hands over the bowl containing the jelly drink.

“…This should be good for now. Let me know if you want it colder.”

“Thanks. Alright, let’s try it again.”

I scooped up the chilled jelly with a spoon and brought it to my mouth.

“Oh, this is delicious, Tetsuya! It’s cool and refreshing, and the combination of the fruit juice’s sweetness and tartness slides smoothly down my throat.”

“Yeah, the jelly is definitely much better when chilled! Especially on a hot day, it would taste amazing.”

It looked like both Lilia and Mr. Lange were quite fond of it. Modern jelly drinks weren’t just travel snacks; they were also quite flavorful.

Jelly drinks were best enjoyed chilled. Honestly, when consumed at room temperature, they weren’t particularly good. When hiking, freezing them beforehand allowed them to act as ice packs initially, and once they melted, they could be enjoyed as a refreshing drink.

“They might sell well on hot days. But since very few people can use ice magic, selling them as a product might be tricky. Still, this was useful data.”

From what I’d heard, people like Mr. Lange who could use ice magic were extremely rare. In this world, magic aptitude itself was uncommon. Unfortunately, it seemed I had no magical aptitude.

…Well, wishing for magic aptitude on top of my Outdoor Shop ability would probably be asking for too much.

“Yeah, selling this might be difficult. But I really liked it! Can I have some more later?”

“Of course. And this mochi seems like a great snack, so I’ll consider selling it alongside the yokan and chocolate bars.”

While we were away in the royal capital, mass production of the preservation packs had progressed significantly. I was already planning to start selling yokan and chocolate bars as emergency rations. I might as well add this mochi to the lineup.

Ms. Berna and Ms. Ferry, both lovers of sweets, would surely enjoy it. Though neither of them could use ice magic, Ms. Ferry had a high-capacity storage magic. If Mr. Lange chilled the jelly drink first, she could store it, keeping it cold for later enjoyment.

Storage magic that preserved items in their exact state was truly convenient and enviable. If only I could use ice magic, then I could always have a chilled drink with my alcohol…

Well, I was completely full for today. Tomorrow and the day after were holidays, so I planned to go through all the new products I had gained access to. However, with this much inventory, the current shop, which was only about the size of a convenience store, was starting to feel cramped. I would need to start thinking about that too.