My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 394

Yise suddenly stopped speaking and looked away awkwardly.

"However... well... the guys might be a little less accepting..."

"You have good taste..."

Yukinoshita is indeed very good at cooking. However, she lacks the spirit of "fan service." If I had to put it bluntly, it's the visual stimulation of her chest. In comparison, while Yuihama's fan service is spot-on, her basic cooking skills are shockingly bad... Yukinoshita's dessert-making skills are solid, but if you asked her to make the kind of dessert that Iroha talks about that boys would like—that is, the kind of dessert that girls use to express their feelings—I'm a little uneasy.

In this respect, Yukinoshita Haruno excels at manipulating people's hearts, and she's equally adept at it with both men and women—or more accurately, she excels at manipulating and then crushing people's hearts. When it comes to the skill of seeing through people's weaknesses, I really don't know anyone better than her.

Furthermore, her basic abilities surpass those of Yukinoshita. Even when making desserts, she can definitely fully utilize her abilities and control over people; she might even subdue not only humans but also fairies.

All I could do was try to distract myself by thinking about these random things.

Yukino's actions are all meaningless, yet they also have ulterior motives.

Her presence here today must have some purpose; she wouldn't have appeared so easily just because her junior asked her to.

That's just how she is.

As its name suggests, it lays everything out in the sunlight.

However, they never reveal their true feelings.

Volume 11, Part 5: Suddenly, Hiratsuka Shizuka begins discussing the present progressive tense and the past tense.

The event proceeded smoothly without any major obstacles or noteworthy incidents.

When the scheduled start time for the event arrived, everyone looked at each other as if by telepathy, confirming, "Let's begin." After a brief speech, everyone went their separate ways to prepare the food.

I didn't need to make chocolate, so I was free. To be precise, I did have tasks like helping out and running errands, but simply put, I didn't have any work.

Unlike me, Yukinoshita had already started working nimbly.

Yukinoshita, Yuihama, and Miura stood at the counter in front of me, looking at the chocolate and cooking tools with serious expressions.

"First, chop the chocolate into small pieces, then heat it in a double boiler. It depends on what you're making, but you have to go through this step no matter what."

"that's all?"

"...That's basically right. But the important part comes after that..."

Miura's voice sounded somewhat disappointing. Yukinoshita, while answering her question, demonstrated with a clinking sound how to chop the chocolate into even smaller pieces with a kitchen knife. Her skillful knife work drew a gasp of admiration from Yuihama. "Uh… isn't it a bit too early to admire her already…"

Miura followed suit, starting to work alongside Yukinoshita. She seemed unaccustomed to using a kitchen knife, looking rather hesitant as she shredded the chocolate with a clanging sound. Incidentally, Yuihama wasn't allowed to handle a kitchen knife. There was nothing she could do about it.

After Miura had chopped most of the chocolate, he looked up with a satisfied expression. I said, "The chocolate is far from finished, miss..."

However, for Miura, that small step seemed to be a giant leap forward.

"Hmph... It's very simple."

She smiled smugly and said this in a boastful tone. However, the people on either side of her immediately poured cold water on her enthusiasm.

"You're so naive, Yumiko!"

"So naive."

Yuihama retorted without holding back, and Yukinoshita added with a cold laugh. Despite this, Miura, still basking in the feeling of "I didn't expect it to be so simple," tilted his head and asked:

"Huh? What's so difficult about that?"

Yuihama proudly puffed out her chest.

"The real challenge is yet to come! That 'dividing' thing isn't about putting chocolate in water and boiling it, it's about 'whoosh—' like this!"

She probably meant "stirring" and "temperature adjustment." But wait, can't you even remember the term "water bath heating"? You should come back in 365 days!

On the other hand, Yukinoshita was also greatly troubled by Yuihama's words, and sighed while pressing her temples:

"If you let the melted chocolate solidify directly, white oil will float on top, which not only affects the appearance but also ruins the taste. Moreover, the subsequent steps will take a lot of effort and time."

I'm not exaggerating, but the difference in their levels of discourse is just too great... It's like the difference between a big player in mobile games and a player who's always clamoring for compensation for game content.

Under the persuasion of Yuihama's ramblings and Yukinoshita's iris, Miura gradually changed his mind.

"Oh...so what's the next step?"

Her tone was the same, but her attitude had become more polite. At least, it was now the kind of attitude one would expect when seeking advice. Seeing Miura like this, Yukino smiled slightly.

"Let's start with the water bath and temperature control. The subsequent steps will require extra effort depending on what we're making... But with so many people here today, how about we try making a chocolate cake?"

"Chocolate cake! Turns out even non-pastors can make it!"

"It's not that difficult... I'll use pure chocolate, but Miura-san and Yui-hama-san can choose their own chocolate."

Yuihama gave her a look of adoring respect, while Miura looked at her with a "Oh, not bad" gaze. Yukinoshita couldn't help but smile wryly.

Although Yuigahama's cooking skills are worrying, with Yukinoshita around, a tragedy shouldn't happen.

So, what about the others? I shifted my gaze to the kitchen counter next to me, where Isshiki was busy making desserts.

Judging from the looks of it, her cooking process went quite smoothly.

She had already completed the double boiler heating process; the chocolate in the bowl looked silky and glossy, while the meringue in the other bowl was whipped until soft and fluffy. Just by observing her skillful technique, one could tell that she had accumulated a great deal of experience.

Isshiki adds a small spoonful of what looks like liquor to a bowl, stirs it, then uses a spoon to scoop up a small amount of chocolate and takes a small bite to taste it.

She held the spoon in her mouth for a while before tilting her head, seemingly not very satisfied, and continued to add sugar, whipped cream, cocoa powder, and other things to the bowl.

"You're really good at cooking..."

Although using "unexpected" doesn't seem quite right, I was still surprised to see how meticulous she was when making desserts, which is why I blurted out that comment. As a result, Isshiki rolled her eyes at me.

"Senior, do you doubt what I said?"

"No, that's not what I meant... I just think it's amazing. You're quite hardworking."

Thinking about all the effort she put in to get Hayama to taste her cooking, I couldn't help but feel a fondness for her silly persistence... Although it couldn't hide her intention to save on the cost of the "gift chocolate," the uniform and apron combination made this calculation seem like a kind of effort, and surprisingly, it became endearing. I loudly proclaim: a uniform apron is far better than a naked apron! However, the best, of course, is Komachi in her sleeveless top and shorts with an apron, without a doubt.

Just as I was getting distracted and lost in thought, Ishiki blinked when he heard these words. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he quickly stretched out his hands and pushed me away.

"Senior, what are you saying? Are you trying to confess your feelings? Don't think that just because we're making desserts today, you can win me over with sweet words. That's naive. Please think it through before you try again. I'm really sorry."

Ishiki bowed her head respectfully and handed me the card without hesitation. I wasn't planning to confess in the chaos, why do I have to do it again…

Isshiki Iroha was still the same as ever. No, her mischievous mind and shameless personality might have even grown a bit. I sighed, half helplessly and half admiringly. Just then, a spoon was suddenly brought to my lips.

"Hey!

Isshiki let out a soft cry and shoved the spoon into my mouth. I was startled by her sudden action and blinked repeatedly, while Isshiki gave me a seductive smile.

"Senior, do you dislike this kind of sweetness?"

Isshiki fiddled with the spoon in her hand, tilted her head slightly, and looked up at me. A smug smile, like a child who had pulled off a prank, spread across her face, and she puffed out her chest like a girl saying, "How about that?" This contrast was incredibly alluring to me.

"...I don't dislike it."

Although it definitely didn't contain that much sugar, the sweetness in my mouth almost numbed my tongue. And... wasn't that the spoon she just used...? This is really bad for your heart, please don't do that again...

Sweets may help relieve fatigue, but they only have the opposite effect on this kind of mental fatigue. The overwhelming fatigue made me sigh. At the same time, Isshiki also sighed.

"Sigh... I wasn't asking about the taste..."

She acted nonchalant, but her eyes still darted over, as if anticipating my answer.

As I savored the lingering sweetness in my mouth, I carefully considered what I wanted to say.

"Nevertheless, my answer will not change..."

“…I see.”

Isshiki fell into deep thought, nodding repeatedly as he looked at the bowl in his hand, then suddenly looked up.

"Thank you for your suggestion. I'm off then. Hayama-senpai—"

Yise's face was full of smiles, and he rushed out before he could even finish speaking.

I watched her leave, then rubbed the chocolate off my cheek with my finger and put it in my mouth. The aroma of chocolate and rum filled my nostrils.

"It is too sweet……"

I repeated my thoughts in a low voice, but they were quickly drowned out by the sound of metal clashing together.

The clanging of metal sent chills down my spine. I turned to see who was making the noise, and there was Yukinoshita, holding a bowl in one hand and stirring it with a spoon in the other.

"...So, Hachiman-kun was in charge of tasting, right? I completely forgot about it because you haven't been of any use. Please let me hear your thoughts on this bowl of chocolates too."

Yukinoshita turned the spoon handle towards me. The spoon was filled with jet-black chocolate.

"It's definitely over 90% cocoa in there, it's very bitter, right...?"

Even without tasting it, you can tell it doesn't contain sugar or heavy cream; at most, it might have a little unsalted butter. Judging from its appearance and aroma, this shiny black thing is definitely cocoa.

However, Yukinoshita continued to stare at me with cold eyes, showing no intention of backing down. She took another step forward and handed me a spoon without a word. Naturally, I couldn't accept such a thing, so I just stood there glaring at her. Then, Yuihama also joined in.

"Oh, and there's mine too! How about mine?"

She held the whole bowl of what looked like brown slime up to my face. It couldn't possibly be called chocolate anymore; even if it were chocolate sauce, it wouldn't have that stickiness. If she told me it was Van Houten milk cocoa, I might actually believe her.

A sweet aroma wafted from the bowl in front of me.

"I think you'll like this..."

I took another closer look at the bowl she brought over with a silly grin, and suddenly a sense of déjà vu washed over me. The pungent sweetness was mixed with a faint aroma of coffee, and the bubbles rising from the whitish, amber liquid looked unbearably sweet… It reminded me a bit of MAX coffee…

But don't forget, the creator of this mysterious liquid is Yui Hama, and its actual taste is definitely quite different from its appearance... After all, this person is a living, breathing box of taste horror. Seriously though, aren't we making chocolate right now?

On one side is a dark substance that's obviously bitter without even tasting it; on the other side is another dark substance whose flavor is unpredictable. The mixture of sweetness and bitterness leaves me dizzy...

Both parties simultaneously requested to try the food, and I really didn't know how to respond.

"Can I...can I think about it?"

As I hesitated, the kitchen door was suddenly flung open.

Someone strode over in high heels, looking extremely unhappy, and let out a sigh that sounded like the wind sweeping through the bottom of hell.

"Tsk, I can smell spring..."

As if sensing miasma, the one muttering to herself with resentment was none other than our Miss Hiratsuka Shizuka (single, in her thirties)!

Ms. Hiratsuka expressed her extreme dissatisfaction, but I couldn't sense any hint of spring in her words...

"Um... why is Hiratsuka-sensei back here...?"

"Hmm? I came to check on the situation because Isshiki reported it to me earlier."

Faced with Yukinoshita's question, Hiratsuka-sensei sighed wearily in response. Then, she looked at the bowls in Yukinoshita and Yui's hands and let out a sinister laugh.

"I forgot to tell you, chocolate is not allowed at school."

"Is there such a school rule?"

Yuihama tilted her head and asked this question, and Hiratsuka-sensei revealed an evil smile.

"There's no such school rule, but it's forbidden. That kind of thing is not only irrelevant to academics, but it's also an eyesore. Why do you think I support abolishing the practice of giving chocolates as gifts in the faculty office? On the one hand, it's because it's troublesome, and on the other hand, it's to let students experience the same pain. Love is something that only becomes passionate when it encounters obstacles."

She actually said such utterly awful things with a smile! I absolutely adore that about her! However, there are always love stories in the world that begin with—correction, with pure, innocent human kindness like chocolates! We're actively recruiting kind-hearted people willing to accept chocolates and teachers!

"Anyway, the entrance exam is on Valentine's Day, and there are no classes."

At this point, Hiratsuka-sensei smiled gently and added, "I was just kidding."

She looked at the bowls in Yukinoshita and Yuihama's hands and patted their heads happily.

"Come on."

Upon hearing this, Yuihama gave a confused, silly laugh, while Yukinoshita turned her face away. Seeing this, Hiratsuka-sensei could only smile wryly and gently pat their heads one last time.

× × ×

While it can't be said that it was thanks to Professor Hiratsuka, this unexpected guest certainly changed the atmosphere. Accompanied by a sweet aroma, a harmonious atmosphere began to fill the cooking room.

At this moment, another figure symbolizing harmony appeared.

The girl had dark blue hair, neatly parted in two strands and draped over her shoulders, and wore a children's apron that fit perfectly. I remember her face clearly; she was sure to grow up to be a beauty.

She is Kawasaki Kyoka's younger sister—Kawa something.

Kawasaki arrived late to pick up Kyoka from kindergarten, carrying shopping bags in one hand. After efficiently preparing the meal for her younger sister, she breathed a satisfied sigh of relief and then took out her camera to take pictures.

That apron was probably specially altered to fit Jinghua's size, and the embroidered appliqués and name were quite adorable.

After taking a few photos, she realized that she hadn't finished her preparations.

"Um... I'd also like to make some preparations..."

Kawasaki gently waved to me, but his eyes didn't look directly at me.