Chapter 2
Uuuh, I think these were all the toppings? Where’s my phone…
(The cake design in this fanart for ReiOu’s middle birthday1 is crazy high quality, so I want to try making it real.)
(Why do godly artists have to be so smart on top of making good art, are we really the same species?)
Alright, there don’t seem to be any issues with the topp—
Oh head cheeeeeef!
PYAH!? Hey, don’t come up from behind when someone’s focused on their phone…!
Oh, I suppose I startled you, yes.
Hmm~? Why’re you hidin’ your phone, ay? What were you lookin’ at, ay~?
…Just a pic of the cake I’m about to make.
Wow! I wanna shee too!
Nope! Sorry, but I just deleted it by accident!
Anyway, what’s up? Seeing as you’re all together, you must’ve come here for a reason, yeah?
We sensed you were about to start a cake, and hurried over to see if we could be of Help.
Help!
If we help out a bunch and get real good at baking, we can make Nagi-shan and the othersh happy!
Makes sense. Well, it’s fine so long as you don’t get in my way. Knock yourselves out.
Nice one, ay!
Much Appreciated.
Okay, Mashiro and Tosaka, can you crack these eggs? Chou Un and Laika, you’re on sauce duty, and Sonia, you can help with the measuring.
Piece a’ cake, ay! I’m a level up from before, ay.
…Yeah. You’re all more skilled than when you started.
But the flaws still stand out. Getting the fundamentals down is important for this kind of thing. Don’t let your guard down, and proceed carefully.
Yes sir!
Time Passes
Alright… done!
Wow! I thought I smelled something good, so you were all baking a cake together.
Ah, Chief-shan!
It looks absolutely wonderful! Today… isn’t someone’s birthday, is it?
I just made it cuz I wanted to, got a problem with that?
Not at all! I just thought it was really magnificent. Is this strawberry sauce on a chocolate cake? Wow, and this part is patterned!
…Hey. Could you not go scrutinising it so much?
(…I didn’t think anyone would notice me secretly adding my own flair…)
Sorry, sorry! Your cakes are just always so beautiful, I couldn’t help looking at the finer details. I’m sure it’ll be another delicious one too.
…Well, I guess you can have a slice later… I owe you for the tea anyhow.
Really? Now I’m excited! Did you five help out too?
Yesh! Look, thish cream ish all shparkly like a prinshesh dresh!
Spar-kly~ spar-kly~♪
I bet everyone will be blown away by how amazing it is!
You bet! We oughta call ‘em over right away, ay!
You’re much too hasty, yes—we must tidy everything up first, yes!
That’s Right.
Clackclackclack! Bweee~een!
Ah, wait! If you all move at once like that—
DAH!
Kyah!?
(Oh no, Laika’s bowl is flying through the air…!)
! WATCH OUT… tch!
*catch*
THERE! …G-got it…
Nice catch, Ushio-kun!
Are you hurt, ay!?
It seems only a touch of sauce spilled thanks to our head chef protecting me, yes!
Geez, this is exactly what I was talking about! What if it had covered your head…
Although—
Haha… Mashiro, you’ve got sauce on your nose. It’s as if you were the princess of a strawberry kingdom… ……
…………AH.
My, a princess, you say? Oh, you!
Ushio, what’re you up to, callin’ 'em a princess, ay!?
(Crap!!! That line stuck with me so much that I accidentally said something weird…!)
Hehe, you really did look like a prince protecting a princess! It was just as cool as Renga-kun was the other day!
No! You’ve got it all wrong! Just forget it ever happened, alright!? And don’t compare it to THAT!
(Uuugh this is the WORST, why’d Chief have to see me like this…!)
No need to be Modest. It was very Romantic.
Yeah, it was.
I wanna copy it!
So that’s what you call romantic, ay…! Let’s all memorise it to use ourselves, ay! You’ve got something on your nose, Princess—
AAAAAAHH! Could you NOT repeat that!? Do you WANT me to block your mouth with cake!? Or cover you in a sea of sauce!?
Oh, I just know Toi will adore it, yes, we must tell him posthaste, yes!
Let’s go together, ay!
Wait! Don’t go getting all fired up over something so stupid!
It’s a misunderstanding anyhow! You’ll be committing slander if you spread this around! I’ll seriously sue you, I mean it, y'know!?