It had been a whopping 2 hours since I started helping the cafeteria department at Haruna’s suggestion.
Yeah, 2 whole hours. A timeframe I hadn’t planned on at all.
While cooling the freshly baked brownie from the oven outside, an additional 30 minutes slipped by, and during that time, I kept lending a hand in the food preparation, finally shoving the completed brownies straight into the fridge.
The reason being, it was largely thanks to Fuka’s extra hands that the preparations had become noticeably easier, allowing her to show obvious joy. Plus, it seemed like Haruna was genuinely enjoying the time spent in the kitchen with me.
Even though Fuka had to prepare meals again starting tomorrow without us, she unabashedly accepted the helping hands offered right away.
While it wouldn’t be true for just anyone, one was Haruna, who, despite being a pain, had improved her ridiculously awful cooking skills thanks to my guidance.
The other was me, who, much like Juri, could handle more than my share in the ingredient prepping and was weirdly more agreeable to bossing around while wearing a maid outfit.
Of course, after working so hard for 2 straight hours, I found myself mentally exhausted, even though physically I was perfectly fine.
On top of that, the pressure from Fuka in the kitchen was enough to make me wonder whether she was really the one who got kidnapped and made this her everyday life.
“…You worked hard, Haruna. And thank you, Mika, for your help.”
“Heueng? Don’t you want me to help more?”
The real reason we wrapped up after 2 hours was that Fuka declared that we could stop.
“At this point, we have more than enough time. We did the work of four with just the two of us.”
“Yeah, so it’s only better to finish everything while we have people to help, right?”
“No, I don’t think we need to rush any further. With just me and Juri, we can perfectly finish on time, and… we could even take a short break.”
“Umm… Well, if the chef says so, I guess it’s true! Got it, Fuka-chan.”
Honestly, I did want to help more, but if she felt okay about it. Still, I thought this had been a pretty meaningful time.
Thanks to that, I could finally understand why Haruna had been showing so much respect towards Fuka.
After all, learning to cook little by little from Fuka and preparing meals for 4,000 people using just the two of them was quite the arduous task. And experiencing how Fuka managed to whip up food that barely passed muster by my standards made her seem even more impressive.
That effort likely gave birth to food that was deemed a hassle by the Gourmet Research Club in this cafeteria setting, more than enough time to reflect on their antics.
“Then, while we’re taking a break… Haruna-chan, can we eat what we made together?”
“Heuung…? That’s true. Everyone worked hard, and sharing something with friends who’ve fought through things together is… fufu, gourmet cuisine♪”
Just as the good-natured Haruna moved towards the fridge,
“Ah, then I’ll go get it—”
Juri, taking the lead, stepped towards it first.
“STOOOP———!!!”
“…?”
“I’ll just bring it over, so everyone go sit down. Yup, even you, my master.”
Unlike anyone else, I couldn’t allow Juri’s hands to touch it. It felt too uneasy. I had a chilling premonition that our brownies, filled with our heartfelt efforts, could unexpectedly transform into sinister chocolate demons! Juri simply couldn’t be allowed to get near it.
Moreover, today I was the maid serving the master. Although I couldn’t stop Haruna from getting her hands wet, it was only natural that I took care of such petty chores.
Confidently pulling the pan of brownies out of the fridge, I placed it on the table where everyone had gathered.
Since the quantity was more than I expected, I divided the brownies into eight pieces. Four would be for the four of us, and the remaining four I planned to share with the hardworking student council crew.
Essentially, both Haruna and I were such light eaters that having more than two pieces would be a hinderance to lunch…
“A calorie chunk…”
With deadpan eyes, Fuka muttered as she stared down the brownie in front of her, and I doubted she’d even eat more if offered.
“…Hmm? Does that matter?”
“Stop. Haruna, please don’t say anything more about it…”
Seeing Haruna innocently ask more, Fuka made her signature (Eyes_Needs) expression.
In a gathering of girls, no matter how unintentional, to bring up not gaining weight? Had Hasumi been there, she would have surely rampaged, crying out for Gehenna’s destruction.
Well, I don’t gain weight either… but maybe that’s just because I don’t eat much paired with a ton of physical activity?
Or maybe not.
“Thanks for the meal!”
Unlike us, Juri took a brownie with such a carefree smile, making me grateful that it didn’t lead to some horror movie shenanigans.
Sitting beside Haruna, I pressed down with a fork and cut a suitable-sized piece of brownie. Naturally, my gaze drifted sideways, where our eyes met, both thinking the same thing.
Words weren’t necessary between us. It was only natural for the slices of brownie perched on our forks to vanish beyond each other’s lips.
“Ugh, this is nauseating…”
Ignoring the local broadcasts with glee, we quietly savored the taste of the brownies we’d made together.
“…It’s sweet.”
“Yes, it’s sweet. Just like Mika’s lips.”
“…”
Fuka shot Haruna a distinctly (Eyes_Needs) expression once again at her somewhat cringe-inducing comment, but from my perspective, it was quite the pleasant remark.
The brownies were indeed incredibly sweet. So sweet that I felt I could barely eat more than one piece.
By the way, it was clear that Haruna had made substantial progress. I think I no longer needed to even question her recipes!
Sure, I wondered if the baking time in the oven was a bit short, but seeing the brownies come out crispy on the outside and soft on the inside…
The real issue was the overwhelming sweetness, but even that was thoroughly manageable thanks to the cherries Haruna had snuck in to balance it out.
“What do you think, Mika?”
Just as we were basking in brownie bliss, Haruna confidently asked me. There was a solid reason for her confidence.
These brownies were genuinely delicious.
Naturally, since they didn’t require complex cooking procedures, it would’ve been odd if they weren’t successful, but… Knowing what kind of reaction Haruna desired, I had no intention of sabotaging her.
While I could heap on the compliments eternally, it didn’t mean I had to stretch my words unnecessarily to convey my feelings.
“Heuung… whoever it may be; the person marrying Luna-chan is going to be unbelievably happy~! Yeah, something along those lines.”
“Wh-what… um, that’s… so…”
“Ohh, why’s the reaction like that?”
Ah, really. This is when she was just downright cute.
Haruna is typically vulnerable to flattery and direct declarations of affection. While it’s me who tends to indulge in her desires, that makes it a bit disadvantageous for me.
“Th-that’s… heh…”
With her cheeks squished between her hands, Haruna sighed deeply, blushing so red that it was almost unbelievable to see someone go this far. All the while, I gazed lovingly at her.
“I’ll make you happy…”
“…Wow——.”
The roles reversed in an instant. I was left powerless, shipwrecked by a single word from Haruna.
It seemed that I couldn’t overpower her, not one bit.
“…Haah.”
I thought I heard a deep sigh come from across the table, but the triviality of such matters mattered little to me.
Haruna and I clasped each other’s hands tightly, our silent exchange reaffirming our feelings right up until Fuka was about to curtly tell us to leave if she was going to keep this up…
And after we got kicked out… No, it turned even more blatant afterward.
Naturally, Haruna’s feelings tasted like an unbelievably sweet chocolate, one that could rot my teeth away.
*
Regrettably, Haruna couldn’t join us for the meal she helped prepare. Apparently, she had plans with the Gourmet Research Club during lunchtime.
Now it seemed I didn’t have much to worry about regarding whatever the Gourmet Research Club was up to, which showed just how much Haruna had really changed.
After passing out pieces of brownie sequentially to Iori, Chinatsu, and Aco, I finally reached Hina, handing her the last one while expressing a question that had been on my mind since meeting Haruna.
“Hina-chan, I have something I’m curious about.”
“…What are you curious about?”
“About Haruna-chan today, I feel like she seems to know when and where I’ll show up.”
“Oh, that. You’re right; it’s what you think, Mika.”
“Ah-ha…”
Hina’s response was more casual than expected, leaving me feeling a bit deflated. The fact that there was no need to hide such things and that they maintained a friendship capable of communicating was indeed good news for me, but…
“Then, Hina-chan. A~!”
“…”
Hina took a bite of the brownie I offered her, her expression blank while her flushed ears contradicted it, maximizing her cuteness.
Ah, honestly, everyone is just so adorable, it’s killing me.
The time in Gehenna flowed on peacefully, as if it had no end in sight.
