Chapter 300: Secretly Doing Something Else
Hayasaka Ai knew her boyfriend and the five Nakano sisters were close, but she didn't expect them to be this close. Were they planning to give him honmei?
"Ah, we plan to make chocolate to thank Sakurai-san for always helping us." Nino quickly said.
She felt the situation wasn't good! Miku dared to say something that could easily be misunderstood right in front of the official girlfriend—truly scary.
Nino thought she herself didn't think much about love, like a rushing train, believing she was impressive. Yet she still lost to Miku. Was Miku unintentionally causing misunderstanding, or doing it on purpose?
"I see." Hayasaka nodded.
"Hayasaka-san, you misunderstood, we're only giving giri." Nino spoke and then glanced at Kaguya, who returned with flour and eggs, "Vice President Shinomiya, good afternoon."
"Hello… Nino-san." Kaguya remembered how Hayasaka called them.
"And Miku-san as well."
"Hello, Shinomiya-san." Miku bowed.
The four stood silent for a few minutes, arranging their places to start making chocolate.
"Do you all want to taste each other's later?" Nino broke the atmosphere.
"Sure." Kaguya nodded. She rarely cooked and wasn't confident in her skills, so tasting each other's was a good idea.
Hayasaka didn't refuse: "Let's make several portions and choose the best to give."
Although called handmade, the techniques weren't advanced; usually schoolgirls chose easy recipes. Often they bought chocolate bars to melt, mixed in milk and sugar, and used molds to shape. Half an hour later, the first batch was done.
Kaguya looked at the big heart-shaped cookie in the oven, satisfied. Miku used a mold to press matcha green chocolate into hearts. Nino made chocolate balls, intending to redo them at home later, not wanting to go too far in front of the official girlfriend Hayasaka. She didn't dare challenge Hayasaka… even though she had once stolen her boyfriend more than once.
Hayasaka made dark chocolate mousse, adding very little sugar.
"Hayasaka, you're using dark chocolate too?" Kaguya carried the big cookie over to ask.
"He doesn't like sweets, so I chose dark chocolate with little sugar, just to lightly balance the bitterness." Hayasaka explained, then glanced at the Nakano sisters.
As Sakurai's students, they probably didn't know this point… huh?
Looking at the chocolate boxes they set on the table, Hayasaka discovered they were also using dark chocolate!
Making giri choco, you can't be giving it to just one person, right?
Let's put Kaguya-sama aside… but what's going on with these two?
"Sakurai-san also told us that he doesn't like sweets." Nino quickly explained.
"I've known that for two years." Miku spoke in a calm voice, but Hayasaka caught a hint of provocation.
"Is there anyone who doesn't know that?" Hayasaka countered.
Kaguya shifted her gaze, "Right, how could anyone not know."
Just now she hadn't thought of that, using dark chocolate because she liked it. How embarrassing!
Of course Kaguya knew Sakurai loved black coffee and didn't like sweets, and isn't chocolate the kind of thing that makes people feel sweetness immediately? She felt a bit foolish for not thinking of it. Well, consider it done out of affection.
"Miku-san, do you want to give heart-shaped chocolate? If it's giri it can easily cause misunderstanding." Hayasaka said with 'concern.'
The heart-shaped cookie from Kaguya left Hayasaka speechless. Never mind that Kaguya was a tsundere, she'd done silly things many times already, Ai-chan was used to it.
But why was Nakano Miku like this?
"I only have this mold." Miku explained.
She really had only bought that mold.
"All right." Hayasaka gave up. They had said giri, wanting to show thanks for the help, and she, Ai-chan, couldn't forbid it. If she forbade it, she would be a petty girlfriend, not giving her boyfriend a bit of freedom—how could that be called dating?
However, with Sakurai Saki's ambiguous life surrounded by dozens of girls every day, Hayasaka Ai felt she didn't have a serious relationship.
But luckily, he was better than those indecisive guys; at least he didn't hide his own desires.
When the first batch was done, the four girls tasted each other's chocolate. The flavor was decent. Nino ate Miku's matcha chocolate, recalling the time she was hospitalized a year ago after eating Miku's cooking, but luckily this time it was good.
They made several more batches until evening. Before parting, Miku gave Hayasaka a piece of matcha. Hayasaka looked at the green matcha and felt a little uncomfortable inside.
…
In another room unknown to the four of them, Sakurai was making chocolate with Chika.
Fujiwara Chika had come to borrow a room after finishing a strip poker game; the room they borrowed was different from Kaguya's, so they didn't meet.
"Saki-kun, aaah~" Chika offered a piece of chocolate to Sakurai.
"Not strange enough." Sakurai chewed the chocolate, commenting.
Fujiwara Chika wanted to sabotage Valentine's, making strangely flavored chocolate—totally her style. If Chika had dragged him to make normal chocolate, Sakurai Saki would actually have found it odd; now the chaotic style suited her better.
"Ah, Saki-kun, I heard many girls in my class gave up on giving you chocolate, many decided not to give chocolate with their names." Chika said.
"Why? Want to tease me?" Sakurai chewed the wasabi-flavored chocolate, guessing.
"Think about it." Chika rested her chin on her hand, "You like someone who already has a lover, but still want to give a meaningless piece of chocolate that can't open their heart—how would you feel? Saki-kun, last year you made many girls cry, Valentine's this year will probably be the same."
"Don't talk like I'm a sumbag, okay?" Sakurai irritably patted Chika's head.
If he comforted every girl who cried in front of him, it would be too exhausting to be a handsome man.