Although he said that, Hikigaya Hachiman was actually starting to feel a bit shaken inside.
Could it really… be like that?
For some reason, all those sealed black memories in his mind suddenly surged out like a tide.
He had always been different since childhood.
Not in a flattering way, but in a sorrowful one.
Unlike others who misunderstood kindness or ignored it, he, Hikigaya Hachiman, had never received kindness at all. In fact, he felt his social life was filled entirely with malice.
So when Sato suggested that Yuigahama Yui's intention might be directed at him, he felt a complicated and contradictory mix of emotions, longing and fear.
"Alright, stop overthinking. Maybe I'm wrong. Let's go check out their cookies."
At that moment, Sato suddenly patted his shoulder, pulling him out of his tangled thoughts.
Seeing the mischievous smile on Sato's face, Hikigaya took a deep breath to calm himself.
This guy…
…
At the cooking station.
Everyone stared at the two freshly baked trays of cookies.
Both trays had just come out of the oven, but their appearances were completely different. Even the smell in the air was… complicated.
Two trays of cookies.
One had a normal color and a fragrant aroma. The other looked like burnt charcoal, carrying a strong scorched smell.
The normal one was made by Tsumugi, while the other was made by Yui.
"Hahaha… I failed."
Yuigahama scratched her head awkwardly, looking at the two batches.
So… how did you even manage to make it like this?!
Sato walked over to the oven, took a look, then pointed at a button.
"You set the temperature too high!"
"Huh?! You need to adjust the temperature? I thought you just put it in and that's it!"
Yuigahama said with a blank expression.
Everyone: "…"
Yukinoshita Yukino pressed her temple with a headache. She had originally thought this would be an easy request, but now it seemed that not even baking cookies properly was… unusual.
Yuigahama was not just bad at cooking, she clearly had no cooking skills at all.
"Well… even if it doesn't look great, maybe it tastes good!"
Yui suddenly encouraged her.
"Yeah, yeah!"
Tainaka Ritsu's eyes lit up.
"We shouldn't judge by appearance alone. Maybe… maybe it has inner beauty!"
Under their encouragement, Yuigahama started to waver.
Yeah! What if it actually tastes good?!
Aside from the three idiots, everyone else remained calm, listening to their nonsense.
Cookies were not some mysterious dish. You could tell the result just by looking at them.
As for "inner beauty"… you really can make things up!
Everyone looked at Ritsu with strange expressions.
"Anyway, let's try them first."
In the end, Yukino spoke while looking at the two very different trays.
At first, she had been guiding Yuigahama, but she never expected things to go wrong at the final step.
Everyone reached out, though all of them went for Tsumugi's cookies first.
"Mm… delicious!"
"Nice and crispy. Didn't expect you to be so talented, Mugi!"
"The sweetness is just right."
Tsumugi smiled happily as everyone ate her cookies.
"Then from now on, I'll try bringing homemade snacks for everyone?"
"Hm? Wouldn't that be too much trouble?"
"It's fine!"
After finishing the tasting, everyone turned their attention to Yuigahama and her cookies.
After a moment of hesitation, they each picked one up.
Crunch!
The moment they bit down, their expressions changed, and they exchanged looks.
The cookie spread in their mouths like coal residue, with a strong bitter taste.
Clearly… it did not have the "inner beauty" Ritsu talked about.
Of course, maybe they just did not understand true beauty… though that was unlikely.
"Mmm… the flavor is… unique."
Ritsu forced a strained smile.
"Ah, the texture is also very special!"
Yui gulped it down with difficulty, gasping for air.
"Actually… once you get used to the smell, it's not bad…"
Akiyama Mio lowered her head, her face hidden by her hair as her whole body trembled.
Sato raised an eyebrow.
Everyone is really trying their best.
"Ha… ha…"
Yukino leaned on the table, breathing heavily, enduring the shock that made even her brain tremble.
She absolutely refused to admit this was something made under her guidance!
"Hikigaya, want to try one?"
Sato suddenly picked up a cookie and handed it to Hikigaya with a smile.
Hm?
Hikigaya's heart skipped a beat. Then he noticed Yuigahama's gaze.
Gulp…
He swallowed hard, looked at the cookie, and slowly reached out to take it…
Crunch!
"Delicious!"
While chewing, Hikigaya gave Yuigahama a thumbs up. Two streams of tears slowly ran down his face.
This… was a true warrior.
Everyone stared at him in disbelief.
Yuigahama looked at him with emotion, while Hikigaya forced a smile back at her.
Then Yuigahama said sincerely,
"Hikki is amazing, you can even eat something this bad!"
Huh?!
Hikigaya's face froze.
Everyone turned to Yuigahama.
She looked at them gratefully.
"Thank you all for the encouragement, but something this burnt has to taste bad, right?"
Everyone: "…"
Yuigahama scratched her head awkwardly.
"I may not know how to cook, but I know this kind of thing must taste weird. But now I understand how to make cookies, I'll practice more when I get home!"
Hikigaya was left in tears.