Extra chapter for reaching 100 Power Stones.
...
Early in the morning, Tokyo was already bustling with its usual residents preparing to go to their respective businesses.
Meanwhile, those who live in the nightlife of Tokyo are now heading home.
Today, having planned a meet-up with the local pastry enthusiast around his age, Kaoruko Waguri, he had arrived earlier at the bakery than he was supposed to.
Stepping inside, the atmosphere inside the Sumeragi Bakery had now become a familiar comfort for Haruya.
He inhaled deeply, the delicious symphony of ingredients coming from the kitchen making his inner patissier awaken for the day.
He was about to head to the back when he noticed his "date" for today, Kaoruko Waguri, who was standing by the display case, a small, thoughtful frown on her face as she peered at a tray of glistening strawberry cupcakes.
She was dressed in a simple, floral-patterned dress, her hair pulled back in a neat ponytail.
She seemed to be in her own little world, completely lost in the contemplation of baked goods.
A small smile appeared on Haruya's lips.
He walked up to her, his footsteps quiet. "Having trouble deciding?" he asked softly.
Kaoruko jumped, her head snapping up. Her eyes, a beautiful shade of blue, widened in surprise, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks, embarrassed by being caught in the strange situation. "Haruya-kun! Oh my gosh, you scared me!" she said, her voice a little breathy. "I… I was just thinking about how all of this looks so amazing. It's so hard to choose."
"You don't have to choose just one," Haruya said, gesturing to the overflowing display. "Everything here is worth trying."
"I know," she said with a small sigh. "It's just… a lot of the things here look so complicated to make. I don't know how people do it."
She pointed at a small roll cake and stared at it closer, a look of pure wonder in her eyes. "How can you make something so simple, but so delicious?"
Haruya felt a familiar warmth in his chest.
It was a question he had asked his mother countless times when he was younger. "It's all about passion and practice," he said, a quiet wisdom in his voice. "And a little bit of magic." He chuckled. "My Mom likes to say the secret ingredient is love."
Kaoruko laughed, sounding as gentle as a wind chime. "That's so sweet. I've been trying to bake something by myself at home, but it's not easy. Everything always comes out looking like a mess."
"Don't worry," Haruya said reassuringly. "Everyone starts somewhere. It's a lot like drawing, actually. You can't draw a masterpiece on your first try, right?"
"That's true," she conceded, a thoughtful look on her face. "But still… how are you so good at it? You make it look so effortless."
He shrugged modestly. "I've got a bit of talent, and my Mom is the best pastry chef in the world. Who else can have a teacher like that besides me?" He paused, a new idea forming in his mind.
He looked at her, his golden eyes filled with an earnest sincerity. "Do you want to try? I could show you. We could bake something together."
Kaoruko's eyes lit up, a brilliant, excited spark in them. "Really?! You'd do that? I'd love to!"
"Great," he said, a genuine smile on his face. "Let's go to the kitchen then. Since it's so early and it seems like Rina and Hiroki went out to get something, we'll have the kitchen to ourselves."
He led her through a swinging door at the back of the bakery, and they stepped into a new world.
Kaoruko looked at the kitchen with sparkling eyes.
The kitchen was a pristine, spotless realm of stainless steel and warm ovens.
Huge mixers stood like sleeping giants, and shelves were lined with sacks of flour, sugar, and countless other ingredients.
The air here was even warmer, a fragrant blend of rich cocoa, creamy butter, and the subtle scent of yeast from the last batch of bread.
It was a space where art was created.
"Wow," Kaoruko breathed, her hands clasped together in front of her. "It's so... nice."
"It's my Mom's belief that a tidy kitchen is a productive kitchen," Haruya said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "So, let's get started. What do you want to make? Something simple, right?"
"Yes, please," she said with a nervous laugh. "I don't want to mess up anything too complicated."
"Okay," he said, a thoughtful look on his face. "For a beginner, a simple chocolate cake or a cheesecake would be a good choice. They're both pretty forgiving."
Kaoruko's eyes widened at the mention of chocolate cake, a dreamy look on her face. "Chocolate cake! I love chocolate cake."
"Chocolate cake it is," Haruya said, a quiet sense of satisfaction in his voice. "It's one of my favorites, too."
He went to a large, walk-in pantry and began pulling out ingredients.
Flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt.
He returned with a carton of eggs, a block of butter, and a bottle of vanilla extract.
Haruya set everything on a large, stainless steel counter.
"Alright, the first step is to preheat the oven," Haruya instructed, showing her how to set the temperature. "While we wait for that, we can get started on the batter."
He showed her how to measure the dry ingredients, his movements precise and confident.
Kaoruko, on the other hand, was a whirlwind of careful clumsiness.
She nervously scooped the flour, and a small puff of white powder went into the air.
She gasped, her eyes wide, and Haruya just laughed, a light, genuine sound.
"It happens," he said, gently wiping a bit of flour from her nose with his thumb.
The contact was brief, but it sent a small jolt through Kaoruko.
She blushed and looked away, her heart beating a little faster.
Haruya noticed this and was a bit speechless: 'Do kids my age get embarrassed by this stuff already?'
"Okay," he said, as if nothing had happened, his voice returned to being calm and reassuring. "Now, we sift the dry ingredients together. This is important to get rid of any lumps."
He showed her how to use the sifter, and she carefully followed his instructions, her movements a little more confident now.
As she sifted, he began to cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl.
He showed her the proper technique, his hands moving with an effortless grace that was a stark contrast to her own careful, almost hesitant motions.
"You make it look so easy," she said, watching him intently.
"It's just practice," he repeated, a soft smile on his face. "You'll get there. Here, you try."
He handed her the large wooden spoon, and she took a deep breath, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
Kaoruko started to beat the butter and sugar, her movements a little stiff, but she was trying.
"I told you to beat the butter and sugar, not to put a hole in the bowl." Haruya laughed lightly and decided to help her.
He stood behind her, his hand gently covering hers, guiding her in a fluid, rhythmic motion.
The warmth of his hand, the close proximity, and the scent of sweet butter and his own subtle, clean scent filled her senses.
Kaoruko felt a small, nervous thrill in her chest.
"You see?" he said, his voice sounding near her ear. "You're getting it."
She nodded, a genuine smile on her face. "I am!"
They worked together in a comfortable silence, a synchronized dance of mixing, measuring, and pouring.
Haruya cracked the eggs with a single, practiced motion, and Kaoruko watched in awe.
"How did you do that?" she asked, her eyes wide. "Mine always get bits of shell in them."
He chuckled. "Like I said, practice. A lot of practice."
The kitchen was filled with the sounds of their work.
The rhythmic whir of the mixer, the gentle clinking of bowls, and their quiet conversations.
As they baked, Haruya and Kaoruko talked about school, about their friends, and about her family.
She told him her recent endeavors with a close friend of hers, while he told her about his group of friends and how they had made his life a lot more interesting.
As they poured the rich, dark batter into the baking pan, Haruya looked at her.
Her cheeks were flushed due to the kitchen's warmth, a smudge of cocoa powder on her nose, and her eyes were bright with a childlike excitement.
The girl beside him looked so happy, so comfortable here, and a quiet sense of satisfaction slowly settled in his heart.
Is this what being a teacher feels like?
Meanwhile, in the staff break room, Hiroki and Rina, who had now returned, were peering through a small, square window in the kitchen door.
They had been watching Haruya and Kaoruko for the past twenty minutes, their eyes wide as they stared at the two with amusement.
"Look at them," Rina whispered, a huge, conspiratorial grin on her face. "He's so gentle with her! He's even teaching her how to mix properly!"
"Haruya is really good at this," Hiroki said with an envious look on his face. "Aren't I good-looking enough? And I make killer pastry, too. How come I don't get that kind of treatment from others?"
Rina rolled her eyes and decided to ignore what he said.
"Oh, this is even better than a romance manga," Rina giggled, pressing her face against the glass. "They're so adorable. Do you think he knows he's being so... charming?"
"Who knows," Hiroki said with a shake of his head. "I think it's in his blood to be effortlessly charming. And look at that! He's wiping flour off her nose!"
Rina clapped her hands together silently, her eyes shining. "A classic move! The flour smudge! These kids are getting a better experience than I ever did in high school. I'm so damn jealous!"
"Don't let it get to you," Hiroki said with a knowing smile on his face. "Let's just enjoy the show. It's not every day you get to see this kind of thing from the little boss."
The two of them continued to watch, their quiet, secret observations a silent testament to the growing connection between the two children in the kitchen.
They saw the moments of shared laughter, the small, tender gestures, and the way they seemed to be in their own little world, oblivious to the fact that they were being watched.
Back in the kitchen, the chocolate cake was in the oven, its rich, sweet scent slowly filling the air.
Haruya and Kaoruko were sitting at a small table, sipping on glasses of cold milk.
"It's so quiet here," Kaoruko said, a small smile on her face. "The noise from the bakery outside doesn't even reach us."
"The kitchen is our sanctuary," Haruya said, a gentle, thoughtful look in his eyes. "Mom told me that the silence is a good way to clear my head."
"That's so nice," she said softly. "Going to the bakery helps me clear my head, too. With my Mom's medical issue, and all that."
Haruya fell silent and decided not to ask anything about it for now, so as not to ruin the mood.
Their conversation flowed naturally, an easy rhythm of shared thoughts and feelings.
Kaoruko was a good listener; her quiet presence and soft smile made him feel strangely at ease.
After what felt like an eternity, the oven timer buzzed. The sound was a loud, triumphant cheer in the quiet kitchen.
"It's ready!" Kaoruko exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement.
Haruya carefully pulled on a pair of oven mitts and took the cake out of the oven.
He set it on a wire rack to cool as they both leaned in, their faces close together, to inspect their creation.
The cake was a little lopsided, and the top had a small crack, but it was perfectly light brown and smelled absolutely heavenly.
It was not a professional-looking cake by any means, but to Kaoruko, it was her masterpiece.
"It doesn't look bad at all," she said, her voice a mixture of awe and surprise. "I can't believe we did it! I can't believe I did it!"
"Good job, Kaoruko," Haruya praised, his eyes focused on the cheering girl. "And it looks great. Now for the real test."
Once the cake had cooled, he carefully cut a slice and placed it on a small plate.
He handed her a fork and gestured for her to take the first bite. Kaoruko took a small, hesitant bite, her eyes closed in anticipation.
She chewed slowly, and her eyes fluttered open. A slow, triumphant smile bloomed on her face.
"It's not bad!" she exclaimed. "It tastes like chocolate at least! And it's so moist! It's actually good!"
"Of course it'll taste like chocolate, we made a chocolate cake after all." Haruya mused, feeling that her IQ went down a bit due to success.
Haruya took a bite of his own and nodded.
It was a little dense, and the flavor was a bit too rich, but for a first attempt, it was surprisingly decent.
"See?" he said, "I told you you could do it."
Just as they were celebrating their small victory, the kitchen door burst open, and Rina, her face flushed with excitement, ran in.
"Oh my gosh!" she shrieked, her voice a little too loud. "You did it, Kaoruko-chan! I knew you could do it! It looks so good!" She ran over to the table, her eyes sparkling with unadulterated excitement.
Kaoruko's eyes widened in surprise, and she looked at Haruya, a small, questioning look on her face.
Hiroki entered the kitchen as well, as he waved them with a light "hey."
"Good job on your first cake, Waguri-chan."
Rina, oblivious to their silent conversation, immediately took a fork and took a huge bite of the cake.
"It's delicious!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with feigned surprise. "You're a natural, Kaoruko-chan!"
Haruya stood there completely speechless.
He looked from Rina's enthusiastic face to Kaoruko's bewildered one, a single thought echoing in his mind: 'When did they get here?'
...
POWER STONE GOAL - 1 EXTRA CHAPTER WHEN REACHED:
50 POWER STONES (✔)
100 POWER STONES (✔)
150 POWER STONES (X)
200 POWER STONES (X)
250 POWER STONES (X)
300 POWER STONES (X)
350 POWER STONES (X)
400 POWER STONES (X)
450 POWER STONES (X)
500 POWER STONES (X)