Toranoana SS: Everything is but a Challenge
“It’s flat. Darn it.”
Recently, Amane had been learning how to bake a sponge cake. But as soon as he attempted the entire process alone with no one to help him, the result was the floppy, sad-looking sponge cake that now sat in front of him. It looked like it had lost its will to live. It would have been fluffier while it was still fresh, but after leaving it for a while, it had turned out like this. Amane was just as deflated as the sponge cake.
Fumika, who had been encouraging Amane and watching over his work, wore a gentle smile as she looked at the sponge cake that, despite its wonderful smell, was a complete failure in the looks department.
“Here, I think you overmixed it when adding the flour after beating the eggs. And then, you waited too long and overmixed it again when adding the butter at the end. The fat and grease likely destroyed the air bubbles.”
As he was still not used to making it, Amane had been following a recipe while learning from Fumika. However, he had issues with his tendency to overmix due to his concerns about whether the ingredients were binding properly, so Fumika’s observations hit home. Fumika probably wanted to step in and offer advice along the way, but she respected Amane’s wish to try it on his own. Grateful for this, he listened attentively to her gentle critiques.
“See, Fujimiya-kun, your tendency to be thorough actually worked against you this time.”
“I am reflecting on my mistakes.”
“It’s okay; it’s okay. Mistakes happen often. It takes practice, and you know what they say: ‘Failure is the mother of success.’ Let’s try making it again, this time keeping the points I mentioned in mind.”
“I’m really sorry for taking up your precious time. And your ingredients too…”
“My, don’t give it a second thought. I’ll use the failed cakes for a tiramisu. Besides, we have some little ones waiting for scraps just over there.”
“Waiting for scraps…?”
After following Fumika’s gaze, Amane noticed Oohashi peeking in from the entrance with a guilty expression that seemed to say, “Uh-oh, we’re busted!” Behind her also stood Miyamoto.
“…You weren’t waiting for me to mess up, were you?” Amane probed.
“How rude! We just thought that either way, we’d get a snack—whether you messed up or succeeded!”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“Now, now. Not so fast. I think eating the dishes you’ve messed up and finding ways to improve is a very important part of the process,” Oohashi clarified.
“In other words?” asked Amane.
“In other words, she just wants to get her hands on some treats,” Miyamoto interjected.
“Rich coming from you, Daichi. As if you weren’t after the same thing,” retorted Oohashi, to which Miyamoto suddenly turned away. Amane couldn’t help but chuckle at the amusing scene before him, and Fumika also smiled gently.
“All right, let’s practice making the decorations for now, shall we?” Fumika suggested. “…And then after closing, it’s snack time.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Amane and Fumika looked at each other and exchanged smiles, making the hungry pair wait just a little bit longer.
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