The Classmate Who Is Adored by Everyone Smiles Teasingly Only at Me-Chapter 1V .6 - Determination and Sprouting Canelé

Determination and Sprouting Canelé 6

As she reaches for the glass of water following Sōma’s lead, she suddenly stops and instead gazes intently at him.

“Ichinose-san, do you often do something like that? “

“Something like that?”

“Walking around holding a girl’s hand like that…”

Sōma looks puzzled, and Chika demonstrates a gesture of stroking her left hand with her right hand.

“Do you mean what happened when I brought you here? If it hurt, I apologize. I got a bit carried away.”

“No, it didn’t hurt. But…”

“But?”

“…No, never mind. Forget it.”

When Chika showed a wry smile, the waitress returned with a tray.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Upon Sōma’s gesture with his eyes, she placed a white plate in front of Chika.

On the plate were two slices of pound cake filled with plenty of dried fruits.

Next to the cake was a dollop of whipped cream with a sharp peak and a sprig of mint.

It looked like a typical café pound cake.

“Now, go ahead and try it.”

The waitress bowed and left, and he immediately urged Chika to have a taste.

“Being watched while eating makes me nervous.”

As Chika gripped the silver fork, she expressed her unease.

“You’re used to being watched by girls when you eat, right? What’s the big deal now?”

“It’s different this time.”

Pouting slightly at Sōma’s words, Chika soon composed herself and took the fork to the pound cake in front of her.

“Well then, here I go.”

She slowly brought the sliced cake to her mouth.

And then, she chewed it slowly, taking her time to savour the flavours.

“…It’s delicious. It may not have any outstanding features, and you could call it ordinary or mediocre, but I can feel the care put into making it. Also, there’s an abundance of dried fruits mixed into the cake, giving it a satisfying texture. It should go well with a dark-roasted coffee with a bit of bitterness.”

Impressive. She accurately pinpointed the cake’s characteristics and the owner’s intentions.

As expected, this girl has a good sense of taste and a proper knowledge of sweets.

However, what Sōma wants to know lies a step further.

“What do you think is in those dried fruits?”

Asking the question, Sōma casually pulled the half-eaten plate towards himself and covered the cake with a paper napkin to hide it.

“Well, let’s see… Almonds and walnuts are undoubtedly in there. Then, dried figs, apples, strawberries, cranberries, and raisins. Also… grapefruit peel? I initially thought it was orange, but it seems to have more bitterness.”

“…wow.”

Though she wore a somewhat uncertain expression, Sōma could only utter words of admiration.

Perfect. She accurately guessed all the dried fruits without any errors or omissions.

He had tried it on a whim after noticing the poor quality orange peel that other girls hadn’t noticed, but he never expected her to identify even the small amount of grapefruit peel.

Without a doubt, Chika Satomi was the person he had been waiting for.

“I can’t believe Satomi has such a talent. I’m genuinely surprised.”

“Ah, no, it’s not really a talent or anything…”

As he looked at her with envy, the girl with a gentle aura blushed and smiled happily.

“I mean, what’s the point of guessing these dried fruits?”

“I wanted to see how good Satomi’s taste buds are. I’m sorry for doing it forcefully.”

He lowered his head while returning the cake he had hidden with the paper napkin back to her.

“No, I don’t mind. I’m happy you brought me to such an grown-up-like café.”

“It makes me happy to hear you say that. But my real purpose starts now. I have a request for Satomi, who I now know has an incredible palate and knowledge of sweets.”

“Y-Yes, what is it?”

As Sōma became serious, Chika was also influenced and straightened her posture.

“I want you to become my exclusive taste tester.”

“E-Exclusive?”

As she pondered Sōma’s words, her body trembled slightly.

8

“What do you mean…?”

“In simple terms, I want you to keep doing what you did today from now on. Give feedback on the sweets I make, try sweets from the shops I’m interested in, and tell me their features and hidden flavors.”

He made the request with strong conviction, but Chika wore an uncertain expression.

“Is someone like me really suitable for such an important role?”

“Don’t say ‘someone like me.’ It’s something that only Satomi can do.”

“Something only I can do…”

As Sōma looked directly into her eyes and asserted, her cheeks blushed with excitement and joy.

“I know that asking a mere classmate for such a favor is quite audacious. But I believe you are the most suitable. Please, I’m begging you.”

He placed both hands on the dark brown table and bowed deeply.

“Ichinose-san, please raise your head. Um, I find it awkward when you do that.”

Chika said flusteredly, but Sōma didn’t raise his head.

He was desperate.

Lately, he had been feeling stuck in his confectionery-making.

No matter how much he practiced, he couldn’t tell if he was improving or how to make further improvements, and he was getting increasingly anxious.

He was certain that Chika, with her wonderful taste buds and knowledge, could provide the breakthrough he needed.

“If you try my confections, I’ll be able to understand their strengths and areas for improvement more clearly. If you try sweets from shops, I can learn about their unique features and advance my research. It will undoubtedly help me improve my confectionery-making skills. That’s why I’m asking you, please!”

“Ichinose-san…”

Sōma had planned to enter a confectionery vocational school immediately after graduating from middle school and pursue the path of becoming a pastry chef.

However, due to his parent’s opposition, he had to give up on attending vocational school.

He doesn’t regret attending his current high school, where he has many close friends and enjoys himself, but when he thinks about others his age who are already attending a pastry vocational school and moving ahead, he can’t help but feel anxious.

Even during his high school years, he wants to do what he can.

Chika stared at Sōma as he continued to bow his head.

“You’re serious about pastry making, huh?”

“Of course. Becoming a pastry chef has been my dream since I was in elementary school. I can’t afford to be half-hearted about it.”

“That earnestness of yours is really dazzling…”

After murmuring that softly, Chika nodded.

“I understand. If you’re okay with me, I’ll help you.”

“Really?”

“I’m not sure how much I can be of assistance, but I’ll do my best.”

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As Sōma’s eyes twinkled and he raised his head, Chika blushed slightly and smiled a little shyly.

Seeing that, he couldn’t help but strike a triumphant pose inside his heart. This would definitely level up his skills.