Pathetic Scone 4
“I thought I was just giving some stern encouragement to a promising young man, but what on earth am I being made to watch?”
Chika’s mother chuckled while covering her mouth with her hand.
“Well, who knows?”
“I thought it would be good to teach him the severity of the professional world to help him steel his resolve while he’s still inexperienced. Was I wrong?”
“No, you weren’t wrong at all. I think it should have been said. Many young people are quite faint-hearted these days.”
“Right? And yet, as a result, I’m forced to watch my precious daughter holding hands with a boy, talking as if they’re pledging vows for the future. What kind of punishment is this?”
“Our daughter is trying to encourage and support someone. That’s a good thing. It’s wonderful that she’s grown into someone who can be of help to others. I’m happy to see her growth. On the other hand, Sōma-kun will be able to keep pushing forward without getting discouraged thanks to Chika. It’s all good, isn’t it?”
Chika’s mother tried to soothe him, but her husband was not quite convinced.
“To me, it just looks like the two of them are flirting. Surely they’re not always like this all the time?”
Chika’s mother laughed again as her husband tilted his head.
“We did plenty of things like this when we were young.”
“Did we? It was so long ago that I’ve forgotten.”
“Well, in our case, it didn’t end at just this level. Remember when you caught a cold—”
“Stop right there, Senpai! I’m terrified at the thought that my daughter might one day do the same things you did back then!”
“So you do remember.”
“Well, that’s… something I couldn’t forget even if I wanted to…”
“Senpai, huh? That’s a nostalgic way to address me. It reminds me of those days.”
The elderly couple was noisy in their own right, but Sōma and Chika didn’t hear a thing as they gazed into each other’s eyes.
***
After Sōma’s dessert tasting was over, the original purpose of the gathering resumed—a pleasant tea party.
To be honest, Sōma, who had been feeling down and seriously worried about the future, was not in the mood to chat with the people who had prompted these feelings. He had been thinking of leaving early.
However, Chika’s mother bombarded him with questions one after another, and he completely missed his chance to leave.
“Sōma-kun, I hear you often treat the girls to sweets. You must be quite popular among the girls.”
“Me? Not at all. They probably just see me as a convenient tool for handing out free sweets.”
“You think so? It’s not easy to see the true intentions of a girl. Aren’t there any who approach you under the pretext of wanting sweets?”
“There’s no way that’s happening. No one that peculiar exists.”
Despite his smile, he somehow felt a sense of fear.
As he puzzled over why she would ask such a question, his daughter chimed in from the side.
“But-but, you were invited to a Halloween party by Wakui-san, weren’t you?”
“You’re bringing that up again? Give it a rest, it’s getting annoying.”
“But Wakui-san really did start planning a Halloween party after that!”
“Well, of course, she’d throw a Halloween party. But the idea that I’d be invited is just unthinkable.”
Wakui, the girl in question, was what you’d call a ‘bright character’, someone who got along with everyone in the class without discrimination. However, that didn’t mean she would casually invite a boy she only occasionally spoke to in the classroom to a party.
As he grew weary of Chika’s persistent gaze, Chika’s mother turned the conversation to her husband, who was silently sipping his tea.
“Speaking of Halloween parties, there was some talk about that recently.”
“Hm? Oh, the request from the neighborhood association president. I’m sorry, but I’m planning to decline. Halloween is a busy time. I need to be present at the shop more frequently for a while.”
“Why not leave that task to Sōma-kun?”
“That task? …Hmm, not a bad idea. It might be a good experience for him.”
As the elderly couple continued their discussion, Sōma looked at Chika with a questioning gaze, wondering what they were talking about.
However, she seemed just as clueless, shaking her head vigorously.
After finishing the conversation with his wife, Chika’s father turned to Sōma.
“You’re aware that Halloween is at the end of this month, Ichinose-kun. It has gained considerable acceptance in Japan, and it’s an important event for us patissiers.”
This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.
“Yes, I understand that much.”
For the Western confectionery industry, Halloween is an event as significant as Christmas or Valentine’s Day.
“Actually, I was recently consulted by the president of our neighborhood association (町内会). He said the children’s association (子供会) plans to distribute sweets to the children on Halloween, but giving out store-bought candy seems too bland. They asked if we could make sweets for the children instead. However, both my wife and I are busy with work. We were thinking of declining, but would you like to take on the task if you’re willing?”
“Me? Are you sure?”
His eyes widened at the unexpected proposal, and Chika’s father reached for the remaining cocoa scone, generously topping it with strawberry jam before starting to eat.
“Whether it’s good or bad, whether you succeed or fail, and what you gain or lose is up to you. I am not your mentor or anything. I have no intention of taking responsibility or offering any guarantees. I’m merely providing an opportunity for an experience that happened to be lying around.”
“Me… making sweets for the children…”
He stared at his own hands while deep in thought.
It was right after he had been harshly criticized. He had no confidence. He even felt fear. If the children, who were neither professionals nor anything of the sort, criticized his sweets, his spirit might be completely broken.
But this was also an opportunity.
He had never had children eat his sweets before, so this could be a chance to grasp something new.
“I’ll do it. Please let me try it.”
He spoke firmly and bowed his head in request.
Chika’s father nodded in satisfaction at Sōma’s resolute response.