A few days later, Jhin received a ten-inch chocolate cream cake made collaboratively by Kato Megumi, Kasumigaoka Utaha, Sakaki Yumiko, and Michiru Matsushima.
What puzzled him was why there were two ice cream sticks inserted into this chocolate cream cake.
Jhin looked at them with a confused gaze.
"Is this ice cream some kind of trendy decoration?"
"Miss Matsushima said you like eating ice cream, so we added them specially," Kato Megumi said, her tone laced with a hint of resentment. Even someone as good-tempered as her had been worn down by the other three's hopeless culinary skills.
If they had just stuck to the initial division of labor, everything would have gone smoothly. But someone had suggested that if they didn't participate in the making process, it wouldn't count as making it themselves.
Then the other three rushed into the kitchen to "help," either beating eggs into a complete mess with yolks and whites inseparable, or adding too much water or flour until the dough ratios were completely off, or directly pouring unbeaten cream onto the cake base.
The cake in front of Jhin—if not for the sabotage by Kasumigaoka Utaha, Michiru Matsushima, and Sakaki Yumiko—would have been finished on the second day as planned, but it had been dragged out for several more days.
I'll never make any desserts with these three again!
This was Kato Megumi's heartfelt thought. She felt like a kindergarten teacher leading a class with three kids—not only answering questions but also ensuring their safety while completing her own tasks, wishing she could split herself in half.
If Vignette were here, she would surely empathize with Kato Megumi. Back during Shuka High School's joint cooking internship, she had gone through the same thing, but she was luckier, with Jhin handling the troubles beside her, unlike Kato Megumi, who had to drag three "pig teammates" by herself.
Despite the strange ice cream decorations, Jhin could still see the hardship behind the cake's creation through it. He had heard from Sachi that Sakaki Yumiko's room had been filled with various screams lately, with large amounts of food scraps and unrecognizable, pitch-black charred items waiting for disposal in the incinerator every day.
Seeing Kato Megumi missing even one white short sock, her hair less vibrant than usual, and her tone no longer calmly neutral but tinged with resentment, Jhin could imagine the pain and torment she had endured these past few days.
Saint Megumi, you can stop fighting now.
Tears squeezed from the corners of Jhin's eyes as he sympathetically patted Kato Megumi's shoulder.
"Kato-san, you've really been through a lot. If you run into any troubles later, come to me. I'll do my utmost to help you solve them."
Jhin's exaggerated actions made the other three feel extremely awkward. They knew full well that without their meddling, Kato Megumi wouldn't have been so exhausted, so they all turned their heads away, pretending not to hear.
"Mm... thanks," Kato Megumi replied, her eyelids heavy with fatigue. She wanted to hear Jhin's evaluation and then go back to sleep, casually following up: "This promise... no limits on times?"
"Well... better limit it to a few times, or my girlfriend might get mad."
Kato Megumi wasn't the type to push her luck. Just from how Jhin had resolved Sakaki Yumiko's succession issue with the massive Touhin Electric Railway Group, she knew the weight of his promise.
"Then just once—a promise for Jhin-san to handle any trouble for me once."
"No problem!"
"Mm-ah~" Kato Megumi yawned, rubbing her nearly closed eyes. "Jhin-san, hurry and eat the chocolate cake. I want to go back to sleep."
Jhin nodded, picked up the knife to cut a slice onto a plate, forked a small piece, and put it in his mouth.
The cake base used the common chiffon method: soft and fluffy with sponge-like elasticity, well-handled without any eggy taste or excessive sugar, perfectly balancing with the chocolate cream. If the base were layered, spread with cream, and topped with fruit, it would be even better.
"Kato-san, it's delicious."
"Mm, thanks for the review. I'm heading back to my room to sleep."
"Not staying to eat some cake?"
"No, I've eaten enough to puke these past few days." Kato Megumi's body swayed as if about to float away, turning to leave without looking back.
Jhin looked at the other three, who all shook their heads vigorously. The constant tasting and dealing with their failed products had left them averse to desserts for a long time; just seeing cream made their stomachs churn. Seeing Jhin eat the cake, they scattered like birds and beasts back to their rooms.
Jhin couldn't finish the cake alone, so he drafted help in the group chat.
Mihama Academy group chat.
Jhin: "Anyone want chocolate cream cake?"
Eriri: "Did you make it?"
Jhin: "No, Kato-san and the others made it together. It's a big one, I can't finish it. Look, [picture]."
Eriri: "It's huge. I'm coming down!"
Jhin: "Anyone else?"
Jhin: "Alright, if Eriri and I don't finish it later, the rest goes in the kitchen fridge. Help yourselves."
Eriri's golden hair tied in a single ponytail, wearing the Mihama Academy uniform, slender legs in black over-the-knee socks and slippers, came downstairs. Jhin mercilessly teased her outfit: "Eriri, it's the weekend—why the school uniform? Don't you have other clothes?"
"I-I do have other clothes! I just subconsciously wore the uniform since it's the school dorm." Eriri would die before admitting that besides her uniform, her wardrobe was mostly identical green tracksuits—five or six hanging in her closet, plus one white dress for special outings.
As Eriri ate the cake, she suddenly thought of something and eyed Jhin thoughtfully up and down.
"Jhin, how are you so natural? You don't seem like an otaku at all."
Fork in mouth, Jhin was about to retort at the odd question when a fun idea struck. He lowered his voice mysteriously: "Actually, I'm suppressing my 2D aura."
"You can do that?!"
"I've compressed my 2D aura to a tenth, but my concentration is high, so it tires me out after a while."
"How long can you maintain this state?"
"A lifetime! I'll spend my life deceiving normies."
Eriri excitedly clenched her little fists: "Jhin, can you teach me this method?"
"Sorry, I made it all up." With that, Jhin became the second at school to taste Eriri's twintail attack.
___
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