Chapter 84

“…Why am I baking too?”

“Because you’re here, just because.”

“Let’s do our best!”

Today is the day we try baking.

Last night, Chubby worked hard to find recipes for various types of bread.

And today, we’re baking from the morning.

“You said you’re off for the school anniversary, right? Perfect timing.”

“…Will there be something edible?”

“With Chubby here, at least it’ll taste decent.”

First, we need flour, and since we want something chewy, we should use strong flour, right?

Medium flour is for dumpling skins or noodles… and weak flour is for cookies or cakes, right?

“How long do we need to knead this dough?”

“I’ll add the ingredients according to the measurements, so Rampage, please knead the dough for about 10 minutes! Diamond Dust, please add the warmed milk little by little!”

“Got it.”

“…How much is ‘little by little’?”

“Just eyeball it! You’ll end up pouring it all in anyway!”

When they say knead… well, I guess I should do it moderately.

If I go too hard and make it explode, it’ll ruin everything.

Like this… oh, that was a bit strong.

I should knead it more gently.

“Now, it’s first fermentation for 1 hour! After that, second fermentation for 15 minutes!”

“…By the way, what are we making? There’s sausage… is it sausage bread?”

“Correct!”

“Oh, that’s simple and delicious, perfect for our first baking.”

“Sausage bread… it’s been a while since I heard that.”

Sausage bread… that’s pretty tasty.

It’s a simple bread that’s delicious in its simplicity.

Plus, making it is simpler than I thought.

You mix all the measured ingredients, knead, ferment, ferment again, add the sausage, cut everything except the bottom, third fermentation, then sprinkle something on top and bake, right?

What do we sprinkle… ketchup, mayonnaise, mozzarella cheese, parsley powder?

Just the basics, huh?

Some bakeries disgustingly add beans, but thankfully, that’s not here.

“…Doing this, I feel like we’re in elementary school cooking class.”

“Huh? Who?”

“Oops.”

“You… watch your mouth?”

“Sorry…”

Lately, Diamond Dust has been loosening up mentally, and now she’s fearless…?

With her appearance, she already has enough annoying things outside, and now she’s provoking me… is she crazy?

“Second fermentation is done!”

“Already? It was supposed to be 1 hour plus 15 minutes, right?”

“I got lazy and used magic to speed up the fermentation!”

“That’s possible…?”

“Fermentation is done by microorganisms, so if you interfere with them, it’s quick!”

“Ah, I see… Fairy Magic is super convenient.”

Fairy Magic can interfere with microorganisms…

Doesn’t that mean we’re overworking those microorganisms?

…Well, microorganisms are just single-celled organisms without consciousness, so it doesn’t matter.

They don’t have souls or anything.

If we start considering ethics at that level, there’s no end to it.

It’s foolish to push ethics to a meaningless extent.

“Now, use a knife to cut it into appropriate sizes, excluding the bottom part! Be careful with your hands!”

“Careful with my hands…? Shouldn’t the knife be careful?”

“Oops, you’re right!”

Next, we cut it like this, leaving only the bottom, then spread it out zigzag for fermentation, right?

Then, use Fairy Magic to speed up fermentation.

Finally, brush melted butter, sprinkle ketchup, mayonnaise, then mozzarella cheese and parsley powder…

But does parsley powder even have a purpose?

Is it just for the green color?

“Now, all that’s left is baking! It’s preheated to 180 degrees, so let’s bake it right away!”

“Alright, let’s do it.”

“Whoa…”

Hmm… can’t we speed up baking?

If not, what should we do while waiting?

“What should we do while waiting…”

“How about taking photos in a naked apron?”

“Are you crazy?”

“No, it’s just… a new friend said… she made her boyfriend go crazy with those photos…”

“…Rejected.”

“Okay…”

A naked apron? Suddenly coming up with such a crazy idea while baking…

Well, if I were taller, maybe I’d consider it, but coincidentally, with my appearance, it feels taboo.

Just describing it feels like a no-go.

My remaining male mind is holding onto the fact that it’s insane.

No, even without that, it’s just plain crazy.

“Instead, let’s watch TV while eating after baking.”

“Okay~.”

“Next, we’ll make garlic baguettes, so let’s prepare in advance!”

“Ah, are we doing that too?”

“Yes! There’s a lot of dough to make!”

Come to think of it, we’re baking a ton of sausage bread.

Then, while baking, let’s make baguettes too!

“Baguettes are super easy! So let’s make a lot!”

“…But is there a reason to make so much?”

“Huh? Aren’t we giving some to Pretty Heart?”

“Ah… well, if that’s the case, making a lot is fine.”

“Older Sister, you and Nari are totally a couple, right? So…”

“We’re not a couple. It’s already a no-go for an adult like me to date a middle schooler.”

“Oops.”

Well, I did give her a kiss, but I can’t date her.

At least she needs to be of adult age.

But something feels uneasy.

Pretty Heart shows an unusually obsessive love towards me.

Tsk… I’ll have to control it so she doesn’t cross the line.

It’s not like I don’t have feelings for Pretty Heart.

She’s still a kid, so I have to draw the line somewhere.

“First, add salt and yeast, mix, then knead the dough!”

“Like this?”

“Yes! Keep going until I say stop!”

By the way, all bread starts with yeast, salt, and sometimes sugar, then kneading the dough…

Bread is really a hassle.

But you can’t deny how delicious it is.

“We added water… and the dough looks good! Now, let’s ferment!”

“Nothing else?”

“Yep! Baguettes are one of the easiest breads!”

“Ah, I see…”

“Oops! Roll the dough into a ball and put it in a bowl!”

“Roll it?”

Fermentation is such a hassle.

No, how did people even figure out these steps for making bread?

Looking at bread recipes, it’s amazing how they came up with this…

“…Fermentation is done! Now, press it down, fold it, pinch it, and roll it out long!”

“Ayun. Rolling it out long means making it long and thin.”

“Oops.”

Alright, is that it?

Oh, is this a baguette mold?

So this is how you get those unique baguette marks?

“Now, ferment again, score it, spray water, then bake!”

“Wait, scoring makes sense, but why spray water…?”

“I don’t know! The recipe says so!”

“Alright then…”

“Recipes are full of mysterious things, but they’re important… it’s weird.”

“Tell me about it…”

By the way, the sausage bread should be done by now… oh, the timer just went off.

Alright, let’s take it out… ……This smell, and the brown bread… it’s perfectly baked.

“Whoa…”

“Wow…”

“It turned out great!”

Wow, I didn’t expect our first baking to be this successful.

Let’s try it… whoa? This is way better than the sausage bread from bakeries!

“Hey, you try it too.”

“Huh? …It’s super delicious.”

“Right?”

Even though we made them too big, they’re so good we finished them in no time.

…I think we can give about five to Pretty Heart.

We’ll eat the rest.

Considering Yura’s share… well, it should be enough.

“Next, let’s bake the baguettes!”

By the way, how long do baguettes bake?

…15 minutes? That’s super short.

Then I’ll eat another sausage bread while waiting.

“This is really delicious. I wish we could bake every day.”

“That’d be nice. Of course, I won’t be doing it anymore.”

“Huh?! What are you talking about, Rampage?!”

“Well, it was fun, but some parts were too boring. Especially the kneading part. We sped up fermentation with Fairy Magic, but kneading is just…”

“Ah, I see…”

If it weren’t for the boring kneading part, I might have continued as a hobby, but it doesn’t suit my temperament.

If it were training, I could endure no matter how long it takes, but this is just plain boring.

But since Chubby will bake occasionally, it’s nice to have delicious bread at home.

Though, helping out sometimes might not be bad?

“It’s done baking! Now, let’s make garlic baguettes!”

“Ayun. Stop eating and let’s make garlic baguettes.”

“Okay~.”

After devouring two sausage breads each, Diamond Dust and I followed Chubby’s lead to make garlic baguettes.

We made so many that it overflowed… but no regrets.

If it’s delicious, that’s all that matters, and we can give the leftovers to Pretty Heart.

It feels a bit off to give leftovers to my favorite junior, but since it’s not something no one wants, it’s fine.

“Wow… this is delicious too. A bit too strong on the garlic, though.”

“Should we reduce the garlic next time?”

“That’d be better.”

“It’s delicious…”

…Maybe I’ll take fewer garlic baguettes?

Diamond Dust really likes them.

Even more than the sausage bread.

No choice… if she likes them that much, I can’t give her just a little.

“I’ll take about this much to Pretty Heart.”

“Okay!”

By the way, today’s baking was a complete success, right?

I’m looking forward to future breads.

Work hard on baking, Chubby.

You haven’t forgotten that I saved you during that execution, right?

“These are for Yura, so let’s set them aside.”

“Speaking of which, Yura really loves bread, right?”

“Yeah. She prefers bread over rice, typical Western taste. Not that she dislikes Korean food… she just likes bread more.”

“She’s an omnivore.”

“Humans are naturally omnivorous.”

“Ah, right.”

By the way, this bread keeps going into my mouth.

If this keeps up, I’ll feel bloated and miserable…

“…Hey, Older Sister.”

“What?”

“Nari and you seem like you’ll have a deep relationship anyway… so why not take naked apron photos?”

“You crazy girl…”

“Then… how about just keeping them for yourself? You can show them later if you officially start dating.”

“…If it’s just for keeping, can we treat it as cosplay?”

“It’s totally cosplay. It’s like those things in anime.”

“…Is that so?”

“And anyway, the apron covers everything in front, so you can wear underwear while taking them.”

Hmm~… I’m a bit conflicted…

…Fine, just one… let’s try it…

……I feel a sense of guilt after taking it.

…Alright, let’s delete it.

We shouldn’t leave records of such things.

◇

“Here, we did some baking, and there’s a lot left, so here you go.”

“Wow…!!”

After the evening training session with the juniors, I called Pretty Heart aside and gave her the sausage bread and garlic baguettes we made in the morning.

She jumped around with joy.

Does Pretty Heart love bread that much…?

“Older Sister!”

“…What?”

“Let’s get married! We must get married!”

“…What?”

“Don’t go to anyone else, you must marry me! Absolutely!”

“Ah, no… why all of a sudden?”

“Hehe~.”

…I think giving bread to Pretty Heart was a huge mistake.

This is going to be even more troublesome…