The Classmate Who Is Adored by Everyone Smiles Teasingly Only at Me-Chapter 1V .2 - Determination and Sprouting Canelé
Determination and Sprouting Canelé 2
Observing Sōma’s unexpected reaction, he pointed toward the group of girls and asked,
“Yeah. Is there a man who doesn’t want to join that group?”
“Me.”
Sōma pointed at himself, and his classmate looked at him with indescribable expressions.
“Well, it’s because Sōma is weird. In a sense, I could even call you a pervert.”
“What are you talking about, you jerk?”
He glared angrily, but Shōhei didn’t retract or apologize.
On the contrary, he continued in a reproachful tone.
“Sōma doesn’t understand his own position. You’re one of the few guys who can be a part of that group of girls, but you don’t make good use of that position. It’s such a waste. Some even say you’re crazy.”
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“Mind your own business. I have my own reasons for being in touch with that group, and I don’t have any ulterior motives.”
Sōma knew that envious voices were coming from the boys.
They were jealous of him being favored by the girls, but he couldn’t care less about that.
“Anyway, if you really want to get close to that group, why don’t you do the same thing I do? You’ll probably be welcomed.”
He finishes eating the fried noodle buns and takes out a container from his schoolbag, which is slung over the side of his desk.
This container was what he had his sights on.
As he lightly shook the container in front of Shōhei, he smiled wryly and waved his hand.
“Sorry, I’ll pass on that. It’s not my thing. Besides, there’s no one in this school who can make something on Sōma’s level among the guys. If someone offers something inferior to what Sōma can make, they’ll be seen through and rejected with suspicion. As the saying goes, it’s a ‘Columbus’s egg’; pioneers are always great no matter what they do.”
“Is that a compliment?”
Feeling something amiss, he stood up from his seat and looked at Shōhei with a suspicious gaze.
Shōhei shrugged casually.
“I am praising you. I do have mixed feelings of envy though.”
“Even if you envy me, I don’t know what to say.”
Not knowing what to say, he just stares at his classmate’ faces.
Really, I have no such ulterior motive, he thought.
Carrying the container, he approached the group of girls, and they welcomed him with cheerful voices.
“Oh, it’s Ichinose!”
“Today must be Ichinose’s day. Lucky!”
“Come on, come on, join us!”
They gestured with their hands like beckoning cats, clapped their hands, and applauded as he approached.
“Ah, it’s Ichinose. Chika, well done. Now we have one more thing to look forward to during lunch break.”
Even Miki, who was in the circle’s center, welcomed him while holding Chika in her arms.
Chika, being held by Miki, seemed a bit embarrassed and slightly lowered her head while obediently clapping her hands under Miki’s manipulation like a puppet.
“So, what do we have today?”
“Today, we have canelé.”
Opening the lid of the container, he revealed the burnt-brown pastry, and joyful exclamations of ‘Ohhh!’ erupted from the girls.
Then, even before Sōma could say ‘please,’ several hands swiftly reached out like carnivorous predators, and the contents of the container instantly disappeared.
“Itadakimasu!”
The girls, all at once, indulged in the glossy burnt-brown canelé.
“Mmm, delicious!”
“It sure is. As expected, Ichinose!”
“The cookies from the other day were tasty too!”
“Yeah, they were!”
Chomp, chomp, munch, munch.
Despite using their mouths to eat the canelé, the atmosphere became even more lively.
“So, what do you think of it?”
Amidst the boisterous girls enjoying their canelés, Sōma was watching from the center of the circle, but he couldn’t wait for everyone to finish.
The movements of the girls paused for a moment.
“Is it delicious?”
“Yeah, it’s delicious.”
“I prefer the cream-filled canelés from the cake shop near the station.”
“I like the hojicha-flavored canelés.”
“Oh, that one was good too!”
One by one, the girls expressed their opinions.
However, these were not the specific feedback Sōma was hoping for.
“Not that kind of feedback. Can you be a bit more specific? Like how the sweetness is, or if it’s chewier compared to the last time, or anything like that.”
“Last time?”
One of the girls, with a canelé in her mouth, tilted her head.
“I brought some canelés earlier this month, remember?”
“Did you? I don’t remember.”
No good, they can’t be relied upon. He turned his attention to Miki and Chika.
“What about you? Any thoughts?”
As Miki fed the torn canelé to Chika, holding her like a baby, she expressed her opinion.
“Even if you ask me… It’s delicious, I guess? The surface is crispy, and the inside is nice and chewy, I think it’s a really good canelé.”
It was a somewhat better opinion compared to the others.
However, for someone like him, who was using his limited allowance for the ingredients, it was still not enough.
Sōma’s dissatisfaction was unintentionally visible on his face.
“Hey, ‘Omnipotent,’ give me a more substantial opinion.”
In response, Miki frowned as well.
“Can you stop that? It’s not like I wanted that nickname. It’s so uncool.”
“Oh, so you think it’s lame too?”
“Of course! Chika is fine with her ‘Angel of Peace’ nickname; it suits her perfectly. But what about my ‘Omnipotent’? It’s just some nonsense word.”
A valid point.
“Then, what kind of nickname would you prefer?”
“Well, something like ‘Omeganarumono’ with the ruby for ‘全能の神’ (all-powerful god) would be nice.”
“Wow, the vice president of the student council answered instantly. She acts so serious, but she’s thinking about stuff like that. It’s so cringe-worthy.”
“I-it’s because my older brother’s manga had some things like that!”
Seeing Sōma’s reaction, Miki quickly offered an excuse.
“But seriously, I don’t need such silly nicknames. Who came up with ‘Omnipotent’ anyway?”
“Apparently, it’s Shōhei.”
“That guy…?!”
As he mentioned wanting connections, Sōma casually told her.
However, whether those connections would turn out to be good or bad, he didn’t really care.
“Anyway, I want you to give more thorough feedback on the taste of the canelé.”
Sōma steered the conversation back to the main topic, and Miki seemed annoyed.
“Is that all you ever think about?”
“Of course.”
“Wow, sarcasm totally goes over your head.”
Sōma’s hobby is making sweets – well, calling it a hobby is too lukewarm. He has a big dream of becoming a pastry chef in the future.
Since elementary school, he has been studying, researching, and practicing, working diligently to become a pastry chef.
However, due to his parent’s opposition, he couldn’t attend a specialized pastry school and ended up in a regular high school.
Nevertheless, his passion remains unchanged, and whenever he has spare time, he bakes sweets, goes to famous shops, and orders popular sweets online.
Offering his homemade canelé to the girls’ group is also part of his effort.
He wanted to hear their feedback and use it to improve his skills.
Sweet treats and girls are inseparable, and he believed that their honest and straightforward opinions would be a valuable experience for him, or at least that’s what he thought.
