The Classmate Who Is Adored by Everyone Smiles Teasingly Only at Me-Chapter 4Volume 2 .2 - Pathetic Scone
Pathetic Scone 2
“W-What do you mean by that? Are you saying the quality is poor?”
“Not poor, but lacking in personality and lacking in specificity. What you are looking at or what you thought when you made it is unclear. There’s too much imitation, and there’s no sense of trying to elevate it to something of your own. That’s why I described it as childish.”
Chika’s father flicked the edge of the plate. A sharp, clear sound rang out.
“Your sweets are not bad in taste, but they lack distinctive features. The individuality is terribly faint, making it hard for them to leave a lasting impression on people. Like a small child might bake pancakes from a mix, your confectionery is just an extension of that. You’ve worked hard, that’s all. I can’t imagine these confections leading to those of a professional patissier.”
“But isn’t it fine if there’s no problem with the taste?”
Sōma retorted impulsively.
It seemed he was being criticized, but he couldn’t understand exactly what for.
“A machine can make sweets that taste good. It might sound like a cliche, but a patissier’s confectionery has something more added to it.”
“Something more…?”
“My daughter told me you’ve held onto the dream of becoming a ‘pâtissier’ since you were in elementary school and that you’ve worked hard towards that dream.”
“That’s right. Is there something wrong with that?”
Sōma’s voice contained a hint of irritation. He couldn’t bear to have the sweets he had painstakingly made criticized for such vague and ambiguous reasons.
In contrast, Chika’s father spoke in a calm tone.
“There’s nothing wrong with that. That in itself is not a bad thing. The problem is that you’ve stopped there.”
His eyes sharpened.
“Let me guess. If you were asked to envision your future self, all you can imagine is yourself in a white chef’s coat, standing in a kitchen.”
“Of course. Isn’t that what all patissiers wear?”
“That’s not what I mean. In which kitchen do you see your future self? Your own shop? Someone else’s? A hotel? In Japan? Abroad?”
“Wh-where…?”
“What will you be making there? How did you come to stand in that kitchen? What skills will you have acquired by then? What will your position be?”
“I-I…”
He was at a loss for words after being bombarded by rapid-fire questions. He had never thought about such things.
“To simply say ‘pâtissier’ encompasses various ways of working. There are pâtissiers who constantly create new sweets and those who make the same sweets for many guests in a hotel. Some pâtissiers travel the world, while others run a small shop in a corner of a town. What kind of pâtissier do you intend to become?”
“What kind of… I… that’s…”
He couldn’t answer.
Sōma’s dream was just ‘to become a pâtissier.’ That was all.
“The profession of a pâtissier is not difficult to enter. It’s not like becoming a doctor or a lawyer, where you have to pass difficult exams, nor does it require exceptional talents like a professional baseball player or singer. With decent dexterity and a memory for recipes, you can become one. If you keep working hard as you have been, you’ll likely make it. But that’s as far as it goes.”
He had received a seal of approval from a professional pâtissier, but could there be a more disheartening endorsement?
“As a pâtissier, no, in any job, getting the position is not the goal. It’s the start. The real challenge is to continue walking the long road ahead. You are mistaken about that. Someone like you, who hasn’t thought about what comes after becoming a pâtissier, will surely face setbacks. Even if you don’t, you’ll only become a ‘pathetic pâtissier’ who has done nothing but reach that title.”
“Father, you don’t have to be so harsh.”
Shocked by his harsh words, Chika interjected.
But her mother rebuked her sternly.
“Chika, you can’t say that.”
“But…”
“No. What’s wrong is wrong. You, an amateur, have no right to interject. I agree with your father. The way Sōma-kun is now, he will definitely stumble. He’s already in high school, so it’s time to start thinking like an adult.”
Having never seen such an expression from her mother before, Chika looked at her with eyes as if she had seen something terrifying and swallowed her words.
Her father continued.
“I’ll say it again. You are childish. You’ve held onto your childhood dream too tightly. Change your dream to a future career path. Think about what kind of pâtissier you want to be, what kind of pâtissier you can become, and have a grounded plan. It’s about time you started doing that.”
There was nothing he could say in response. Chika’s father was right: he had never once thought about the specifics, only about continuing to make sweets.
“Effort alone is not enough to make your dream come true. Think.”
Those words were harsher than any criticism. Sōma had indeed only been making an effort, thinking that was enough.
『Continuing to make an effort like this is not something just anyone can do.』
『Working hard towards your dream is amazing.』
Everyone had told him that.
《Effort will never betray you.》
I’ve been desperately clinging to such a cliched ideal and working hard up to now. But now that I’m here, I’ve been told by a professional that it’s not good enough.
Think…?
What am I supposed to think about? How can I suddenly do something I’ve never done before?
It felt as if the path I was walking on had suddenly disappeared, and I was thrown into complete darkness.
“What should I do…?”
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That was all I could mutter.
I don’t understand. I can’t see anything. It feels like my entire being has been denied, and I feel despair.
