Oh thank god. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could’ve withstood that interaction. I felt drained as though I’d just sprinted a mile. Still wobbly, I teetered over to Ayako to retrieve the cream. As she swung open the fridge door, her words floated to my ear as if from a distance. “You’ll have to excuse Takanori, dear. He’s just been dying to meet you.”
“Dying to meet…me?” My voice wavered in disbelief.
“Absolutely. He got all excited when I told him about ‘Takumi’s new lady friend.’ I tried to keep him from accosting you in the classroom, but he has a will of his own. He’s due for a stern talking to later.” She cast a calculating glance toward Takanori as she handed me the cream as well as some strawberries. She really did speak of him as if they were family.
“For the strawberries that will top the cake, feel free to cut them however you like,” she advised, resuming her role as assistant. “But for the ones for inside the roll, make sure you follow the instructions closely.”
“Yes, thank you.”
With my ingredients secured and her instructions looping in my mind, I returned to my workstation. I began by slowly blending the melted chocolate into a portion of the cream to make frosting. Next, I beat the remainder into submission to fill the Swiss roll. The yule log’s trunk would consist of cake, whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate cream frosting. Seriously, two types of cream? Talk about a decadent experience. Home cooking it most certainly was not.
Even the cosmetic flourishes provided to us had a certain level of pizazz: traditional holly leaves, a tiny marzipan Santa, and a tastefully executed “Merry Christmas” topper—much cuter than what one saw on cakes from the grocery store. The true stars of the show, however, were Takanori’s handcrafted garnishes. He’d prepared for each of us a glossy red poinsettia out of sugar, a striking dark chocolate rose, and ethereal snowflakes of white chocolate, all of which took my breath away.
Determined to make a yule log worthy of that exquisite ornamentation, I poured my heart and soul into the Swiss roll. It came out looking amazing—or at least, I liked to think so. After we finished decorating our cakes, Ayako and the other assistants very gently—and I mean very gently—boxed our creations. That was an undertaking in itself, and I was grateful to have their expertise.
I volunteered to have mine packed last, and eventually I was the only student left in the kitchen. “I appreciate your patience, dear,” Ayako said, hurrying over. “Wow, look at that. You’ve really outdone yourself, haven’t you?”
“Thanks. With the garnishes, it almost looks like a cake from a bakery,” I said.
“Your family will be absolutely blown away. Now, you mentioned not having plans for Christmas Eve, is that so?”
“That’s, um, yeah.” Mom was at Grandma’s, Dad was scheduled to work late, and my brother had a date he wouldn’t shut up about, so I was going to be all alone.
“In that case, how about joining us for Christmas dinner?” proposed Ayako. “It’d feel so much more festive with you there. Besides, Takumi and I can barely finish half a cake let alone a whole one.”
“Oh,” I murmured, taken aback by her sudden invitation.
She leaned forward and, as if sharing a secret, whispered, “Not to mention the little ones have been asking about you.”
I sometimes stopped at their house while out with Koro just to say hi to the oaties from the garden gate. But recently I’d found myself a little hesitant to visit; each time I did, Ayako insisted that Towada walk me home. And as much as I enjoyed the little guys, I couldn’t bring myself to keep troubling Towada.
“Thanks, but I wouldn’t want to impose,” I said. I was touched by her invitation but uncertain about intruding on a family gathering.
“Nonsense!” said Ayako. “All right, it’s settled then. Oh, I can’t wait! You’re not allergic to anything are ya? Pickles, herbs, everything’s okay?”
“Yeah, they’re my favorite,” I said. “Um, if I’m coming, do you mind if I help with dinner? It’ll be a half day at school anyway.”
“Of course, I’d appreciate the help! I’ll get Takumi to go pick you up.”
“N-No, that’s fine! It’ll still be light out. I don’t get lost anymore!”
She gave me a look that seemed to say, Are you sure? and I wondered whether I still appeared so naïve that I required an escort. I certainly hoped I didn’t come off as that much of a child; I’d be in my third year of middle school the following year!
“Hmm. Maybe I’ll make an appearance myself then,” a familiar voice teased from behind me.
I emitted an instinctive shriek.
“Takanori,” Ayako admonished, her voice stern. “Don’t scare Haruka.”
He chuckled lightly. “My apologies, couldn’t resist,” the handsome pastry chef said, grinning at me. Was the man really that good at sneaking up on people or was I just incredibly obtuse? Though I had to say, despite his multiple accolades, published cookbooks, and successful store, Takanori was surprisingly down-to-earth. His patient and clear explanations for even the simplest of questions had been invaluable in class, and his occasional digressions, rife with amusing anecdotes and jokes, hilariously fun.
“I thought you were working Christmas?” Ayako said with a note of suspicion.
“Sadly, yes. The shop’s a battlefield leading up to Christmas.”
“Then you had better do your job, huh? Customers first.”
“As you wish, Lady Ayako,” answered Takanori with a flourish and a mock curtsy, earning a gentle smile from Ayako.
“Some things never change, do they?” she observed.
“Really? I’d like to believe I’ve matured, haven’t I?”
“Have you? Do you still carry around a pocketful of pill bugs wherever you go?”
At the mention of pill bugs, I took two involuntary steps back.
“Hey! I haven’t done that for decades, and you know as much! Haruka, don’t listen to her!” Takanori protested. He made a show of patting down his chef coat as proof of its insect-free status, which drew a reluctant smile from me.
Then, unexpectedly, he said, “You seem to have a knack for cake-making—yours turned out wonderful. Have you ever considered pursuing this line of work?”