Chocolate Moose Cake

[Meanwhile...]

Ichiyo was already feeling good and healthy.

It was the weekend.

The girl was in the kitchen stirring something with a plump and puffy consistence in a deep bowl.

Suddenly she heard the doorbell ring

"I'm going to open the door." Ichiyo stopped what she was doing and ran towards the door.

She was greeted by Izumi's smiling face, with a shopping bag in her left hand.

"Hi Ichiyo-chan! shall we begin?"

"Yes!" Ichiyo replied smiling broadly.

The girls spread out all over the kitchen counter.

They unpacked eggs, milk, baking powder, chocolate, strawberry jam and a few other things needed to make a cake.

Suddenly, Ichiyo's stepmother Chika came over to them.

She was curious what they would be doing. "Hello girls!" she quickly ran to Ichiyo and kissed her tenderly on the forehead.

Her huge breasts swung every time she made a more intense movement. When she hugged Izumi, she almost overwhelmed her with the weight and volume of her great assets.

Ichiyo was disgusted when she felt her stepmother's kiss.

"What are you doing there that's so interesting?"

"Cake!" Izumi replied

"Cake?" Chika was surprised. "But for whom?"

Ichiyo's heart pounded in her chest. She didn't want her stepmother to find out the truth about their plans. She wanted to do it effecient and stealthy.

She gave Izumi a pleading, worried look, hoping that she would come up with a convincing excuse.

"It's for... a friend!" Izumi said with a light laugh, feigning casualness.

Ichiyo nodded vigorously, smiling fakely. "Yes, exactly!"

"A cake for a friend...? For Him? A friend... A he. . . ???" Chika pondered aloud.

Suddenly, a blush appeared on the woman's cheeks.

'Does our little Ichiyo finally met someone she likes? Oh my! That's so cute! I'm so excited!'  She giggled.

"Yes.. Of course.. hihi! for a.. friend... Hhihih!"

She cleared her throat, still smiling widely from excitement.

"Okay then! I won't bother you any more with your preparations! Have fun girls!" The stepmother waved to them before leaving the kitchen.

Chika's steps echoed through the house as she made her way to the stairs.

Once she disappeared from sight, Ichiyo let out a sigh of relief.

Izumi however, was curious about one thing... "I wonder why she suddenly started to act so excitedly..."

"I don't know... But I'm so glad she's gone..."

"Oh really? She seems like a pretty kind woman."

"She's not always so nice... It's just appearances..."

"Oh?"

"Mhm... She can be very annoying! And she always sticks to my father so much... It's gross..."

"I think you're a little jealous, aren't you?" Izumi said with a smirk.

"What?! No! Stop it, I'm not five!" Ichiyo snapped, looking away.

"Hehehe! I know, I'm just teasing!" Izumi chuckled, then glanced at the bowl filled with ingredients and smiled fondly.
"You and your dad always had such a special bond. You're both so into climate and weather — your eyes would light up every time you talked about it with him."

"Exactly. And that woman won't ruin that!"

"Ichiyo-chan... Don't say that. Why not give her a chance? She really does seem nice. Maybe the more time you spend together, the more you'll get to know her?"

"But... Izumi, she came out of nowhere... Like some witch trying to break up our family..."

"Aww, come on. I don't think she's like that. Honestly, she seems like she cares about you just as much as she cares about your dad. That's the impression I get, anyway."

"I... I don't know."

"Not every stepmother is an evil witch from fairytale, you know." Izumi blinked her eye.

Ichiyo remembered Chika's bright smile whenever she greeted her after school. The care she put into cooking dinners. The times they spent together— just her, Dad, and Chika in the park.

'Evil witch… that’s what I’ve always thought. But… if she really was one, would she smile at me like that when I come back from school? Would she spend hours cooking just to make sure Dad and I eat well? Would she even bother hugging me, even if I hate it sometimes?'

'She could just ignore me, right? Just focus on Dad, pretend I’m not here. A lot of people would. But she doesn’t.'

'She’s loud. Annoying. Way too clingy with him. But… when we went to the park, she didn’t complain once, even though it was cold. She held my bag when my hand hurt. She even joked about how Dad always talks too much about clouds… and she laughed in that goofy way that almost made me laugh too.'

Ichiyo bit her lip.

'Maybe… maybe she isn’t trying to take Dad away from me. Maybe she’s just… trying to be part of this family. And I… maybe I’ve been the one pushing her out all this time.'

The girl let out a quiet sigh.

"I g-guess..."

Izumi grinned.
"See? It'll all be fine." She added softly.

"Maybe you're right..." Ichiyo smiled faintly.

Izumi nodded, and took egg beater "All right! And now, let's make that cake already!"

After a while they both went back to work.

***

The chocolate cake was ready.

The teens packed it up nicely and headed to Seiji's place.

They reached the flat doors in a short time. Before entering Seiji’s apartment, Ichiyo stopped. She took a long, shaky breath and exhaled slowly, as if she were trying to push the fear out of her lungs.

Her hands clutched the cake box a little too tightly. The cardboard bent under her grip.

She remembered the last time — the rain, the smell of blood, the sound of his voice. A wave of cold prickled her skin, even though the hallway was warm. Her stomach twisted. For a moment, it felt as if she were walking straight into the jaws of a nightmare.

She knew Seiji would be there, and Izumi too. Logic told her she would be safe. But logic couldn’t stop the trembling in her chest.

Her shoes felt rooted to the floor. One step forward meant seeing him again — the same eyes that haunted her sleep.

Izumi, noticing her hesitation, gently reached out and pressed the doorbell before Ichiyo could talk herself out of it.

The sound echoed through the hallway. Ichiyo flinched at the sharp ring, her pulse hammering as if the chime had already summoned the monster behind the door.

In a while, the door opened exposing Seiji.

He was very surprised to see the girl he saved "Oh hello Takahashi-san. What brings you to us?"

"E.. E-Excuse us..." Ichiyo was stressed, rapidly pondering of what to tell more.

Izumi patted her gently on the shoulder, whispering in her ear "It'll be fine. Don't be afraid, I'm here with you."

Hearing this, Ichiyo felt more confident. The presence of her best friend really helped her in such stressful situations. She took a deep breath to start again her speech.

"Excuse us.. but.. We... We came here to thank you sir, for saving my life.. That is... During the battle..."

"O-oh.." Seiji felt a bit of embarrassment. He uncurled his arms and tilted his head slightly, his expression composed but softened just a little.

"You don’t need to thank me. I only did what anyone should have done in that situation," he said calmly, almost matter-of-factly. His eyes flicked briefly to Hideaki behind him, as if reminding her silently that the danger had been real.

Then, after a short pause, his voice grew quieter, almost pragmatic:

"But… I’m glad you’re alive, Takahashi-san. That’s what matters."

"Please, don't be so humble! You sir, saved my life! If it wasn't for this dedication, I wouldn't be here! That's why... I want to give you a heartfelt Thank you!"

Ichiyo bowed with deep gratitude to Seiji.

She presented him the packed cake "Please, appreciate my gift Mister....."

"Sekiguchi Seiji." Seiji introduced himself and then gently took the package from her.

As he opened the lid to see what was there, he become surprised to see the content of the box.

Suddenly, Hideaki appeared from behind him - curious of the whole situation.

He looked over Seiji's shoulder to see what he had in his hands. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite see what it was, because Seiji was blocking the view. Then his eyes landed on the teenager.

"Tch! You again!?"

Ichiyo got goosebumps as soon as she heard Hideaki's voice,

"EEP! Y-Yes! But I don't want to duel! I want peace!"

"Peace? Then what did you bring in that box huh? A bomb??"

"I assure you, I have no skills that would allow me to build a bomb! It's just a homemade chocolate cake!"

As soon as Ichiyo revealed their reason for coming over, Hideaki's demeanor shifted noticeably. "A cake!?" He became visibly excited, licking his lips in anticipation of tasting the sweet treat.

"Y-yes! As a thank you for your friend's help.."

Seiji suddenly cut in, "Uh.. why don't you come inside? You won't be standing in the doorway like that."

"Can we really?" Izumi asked

"Yes, please." Seiji ently smiled, showing them the way inside the apartment.

"Thank you so much!" both girls bowed and replied with a smile.
"We're sorry for interrupt!" They took off their shoes and walked deeper into the living room.

Ichiyo, however, was more careful. She watched the apartment for any suspicious things...

To her surprise, it was the most normal apartment that could have been.

The four of them settled around the table, with Seiji taking the lead in setting the plates and small metal forks for cake.

He took a knife and laid it next to the plates, then opened the box that contained the cake.

The sweet aroma filled the room, causing their mouths to water with anticipation.

Seiji carefully cut the cake into smaller slices, making sure that each piece was equal in size.

Hideaki's eyes widened with a mix of excitement and fascination, fixating not on Seiji cutting the cake, but on the large knife itself.

"Can I have that kniiife? Hehehe!" he blurted out without hesitation, with sadistic grin spreading across his face.

"No." Seiji answered him briefly.

"What!?!"

"No." He repeated "You'll do something to yourself... Or others..."

"ME? And cutting myself with a knife? pfft!" Hideaki scoffed, but his eyes remained glued to the knife for just a moment too long, a brief flicker of something unsettling crossing his expression.

Seiji held his gaze, unflinching.

"I said no. I'll cut the cake and you will sit on your ass and wait."

"Tch!" Hideaki's face scrunched up into a pout.

Seiji sighed and resumed slicing the cake, glancing up to ensure Hideaki's attention had shifted back to the dessert and not the knife.

The delicious-looking chocolate mousse, dripped down the top of the cake and the delicate strawberry jam was tucked between the layers of sponge cake inside.

As soon as Hideaki saw it he started to droll again. He immediately reached for a piece, but then he felt slap in his hand from Seiji.

"Hey!" Hideaki yelled

"You don't get one."

"THE HELL!? WHY IS THAT!?!?"

"I don't give sweets to bad, not behaved people."

"Huh!? I'm not that bad!" Hideaki said.

Seiji looked at him with a questioning look, "Yeah... sure.."

Teenagers timidly took pieces of cake. Seiji seeing their movements calmed them down "Oh, you can go ahead and take it. It's just him I have to put down for a while."

"Put down?" Izumi asked curiously

"Mhm. He's been acting especially mean today. Sorry about that. In fact, he may look scary, but once you get to know him, he's a pretty clumsy twat."

"HEY! WHO ARE YOU CALLING CLUMSY TWAT!?" Hideaki was pissed at what Seiji had said about him

"Then tell me who fell on a wet puddle from a bath in the bathroom yesterday? Exactly, you!"

"Tch!" Hideaki blushed in embarrassment

"See? He's not dangerous. He just likes to show off sometimes, (from his worst side...) but in general he's very clumsy and childish." Seiji patted Hideaki on the head, who was seething with fury at his biting comments.

Seiji crossed his arms, hand rubbing his chin,

"Sometimes, I wonder how you've survived this long."

Hideaki kept silent with clenched teeth and fists.

He looked at Seiji from the corner of his eye only to after a while, release the tension and smile sarcastically.

"With pure talent, obviously." he said with a self-assured grin.

"Talent, or sheer dumb luck?" Seiji asked, returning to his seat.

Suddenly, his phone rang. He looked on the screen.

"Someone calling from work..." he muttered. 'I need to take that knife with me. I can't let Hideaki be left alone with the weapon and the girls here.'

"Excuse me for a moment, I have to answer this. Help yourself to a cake. After all, it was you who brought it. And You...." He turned to Hideaki now. "You have to be polite, you understand!?"

"Yeah. . . Tch!"

"Well, I'll be right back." With that, Seiji went to his room, clutching a knife tightly.

There, he closed the door so that no one would disturb him.

At the same time as Seiji left, Hideaki was observing both teenagers with a grim, creepy look on his face.

The girls gulped.

The intense gaze sent a shiver down Ichiyo's spine.

"So this is that serial killer who k-killed your mother, yes?" Izumi whispered to Ichiyo.

"Y-yes. It's him..." Ichiyo replied with shaking voice.

The air felt heavy, and Ichiyo could almost hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.