Chapter 28 – “Cooking Up Trouble”

The classroom-turned-kitchen looked more like a warzone than a workspace. Mixing bowls cluttered every desk, a thin haze of flour hung in the air, and Yuuto had already used up half a roll of paper towels.

“This,” Rika said flatly, staring at the mess, “is not science. It’s chaos.”

Akari, sleeves rolled up and apron slightly singed, flashed a peace sign. “Relax, Chief Maid! Every great chef starts with a little explosion!”

“That ‘explosion’,” Yuuto muttered, coughing as flour puffed up from the counter, “was literally you dropping the mixer into the bowl.”

“Details,” she said cheerfully. “Anyway, the batter’s alive! That’s what matters.”

Mizuki stirred something quietly at the back of the room. Her soft voice floated over the noise. “Maybe… we should try one recipe at a time?”

Rika pinched the bridge of her nose. “Agreed. Let’s keep it simple—cakes first. Akari, sugar, not salt this time.”

“Got it!” Akari reached for a jar and poured it generously into the bowl.

Rika frowned. “Wait. That’s—”

Yuuto tasted a pinch. His expression turned to horror. “That’s salt again!”

“Eh?!” Akari yelped. “But they look the same!”

“They don’t taste the same!” Rika snapped.

Akari crossed her arms, pouting. “Then label them next time! I’m not a chemist.”

“You don’t need to be a chemist to use your tongue.”

“Rikaaa, that sounded weird.”

Rika went red. “Don’t twist my words!”

Yuuto sighed and wiped the counter. “Okay, reset. Mizuki, could you start a fresh batch? Rika, you handle the ingredients. Akari, just… stay away from fire.”

Akari saluted. “Aye, Captain!”

---

Ten minutes later, the smell of something sweet actually filled the room. Mizuki whisked quietly while Rika managed the oven with scientific precision.

“Temperature’s steady,” Rika murmured. “If we pull this off, we might even win Best Café.”

Yuuto smiled. “You sound like you’ve done this before.”

Rika glanced at him. “Cooking? Hardly. My experiments usually end in small fires.”

“That’s reassuring,” he said dryly.

Still, when she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and adjusted her apron, he noticed something he hadn’t before—Rika, the usually sharp and composed one, looked oddly… gentle.

When she leaned over to check the cake, the soft light from the oven framed her face. She wasn’t just the class genius bossing everyone around—she looked calm, focused, and surprisingly warm.

Without thinking, Yuuto said, “You’re kind of… good at this. It suits you.”

The whisk froze in Rika’s hand.

She blinked once, then twice. “W-What?”

“I mean, you look… uh, comfortable. It’s nice seeing this side of you,” he stammered, realizing too late what he’d said.

For a heartbeat, the only sound was the oven’s low hum.

Rika’s face turned pink, then red. “Y-You’re impossible. Don’t say weird things like that out of nowhere.”

Yuuto rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to—”

“Forget it,” she cut in, turning away. But her hands trembled slightly as she pulled the cake out, avoiding his eyes.

From across the room, Akari smirked. “Ooooh~ someone’s blushing!”

“I am not,” Rika said too quickly.

“Totally are!”

“Akari.”

“Yes, Rikaaa~?”

“Touch the oven and you die.”

Akari giggled. “There she is again—the scary scientist.”

Meanwhile, Mizuki watched them from her corner, a soft smile hiding something deeper. She pressed a hand to her chest, wondering why Yuuto’s words to Rika made her stomach twist.

---

They gathered around the finished cake. It looked lopsided, a little cracked, but smelled amazing.

Yuuto took the first bite. “Hey… this is actually good!”

Akari leaned in. “Really?!”

“Yeah,” he said with a grin. “You three might actually pull this off.”

For a second, Rika smiled—just a small, genuine one.

“Of course we will,” she said, crossing her arms to hide her fluster. “We’re not amateurs.”

“Speak for yourself,” Akari said, licking icing off her finger. “I’m the creative genius here.”

Rika rolled her eyes. “You’re the reason we almost caused an explosion.”

“That’s called passion!”

Mizuki laughed softly. “Then I guess we’re a passionate team.”

Yuuto leaned back, watching the three of them argue again, and couldn’t help but think—this chaos was starting to feel a lot like home.