★ dream 001 ★ mystery dessert x
There was a large cake mixing bowl on the table, and Chie and Rise were wearing aprons and wielding various baking implements. Chie brandished the blender, while Rise held a whisk and a large wooden spoon. The mixing bowl had a variety of interesting ingredients in it. You had the typical eggs, flour, and sugar, but then there were specks of something red, dots of something brown, a dash of something in an eggplant-purple shade congealing in a corner of the bowl...
It had been about the flavor. They wanted this cake to turn out as flavorful as possible, and a quick search on the Internet showed that cake-making could get to be quite elaborate, with all kinds of ingredients you wouldn't expect. Frosting and decorating was a whole different story.
"How do you make frosting, anyway?" Chie spoke out loud, frowning slightly.
"Um, I think..." Rise's finger lifted to thoughtfully tap on her chin. "Powdered milk, right? And whipped cream for the consistency."
"Sounds about right..." said Chie, nodding. That was bound to taste good. She looked back into the mixing bowl. "I think Yosuke likes caramel. Did we add that yet?"
"Oh- no, we haven't! Here." Rise reached for the other counter-top and found a bag of small plastic-wrapped caramels. She upended the bag, letting the contents spill into the mixing bowl, wrappers and all.
"We're supposed to take the wrappers off, aren't we?" Chie peered into the mixing bowl.
"I think they're rice paper. Perfectly edible," said Rise, nodding. "Lots of candy comes wrapped in it, and you can just pop them right into your mouth!"
Chie noted the logos on the caramels, but then found herself agreeing a moment later. Besides, it would take forever to unwrap each caramel individually. "Alright. Let's blend it all together and start on the frosting!" She grinned, holding the blender up. "This is going to be great. I'm sure Yosuke and Kanji will love it."
"We'll have to bake a cake each time one of our friends shows up here from now on," said Rise with a pleased smile. "This was a great idea, Chie-senpai!"
"O-oh, wow, it stinks... It really, really stinks," said Rise, biting her lip.
"That's-- that's good!" said Chie, her voice suddenly reaching a desperate pitch. "Things that are good for you usually smell or taste bad."
"I don't think that's true," said Rise doubtfully.
It wasn't, but Chie nodded her head several times. "Of course it is! I mean, I know all about fitness and stuff, ahaha... haha... ha..." Her voice trailed off into nervous laughter.
There was a charred black mound of something on the table. It was about as large as a watermelon and roughly the same shape. It had fallen right out of the pan in sticky clumps when it was removed from the oven, and Chie and Rise had tried valiantly to re-form it on the serving plate. It looked like a dirt mound, and smelled far worse, though it didn't stink nearly as bad as the 'icing' the girls had come up with.
"Maybe cottage cheese wasn't a good idea," said Rise faintly, looking slightly nauseous as she stared into the frosting bowl.
Chie bit her lip, nodding. She knew deep in her heart that they had utterly failed. Not that she was surprised, but... "Should we throw it away?"
Rise looked extremely disappointed, but she nodded, slumping slightly. "Yeah, it's pretty much useless."
With heavy hearts, the girls tossed their hard work into the trash.
"God, this kitchen stinks!" Yosuke was gagging like he had walked in on a room full of rotting bugs. Kanji was having a similar reaction, clutching at the counter but doing a far more manly job of restraining any dry-heaves. "What the hell did you do in here?!"
"We... baked, of course." Chie and Rise exchanged nervous looks.
"Yeah, that?" said Kanji. "Never do that again."
"You don't even have anything to show for it?" Yosuke was talking in between short, smothered choking sounds.
Almost simultaneously, the girls presented a tray of cupcakes- store-bought, of course- with hesitant smiles on their faces.
"You bought those," said Kanji, before either of them had the chance to claim them as theirs.
"I'm going to be sick off the air in here," managed Yosuke, before running to the window and hanging himself half-out of it. Violent retching sounds followed.
......
It wouldn't have turned out that bad! [aghast]
It had been about the flavor. They wanted this cake to turn out as flavorful as possible, and a quick search on the Internet showed that cake-making could get to be quite elaborate, with all kinds of ingredients you wouldn't expect. Frosting and decorating was a whole different story.
"How do you make frosting, anyway?" Chie spoke out loud, frowning slightly.
"Um, I think..." Rise's finger lifted to thoughtfully tap on her chin. "Powdered milk, right? And whipped cream for the consistency."
"Sounds about right..." said Chie, nodding. That was bound to taste good. She looked back into the mixing bowl. "I think Yosuke likes caramel. Did we add that yet?"
"Oh- no, we haven't! Here." Rise reached for the other counter-top and found a bag of small plastic-wrapped caramels. She upended the bag, letting the contents spill into the mixing bowl, wrappers and all.
"We're supposed to take the wrappers off, aren't we?" Chie peered into the mixing bowl.
"I think they're rice paper. Perfectly edible," said Rise, nodding. "Lots of candy comes wrapped in it, and you can just pop them right into your mouth!"
Chie noted the logos on the caramels, but then found herself agreeing a moment later. Besides, it would take forever to unwrap each caramel individually. "Alright. Let's blend it all together and start on the frosting!" She grinned, holding the blender up. "This is going to be great. I'm sure Yosuke and Kanji will love it."
"We'll have to bake a cake each time one of our friends shows up here from now on," said Rise with a pleased smile. "This was a great idea, Chie-senpai!"
"O-oh, wow, it stinks... It really, really stinks," said Rise, biting her lip.
"That's-- that's good!" said Chie, her voice suddenly reaching a desperate pitch. "Things that are good for you usually smell or taste bad."
"I don't think that's true," said Rise doubtfully.
It wasn't, but Chie nodded her head several times. "Of course it is! I mean, I know all about fitness and stuff, ahaha... haha... ha..." Her voice trailed off into nervous laughter.
There was a charred black mound of something on the table. It was about as large as a watermelon and roughly the same shape. It had fallen right out of the pan in sticky clumps when it was removed from the oven, and Chie and Rise had tried valiantly to re-form it on the serving plate. It looked like a dirt mound, and smelled far worse, though it didn't stink nearly as bad as the 'icing' the girls had come up with.
"Maybe cottage cheese wasn't a good idea," said Rise faintly, looking slightly nauseous as she stared into the frosting bowl.
Chie bit her lip, nodding. She knew deep in her heart that they had utterly failed. Not that she was surprised, but... "Should we throw it away?"
Rise looked extremely disappointed, but she nodded, slumping slightly. "Yeah, it's pretty much useless."
With heavy hearts, the girls tossed their hard work into the trash.
"God, this kitchen stinks!" Yosuke was gagging like he had walked in on a room full of rotting bugs. Kanji was having a similar reaction, clutching at the counter but doing a far more manly job of restraining any dry-heaves. "What the hell did you do in here?!"
"We... baked, of course." Chie and Rise exchanged nervous looks.
"Yeah, that?" said Kanji. "Never do that again."
"You don't even have anything to show for it?" Yosuke was talking in between short, smothered choking sounds.
Almost simultaneously, the girls presented a tray of cupcakes- store-bought, of course- with hesitant smiles on their faces.
"You bought those," said Kanji, before either of them had the chance to claim them as theirs.
"I'm going to be sick off the air in here," managed Yosuke, before running to the window and hanging himself half-out of it. Violent retching sounds followed.
......
It wouldn't have turned out that bad! [aghast]