The Classmate Who Is Adored by Everyone Smiles Teasingly Only at Me-Chapter 5Volume 2 .2 - Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! 2

“Ugh… No, I can’t wait. I want to hear feedback today.”

He should bring it to high school tomorrow for tasting, but he couldn’t wait until then.

He took out his smartphone and called Chika.

『Yes, hello? Sōma-san, is something the matter?』

After about a dozen rings, Chika’s calm voice could be heard from the smartphone.

“Sorry to bother you at night. I made some pumpkin pudding. Would you mind tasting it?”

『Um, right now?』

“I can bring it over on my bike right now if you want.”

『I don’t mind, but…』

“That helps. I’ll be there in about an hour then.”

He quickly arranged the meetup, prepared swiftly, and left the house. Both his parents were working overtime, so there was no one to scold him for going out at night.

This would be his fourth visit to the Satomi residence.

‘Somehow, it feels like I’ve been visiting about once a week.’

He has memorized the route by now, so he doesn’t get lost and can pedal his bicycle with all his might even at night.

“You’re quick. It’s only been about thirty minutes.”

Upon arriving at the Satomi house, Chika greeted him with surprised eyes.

“I just wanted you to try it as soon as possible.”

He took out the still slightly warm pumpkin pudding and a spoon from the light yellow sweets bag and handed them to her.

“Are we going to eat in the entryway? Since you’ve come all this way, you’re welcome to come in.”

“That’s okay. I want to hear your thoughts, then I’ll get started on the next sweet.”

“Alright then…”

Still in her sandals, Chika seemed a bit reluctant to eat standing up in such an informal manner, but when urged, she took a bite of the orange-tinted pudding.

“As a fundamental point, the flavor is well-crafted.”

After tasting the pudding, she first offered words of praise.

“Really?”

For Sōma, who had been feeling uncertain since the tea party, these words of praise were more delightful than anything.

“The pumpkin has been thoroughly sieved, so there’s no fibrous texture on the tongue. The careful preparation is evident, and that’s a very good point. The sweetness is also moderate, which I think does a great job of maximizing the flavor and aroma of the pumpkin.”

He had taken great care in handling the pumpkin. It was good to know that the effort had paid off.

“However, I can’t help but notice the presence of some airiness. It ruins the smooth texture. You should pay a bit more attention to the baking.”

She pointed out the small air bubbles in the cross-section of the pudding with the tip of her spoon.

“Pudding is tricky in that aspect, huh?”

The greatest challenge with pudding is the baking process.

If underbaked, the pudding mixture remains runny. If overbaked, air bubbles form, or the surface burns, ruining the texture and aroma.

One must find the perfect temperature and timing after considering the oven’s quirks.

“Also, there are air bubbles on the edge of the cup. Those must have formed when you poured in the pudding mixture. You can easily remove them by briefly passing a lighter’s flame over them before baking, so you should pay attention to these small details as well.”

“We don’t have a lighter at home since nobody smokes.”

“Should I lend you one? I actually have one that I use specifically for removing air bubbles in desserts like pudding.”

It was indeed the right decision to have Chika taste it.

She notices things that he or other classmates wouldn’t and points them out. There couldn’t be a more valuable taste tester.

As he silently thanked Chika in his heart, she hesitantly asked him a question.

“Um, I wanted to ask you something. You’ve been making pumpkin sweets frequently lately. Do you plan to use pumpkin for the party as well?”

“That’s right. It’s definitely got to be pumpkin when it comes to Halloween-themed sweets, right?”

“Is that really the case?”

A deep furrow forms between Chika’s brows.

“Is there something else?”

“I’m really not sure if I should say this, but…”

“If there’s a problem, don’t hesitate to speak up. That’s what the tasting is for.”

Encouraged by Sōma, Chika prefaced her thoughts with ‘it’s just a possibility, but…’ before voicing her concern.

“There’s a possibility that the children might not enjoy this pumpkin pudding.”

“What do you mean?”

Taken aback by the unexpected comment, Sōma’s eyes widened.

“Is it not delicious?”

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“No, that’s not it. This pumpkin pudding is well-made. High school students and adults would be happy to eat it.”

“Then why?”

“Children don’t usually like sweets that contain vegetables. It’s because they have vegetables in them. The exceptions might only be sweet potatoes and potato chips.”

“So you’re saying that because it’s made with pumpkin, the pumpkin pudding won’t work?”

It was such an unreasonable reason that Sōma was almost at a loss for words.

“If you go to supermarkets or convenience stores that are having a Halloween fair, you’ll see that pumpkin-flavored sweets are never the main attraction. The flavor is average, and the sweets that are shaped like Halloween items take the main stage. In other words, pumpkin-flavored sweets aren’t very popular.”

This meant that the challenge of creating Halloween sweets that both looked the part and would make the children happy was at risk of not being met.

“Of course, there are many delicious vegetable sweets, and pumpkin is a vegetable that ranks high in popularity. However, it’s also true that some children have a kind of rejection just because ‘vegetables are used.’ To be honest, I was like that when I was little. Why put vegetables in sweets that are supposed to be a treat? I always thought it would be better to add chocolate or strawberries.”

“No… don’t say that about the pumpkin pudding…”

Sōma had never imagined receiving such negative feedback.

“It’s just a possibility. It might be an unfounded worry. It’s entirely possible that all the children at the kids’ party have no resistance to sweets made with pumpkin. However, if that’s not the case, and there’s a lineup of pumpkin-based sweets…”

“A possibility…”

Since it was a matter of possibility, ignoring it was one option. But if even one child had difficulty with vegetable sweets, the Halloween party would be dull for them.

That would be sad for both the child and for Chika, who was organizing the party.