Piyo Piyo Kindergarten (2)

Chapter 24: Episode 12 - Piyo Piyo Kindergarten (2)

I offered the girl an apple-shaped cookie and she hesitantly grabbed it.

"An apple… Wow... " Ringo gazed in amazement at the cookie in her hands.

"My name is Michiko Keiko. It's nice to meet you," I gave her a small smile and she looked at me incredibly.

"Wow… Onee-san is really beautiful," Ringo pointed out and I looked at her strangely.

"Oh, really? Thank you," I accepted the strange compliment of my appearance.

"Look, both of the outcasts are getting along!" Ikkun and his friends pointed at us mockingly.

I turned my body around and glared at the boys from before with my sharp blue eyes.

"Outcasts? That's rude," I narrowed my eyes in distaste and the boys gulped nervously.

"This girl is scary, run!" One of them said and they all ran off.

"Come back here and apologize!" I raised my voice at them and they ran off somewhere else.

When I turned to focus my attention back to Ringo, her seat was already empty.

'Oh, she left?'

The classroom door was left open so I ran off after her, thinking that she wouldn't be too far.

* * *

It seemed like she quickly ran away to the playground after those boys teased us because I found her hiding under a tunnel mound, curled up into a ball.

"Ah, I found you," I said, peeking through the tunnel to look at her. "Can I join you?"

She nodded her head and scooted over so I could sit next to her. I crawled through the tunnel and sat down next to her.

"Onee-san must be really popular, huh?" Ringo looked at me with a lonely look in her eyes.

"Actually, I just transferred to the academy only a few days ago to study cakes, so I haven't really made any friends," I admitted and Ringo looked at me curiously.

"Really? So you're new like me?" Ringo asked and I nodded.

'Isn't her birthday next month? I wonder what she likes…'

"Ringo, do you like cakes?" I asked her and she nodded her head cheerfully.

"Yeah!" She said as she cuddled her teddy bear.

"Your birthday's next month, right? What kind of cake would you like?" I asked and her eyes brightened.

"Ringo wants a cake with lots of apples and whipped cream!" Ringo smiled brightly. "You know, at my previous kindergarten, when it snowed, everyone made snowmen together. And after that, my teacher would make an apple cake. It was really delicious!" Ringo smiled when she thought about her old school.

Her smile faded and it quickly turned into a sad frown.

"... But no one wants to eat with me. And they call me an outcast…" She said sadly, hugging her teddy bear.

'We're going through the same thing… We're both new at our schools and we just can't fit ourselves into the picture that everyone else is in…'

"Alright then, shall I make a cake that will help Ringo make friends with everyone?" I suggested and her face lit up.

"Can Onee-san really help me?" Ringo looked at me with curiosity.

"Yeah, just leave it to me. I promise that I will help you," I claimed confidently and she had an enlightened look on her face.

"Thank you!" She gave me a small smile in return.

After we finished talking, we walked back into the school. Soon after, it was already time for St. Marie Academy students to leave.

I met up with the Sweets Princes as we left the kindergarten and told them that I talked to one of the kindergarteners and promised them that I would make them a cake.

"Michiko… I didn't know you made a promise without consulting us first," Kashino said in annoyance, his deep voice going hoarse. "How are we supposed to make a cake "that will make everyone get along?"

Though I knew that it had to be a group deal, I'd promised that we'd make something for Ringo. I knew that it was selfish of me to accept it but I didn't want Ringo to be treated like an outsider. I wanted her to get along with the other kids.

"Michiko, do you have a good idea?" Hanabusa asked me as I walked with them. The girls from our class looked at the Sweets Princes fondly, giggling and smiling as they walked by.

"Ah… yeah," I answered shortly. "Actually… is it okay if I design Ringo's cake?"

"Of course! It's best to leave it to a person who wants to do it," Andou accepted and I nodded my head.

"Okay, I'll do my best and think up a fun cake," I guaranteed with confidence.

* * *

It was late at night but I sat at the desk in my room. Fraise slept in my bed as I was brainstorming Ringo's cake.

I had my cooking notebook and a pencil out to draw out my ideas.

'To make a fun cake with apples and whipped cream… What should I do?' I pondered, looking at a blank sheet of my notebook.

Fraise, who wasn't too far away from me, had a smile on her face as she slept.

"Chocolat… this is how you do the whipped cream… Cafe… the sponge tastes good… Caramel… whisk the eggs more…" Fraise mumbled to herself in her sleep, loud enough for me to hear.

'Even in her sleep, Fraise is making cakes with everyone. She looks the most happy to do it with the others… Wait—that's it!'

A sudden idea popped into my mind and I thought about it more.

'Ringo said that when it snowed, everyone built snowmen together. All I have to do is implement the memory of her and the other kids building snowmen together. The thought is fun and it will surely have everyone get along.'

I began drawing out the basic foundation of the cake, adding more details as it came together.

'This should do it.'