This Is My Win (2)

Chapter 27: Episode 13 - This Is My Win (2)

"Eh?" Fraise questioned curiously.

"You have an even better design in mind?" Chocolat looked at me in disbelief.

"What is it?" Caramel asked.

I quickly grabbed a bowl and turned to all of them.

"There isn't enough time so I'll explain as we go. Andou, bake lots of cookies and ice it with pastel coloring; Kashino, make some white chocolate cream; Hanabusa, please ready the marzipan," I directed them in an antsy.

'We've got to do something. I don't want to stand around here uselessly when there's still time to fix this! I promised Ringo that I would make a cake that'll help everyone get along… We practiced every night for it so she would fit in… I won't betray my promise!"

"To copy Keiko's design at the last moment, those girls are the worst!" Fraise pouted angrily while dipping some cookies into a white chocolate cream.

"They really are!" Caramel agreed as she helped out.

"Caramel, you're in the way," Kashino picked Caramel up and moved her aside. "Furthermore, it's completely obvious that they copied Michiko." Even Kashino admitted.

"That's right. Well, they were probably jealous," Andou added on.

"Transfer students stand out after all," Hanabusa gave a smile.

"You guys… believe me?" I looked at them carefully.

"Of course, because only Michiko would make such a strange cake," Hanabusa smiled, though his words weighed heavily on my shoulders.

"S-strange?" I turned my head to the side with a forced smile, trying my best to pretend that it didn't bother me.

"Aah, sorry, Michiko. That's not what I meant," Hanabusa retracted. "How would you say… Like your Bittersweet Nutella Torte, Michiko's cakes have a story behind them."

'A story? My cakes have a story behind them?'

"Hey, we've gathered the materials," Kashino interrupted my thoughts, bringing my attention back.

"There are 20 minutes left," Andou said, worriedly looking at the clock.

"Okay, this should do," I said, gazing at the cookies I'd instructed them to make. The cookies were of various colors with intricate designs even though we were in a race against time.

"Fraise, Caramel, Cafe, and Chocolate, I want to borrow your powers from here on," I spoke with an assured look on my face.

"Okay!" The sweets spirits said in unison, nodding their heads.

'Wait for us, Ringo… I will definitely bring you a fun cake!'

* * *

At Piyo Piyo Kindergarten

"Ayu! Today's the day you get your birthday cake. I'm excited!"

"I wonder what kind of cake it is. It's making me excited, too," Ayu spoke to her friends.

"It'll surely be cuter than Ringo's."

Ringo sat alone at a table while she read a book. She could hear the ongoing conversation between Ayu and her friends.

"Hey, Outcast," a small boy with short black hair and sharp eyes walked over to Ringo.

Ringo turned her attention toward the boy and his friends.

"What kind of cake did you ask for from that new girl?" The boy asked with a straight look on his face.

"I won't forgive you if it tastes bad!" One of the boy's friends spoke out from behind her.

"You didn't need to say that!" Ikkun scolded his friend.

'Onee-san, I'm really looking forward to your cake. I hope that maybe I can become closer with the other kids…' Ringo thought to herself, a sad but hopeful expression formed on her face.

~

We watched the kindergartners from a window, spotting that Ringo was alone in a corner once those boys left her alone.

'Geez, that girl's alone in that corner again.' I shook my head disapprovingly.

"They're pretty doubtful," Kashino noticed as he held the box that had the cake in it.

'I wonder if she'll be happy with this cake…'

Ringo and Ayu stood at the front of the classroom with their teacher. Ayu looked happy as she stood while Ringo looked awkward being the center of attention.

"Your friends who have birthdays this month are Ayu and Ringo," their teacher said with a smile on her face.

The girls from Group B went up first.

"Congratulations, Ayu!!!" The girls from Group B walked up with their cake box. "The cake Group B made is called, "Kindergarten On a Snowy Day."

Group B opened their box and presented their cake. The marzipan figurines were helping each other make snowmen as apple-shaped candies aligned the border of the cake.

Every kid in the class surrounded Ayu's cake in disbelief.

"Amazing! Look, Ayu's there!"

"This is Ikkun!"

"Cute!"

As the children gathered over at Ayu's cake, the girls from Group B looked at me as if they'd already won.

"Won't you reveal Ringo's cake already, Michiko?" The girls from Group B mocked and laughed at me.

Kashino handed over our cake to me that was hidden in the box, and I stepped forward. I took a look at Ringo who looked at me with high expectations.

"Even if the Sweets Princes helped her, there's no way she could've changed it," the girls whispered amongst themselves but I could still hear them.

"She should be ashamed to bring out the same cake."

As I set the cake down on the table in front of Ringo, I slowly lifted the cover.

'The cake we made for Ringo's sake… It'll definitely make her happy!'

I removed the cover to reveal the cake.

"Happy Birthday, Ringo!" I gave her a warm smile. "This cake is called "Ringo in the Witch's House."

I revealed a cake foundation with a vibrant gingerbread house on top, decorated with various cookies on the roof. A pine tree with candy apple ornaments stood next to the house, gleaming brilliantly. Lots of apple-shaped candies dipped in white chocolate ran along the edge of the cake, and marzipan figures of the children stood outside the gingerbread house while a marzipan figure of Ringo was trapped inside the gingerbread house with a witch.

Ringo's face lit up at the reveal of her cake and she gave an astonished look. The black-haired boy and his two other friends from before looked at the cake admirably.

"It's a house of sweets!" One girl's face shined.

"... Cool!" One boy exclaimed.

"Ringo's cake is even better? Let's go take a look!"

All of the kids who surrounded Ayu's cake from before, quickly ran over to Ringo's, leaving Ayu and the girls from Group B alone.

The kids gathered around Ringo's cake and looked at it in amazement. The girls from Group B also had an astonished look on their faces when they saw that we managed to change the design of the cake.

I glanced over at the girls to see their shocked expressions.

'This is my win.'