Second Round (3)

Chapter 77: Episode 34 - Second Round (3)

"OUR ICE PRINCESS!!! YOU GOT THIS!" Somebody from the side exclaimed so loudly that everyone turned to look at them. It turned out that it was Rumi cheering me on. I gave her a smile back and a small peace sign.

"Good luck, Team Michiko!"

"You can definitely win this!"

"Make us proud!"

"Team Michiko! Team Michiko! Team Michiko!"

"Let's go, our Ice Princess and Sweet Princes!"

Those in our grade held up posters with our names and pictures on them and I couldn't help but turn my head away in embarrassment.

'Geez! What's with all of this support? And—when did they take a picture of me!? This is way more in comparison to the last round!'

Not only did those from our grade come to support us, but even those who we didn't know cheered us on because of the 1st round.

"Hey, when did we start getting popular?" Andou asked us and Hanabusa responded with a shrug.

"Since always, of course!" Hanabusa said with a smug smile on his face, brushing his green hair to the side.

"But look over there," Andou pointed over at a team that stood at the side, observing our every movement. An intimidating beauty with honey-blonde hair and gold eyes looked at us with her arms crossed and a small smile on her face. This was the one and only Tennouji Mari. Beside her were her three other teammates who were also a big deal in the academy and the high school division.

"It seems like it was Team Tennouji's complete victory in their last match," Andou claimed.

Their gazes were piercing through us and they remained unmoving, still like statues.

"Regardless of whether they're here or not, the only thing that is important is that we only concentrate on our dessert right now," I reminded the three sweets princes.

They nodded their heads together as we stood at our stations. I could see determination swell through their eyes and I also put on a serious face.

'We can do this!'

"Is everyone ready!" The announcer asked us and both teams nodded their heads readily. "Then… LET'S START!!!!"

Without wasting an ounce of a second, everyone began getting their materials ready without faltering. I reached for the eggs, separating the egg yolks and the egg whites so I could make the strawberry heart-shaped macarons. I didn't focus my attention on the other team, instead, I kept a level-headed approach to my priorities. The sweets princes also quickly began making their assigned desserts without wasting any time.

"It looks like the final match is underway. The Broadcast Club shall relay all the matches to you," the announcer stated as everyone worked. The Broadcasting Club even had a camera team filming our every movement and presenting it on multiple screens of the salon.

"As our academy is very famous, a large mass of people are interested in this competition. We will be broadcasting these next rounds live to the local public television stations! Everyone, do your best!" Said the enthusiastic announcer.

After hearing this news, I was a bit shocked that they would be broadcasting the competition, including this round, live. Sometimes I forget how famous St. Marie academy is and how many people want to try out desserts made by the prestigious students.

"First, let's take a peek at both teams' use of fruits. Over here is Team Natsuki." The announcer walked over to Natsuki's station who was busy peeling various amounts of different fruits.

"They're using pineapple, mango, papaya, and watermelon. They're using various tropical fruits in their core presentation. Each one looks fresh and delicious!"

Team Natsuki was moving at a rapid pace. Though they looked a bit intimidated at first, it was as if all of that anxiousness disappeared as they began getting into their groove of making fruit desserts.

"Oh, they're also making pie dough as well. I wonder what kind of dessert they'll be making?"

Next, the announcer walked over to my team's station.

"And over here is Team Ichigo. And believe it or not, they're all in their 2nd year of middle school! Imagine what kind of skills they have to make it past the second round! Oh—the fruit they're using is strawberries! A mountain of red and white strawberries to be exact!"

The camera panned onto me and you could see it on the big screens in the salon.

"The beautifully acclaimed "Ice Princess" of the middle school division, Leader Michiko Keiko, is making heart-shaped macarons. As expected of our juniors, it's cute!" The announcer stated but I didn't pay any mind to his annoying commentary.

Kashino quickly glared at the announcer after he'd said that our dessert was 'cute' and the announcer quickly flinched in response as he awkwardly held the microphone.

"Hahaha, Kashino, you shouldn't glare." Andou laughed uncomfortably as he tried his best to appease Kashino which forced him to continue his work.

"Team, don't focus your attention on outsiders. Concentrate on the task at hand," I strictly instructed my group mates as I remained focused on my piping, paying no mind to the others.

"Hmph! It pisses me off when they look down on us just because of our division," Kashino mentioned in distaste, uttering from behind the announcer.

"Well, it's not like that guy's in our place anyways. He has no right to be saying those things!" Hanabusa said, flipping his hair out of his face.

"Guys—he'll hear you," Andou was starting to lose his calm smile, warning Hanabusa and Kashino.

'This is giving me a headache…'

"Stop chit-chatting and FOCUS!" I exclaimed with caution, quickly forcing the three boys to continue working.

After I quickly and efficiently completed piping the heart-shaped macarons, I waited several minutes so that a thin skin could form on the top to help the macarons take shape. As I waited for about 20 minutes for the skin to form, I swiftly began working on a strawberry coulis*.

*Coulis: a thin sauce made from puréed and strained vegetables or fruits.

"Oh? What is the coulis for?" Fraise questioned from inside my tall toque in order to not reveal herself.

"The strawberry coulis is designated for the middle of the macaron so that the sauce can spill out of the ice cream that I'll be putting in between the macarons.

"But why are you making a lot?" She asked but I wasn't sure how to respond.

"Hmm, well, you never know. I may need a bit more?" I said unsurely.

In reality, I didn't really have much of a purpose to make a lot of the coulis sauce. I guess I was doing it out of convenience because I was waiting for the macarons and decided to make more for the heck of it.