She'd need a proper break after this. But for now, I had to focus on the present—planning for the future could wait.
The next step was handling delivery. The most natural option was for Iori to go herself; as the baker, she knew best how to transport and handle her creations properly.
"Iori, you should handle the delivery. Bring your son along. If he has a girlfriend, maybe ask her to help too."
It was a brilliant suggestion—if I did say so myself. Not only would it reassure her, but it would also save me money.
"You're right, but my son… well, he's a horrible student. If he misses a day, I'm worried he'll fall even further behind."
"Does he have a girlfriend?"
"Yes, but why does that—"
I cut her off. "Is she a good student?"
"Eh? From what I hear, yes."
"Then she can help him study."
"That feels… quite irresponsible."
"Haha~, well, it's not like you're making him skip for no reason. It's for your family."
"Looking at it like that… you're right!"
I nodded in satisfaction, my eyes practically brimming with tears of joy. With the delivery settled, all that was left was renting a vehicle. We were already halfway done with preparations. Now, we just had to make everything, which…
"Iori, you do have enough time to bake everything, right?"
She hesitated before nodding.
"I'll just stay up all night and finish it."
Yeah, no. That's a terrible idea. Her quality will drop. I'll have to help with the prep. Maybe Mahiru would lend a hand too?
"I'm not letting you do that—for a variety of reasons," I said firmly. "I can help prep, shape, or get everything ready. And I can ask my girlfriend if she'll assist with the rest."
"No, no, no! You've already done too much!" She seemed flustered by how much I was helping, but I wasn't about to give her a choice.
"Look, it's no big deal. At this point, this whole thing reflects on both of us."
"W-What do you mean?"
"Sorry, but that's a secret."
"Okay…" Her expression wavered, like she was torn between gratitude and guilt.
I gave her one more reassuring smile before pulling out my phone and texting Mahiru.
She's in class, so I—
Ding~
[Mahiru: Absolutely! 🐱]
Heh, of course she responds instantly.
[Me: Thanks, Love <3]
[Mahiru: 🥰]
"Iori, I got you some extra help. My girlfriend isn't a professional, but I'm sure she's done stuff at home."
"Thank you so much!" Iori bowed. It was… awkward. She bowed so low it made me uneasy, but maybe that was just a cultural thing.
"If you really want to thank me, let's make sure this is a success!" I clenched my fist with passion. I could already see my 20% bonus before me.
After sorting everything out, I stalled her for an hour before finally showing her the materials in the back. She was flabbergasted, but I told her that I had a friend expedite the shipping.
Technically, that wasn't a lie. The system took my money to deliver the materials—they didn't just come from nowhere.
Although, the way it operates might make it seem like they appeared out of thin air—but don't be fooled.
Anyway.
Mahiru was on her way, and I had already prepped a bunch of berries, icing, and other toppings for this damn order. I thought I could take my time, but I actually had to make the icing from scratch.
I also learned why Iori even got this order in the first place. She made something for an official's son's birthday—a product no other bakery had. It was so good that the official wanted to impress our allies the same way he had been!
At least, that's what Iori said—though even she seemed surprised. But to me, it made sense. When you have talent, opportunities naturally follow.
"BOO!"
A female voice came out of nowhere.
"AHMG!?"
"Hehehehe~"
The familiar laughter was all I needed to know who it was.
"Jeez, Mahiru, you scared the shit out of me!"
I nearly dropped this chocolate peanut butter icing. My arms already hurt, so if I had to make another one…
The whole process of mixing and processing by hand was brutal. I let Iori use all the tech that made this process easier since she was the baker, but I kind of regretted it.
Okay, Amane… you sound like a little bitch. Suck it up and move on.
"Language!"
My wonderful blonde beauty stomped on my foot, but I was wearing stronger shoes, so I didn't feel it. Of course, I didn't let her know that—if she figured it out, she'd go for my shin next!
"Yeah yeah~" I turned to her with a smile, but she looked a little flushed.
"Did you run here, love?"
"Y-You said you needed help."
"Hahaha~, you didn't have to rush that hard. I don't need you passing out on me!"
I put the icing bucket down and went to a cooler in the front, which had a bunch of different drinks. Grabbing a water, I opened it and handed it to my lovely Mahiru.
"You didn't pay…" Mahiru looked distraught.
"Are you serious?"
I looked over at Iori, who had just finished locking the door. Even she couldn't believe what she heard.
"It's fine, Miss. I think I can cover the cost of a water bottle. Hehe~".
Thankfully, Iori had relaxed, and everything was flowing smoothly. Her son would be helping us later, so we'd have four people. I wasn't sure about his girlfriend, though. If she came, we'd have five, which would be a big help.
"You heard what she said, now drink this." I handed the water to Mahiru, and she slowly accepted it.
Three minutes passed before she finally realized Iori wasn't joking.
Kind of hurts that she didn't take my word for it… A little playful tear fell from my mental image. Yes, I knew no one could see it, I just wanted to be a little extra.
Mahiru lifted the bottle to her lips and took a cautious sip, then another. The next thing I knew, she was downing the rest in a few eager gulps, tilting her head back like she hadn't tasted water in years.
Watching her, I smiled.
"Phew~ water is so gooddddd."
"Pfft~ if we had a couch, you'd look like a white cat trying to sleep."
"S-Shut it!"
I held back the urge to keep flirting. I really wanted to. Like, REALLY wanted to. But instead, I told her to go help Iori with icing and decorating all the cupcakes, cakes, cheesecakes-you name it. If I listed everything, you'd probably question why one meeting needed so much, but I was sure there would be at least 200 people. That was my minimum estimate.
[Amane.]
Bah~
'F-Fuck!' I clutched my left hand, but the damage was already done. The system's sudden call had made me drop the metal mixing bowl right onto my fingers.
A sharp, pulsing pain exploded up my wrist, radiating like a shockwave. The impact sent a dull clang reverberating through the kitchen, followed by the muffled thud of ingredients spilling onto the counter. The weight of the metal pressed into my skin, the cool surface contrasting painfully with the hot, throbbing ache beneath.
It really fucking hurt. Not only was it heavy, but with all the crackers, chocolate, and peanut butter inside, the damn thing felt like a mini wrecking ball smashing into my bones. And the fact that it was actually metal? That just made it ten times worse—like getting your hand slammed in a car door but with extra weight to rub it in.
Luckily, no one noticed, so I played it off. I sucked in a slow breath, flexing my fingers to make sure they still worked.
'Yes, system?'
[My bad. I just wanted to let you know that your skills tab finished updating.]
'When did I-'
[You didn't, but I did. I just optimized it for you.]
'Next time, I'd appreciate a heads-up, but thanks anyway.'
[Noted, and you're welcome.]
Our conversation ended quickly, and I went back to mixing everything together. At first, it was tough—like wading through deep water—but after a while, the ingredients started coming together more easily. Now, it felt more like trudging through a shallow pool—inconvenient, but manageable.
"Looks fine to me." I set the bowl down and slid it toward Mahiru. Taking it, she iced up three 1/4 sheet cakes, three dozen cupcakes, and two 1/2 sheet cakes. A little hard to picture? Think of it like this: three flat dish rags, a tray of cupcakes, and a doormat, that was about the size we were working with. And now, we only had to do this for 100 more varieties.
My right forearm ached, muscles throbbing from overuse. I rolled my wrist, feeling the stiffness set in.
"It's going to be a long journey, my friend," I muttered under my breath before diving back into work.
Next up was a Chantilly set of desserts, which, thankfully, wasn't too hard to prep. The cream was light and airy, folding effortlessly into soft peaks that held their shape just long enough before melting away. Unlike the heavier buttercream we used earlier, this had a delicate, almost cloud-like texture with a subtle sweetness. The vanilla and almond notes blended smoothly, making it taste as fancy as it sounded.
Mahiru worked on the berry tarts, carefully spooning strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries onto crisp, golden pastry shells. The fruit glistened under the lights, the natural juices mixing with the cream for a glossy, picture-perfect look.
On my side, I stacked layers of flaky puff pastry and Chantilly cream for the mille-feuille, which I won't lie, I had no clue what the hell it was. I just followed the directions, pressing down just enough to keep it together without squeezing out the filling. A dusting of powdered sugar finished it off. With at least twenty more variations to go, I sighed, rolling my shoulders.
"Fancy desserts are way too much work," I mumbled under my breath, but I had to admit they looked damn delicious.
"What'd you say, Amane?" Mahiru looked over at me, tilting her cute head.
"These desserts are so much work but look so good."
"Don't eat it!"
"W-Why did you think I was going to eat them?!"
"You took Iori-san's water without hesitation—it wouldn't surprise me!"
"Wow!"
"What do you mean 'Wow?!'"
"I'm your boyfriend! Shouldn't you have some faith?!" Fake tears started forming in my eyes.
"Yeah yeah~ be a good boy and get back to work!"
I didn't know how to feel about her words, but I did get back to work. It wasn't because she told me to!
I feel like I just lost some man points… I blankly continued my job.
"Hahahaha~!" Iori's laughter rang out, making my defeat feel even worse.