The Macaron Lesson
"Do you happen to have any time after school today?"
"I don't have anything particularly busy going on. But more importantly, are you okay? You were laughing all of a sudden, and then the moment you lit that Mana Herb, your face just went completely pale..."
Judging by Leonor's reaction, I must not have looked very good. I quickly schooled my expression into a blank slate and said, "The smoke made me feel a bit dizzy, but I'm fine now."
"Well, that's a relief, but..."
She still looked suspicious, so I brought up a topic to distract her. In truth, this was the real reason I'd asked her out.
"Actually, I'm planning to join the Cooking Club, so if you're free today, could you teach me how to cook? There’s something I really want to learn."
"You're joining the Cooking Club? That’s a great idea. If it’s something I know how to make, I’ll teach you as much as you want. Still, you should’ve told me a day earlier. It’s Saturday, so we can’t borrow the school kitchen."
Saturday? Her words struck me as odd. If it’s Saturday, why are we at school? Then, a setting I’d skimmed over in the novel flashed through my mind. Aegis Academy had a rule where students had to come to school every other Saturday. It was meant to honor the heroes who fought for six days and nights to defeat the Witches. When I first read it, I just laughed it off, thinking, What kind of world still has school on Saturdays? I’d assumed we wouldn't have classes on the weekend, so I’d only come in today because my alarm went off and I’d moved out of habit. I guess I hadn't missed any classes because of it. Should I call this a blessing in disguise?
That messes up my calculations for friend-fees and living expenses again, the thought crossed my mind, but I realized it didn't matter anymore since I couldn't afford to pay those fees anyway.
"I was actually going to ask you to teach me at my place. If you’re uncomfortable going to the home of someone you aren't even close with, you can refuse..."
"No, no, that’s totally fine! I actually prefer it! I’ve always wanted to try teaching a club member how to cook at their house!"
Leonor scrambled to answer as soon as I spoke in a deliberately dejected tone. This person is way too easy to handle... My conscience pricked at me, but Leonor was essential to my plan, so I had no choice.
I took a deep drag of the remaining Mana Herb, and my nerves settled. After burning the butt with a flick of fire from my right hand, I pulled ten 10,000-gold bills from the envelope I’d kept in my uniform pocket—the money I’d earned from my part-time job—and held them out to her.
"Then I’ll wait for you in front of the school gate after class. Oh, and this is the club membership fee. I only have 10,000-gold bills on me, so I’ll pay you back for the Mana Herb later."
"You don't really have to give me that... but okay, see you later."
I left Leonor behind, looking at the money in her hand with a subtle expression, and headed down from the rooftop. When I returned to the classroom, the kids looked at me with a strange sense of relief.
After school, I waited in front of the gate, and soon I saw Leonor walking toward me from a distance. Aside from her flashy looks, she was quite tall, making her stand out even from afar. I’d thought my current body wasn't exactly short for a girl, but she was at least 10cm taller than me, which made me a little envious.
"Now that I think about it, I didn't hear what kind of dish you wanted to learn. What do you want to make?" Leonor asked.
"Macarons. Senior, you know how to do baking, right?"
"I do. But how did you know?"
"You just look like the type who’d be good at that sort of thing."
I shoved the thought of "I saw it in the original work," which is firmly ranked #1 on the Forbes list of things you should never say, deep into my mind and gave a vague answer. She looked herself over, murmuring, "Do I look like it?" It wasn't a lie; she did look like someone who would enjoy sweets. The problem was that the "sweets" she enjoyed were Cloud-Candy.
"Anyway, macarons, huh? That won't be easy for a beginner. Don't you want to make something else?"
"No, I don't really have an interest in anything other than macarons."
"Alright. Then I’ll teach you everything from start to finish today."
Hearing my intent, Leonor smiled with her eyes and gave my back a light pat. A private lesson where a blonde, tanned older sister teaches me everything from A to Z in my own home. It was enough to give me strength I didn't know I had.
I took Leonor to a discount mart to buy ingredients for the macarons.
"Come to think of it, do you have an oven at home?"
"No."
"Hmm, then you might need this. Do you have a whisk and a sieve?"
"No."
"Then let's put these in, too."
She asked me questions and tossed the necessary tools into the shopping cart one by one. Wow, there are quite a few tools needed just to make these, not to mention the ingredients. Well, I suppose I couldn't make them with nothing.
Her voice began to grow louder as she started picking up the actual ingredients for the macarons.
"Do you have heavy cream at home?"
"No."
"Butter?"
"No."
"Don't tell me you don't even have eggs and sugar?"
"No."
Seeing me become a human answering machine, she sighed with an incredulous look on her face.
"I can understand the eggs, but it makes no sense to not have sugar at home. Then what on earth do you have in your house?"
"Let's see. A pot and a frying pan?"
"Pfft! Wow, to make a joke like that with such a deadpan expression... you look like you wouldn't be, but you're actually a funny kid? Anyway, this should be all the ingredients we need."
It wasn't a joke. I grabbed the shopping cart from her as she held her stomach, chuckling to herself, and on the way to the checkout, I grabbed a bag of bean sprouts. At least I’d be able to cook a proper dinner for once. By the way, the cart is full—how much is this going to cost?
"That will be 70,000 gold."
My face stiffened at the clerk's words. 70,000 for bean sprouts? Is this for real? I’d hoped my finances would loosen up a bit, but that was a pipe dream. With trembling hands, I held out my student ID.
When the clerk tried to process the payment, a "Insufficient Funds" message popped up.
"Customer, it says your balance is insufficient."
"...I'll pay the rest in cash."
I took out the two bills left over from the 100,000 gold I’d used for the membership fee, and after paying, my total net worth became 9,000 gold. No, not even 9,000 gold...
After finishing the payment, I handed three 1,000-gold bills to Leonor, who was coming out of the store while still laughing.
"This is for the Mana Herb from earlier."
"Huh? Oh, right. You really are precise with your calculations."
My remaining funds were now 6,000 gold. It was a number that felt strangely familiar. I’ll have to go back to super-frugal mode for the rest of the month. Leonor seemed to think my behavior at the store was a joke, as she kept a smile on her face. That smile only vanished the moment I stepped onto the stairs in front of my house.
And that expression turned completely pale when she followed me inside and watched me open the fridge to put away the ingredients I’d bought. Did you think it was a joke when I said I only had a pot and a frying pan? Well, surprise, nothing is absolute. Well, the chocolate the class rep gave me is an exception. Come to think of it, I also had cooking oil and oyster sauce. Wait, am I richer than I thought?
"Hey... I'm really sorry... I heard you didn't have family, but I really thought what you said earlier was a joke..."
"I don't mind. More importantly, please teach me how to make the macarons. We can make them without an oven, right?"
"...Yeah, I'll show you."
Leonor looked like she was about to cry. Seeing that expression made me feel worse, so I urged her to show me how to make them quickly.
Even in the cramped kitchen, which she couldn't have been used to, Leonor skillfully made the macaron batter. Since there was no distinction between the kitchen and the rest of the room, I figured I might as well consider the whole room a kitchen. I watched the process of her making the batter with that thought in mind. Once she placed the shaped batter into the preheated frying pan and covered it with a lid, Leonor opened her mouth.
"...Could I ask why you suddenly wanted to learn how to make macarons?"
"I want to make them for Sylvia."
"I knew it... You heard she doesn't accept the things you buy for her lately. Is that why you're making them yourself?"
It wasn't strange that Leonor knew. If you’re a lady of the Astra family, every move you make becomes the talk of the town. Plus, she and Sylvia were somewhat acquainted.
As I nodded, Leonor looked at me and asked in a low voice, "Is there a special reason you'd go that far?"
"Nothing special. I just... I want to be friends with her."
When I answered, she let out a sigh that sounded like a groan.
"Ha... you really are incredibly devoted."
After saying that, she stayed quiet for a moment, then took the puffed-up batter out of the pan and showed me the rest of the process. The finished macarons weren't exactly on par with store-bought ones, but they had a decent taste and shape.
After cleaning up the kitchen, I saw Leonor off.
"It, it’ll definitely go well. That young lady can be a bit picky, but she’s not a bad person."
Before leaving, Leonor said that. I know. I answered only in my heart and nodded.
After Leonor left, I took out the bean sprouts I’d bought at the store and stir-fried them. The stir-fried bean sprouts, which felt like something I hadn't eaten in a long time, weren't much in quantity, but they were delicious enough. After a shower, I changed into the pajamas I’d hung out to dry in the morning. They were still a bit damp, but I couldn't sleep in my underwear, so I just lay down on the bed.
Perhaps because of the Mana Herb, or perhaps because of the dinner I’d finally had, my tension eased and sleep poured over me. Just before drifting off, I clasped my trembling hands together and recalled what Leonor had said before she left.
"It'll definitely go well."
I hope it goes well, too.
As I muttered that to myself, my figure, drifting off to sleep with clasped hands, must have looked like I was praying to God for something.