Sweet Reinforcements
Any adult man who’s fulfilled his national service duty knows the bliss of those sweet snacks handed out during weekend religious activities. Those gatherings were originally meant to guarantee freedom of religion—naturally, you didn’t have to attend if you had none. But when you were low in rank, even the faithless showed up. The treats were simply too tempting. Some faiths offered proper fast food like hamburgers or pizza, yet nothing compared to the soul-stirring flavor I first tasted as a trainee.
“Can’t forget these for the weekend service…!”
Back then, chocolate pies were ordinary snacks I’d never glance at twice. But after weeks of strict rationing, that sugary sweetness hit like a revelation. The fluffy sandwich hiding a soft, chewy marshmallow center only made it better. Gulp. Just remembering the violent rush of sugar back then makes my mouth water. No wonder I used to sneak them into the bathroom and eat in secret.
Fortunately, I have plenty of ingredients now. Marshmallows are missing, but I can improvise something close. All right, let’s give it a shot!
With the plan settled in my mind, I moved quickly. Starting right away should still leave enough time. No point overthinking—action is what matters. This was no different from everything I’d done so far.
Whoosh, huff…!
First, I worked the bellows instead of mixing dough. The oven had to be hot before I started baking. I pumped the hand bellows to revive the embers in the massive furnace. Whether because dinner service had just ended or because the oven was three times larger than the one in the lounge, the fire refused to catch properly.
“Cough, cough…! The firewood’s almost burned down to ash!”
Only a few glowing coals and scraps of wood remained inside. The idea had been good, but the situation was less than ideal. Ingredients were plentiful, yet time and manpower were desperately short.
Clatter, clatter…!
I grabbed the remaining dry logs and shoved them in as fast as I could. Feeding the oversized furnace was exhausting work. Just as I managed to transfer the spark to the fresh wood, a mocking voice cut through the air.
“Kekeke…! You idiot. Even if you light it now, it’ll take ages to reach proper temperature.”
Maruti, who had been stirring cacao butter across from me, sneered with open malice.
“Kek! What are you glaring at? Time’s still ticking, you know?”
The rabbit-eared girl and the dwarf helping Maruti snickered along with him. They already looked certain of victory.
We’ll see who wins.
I steeled my resolve, but the fire still refused to blaze the way I wanted. I couldn’t just stand there staring at it either. My perfect blueprint suddenly felt far less certain in this environment. Meanwhile, the other side worked with smooth efficiency, making the gap between us painfully obvious. Anxiety crept in—the fear that I wouldn’t finish on time.
But standing still solved nothing.
Fwoosh…!
“Hah, got it…!”
Somehow I coaxed the flames back to life. A tiny spark of hope had caught. Give it a moment and it would roar properly.
Creak, thud…!
I closed the oven door and waited for the heat to spread. I’d wipe that arrogant smirk off those cooks’ faces yet.
Just as I steeled myself and reached for the dough, the great bell hanging in the temple rang out with a resounding clang. The final service had ended. That meant—
Rumble…!
The chapel doors burst open and a flood of girls poured out, like a dam releasing its waters.
“I thought I was going to starve!”
“You ate two hamburgers at lunch and you’re still hungry?”
“Quiet. I’ve been saving room all day for this.”
“That’s not a healthy diet.”
“Shut up! Hey, you—second-year, right? What’s on the menu tonight?”
“Second-year Sonya reporting. Tonight’s main dish is special meatball spaghetti, followed by a dessert gathering.”
“Really? That doesn’t sound bad.”
“By the way, that lizard cook sure loves round things. Putting meatballs in spaghetti too…?”
The girls chattered excitedly about dinner as they streamed outside. Their only concern was food. I glanced at the tables already being set and felt the pressure mount. At most, I had an hour before they finished eating. Maybe forty minutes if I was lucky.
Swish, whisk, whisk!
I moved faster. Cacao butter, sugar, eggs, and flour went into the bowl. I whipped them together until smooth. So far, so good. Next came finely chopping the chocolate while starting a double boiler. Whipped cream also needed making, which meant preparing milk and more eggs…
Ha, how am I supposed to do all this alone? Will I even finish in time?
The moment the dough was ready, exhaustion hit. There was simply too much left to do, and time was flying. The girls were already seated and eating. I probably had less than forty minutes now. My head felt foggy under the pressure.
“…We’re almost done! How about you?”
“We’re in the final stages as well, Chef!”
“Just need to spread and set it now.”
Maruti’s team remained effortlessly ahead. Whatever they were making, they’d clearly done it many times before. Their confidence only made my situation feel more hopeless.
“Haaah……”
A sigh escaped me. At this rate I really might not finish. Losing to them was unacceptable, but maybe I should try making a small test batch first? If it suited Benetric’s palate, perhaps—
Negative thoughts crept in. Maybe it would be easier to just give up and do dining-hall duty instead of dozing through services every weekend. But that would be admitting defeat.
Shake, shake…!
I was shaking those thoughts away when a bright voice cut through the gloom.
“Breeder oppa—!”
“Huh?! Derke?”
Her voice anchored my wavering heart like a sudden calm after a storm. I snapped back to focus. I couldn’t let a little pressure shake me. Once I chose a course, I had to see it through.
“You’re making dessert here too, desu-yong? Or don’t tell me…! Did that lizard force you to work again, eyap—?!”
Derke popped up beside me, peeking over the counter in her usual white blouse and black skirt. She really was here.
“It’s not like that. More importantly, have you already finished dinner?”
“Mm-mm! I brought this for you, eyap—!”
She shook her head and pulled something from her pocket. Her small hands were piled high with flat pieces of chocolate.
“The chocolate they gave out during service? Why bring it to me?”
“You said you couldn’t eat any earlier, so Derke saved some for you, desu-yong—!”
“This much?”
“Yup! Derke even gave you her share too, eyap—!”
She beamed, eyes sparkling as she offered the chocolates, clearly hoping for praise.
“Thanks, Derke. Really.”
I patted her head and accepted the gift. Even while busy, she’d thought of me—that alone was precious.
“But why give me your portion too? They handed out meringue cookies earlier, didn’t they? You don’t have to hold back.”
“Mm! You always make snacks for Derke, so this much is nothing, desu-yong—!”
“Derke……”
“Besides, you’re going to make something delicious again, so Derke can wait, eyap—!”
Her emerald eyes shone with innocent pride. Just looking into them cleared the fog in my mind.
“Anyway, thank you. I’ll enjoy them.”
“Hehe, but Breeder oppa—?! What are you making, eyap—?!”
“Ah, right…! Derke, can you help me out?!”
Her question jolted me back to reality. There was still a mountain of work to do. I couldn’t afford to bask in happiness.
“Mm! Derke was the first one to make a pact with you…! Of course I’ll help, desu-yong—!”
“Thanks! In return, I’ll make you something extra sweet for dinner.”
“Hwaaah…? Really, eyap—?!”
Perfect timing. With Derke on my side, maybe I could still pull this off.
Kekeke…! Making snacks with a noble young lady, huh?
She probably thinks this is just playing house.
We’re already finishing up. How pitiful.
The trio across from us whispered mockingly, but I let them laugh. They had no idea what was coming. Now that Derke had joined me, finishing on time was entirely possible.
“Derke? Can you grab that mortar over there?”
The dark clouds and storm had finally cleared. A fresh, favorable wind was blowing—Derke’s energetic breeze.
“Leave it to me, desu-yong! I’ll even lend you command of the wraith legion, eyap—!”
With Derke and her one-man-army wraith legion plus her cooking buffs on my side, there was no way I could fail.