17 Running Out of Time (2)

Chapter 17: Episode 8 - Running Out of Time (2)

"Hey," a faint voice called out to me but I struggled to open my eyes.

'Who is it? Who's calling out to me?'

"...ichiko… MICHIKO!" A boy's voice hollered and my eyes darted open.

Before me knelt Kashino, who I was surprised to see when I first opened my eyes.

"Kashino? Whoa, what's going on?" I quickly got up to feel my head aching in pain as I felt dizzy.

"Anemia is it, don't get up so suddenly," Kashino said as he kneeled by my side.

'It's already morning? But, why is it so cold in here?'

I coughed due to the chilliness of the room and I saw Kashino offering his jacket to me.

"Oh, thanks," I said and quickly put it on.

'His jacket is really warm,' I noticed as I slipped it on. The heat embraced my body, warming me up right away.

"I was surprised you suddenly collapsed," Kashino pointed out as he glanced at the chocolate cake I made before I lost consciousness.

"Yeah, me too," I responded, rubbing my head.

'It's been a while since I last fainted. When I was 8, around the time my mother died, I recalled that I would constantly faint because I didn't eat a whole lot.'

"Don't tell me you've been at it the whole night."

'The whole… night? No, wait! The practical cake exam is today! I have to keep going!' I quickly stood up off the ground only to stumble on my feet.

"W-whoa!" I said as I lost balance on my feet, falling backward.

Before I could expect a hard landing onto the floor, something caught me from behind.

Kashino's hands grabbed my shoulders to prevent me from falling.

"Didn't I tell you not to get up so suddenly?" Kashino reiterated in annoyance.

"But the chocolate cake exam is today. I have to keep on going until I get it right!" I refused to listen but he sat me back on the floor.

"Will you stop being so stubborn? The only thing you've managed to do is deprive yourself of food, overwork your body, and fall from fatigue on the floor," Kashino said coldly as I continued to sit on the freezing floor.

'I didn't think he'd be such a nag.'

"Anyways, why did you give up on the torte cake?" Kashino asked me and a wry smile formed on my face.

"I didn't like it. It was missing something that I couldn't figure out so I decided to come up with something else," I gave a heartless smile, remembering the struggle I experienced with the torte cake.

'Even now, I still can't solve what it's missing. The exam is in just a few hours but I still don't know what I'm doing.'

"Just stick with the other cake," Kashino said while walking away toward the station he usually worked at.

"No, I can still do it. I'm a part of group A and people expect more from us, so I don't want to bring down the group's reputation," I furrowed my eyebrows seriously.

'If I make one little mistake, the whole reputation of the group will go down. I know everybody expects a lot out of me which is why I have to try hard no matter what.'

Kashino began tempering at his station and I sat on the floor by my station.

"My uncle is a chocolatier," Kashino spoke as he tempered.

'Wait… what's with the indifference; he started tempering…' I watched as he heated something up in a pot and continued to temper his chocolate.

"My uncle made the chocolate so glossy and shiny. I was fascinated by the various colored chocolates being made by him. It was like magic," he explained, focusing his attention on a drink he was making.

He walked over to me with a hot mug in his hand and offered it.

'He made hot chocolate for me?'

"Drink it, it'll warm you up. You practiced all night didn't you," Kashino said cooly and I looked at him in surprise.

I accepted the cup in gratitude as I smelled the rich chocolate coming from it. Something else perked up my senses other than the chocolate.

'What's this? There's a nutty aroma coming from it.'

I blew on the drink so it wouldn't burn my tongue and took a sip.

'It tastes really nice. I think he added hazelnut to the drink to bring out the rich flavor of the chocolate…'

"If you don't solve the problem you'll never find the solution. If you give up, you won't get better. Don't rush yourself, Michiko. It's alright to find your own magic," Kashino lectured as he held his own mug in his hands. He gave a faint smile but it disappeared quickly.

'Wow, I never thought that Kashino could smile at me and give me useful advice. He actually looks quite handsome when he smiles. I thought he was a pompous jerk but for him to say something nice, maybe he's not so bad…'