[512] The Return of the Black Lace

Chapter 512: The Return of the Black Lace

As Isshiki Iroha, the student council president, spoke up, everyone started to take action.

Yukino began giving instructions, standing beside Yumiko, guiding her through the process.

"First, chop the chocolate, then melt it using a double boiler. After it cools slightly, pour it into molds to set."

Hearing these simple steps, Yumiko, who was cutting the chocolate, looked a bit puzzled.

"That's it?"

"Well, basically, yes," Yukino nodded.

Yumiko blinked in surprise. "Wow, sounds pretty easy."

Easy, my foot.

Listening to their conversation, Hachiman couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

That's supposed to be chocolate-making?

So basically, you melt someone else's already-made chocolate, pour it into molds, and call it your own?

Pastry chefs would cry if they heard this.

Glancing at Yui, who was wildly gesturing about something, Hachiman shook his head.

Forget it, let me show you what real handmade chocolate is all about.

With that thought, Hachiman moved to an empty kitchen counter.

Just as he pulled out some cocoa powder, he noticed Iroha at the counter next to him, stirring something.

He looked over and saw that the bowl in front of her already had a nearly mixed chocolate batter.

Seeing the clearly handmade chocolate Iroha was mixing, Hachiman nodded in approval.

Yes, this was the proper way to make chocolate. It seemed that the little devil hadn't lied about being good at making desserts.

Noticing Hachiman staring at her, Iroha, still stirring the chocolate, looked over curiously.

"What's the matter, Hachiman-senpai? Did I mess something up?"

"No, not really. I'm just surprised that you weren't kidding when you said you were good at making desserts," Hachiman replied, shaking his head.

Hearing this, Iroha pouted, a little annoyed.

"What's that supposed to mean? Senpai, you're being too mean, doubting me like that."

"Haha, sorry, sorry," Hachiman chuckled, not sounding apologetic at all.

"Now's my chance. Here, say ahh~"

Just as Hachiman laughed, Iroha seized the moment and shoved a spoonful of chocolate into his mouth.

After feeding him, the little devil grinned playfully, still holding the spoon. "So, Senpai, how do you like the sweetness?"

Tasting the chocolate in his mouth, Hachiman nodded thoughtfully.

"Hmm, I think the sweetness is just right."

Hearing this, Iroha smiled happily and nodded.

"If Senpai likes this sweetness, then I'll keep it this way."

"I'll be looking forward to it, then."

Shrugging, Hachiman began working on his own chocolate.

But unlike Iroha's ingredients, his counter had not only the usual ones like cocoa powder, butter, milk, and sugar but also some unconventional ones like low-gluten flour and eggs.

Seeing this, Iroha was a bit puzzled.

"Senpai, do you really need flour and eggs to make chocolate?"

She stared at the extra ingredients, her head full of questions. While she wasn't a professional pastry chef, she'd never heard of using flour and eggs to make chocolate. Could this be some new method she wasn't aware of?

Iroha instinctively guessed this might be the case, since Hachiman's cooking skills were far superior to hers.

Hachiman shrugged. "That's because I'm not making pure chocolate; I'm making chocolate cookies."

"You should've said that earlier! So, it's chocolate cookies," Iroha pouted in mild frustration. Then, almost without thinking, she asked the question that had been on her mind the whole time.

"So, Senpai, who are you planning to give these chocolate cookies to?"

As soon as she asked, the other girls paused, all turning their gazes toward him.

After all, they were also curious about the answer to that question.

Feeling the attention from every direction, Hachiman twitched the corners of his mouth.

"Actually, I'm just making these chocolate cookies as a return gift."

"A return gift?!"

"Yep, anyone who gives me chocolate will get some homemade chocolate cookies in return. Fair, right?" Hachiman smiled, spreading his hands.

Fair, my foot.

Hearing his seemingly sincere answer, the girls all twitched their lips.

Was fairness what they wanted? Not at all, you idiot!

What they wanted was for Hachiman to give his cookies to just one special person—each of them, preferably.

Unfortunately, that was never going to happen. With Hachiman, there was no special treatment, only equal treatment for all.

Well, with all the attention he gets, fairness really is the best solution.

However, seeing Hachiman's confident expression, some of the other boys were feeling annoyed.

Damn, this is what it means to be popular.

While they were worrying about whether anyone would give them chocolate at all, Hachiman was already confidently preparing return gifts.

Why is there such a huge gap between people?

Some of the boys couldn't help but mutter sourly, "Hmph, bet he won't even be able to give any away and will have to eat them all himself."

Hachiman, however, couldn't be bothered to respond to such bitter remarks.

Not give any away? What a joke.

Just in this kitchen alone, he already had at least five or six recipients lined up. He was more worried about not making enough.

Before long, under Hachiman's skillful hands, his chocolate cookies were ready. All that remained was to pop them into the oven to bake.

With the cookies baking, and nothing else to do, Hachiman started wandering around again.

Over at the girls' stations, they were finishing up, pouring the melted chocolate into molds to set.

As for the Kawasaki sisters, they were also making chocolate cookies. From the looks of it, though, the handiwork was mostly Kawasaki Keika's. The animal-shaped cookies had clumsily drawn faces using chocolate sauce, and Keika herself was covered in chocolate, her face smeared with it.

Despite the mess, Keika was beaming with pride.

Carrying her tray of cookies, the little one toddled over to Hachiman.

"Here, Hachi-nii, try one!"

Naturally, Hachiman didn't refuse. He picked up a rabbit-shaped cookie and popped it into his mouth, smiling as he complimented her.

"Delicious! You did great, Keika."

And he wasn't just saying that—the cookies actually tasted pretty good, likely thanks to Saki's help. Keika probably just decorated them with the chocolate sauce.

"Yay! I'm so happy! I love Hachi-nii the most!"

Hearing his praise, Keika's face lit up with a radiant smile, and she tried to give him her usual hug. But before she could, her older sister Saki quickly pulled her back.

"Hold on, your face is all messy. You'll get chocolate all over Hachiman's clothes," Saki said, crouching down as she pulled out a wet wipe to clean Keika's chocolate-covered face.

Watching the heartwarming scene of the sisters, Hachiman couldn't help but think of his own sister, Komachi. A gentle smile unknowingly spread across his face.

However, he soon noticed something awkward.

As Saki crouched down, with the top two buttons of her uniform undone, his elevated position gave him a clear view of her cleavage. Upon closer inspection, he could even see the black lace of her bra.

B-black lace...

The thought flashed through Hachiman's mind involuntarily.

Girls are quick to sense things like this, and Saki, who was cleaning her sister's face, soon realized Hachiman's gaze. She glanced down at her chest, her face instantly turning red with embarrassment. She quickly averted her eyes and, in a voice as soft as a whisper, said:

"H-Hachiman... please... don't look."

Realizing what had happened, Hachiman quickly looked away.

"Sorry about that," he mumbled, "I'll just go check on the others."

Caught in the act, his face flushed as he made a hasty exit.

Saki watched him leave, stifling a laugh at his retreat.

Looking down at her chest, Saki, lost in thought, instinctively pressed her arms together, making her cleavage more pronounced. She mumbled to herself:

"Does he... like this?"

At that moment, Keika's curious voice snapped her back to reality.

"Onee-chan, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Keika," Saki quickly replied, shaking off her thoughts as she resumed wiping her sister's face. "Next time, don't get so messy, okay?"

"Mm-hmm, I know!" Keika replied with her innocent, childish voice.

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