Thinking of a Theme (4)

Chapter 74: Episode 33 - Thinking of a Theme (4)

I remembered how father and mother talked about how they got engaged when I asked them years prior when mom was still alive. He said that they were at my mom's restaurant in France and my father ordered a 'Chocolate Flower' that he requested the main chef to create. He and the chef came up with the 'Chocolate Flower' which would have tempered chocolate petals hiding the dessert in the center and an engagement ring in the middle. All mom had to do was release the petals by unfolding the flower manually with a fork. Once she saw the ring hiding in the middle of the dessert, she immediately said 'Yes!' without a second thought. This dessert was created in my mom's restaurant but it was only made specifically for their engagement. The idea has never hit here in Japan or to the rest of the world since I guess my mom wanted it to be only 'her dessert'. This was the only time when I recalled her ever being 'selfish'.

It was then that an idea struck me.

'A dessert about love that uses strawberries might be a great idea! I just hope mom and dad won't mind me using their engagement dessert for this round...'

"Hmm, how about we make a plated dessert with red and white strawberries?" I asked them, gaining inspiration as I took a look around me to see hundreds of red and white strawberries. "The theme could be about "showing your love". We can unify the red and white strawberries to make a blooming flower dessert that hides the concept of the main dessert on the inside."

I saw their blank expressions then backtracked.

"But—that's probably too girly," I said dejectedly.

"No, that just might work," Kashino agreed, along with Chocolat and Fraise.

* * *

Once we concluded that this idea might just work, Kashino, Chocolat, Fraise, and I decided that it was time we head back and tell the others on our team. Since the start of the Grand Prix, the Sweets Princes and I have been meeting up in the cooking lab quite often after school to brainstorm some ideas and practice.

Since it had only been an hour since school ended when we went to St. Marie Orchard, we made our way back to the cooking lab where Hanabusa and Andou were waiting for us.

"A red and white dessert? That sounds interesting," Andou said, pondering the thought after I'd told him and Hanabusa the idea.

"The theme is easy to understand and endearing, too," Hanabusa added.

"We definitely won't lose to Natsuki's tropical fruits with this!" Cafe said confidently.

I started drawing and writing in my idea notebook about what the dessert could look like and the elements it contained.

We would make thin tempered chocolate petals, each being slightly bent in half to form a sphere, then we would create red and white strawberry heart macarons for the center and a strawberry cheesecake garnished with various fruits. In reality, I had never actually made this dessert, I just recalled my mother showing me a picture of it and explaining how it was made. For some reason though, something was bothering me at the back of my mind.

"By the way, Michiko, how'd you come up with the idea?" Andou asked curiously and I stopped drawing.

"Well…" I paused as I didn't know how to respond. How would I say that I got it as an idea from my mom and dad's engagement gift that I never created before but only saw in a picture? I'm sure they'd only grow worried about the idea since I've never made it before and it would be completely overruled.

"Hmm, a certain sweets spirit inspired me to think of "showing your love" when we were in the strawberry greenhouse," I said, hinting my gaze at Fraise. I wasn't completely lying.

Andou, Hanabusa, Caramel, and Cafe looked straight at Fraise with a mischievous smile.

"Geez, stop it already!" Fraise said embarrassedly, her face and ears turning to a bright red.

"So… who is he?" Hanabusa asked but Fraise turned away from us.

"None of your business!" Fraise pouted.

"We'll figure that out later but for now, let's all think of our dessert for the Grand Prix," I directed, ripping out three pieces of paper from my notebook and handing it over to the Sweets Princes so they could add their own ideas and opinions to it.

We all doodled for a bit and then began sharing once everyone was done. Andou had a disappointed look on his face, his brown eyes drooping sadly at the paper he held in his hand.

"We thought about it but neither of us could find the impact," Andou said, sighing in defeat. Kashino and Hanabusa as well had troubled looks on their faces.

'Everyone's worrying over this, too… but the idea isn't complete yet.'

"We still haven't decided the glass dessert yet," I said, bringing attention to this.

I showed them my drawing and they looked over it, their disappointed faces lightening up in relief.

"For now, let's just try making this. I'll do the chocolate petals and arrange them into a sphere," Kashino suggested, pointing to one of the elements I'd drawn out.

"I'll do the glass dessert and candy ribbons then," Hanabusa added.

"Then, I'll do the strawberry cheesecake," Andou said.

"Okay then, that leaves me to make the strawberry macarons and garnish the center," I finished.

The idea still wasn't complete even after what I'd drawn out and written, but it was enough for us to get started and work up from a foundation, though I was still worried over it.

'I still don't know if this will win against Team Natsuki's dish but all we can do now is practice and give it our best.'

We put on our chef uniforms and began working on our dessert, each of us separately working on a different element.

I was beginning to pipe the macaron batter into heart-shaped cookies on a tray aligned with parchment paper.

"I'm surprised that you thought of something great in just half a day, Michiko," Andou, who worked across from me, said.

"I guess… but Kashino told me a lot of stuff," I said, remembering the words he said to me earlier in the day when we were in the greenhouse.

"Sweets that suit you, Michiko, are just fine…"

Though I don't really have any sweets that suit me, I know that making desserts for people who'll enjoy them does. If it makes them pleased to have something I made, then that's enough for me.

'I guess that's how Mom thought… She didn't have any sweets that suited her because she could make just about anything and it would turn out beautiful. Because of this, she focused more on the smiles her desserts brought to people's faces…'

I snuck a glance at Kashino who looked back at me, but then turned back to what he was doing.

'This guy even took me to the Sweets Garden not too long ago…' I recalled and it brought a small smile to my face.

"By the way, Kashino. Have you made up with your mother yet?" I asked him and he stopped whatever he was doing to give me the coldest glare I'd ever seen from him.

"That's none of your business."

'What's with the sudden change of attitude?'