(I hope everything went well for Toya after that... And I really hope that they liked what he made...)

Thank you for waiting, Miku.
Here's your coffee. Please use as much milk and sugar as you like.

Okay. Thank you, MEIKO.

Oh, I made some fruitcake for a little test run. Would you like to try some...?

Oh, it's very colorful...
Strawberries, kiwis and pineapples. It's very pretty and it looks delicious.

Yes, it's important for treats like these to be appetizing visually...

Appetizing visually...

(The cupcakes Toya made ended up looking not very good... I guess it appearance does matter...)

(But I still don't understand why they mushroomed the way they did...)

Also, I did my best to make it as fluffy as possible!

Yes, a cake's texture does matter a lot...

Exactly!
Making it soft and fluffy is also one the best parts of baking them.

That just means you have to put in a lot of baking powder, right?

Oh, that's actually not a good idea. If you put in too much, your cake will likely balloon out of control and fall apart.

Not only that, it won't taste very good, and there's a chance of it becoming incredibly bitter.

R-Really?

(Oh no. Did I give Toya instructions that I shouldn't have...?)

Is something wrong, Miku?
You went quiet all of a sudden...

Um, so... The thing is...

Toya asked me to help him bake cupcakes as gifts for his dear friends...

I know I'm realizing this too late, but I'm starting to get worried...

You taught him how to bake, Miku...?

Y-Yes... Wait, what do you mean by that...?

Oh dear... She tried to teach him...

This... Sounds like it didn't end very well...

*Sigh*

(I feel exhausted. It must be because I tried doing something I'm not used to today...)

(Also, I feel terrible about having Kamishiro eat those horrible things...)

(Still, I want them to turn out well next time...)

(Oh, before I forget...
I really need to thank Miku for helping me...)

<Toya, are you free right now?>

Miku...? Oh, KAITO, you're here too.
How can I help?

<I wanted to hear how things went today. So, did they turn out okay?>

<KAITO also wanted to hear what happened, so he decided to come along.>

<Haha. I mean, Toya, we were a little worried about you is all.>

You were...? Actually, I'm glad you're here. I was just about to head over to SEKAI myself.

Miku, thank you for helping me today. I appreciate all the advice you gave me.

<You're welcome, but...
Did your cupcakes turn out okay? Did they taste good?>

Um, well...

I can't say that they tasted good...

<Oh, I see...>

I'm sorry. I wasn't able to put what you said into practice, Miku...

<No, I doubt that was the problem.>

<After just speaking to KAITO about this, I realize now that my ideas regarding how to bake a delicious cake weren't entirely correct.>

<Which is probably the reason why your cupcakes turned out the way they did. I'm so sorry, Toya...>

<I also feel terrible about the friend you asked to be your taster...>

Miku...

It's okay, really.
I know you did your best to teach me, Miku.

And I greatly appreciate what you did.

<Toya...>

<Yes, there's no need to feel so down! Especially since things don't always go according to plan when you're learning how to bake.>

<So, Toya, what do you plan on doing now? Do you still want to bake more cupcakes...?>

Yes, of course, since they're for those who are very near and dear to me.

<I see...>

<Then, I'll help you with your next batch...!>

You will?
But you're usually so busy, KAITO...

<Don't mind me! I'm sure Len would be totally fine on his own now.>

<Wait, what does Len have to do with this...?>

<Oh, um... Nothing!>

<I-In any case, you don't have to worry about me! However, it's getting late, so why don't we try baking in SEKAI tomorrow?>

<In the meantime, I'll ask MEIKO again to see if we can borrow her kitchen!>

Thank you very much.
I'll be looking forward to it...!

(Now KAITO's going to help...
I couldn't ask for more.)

(Come to think of it, quite a few people have been helping me lately...)

(They've given me so much...
So, for their sake, I need to succeed this time.)

Alright, Toya, let's start baking some cupcakes!

Yes, let's.

Hehe. Good luck, you two.

Thank you for letting us borrow your kitchen like this, MEIKO. I really appreciate it...

It's my pleasure since you've been trying so hard lately. I want to give you all the support I can.

You can do it, Toya!
Also, lemme try some once they're done!

Oh, me too!
I'll be more than happy to taste test for you!

Well, things are already starting to get lively.

Um, KAITO, can I ask you something?

Hm? Yes?

Would you mind teaching me as well...?

What...?

The thing is... This has been bothering me all since yesterday...

I'm worried that I'm not as good a cook as I think I am...

Because of that, I ended up causing Toya a lot of trouble yesterday.

So, in order to do a better job of being a teacher next time, I'd like to learn how to cook and bake properly.

Yes, of course...!
Let's do our best together, Miku!

Thank you.

Hmm... Yes, I see... Based on your story, Toya, I suspect that the way you mixed your batter has everything to do with them not rising properly.

Baking sweets is a delicate art.
As such, even when mixing the batter, you need to be careful.

So, Miku was right about that...?

Yes! She made an astute observation there!

However, well... There's no way for you to know how to mix them right without learning first.

So, we'll keep that in mind as we do this together.

In order to make the meringue, you'll need to mix the egg whites while gradually adding in the sugar until you get these peaks.

Peaks...?
Yes, I suppose they are...

They do look like little mountains. I think they're pretty.

Don't they?
Now, once the meringue's done, you'll put it into the bowl with the yolks...

But you'll need to mix it by gently cutting into it and folding it over. Otherwise, you risk pushing all the air out.

By doing so, you should end up with a soft and fluffy texture. So, Toya, give it a try.

O-Okay...!

Hehe...

MEIKO? Is something the matter?

Hm? Oh, I'm just enjoying seeing them do their best.

Anyway, I should probably get some coffee ready...

Oh, can I have some with lots of milk and sugar?

Sure Rin, Len, would you two like some as well?

Yeah!

Since they're baking a delicious cake for us, I'll need to brew up some coffee to match.