In This World That Favors Men, I... ~Starting a Sweet School Life in a World With a 1:8 Gender Ratio~ - 19-20

Chapter 19: Tasting Session

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A few days had passed since Mom came back.

“We won’t always be able to have dinner together on weekdays. Instead, let’s make sure to eat breakfast together every day and have meals as a family on weekends as much as possible.”

That was what Mom told us. In this world, women were also the primary breadwinners of the household. So, naturally, she seemed quite busy with work.

Even so, she made breakfast for us. Yui cooked Japanese-style food while Mom cooked Western-style food. The two of them took turns cooking. Shouldn’t I help out too? When I checked with Mom, she clearly told me that boys didn’t need to. But if I wanted to cook, I could do it as a hobby.

Even though I offered, I knew I wouldn’t be of much help in the kitchen. So, I gratefully accepted my role as the one who simply eats. That was something I excelled at. Oh, right. Yui had been torn between joining the dance club and the cooking club, but in the end, she decided on the cooking club.

She hesitated to join the strict, hierarchical dance club as a third-year. Also, after seeing me cry while eating omurice the other day, she seemed to have felt something. Thinking about it now, it was incredibly embarrassing. A guy my size, holding a spoon, shedding tears like a child…

Speaking of the cooking club… Oh, right, the cupcakes. The other day, on a rainy day, I made a promise with Kobayakawa-san. And now, it was really happening. The cooking club’s next activity day, which she mentioned back then, was today—June 21st.

“Takeda-kun, we’re going to take time during today’s club activity and tomorrow afternoon to make a bunch of them together. So, the tasting event will be hold tomorrow. There’ll be both sweet and non-sweet varieties, lots of different kinds, so look forward to it!”

I had only expected to get a small taste, but it had somehow turned into what felt like a whole class event. At first, it seemed like it would just be a cooking club activity. But when the girls in Class 2-A heard about it, many of them wanted to try making some too. After discussing it, they decided to join in as a trial club experience.

Thanks to that, they said they’d easily have enough for all five of us guys in A-class to try. The ones who came to tell me about the tasting event were Kobayakawa-san and another girl, Hinano Tachibana, who had soft, fluffy hair pinned to the side with a cute clip. A faintly sweet scent was already drifting from the two of them.

“Smells nice… A sweet scent.”

The aroma was so delicious that I accidentally said it out loud.

“Huh?! You can smell it? No way… Did it rub off from the ingredients?”

Kobayakawa-san sniffed her own arm. She was a girl, after all. Maybe saying she smelled was a bad idea.

“Sorry for saying something unnecessary. But it’s a sweet, girly, really nice scent, so I think it’s fine as it is. I like that kind of thing.”

“Y-You like it?!”

“Yuuko, handkerchief.”

For some reason, a pink handkerchief was suddenly thrust into her direction.

“Oh, uh… Thanks…?”

Kobayakawa-san pressed the handkerchief against her nose.

“Are you okay? Did something happen to your nose?”

“Takeda-kun, she’s always like this, so don’t worry about it. Anyway, make sure to come to the tasting event! We’ll be waiting for you!”

Before I could process what was happening, Tachibana-san spoke in place of Kobayakawa-san, and the two of them quickly left the classroom. Once the cupcake tasting event was over, club activities would be temporarily suspended. Apparently, it was a rule that clubs had to stop right before the end-of-term class placement exams.

That was why the girls were putting in so much effort, treating this like a sort of end-of-term celebration. With both club activities and studying, they must have been exhausted. I wasn’t in a position to ignore it either. My tests were coming up soon. The school lessons were tough, but I was managing to keep up. It must be thanks to this skill,【Highly Gifted】:“A person born with exceptional intelligence.”

That said, there were some subjects I just couldn’t catch up with. Which ones? The ones that had changed drastically since the world had changed… History, civics, and all of social studies. Ever since the massive meteorite impact shifted the gender balance, history had been entirely different. The events, economic activities, laws, politics, even the election system—everything had undergone significant changes.

Having to relearn all of that was brutal. …But I had no choice. Because the world I lived in now, and the world I would continue to live in, was this one.

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Large white plates were placed on each table, covered with colorful, stylish paper napkins, and topped with various types of cupcakes. The entire room was filled with a delicious aroma. Today was finally the tasting event. Besides the cooking room, there was a separate “tasting room,” which looked like a small, well-kept cafeteria. That was where the event was being held.

When I heard “cupcakes,” I had pictured something like the steamed cakes sold at convenience stores, but they were nothing like that. My poor imagination had been completely surpassed in the best way possible.

“Everyone, attention! Please grab a paper plate, a hand wipe, and if you need one, a fork from the stand!”

“Yes!”

“There’s enough cake for everyone to eat until they’re full, but since it’s summer, we need to be mindful of hygiene. So, no taking any home. Drinks are available at the dispenser over there, so help yourselves. Now, let’s begin the tasting event!”

Whoa. Which one should I eat first? But I should probably get my plate and utensils first.

Just as I was about to move…

“Boys, don’t hesitate to eat, okay? You can sit anywhere you like.”

Kobayakawa-san and Tachibana-san brought plates and hand wipes for us. That was really thoughtful of them.

“There’s such a huge variety. You actually made all of these? That’s amazing.”

“There were a lot of participants this time, so the only real challenge was managing oven time. Each table has the members who made those cakes, so if you want to know what’s inside or how they taste, feel free to ask them.”

“Yes!”

“Well then, I won’t hold back. Time to dig in.”

And so, the tasting event began. First, I was feeling a little hungry, so I decided to start with something savory. I glanced around, pinpointing where I might find non-sweet cakes, and headed in that direction. When I arrived, Saitou and Yuuki were already there, asking the girls some questions. I listened in.

“What kind of non-sweet ones do you have?”

“The ones on this table are called ‘cake salé’—savory cakes with a lot of fillings like meat and vegetables. You can enjoy a variety of flavors.”

That sounded interesting. I never had anything like that before.

“So these are salty? What kind of meat and vegetables are in them?”

“This one has ham and cheese. The one next to it has corned beef, green peas, and carrots. And this one has eggs, mushrooms, and spinach.”

They all look delicious. I’m definitely trying the corned beef later.

“Are there any other non-sweet ones?”

“On that big table over there, there are meat-filled buns, small meat buns, and some pizza-like things. The table next to it has a variety of pies, and I think some of them are savory too.”

Meat-filled buns! I have to try those. I love minced meat! Let’s see… Over there, huh?

“I heard there are meat-filled buns here. Which ones are they?”

“Everything on this tray. There are three types—curry-flavored, tomato-flavored, and one with croquette filling. Which would you like?”

Well, obviously…

“I want to try all three. Is that okay?”

“Of course! Here you go.”

She picked up one of each with the tongs and placed them on my plate. I poured myself some iced tea from the server and sat down nearby, immediately taking a bite.

Delicious. What is this?

Even though they were so small, they were packed with filling. The tomato-flavored one was especially good. The rich tomato paste had just the right acidity, and it paired perfectly with the minced meat. Since they were tiny, they were gone in no time. Basically, they were just bite-sized.

“Can I have another tomato one?”

“Sure! Takeda-kun, do you like meat sauce?”

“Yeah, I love it!”

“You love it, huh? Well, there’s plenty, so eat as much as you want. You can have them all if you’d like.”

“Really? I don’t think I could eat them all, but thanks!”

I took my plate and returned to my seat.

“You’re welcome… That smile is unfair. Totally lethal heart attack.”

Munch, munch. So good.

After that, I tried the cake salé with cheese and ham, the one with corned beef, and the small meat bun with roast pork. Everything was absolutely delicious. With so many choices, it was hard to decide what to eat next. Maybe it was time for something sweet.

Where’s the dessert table?

I looked around the room and spotted Houjou and Uesugi happily eating some chocolate-coated cupcakes. I should ask them.

“Where did you get those?”

“Over there, in the animal corner.”

Animal corner?

I went over to check it out, and sure enough, it was full of animals. A whole display of cupcakes shaped like adorable animal faces, almost too cute to eat. There were brown bears, pink rabbits and piglets, yellow chicks, and blue penguins.

Whoa. What is this?

“Takeda-kun, which one do you want?”

“If I want something chocolatey, which one should I pick?”

“The bear is double chocolate—both the sponge and the cream inside are chocolate. The chick has vanilla on the outside and chocolate cream inside.”

“I’ll take a chick, please.”

There were so many other colorful and tempting cupcakes. Even just the base cake varieties were impressive—sponge, pound, chiffon, brioche, and even choux pastry, making it feel like a real bakery.

And that wasn’t all. The sponge cakes alone came in flavors like plain, cocoa, tea, and honey. The pound cakes had lemon, cinnamon, blueberry, and banana. There were just so many choices.

And then there were the toppings. Some had generous dollops of whipped cream topped with an assortment of berries. Others had smooth custard or creams infused with flavors like chocolate, caramel, chestnut, or strawberry. The decorations were just as impressive—colored sugar, chocolate sprinkles, sugar candies, and intricate drizzle patterns of chocolate or caramel sauce.

“This one is really elaborate. So many flowers.”

There was even a cupcake covered in pastel-colored, three-dimensional flowers, looking just like a real bouquet.

“That’s a flower cupcake. It’s made with frosting cream, so it’s sweet and delicious.”

I took one. It felt like a shame to eat it. The chiffon cake had a fluffy, airy texture, while the brioche had a soft, puffy feel. Both were easy to eat.

There was even one where marshmallow was piped out like soft serve and drizzled with chocolate sauce. That one was great too. Everything was stylish, adorable, and sparkling.

Apparently, cupcakes like these were so popular that there were famous specialty stores in places like New York and London. Even though these were so intricately made, anything that spoiled easily due to the season was prepared all at once just before the tasting event. Their efficiency was seriously impressive. Before I knew it, the event was coming to an end.

“Thanks for everything today. Everything was really delicious.”

That wasn’t just politeness—it was truly amazing. Man, I ate a lot. How many did I end up having? More than ten but less than twenty? Even though each one was small, I was definitely full now.

Seriously. That was a feast. I should probably eat a light dinner tonight.

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Chapter 20: SNS 06: My Plan for the Summer!

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《2-A Class Group Chat》

Yuuko: Cheers to the success of the tasting event. Great job, everyone, and thanks for your cooperation.

Hina: It was a huge success.

Mika: Yeah. I was worried we made too much, but that wasn’t the case at all.

Ran: I never expected the five guys’ preferences to be so different. You never know. This event was definitely worth it.

Yuuko: The prince ate three minced meat tomato-flavored rolls. At this rate, if we make meat pies, he’ll definitely eat them too.

Shizu: Uesugi-kun clearing out all the cream-based stuff was a surprise. He only ate cakes with tons of cream, like choux pastry and chiffon cake.

Hina: Uesugi-kun is 100% a sweets guy. He ate two of the rich chestnut cream cakes. I don’t think he even touched the savory stuff.

Saki: On the other hand, Saitou-kun didn’t eat a single sweet thing. It was all savory items or sugar-free spicy chiffon and brioche.

Hina: Houjou-chi was exactly as expected—only cocoa and chocolate.

Saki: And we found out Yuuki-kun is a cheese lover. He kept asking, “Does this have cheese?” over and over again.

Yuuko: Time to train for making meat pies… After exams.

Chika: Right. The exams. Once those are over, I’m making some amazing cream-filled choux pastries!

Ran: Huh? Since when are you aiming for Uesugi-kun, Chika?

Chika: Today. If he loves sweets, I might be able to win him over with desserts.

Ran: The prince is a mystery, but among the other four, Uesugi-kun seems the easiest to get close to, so that’s a solid plan.

Shizu: Hmm… The hardest one would be Saitou-kun, I guess. All we know about him is that he doesn’t like sweets.

Mika: He’s the type that doesn’t let people read him in the first place.

Kyoko: You’re better off aiming for the prince or Yuuki-kun than Saitou-kun.

Shizu: The prince probably has insane competition, though. He’s totally the type to be swayed by food.

Ran: Right? He seemed to like all kinds of food and was really interested in the cake ingredients and toppings.

Saki: What about Yuuki-kun? If he likes cheese, there’s a lot of variety to work with.

Shizu: But with Yuuki-kun’s personality, it’s hard to get a foothold. Even if you give him things, he seems like the type to just brush it off.

Kyoko: How about Houjou-chi? He’s a classic chocolate lover.

Hina: Houjou-chi is mine. I’m going to keep bombarding him with chocolate.

Mika: Yeah, yeah. In any case, we need to win the class placement test first.

Chika: For sure. Just the other day, the girls from Class B were on a “Prince-watching tour.”

Hina: I tried to block their view, but I wasn’t fast enough. They left looking all fired up.

Yuuko: We will win the test. We will make meat pies. And we will get even closer through gaming. That’s the plan for this summer!

Hina: Gaming, huh? By the way, it seems like Battle Flora is getting pretty good pre-release buzz.

Mika: Oh, really?

Hina: Yeah. Even girls from all-girls’ schools are paying attention to it. My cousin, who goes to St. Catherine’s Academy, said it’s a hot topic at her school.

Chika: Oh, right! Battle Flora lets you change your avatar’s gender, right? I wonder if people will play with gender swaps?

Hina: That might be part of it, but the main reason is something else.

Chika: What is it? Now I’m curious.

Hina: The current student council members at St. Catherine’s are super popular. Especially the student council president. The president got tons of fans because of her cool personality. There’s a rumor that the entire student council is going to play Battle Flora, so a ton of girls are pre-registering just to join in the hype.

Mika: So it’s the whole “admiring your Onee-sama” thing, huh?

Kyoko: “Onee-sama,” huh? I don’t really get that. Guys are better.

Hina: But if those kinds of girls are around, it lowers the competition for guys, so we should cheer them on.

Kyoko: True. Go, Onee-sama!

Yuuko: I still want a prince.

Mika: Every girl in this school feels the same way.

Hina: Yeah.

Kyoko: Victory in the test and bonding through Battle Flora. Let’s make that our goal!

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