When I Started a Food Delivery Part-Time Job, I Ended up Being Invited to the Home of a Gloomy, Clumsy Beautiful Girl

Chapter 12: Favorite Sweets

“Hey, what kind of sweets does your little sister like, Renji?”

It was Monday, the start of a new week.

Ever since the sweets showdown was decided, I’d been racking my brain.

With only four days left, including today, I had to decide quickly what kind of sweets to make for the challenge.

So, I decided to ask Renji for advice.

He has a little sister who’s still in elementary school. Kids are honest and straightforward about their tastes. I figured their preferences might actually be more helpful than I’d expect.

Ideally, I’d ask Yukishiro-san directly, but I felt like doing that would undermine the whole point of the showdown, so I decided against it.

“My sister loves anything cute. She’s only eight, so she’s at that age where looks matter more than taste. Think that’s useful?”

“No, that’s actually really helpful.”

Childishness.

It reminded me of a private side of Yukishiro-san. She has this unexpected cute streak. So, I had a hunch that Renji’s sister’s tastes might align with hers in some way.

“But, like, what’s with the sudden question? Why’re you asking?”

“Uh… well, I was thinking about trying some cooking at home. If I don’t practice, my skills’ll get rusty.”

“Huh? For real?”

“Y-Yeah, for real! Why’re you looking at me so suspiciously?”

Renji’s always had a weirdly sharp intuition.

It’s only natural he’d find it odd that I’m suddenly dabbling in sweets.

In the end, I spent the entire day obsessing over what kind of sweets to make.

“But if it’s about looks… then it’s gotta be that classic wagashi, right?”

I settled on a general direction.

It was still just a rough idea, though. I hadn’t decided on the final form. But I had a sense of the ingredients I’d need, so during lunch break, I messaged Shido-san on Line to ask her to gather them.

◇◇◇

“Hey, Hiyori. Who do you think’s gonna win? It’s me, right?”

Lunch break.

We were eating in a small room tucked away in a corner of the school.

This was the “Sweets Research Club” room.

It had only two members. But this miraculously granted clubroom was a place most students didn’t even know existed, and no one else ever came by.

The club’s activities were simple: tasting Shido-san’s sweets and sipping tea or coffee.

But for Shido-san, it was an important testing ground tied to her family’s cake shop business, and a rare chance to borrow Hiyori’s palate as a consumer.

“Mm… I don’t know.”

Hiyori answered with her mouth stuffed full of kashi-pan.

The table was littered with bags of store-bought kashi-pan and a carton of coffee milk on the side.

Shido-san had prepared it all. She’d been quietly supporting Hiyori to keep her big appetite a secret from others.

“Come on, at least say it’s me, even if you don’t mean it! You little hamster!”

“Munch munch…”

Hiyori, cheeks puffed out, looked exactly like a small animal.

Shido-san let out a sigh.

“…I wonder what kind of wagashi that guy’s gonna make.”

“You’re curious about him?”

“Yeah, I guess. It’s rare to meet someone our age who’s serious about cooking. And if it’s tied to his family business, he’s probably on another level.”

“Hm… gulp. Is he? Why don’t you look him up?”

“Look him up? Like what?”

“I heard a while back. His family’s place is called ‘Kagura.’”

Hiyori swallowed her bread and casually mentioned the name of Yuki’s family restaurant.

Shido-san immediately tapped on her phone, then froze when she saw the search results.

“…Seventy years in business!? What the heck? My family’s shop’s only been around for, like, ten years!”

“Wow. That impressive?”

“Of course it’s impressive! Surviving through generations means they’ve got quality and trust!”

Shido-san clutched her head.

The weight of her rival’s legacy hit her hard with just a single number.

She kept digging, looking up what kind of wagashi they served.

“So… Aizawa’s cooking… it’s probably really good, huh… drool.”

Hiyori’s conclusion was purely driven by her appetite.

Shido-san felt a mix of emotions but softened her gaze.

“Grr… I can’t lose. I gotta step up my game… Oh, a message from him.”

Her phone pinged, showing Yuki’s name.

He’d sent a list of ingredients.

“Hmm. Totally different from Western sweets… What’s he planning to make?”

“…I haven’t gotten any messages…”

“Of course not. Why would he message you about ingredients?”

“Pout… I wanna message Aizawa too.”

Shido-san stared at Hiyori’s face.

Hiyori, lips pursed, was peering intently at her phone screen.

“Oh, I could just message him myself… I’ve never texted him for anything other than business before…”

“H-Hiyori!? Why would you… What are you gonna send?”

“Hm… I dunno. ‘I’m lonely,’ maybe?”

“AAAAAAAAH!”

Shido-san couldn’t help but scream.

This was a guy Hiyori barely knew.

Yet she was blatantly seeking him out.

Hiyori herself didn’t even seem to understand why she was acting this way.

Shido-san, without anyone telling her to, had always worried about Hiyori.

Unlike herself, Hiyori was lonely.

Shido-san couldn’t always be there for her, but she’d done what she could to stay close.

So, she gripped her phone tightly and quietly steeled her resolve.

“…I’ve gotta be the one to size him up.”

Her murmur was so soft that Hiyori didn’t hear it.

—

Chapter 13: Prototypes

After school.

Having finished my UberMeats shift, I headed to Yukishiro-san’s place a bit earlier than usual, carrying a massive order of Chinese food she’d requested.

“Whoa… Ayame left all this here?”

“Amazing… it’s all here already?”

I hadn’t expected the ingredients I’d asked for at lunch to already be lined up in her kitchen. Did Shido-san run around to multiple stores? Feeling like I’d put her through a lot, I quickly sent her a thank-you message.

Meanwhile, Yukishiro-san—

She looked fresh from a post-workout shower, dressed so casually in a tank top that her bare skin peeked out, making it hard to know where to look.

Glancing at her, I stepped up to the island kitchen and started prepping.

A quick scan of the kitchen revealed an astonishing array of cooking tools.

“Why so much…?” I wondered, but if they’re here, I’ll use them without hesitation.

First, the dough.

I mixed shiratamako and water in a heat-resistant bowl, stirring carefully with a rubber spatula. Then I blended it with white bean paste, heated it in the microwave, and stretched it out again with the spatula. That completed the dough’s base.

Next, I tore off small pieces to form parts, coloring them with food dye. I wrapped black bean paste in the shaped dough, then etched lines with a bamboo skewer—

“Man, these bamboo skewers are tricky…”

I muttered to myself.

“Staaare—”

“Whoa, Yukishiro-san!? When did you get there?”

Before I knew it, she was standing right beside me, startling me.

“Just wondering what you’re making.”

“You’ll see when it’s done. This is just a prototype. I’m planning something different for the real thing.”

“Hmm… Aizawa, you look good in an apron.”

“Huh? R-Really?”

I hadn’t expected her to say that just because I was wearing a cooking apron I’d brought. Honestly, I’d love to see Yukishiro-san in an apron…

Ughh.

For some reason, I pictured her in nothing but an apron.

No, focus on the wagashi!

“Can I watch from here?”

“What about your food?”

“I’ll eat and watch.”

Holding a plate of fried rice, Yukishiro-san peered at my hands. Feeling a bit nervous under her gaze, I moved to the final touches.

I etched fine lines with the bamboo skewer, crumbled yellow-tinted dough through a tea strainer to sprinkle over the center, and finished with a dusting of the gold leaf provided.

“What are these!?”

Yukishiro-san’s eyes lit up.

On the counter were five types of nerikiri.

Each was a wagashi shaped like a cherry blossom.

“It’s spring, right? So I went with a cherry blossom theme.”

“Th-That’s… amazing! Aizawa, are you a genius?”

“That’s an overstatement. It’s just the basics. I’m not a wagashi specialist, so I did what I could.”

Nerikiri, also called joshinko, are a classic type of wagashi. Their elegant appearance and delicate flavor make them perfect for depicting seasonal flowers.

“It feels like a shame to eat them…”

“Didn’t know you had that side, Yukishiro-san.”

I’d thought she was the type to shove food in her mouth without hesitation, but the craftsmanship seemed to give her pause.

“Well, since I made them, have them as dessert after your Chinese food.”

“Got it! I’ll eat super fast!”

True to her word, Yukishiro-san devoured her Chinese food like a competitive eater, then turned to the nerikiri with a cup of tea in hand.

Gulp…

She picked up a cherry blossom nerikiri and brought it to her mouth.

“Mmm…! So good…!”

With an expression like she was ascending to heaven, Yukishiro-san savored the wagashi, rolling it on her tongue.

“There’s anko inside…”

“Some don’t have it. I wanted some variety. There’s one with yuzu peel mixed in, so they all taste different.”