Story Reader / Festival Event Story / The Destined Surprise / Story
Sorry. Never thought this party would turn out like this when I invited you...
At this very moment, the kitchen table at the Oasis camp is piled high with all sorts of baking ingredients, including wheat flour, flour, and wild berries for decoration.
Watanabe, wearing an apron and holding a homemade frother, has a serious expression with a hint of frustration.
I actually thought I'd be able to come up with a cake with just vegetable oil and bird eggs. Guess there is no cake without cream and chicken eggs.
Well... this is not quite what I had in mind when I decided to make you a cake.
Watanabe has been beating the vegetable oil and bird eggs for the past twenty minutes but the mixture still shows no signs of forming cream, sitting at the bottom stubbornly like when they were first put into the bowl.
Theoretically, yes. Well, just as long as you don't mind, I guess.
You and Watanabe carefully scrape the cream into the sifted flour.
The entire time, Watanabe is so meticulous and cautious that one wouldn't be blamed for thinking that he was mixing an experimental compound instead of trying to make a cake.
Fortunately, the dough they mixed this time turned out very successful.
It falls short of being "white, soft, and elastic" as it should be according to the old recipe, but it's moldable all the same.
Watanabe pulls out a metal cake mold and places the dough in it.
According to the instructions, 20 minutes at medium heat and we're good.
What exactly is medium heat?
Alright, let's use the camp's meat-drying oven.
They place the dough and mold into the oven, and Watanabe sets the temperature and heat based on his experience.
After twenty minutes, the room is filled with a sweet aroma.
Excited, they pull out the tray, revealing a golden, fluffy, mouth-watering cake with a perfect texture.
The only catch is that the cake is completely flat.
If anything, the cake looks more like a perfectly made pancake.
Guess this is because the cream wasn't fully whipped.
Watanabe frowns slightly, clearly disappointed by the failure.
You mean, like the "crepe" from the recipe?
Hmm... sounds like a plan.
Watanabe ponds for a moment, then breaks into a smile.
Let's give it a try, then.
They wash and slice the wild berries they meant to decorate the cake with, then place them on the "pancake" and drizzle syrup over them.
Thinking the berries alone are a bit plain, Watanabe adds a mint leaf for garnish.
This isn't quite what I had in mind, but...
Watanabe hands the triangular "fruit pancake" to you with a sincere and gentle expression on his face.
Would you accept this "birthday cake" we made together?
You accept the cake with a nod.
With a bite of the warm pancake, the syrup quickly spreads out in your mouth.
With just the right amount of syrup and wrapped around fresh berries, the soft pancake is appropriately sweet. Makes sense that people back in the day loved this.
And the fact that this pancake was made by you and Watanabe makes it all the more special.
May I?
Watanabe seems surprised and somewhat embarrassed.
Well then, guess I'll try a bite...
He takes the pancake from you and takes a soft bite out of the opposite side.
Moments later, he, too, breaks into a satisfied smile.
This is great.
