Chapter 57 : Baking a Cake with amy 3
With the frosting finally ready, Amy stretched her shoulders proudly.
"There!"
She wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"See? Your amazing big sister can do anything."
I looked at her with a deadpan expression.
"You only mixed what I told you to mix."
"So?"
She puffed out her chest.
"I mixed it perfectly."
I sighed.
"...I’ll give you that."
Amy immediately smiled triumphantly.
"Hmph."
"I knew you’d admit my greatness eventually."
I decided not to argue.
If I kept talking, she’d somehow convince herself she had baked the entire cake alone.
"Alright."
"Time to assemble it."
The Head Chef quietly stepped closer, watching with an interested smile.
Neither she nor the kitchen staff had interrupted us once.
Although she could easily have corrected every tiny mistake we made, she understood this wasn’t about making the perfect cake.
It was about making it ourselves.
I carefully spread a thick layer of chocolate buttercream over the first cake layer.
Using a long spatula, I smoothed it until the surface became perfectly even.
"Looks good."
Amy nodded seriously.
"Now the second layer."
Together, we carefully lifted the second sponge and placed it on top.
Once it was aligned, I covered the entire cake with another layer of buttercream.
Unlike before, I worked much more confidently.
Thanks to Dimensional Awareness, I could sense every tiny inconsistency.
Whenever the frosting became slightly uneven...
I noticed it.
Whenever I accidentally applied too much...
I noticed it.
Even the smallest imperfection stood out clearly within my perception.
It almost felt unfair.
The skill wasn’t helping me bake directly.
Instead...
It allowed me to understand exactly what I was doing wrong.
Before today, I would’ve needed several attempts to achieve this level of smoothness.
Now...
Every movement felt natural.
The Head Chef watched silently.
"...Remarkable."
She couldn’t help murmuring.
"For a first attempt..."
"This level of precision is unbelievable."
I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
"I did get a little help."
She smiled knowingly.
"So I can see."
Once the buttercream was perfectly smooth, I melted dark chocolate and slowly poured it around the edge of the cake.
Tiny streams of chocolate dripped gracefully down the sides.
Amy’s eyes sparkled.
"Oooo..."
"That looks fancy."
I smiled.
"Now for the finishing touch."
Carefully, I arranged fresh strawberries around the top.
Not too many.
Just enough to make the cake look elegant without overwhelming it.
A few chocolate curls completed the decoration.
Finally...
I stepped back.
"Ta-da."
"How is it?"
I looked toward Amy proudly.
She stared at the cake with wide eyes.
Then she nodded so rapidly she looked like a chicken pecking rice.
"Yes!"
"It looks delicious!"
Without hesitation, she reached toward the cake.
"Can I try it now?"
Smack!
I slapped her hand away before she could touch it.
"No."
Amy rubbed her hand pitifully.
"You’re so cruel..."
"You already let me taste the sponge."
"But this is different!"
"I want to taste the finished version!"
I folded my arms.
"And what exactly are we supposed to give Mother tomorrow?"
I pointed at the beautifully decorated cake.
"The empty cake stand?"
Amy blinked.
"...We could bake another one."
I stared at her.
"...Do you know what time it is?"
She looked toward the window.
"...Afternoon?"
"We only have a few hours before dinner."
"If we make another cake, we’d have to bake it..."
"Wait for it to cool..."
"Make another batch of frosting..."
"And decorate it all over again."
Amy slowly lowered her head.
"...That’s true."
Then inspiration struck me.
"We still have some leftover batter."
Amy looked up.
"We do?"
I nodded.
"So instead of making another whole cake..."
"Let’s make cupcakes."
"You can eat those after dinner."
"And Mother still gets her birthday cake."
Amy’s gloomy expression instantly disappeared.
Her eyes lit up.
"You’re a genius!"
She grabbed both of my shoulders.
"I always knew my little brother was amazing!"
Then she smiled mischievously.
"So you’d better keep learning how to cook."
"You’ll be making delicious food for your amazing big sister from now on."
I stared at her silently.
"...Who said I learned cooking for you?"
"I learned so I can eat good food no matter where I am."
Amy froze.
"..."
Then she crossed her arms.
"Hmph."
"You should feel honored."
"There are countless people waiting for me to taste their cooking."
"You’re lucky someone as amazing as me is willing to eat yours."
I slowly rolled my eyes.
Again.
At this point...
I was genuinely worried they might roll right out of my head.
"Whatever you say."
"Let’s finish the cupcakes later."
"For now..."
I carefully lifted the completed cake.
It looked exactly how I had imagined it.
Elegant.
Simple.
Beautiful.
More importantly...
It had been made entirely by Amy and me.
That alone made it priceless.
I smiled softly.
"I hope Mom likes it."
I carefully carried the finished cake toward the refrigerator.
"We should let it chill for a while."
"The frosting will set properly that way."
Amy nodded.
"Good idea."
After placing the cake inside, we finally used the remaining batter to make a tray of cupcakes.
Those were much quicker to bake.
By the time they were finished, the delicious aroma had once again filled the entire kitchen.
Unlike the birthday cake...
These cupcakes had only one purpose.
Feeding a certain glutton.
Amy didn’t even bother pretending anymore.
The moment they had cooled enough to eat, she picked one up.
"So hot..."
She blew on it a few times before taking a bite.
"Mmm!"
Her eyes immediately sparkled.
"They’re delicious!"
I chuckled.
"I thought you wanted chocolate cake."
"I do."
She took another bite.
"But these are free."
I stared at her for a second before laughing.
"...Fair enough."
Even the Head Chef couldn’t help laughing.
"You two really are entertaining."
Amy happily finished another cupcake before finally looking satisfied.
"Now I can wait until tomorrow."
I nodded.
"Exactly."
"The birthday cake belongs to Mom."
"No stealing."
Amy raised both hands dramatically.
"I promise."
"I won’t touch it."
"...Probably."
I narrowed my eyes.
"’Probably?’"
She immediately corrected herself.
"I mean definitely."
I looked at her suspiciously.
"...I’ll pretend I believe you."
Amy simply laughed.
Once the cake had chilled long enough, I carefully took it out of the refrigerator.
The chocolate frosting had set beautifully.
The strawberries still looked fresh.
Everything had turned out exactly as I had imagined.
Without hesitation, I opened my Space Storage.
A small distortion appeared in front of me.
The cake slowly floated inside before disappearing into the silent pocket of space.
The moment the storage closed, I let out a satisfied smile.
"Perfect."
Amy tilted her head.
"It’ll stay fresh in there?"
I nodded.
"Time doesn’t flow inside my Space Storage."
"So when I take it out tomorrow..."
"It’ll be exactly the same as it is now."
Amy’s eyes widened.
"...That’s actually an amazing ability."
"It really is."
I smiled.
"It makes preserving food incredibly convenient."
The Head Chef nodded in agreement.
"Most storage artifacts slow the passage of time, but very few stop it completely."
She looked at me with admiration.
"Young Master..."
"Your Space Affinity truly is extraordinary."
I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
"It’s still a long way from being perfect."
"There are so many things I still want to create."
Astrid, who had quietly entered the kitchen sometime during our conversation, smiled softly.
"Knowing you..."
"I doubt you’ll ever run out of ideas."
I laughed.
"Probably not."
The kitchen gradually returned to normal as the servants resumed their work.
Amy stretched lazily.
"Well..."
"Our mission is complete."
She looked at me with a satisfied smile.
"I think Mom’s going to love it."
I nodded.
"I hope so."
This wasn’t an expensive gift.
Nor was it some priceless treasure.
It was simply a cake.
But...
It was the very first thing Amy and I had made together with our own hands for Mother’s birthday.
To me...
That made it far more valuable than anything money could buy.
As I thought about tomorrow’s celebration, a warm smile naturally appeared on my face.
"I can’t wait to see Mom’s reaction."
Tonight...