Of Yokai and Hopeless Romantics

Chapter 12

" Today I'm going to have you all work on your desserts for the cooking competition," Tugushi said. " I hope you have all bought the necessary ingredients over the weekend. I will be around to taste and advice you on how to improve your dish."

Benihime got her ingredients, she was planning to make some yuzu cream filled puffs with a lemon glaze. Baking was Benihime's strong suit and she wanted to create a dish that was something you couldn't normally get at a bakery. The main thing that she worried about with her cream puffs, was them being too bitter, she had to balance the sour of the yuzu and lemon with the right amount of sugar. Benihime started by making her puff pastry and as she put it in the oven to bake, she made her yuzu cream getting just the exact consistency, and finally made the lemon glaze. Once the puff pastry was baked, she let it cool, before filling them with her yuzu cream and coating them with the lemon glaze.

" Those look like they're done," Tugushi said walking over to Benihime's station.

" Yes, sensei I was just going to try them," Benihime said.

" I wouldn't mind trying one too," Hitomi said coming up behind Tugushi.

" Feel free to," Benihime said.

All three of them tried the cream puffs. They were good, but Benihime knew that she had used too much sugar. The puffs were missing the hit of tartness that they needed to stick out and had the oversweet taste of something you might get in the grocery store.

" Did you add extra sugar to the cream?" Tugushi asked.

" Yes, I wanted to counteract the tartness of the yuzu," Benihime answered.

" I wouldn't add any sugar to your cream, you want the tartness of the yuzu to fully come through," Tugushi.

" Yes sensei," Benihime said taking in her advice, she would need these cream puffs to be perfect for the competition.

" These have me worried, they're already good enough to win a competition," Hitomi said. " I'm starting to get jealous of your baking abilities, I couldn't bake this good when I was a freshman."

" Why don't we taste your dessert Torro-san?" Tugushi asked and they all walked over to Hitomi's station.

" I made mini dark chocolate lava cakes, with a raspberry coolie on top," Hitomi said presenting to her dish.

Benihime and Tugushi each took a mini lava cake and tasted it. Benihime's taste buds lit up the instant the cake hit her tongue. The cake had the bitter note from the dark chocolate that oozed out of the center while having a sweet note from the coolie that was on top. The cake itself was moist and chocolaty. The whole dessert was perfect.

" This is very good Hitomi-senpai, I can find no fault in it," Benihime said.

" You were just a little over on the baking time," Tugushi said. " A minute less and the inside would be perfect."

" Yes sensei," Hitomi said.

" Both of you have done a good job, now you just need to think about the rest of your menus for this Saturday. We'll be going to shop at Sasayama this Friday, I suggest taking advantage of local ingredients." Tugushi said as she walked away going about trying the rest of the club's desserts and giving advice to its members.

Benihime and Hitomi also went around trying the other club members desserts. They were all quite good, but Benihime knew her real challenge was going to be Hitomi. Not only had she baked a perfect dessert, but she was always better than Benihime when it came to savory dishes. Even as Benihime thought about the coming competition, she couldn't help her thoughts from earlier in the day coming back to her. Her friends wanted her to stay in the Human World, she was working so hard as part of the Cooking Club in order to become a success in the Human World, so why was there still a battle going on in her about leaving? Yes, everything in her life pointed to her staying, but did she have the courage to look her parents in the eyes and tell them that she did not care about the mistakes she had made in her romantic life, she would stay? She would stay even though she may mess up again, even though the darkness that lurks inside of her might come out again, it was a risk she was willing to take. Benihime left the Cooking Club, lost even further in her own thoughts than when she had come to the meeting.

" Are you ok, you seemed to have zoned out towards the end of club activities?" Hitomi asked.

" Sorry Hitomi-senpai, I just have a lot on my mind," Benihime said.

" Anything I can help you with?" Hitomi asked.

" It is the question of whether I should stay in the Human World. I feel I have made up my mind to stay, but do not know if doing so would be rebelling against my parents," Benihime said.

Hitomi took a moment to ponder Benihime's situation before responding, " I probably shouldn't be telling this to a kohai, but you should go ahead and rebel. You can't spend your life trying to be an obedient child."

" Would that make me ungrateful though? They did adopt me and have always given me what I have needed. Should I not ask them what they truly wish me to do and do as I am told?" Benihime said.

" You are not indebted to your parents. I was adopted too and I wouldn't just throw away all that I've worked for, because my parents asked me to," Hitomi said. She stopped and grabbed a hold of Benihime's shoulder so that they were face to face. " You will be graduating in two years, you'll be going to university, you'll be an adult, it's about time you start to be more independent. If you truly wish to be a powerful yokai, you can't become one by continuing to weigh every decision you make against the expectations of your parents."

" Perhaps you are right and my need to please my parents is a sign I still have to grow up," Benihime said.

" Good, now that we solved that, focus on the cooking competition. I'm looking forward to taking you down," Hitomi said.

" Thank you Hitomi-senpai, I will try not to embarrass you too badly on Saturday," Benihime couldn't help but say.

" We'll see about that," Hitomi said with a smirk. " You going to drop off those cream puffs to your friend?"

" Yes, I will be giving some of these puffs to all my friends," Benihime said as she separated from Hitomi and made her way to the Arts Studios.