Eh... what about my cakes?
Mitsukuni turned to me. "Come on, Rika! Pick as many slices as you want! I'll treat you!"
"Are you sure?" I asked, glancing at the cakes. Oh, it wasn't that expensive actually. Mitsukuni nodded. "Then, can I have one of these pudding cake ones?"
"Oh, this is very popular with the young ones," Oji-san said, moving to the counter. "What about you, Mitsu- kun?"
"I want one of these new ones," Mitsukuni said, pointing at a chocolate one. "Oh! And this strawberry one, please!"
"Coming right up!"
Mitsukuni paid and then we took the separate plates over to eat. Considering how excited Mitsukuni looked, I knew the cake was going to be delicious.
"Itadakimasu," the two of us said at the same time. We glanced at each other and laughed.
The cake I'd chosen was very interesting. The bottom layer was some kind of chocolate crust, crunchy and faintly sweet and delicious. Above it was pudding and then a fluffy layer of yellow cake, and finally a whip cream topping. Together, it was just the right mix of moisture, sweetness, and texture.
"This... is... delicious!" I said with wide eyes. Mitsukuni was busy chewing but he nodded. Oji-san came over with a smile.
"Did you like it?" he asked.
"Yes! It's incredible!" I replied. "Not only do you make your cakes look beautiful, but they also taste really good!"
"Rika bakes cakes too!" said Mitsukuni, sounding proud. "Her cakes are really good."
"Can't compare with yours, Oji-san," I said with a grin.
"Thank you." He smiled. Then another customer came, and he went back behind the counter.
I'm so jealous. He's so good at this. Ahh, I want to... I want to be able to make pretty and yummy cakes like these. Why? How is he so good? I thought I was pretty good at the art of cake making but I guess not. And I'm not that good at decorating, that's for sure. I'm not exactly artistic.
"Want to try?" Mitsukuni pushed his slices over, then he took a bite out of my cake with his fork. "Hey!" I said. He just grinned innocently at me, so I cut out a piece of the chocolate one for me.
"Hey!" I said. He just grinned innocently at me, so I cut out a piece of the chocolate one for me.
The top was coated in a chocolate cream and had very small dark chocolate shavings. Below was a coffee- flavored cake layer, then a chocolate layer, and then another coffee one.
"Wow! I've never had cake that actually had coffee in it! Like the cake in tiramisu isn't made with coffee," I said.
And that's when I made up my mind. I finished up the rest of my slice, then stood up and went to the counter, just as the customer was leaving with a box. "Oji-san, please teach me!" I bowed.
Part 39
Start from the beginning
