The next morning.
「Good morning, Sasaki-san.」
「Yeah, good morning, Yamada.」
When I entered the classroom, Sasaki-san was already there, so I greeted her. And then I talked about yesterday’s matter.
「Thanks for giving me the donuts as a souvenir yesterday. My little sister was really happy. “They were delicious, thank you very much!” I have words of gratitude from my little sister.」
「I see. That’s good to hear. If your little sister enjoyed them, I’m happy too.」
When I conveyed Mai’s message, Sasaki-san replied with a happy smile.
And at that moment, I remembered that I had something I wanted to ask Sasaki-san, so I went ahead and asked.
「Ah, right. There’s something I want to ask Sasaki-san… Do you think I could make that?」
「Eh? That… you mean the donuts I gave you yesterday?」
「Yeah, yeah. I mean those fried donuts.」
Sasaki-san asked back with a puzzled expression, so I nodded, saying that’s right.
「Unn, well, it’s a simple snack since it doesn’t require many ingredients, but I wouldn’t recommend it to beginners because it uses a lot of oil. Cleaning up the oil can be quite a hassle for someone who doesn’t usually cook.」
「Ahh, I see. I hadn’t thought about the cleanup part at all… Yeah, now that you mention it, cleaning up after using oil does seem quite tough.」
Indeed, when Sasaki-san put it that way, I realized that frying or any cooking that uses a lot of oil might be too much for a novice.
Even for someone like me who doesn’t usually cook, the idea of cleaning up oil seems really daunting.
「Yeah, that’s right. Well, the cooking process itself is simple, but considering the hassle of cleaning up, I wouldn’t recommend it to a beginner like Yamada.」
「Yeah, I see. I’m really glad I asked beforehand…」
「? If it was helpful, that’s good… but why did you suddenly ask about that? Ah, could it be that you wanted to make some sweets for your little sister?」
「Ahh, yeah. Actually, that’s right. My little sister was so happy eating the donuts Sasaki-san made… so I thought I’d like to make something for her too and make her happy.」
「Fuun, I seeー But wanting to do something like that for your little sister… fufu, Yamada, you’re actually quite a good big brother, aren’t you?」
「Haha, well, yeah. There’s no big brother who hates his own little sister.」
I answered Sasaki-san’s question with a laugh. Well, there shouldn’t be any big brother who doesn’t care about his little sister.
「I see. Yeah, then, for such a caring big brother, shall I teach you a simple sweets recipe?」
「Eh… ehh!? Really!? Yeah, that would be super helpful! If you have an easy sweets recipe for a beginner like me, please share it.」
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With Sasaki-san making such a wonderful suggestion, I decided to definitely take her up on it.
「Yeah, got it. Umm, then… wait, come to think of it, Yamada doesn’t usually cook, right?」
「Yeah, that’s right. I only use the microwave or pour hot water into instant noodles. As for making sweets… well, I’ve bought pancake mix at my little sister’s request and made pancakes together with her.」
「Fumu fumu, I see. In that case… how about cupcakes?」
「Cupcakes? What kind of sweets are those?」
「Cupcakes are simple cakes made using pancake mix. But texture-wise, they’re closer to steamed bread than cake.」
「Hee, I see.」
When I asked about cupcakes, Sasaki-san answered while touching her cheek with her finger.
「Well, I’m familiar with pancake mix, so maybe even a cooking beginner like me could manage to make it?」
「Yeah, that’s right. It’s probably simpler than Yamada thinks. It was the first sweet I made when I was in elementary school, and I made it without failing, so Yamada can definitely make it too.」
「I see. If it has Sasaki-san’s seal of approval, then I can probably do it!」
「Yeah, that’s right. Plus, you don’t need to use a frying pan, you can make it easily with just a microwave, so there’s little to wash up, making it perfect for cooking beginners. There’s no use of fire and no dangerous steps, so it might be fun to make it together with your little sister, don’t you think?」
「Hee, you make it in the microwave! Then, it does seem like a good idea to make it with my little sister! Yeah, I definitely want to try making that!」
The cupcakes that Sasaki-san suggested were very appealing.
Having less to wash up is extremely helpful, and the fact that it’s something I can make with my little sister… yeah, I definitely want to try making this!
「I see. Yeah, got it. Then, I’ll send you the ingredients and instructions via LIME later. I’ll include various tips and points, so make sure to read them carefully when you make it.」
「Eh, really!? No, that’s incredibly helpful for me… but isn’t that quite a lot of work for Sasaki-san?」
「No, it’s totally fine. I have the recipe saved from when I first made cupcakes in elementary school. So I’ll just take a photo and send it, so don’t worry about it.」
「I see. Yeah, thank you! Then, please, I’m counting on you!」
「Yeah, roger that.」
And so, thanks to Sasaki-san’s kindness, I received a LIME message that night with a recipe detailing the ingredients and method for making cupcakes.
(T-This recipe is amazing…!)
And to my surprise, the recipe Sasaki-san sent me was hand-drawn.
The instructions were written in very cute letters and illustrations. Just by looking at the recipe, I could feel Sasaki-san’s love for cooking.
And as Sasaki-san said, there were few ingredients and the method was very simple. I thought I definitely have to make this for Mai next time.