Slowing Down

The oven's metal door closed. Through the heat-resistant glass, the heating elements slowly glowed orange-red, while the neatly arranged raw cookie dough on the baking tray was enveloped in rising heat, its edges gradually turning a light golden color.

Ichinose Honami straightened up and brushed the bit of flour from her fingertips, gently rotating her wrist to ease the soreness from gripping the piping bag for so long.

She glanced sideways at the timer on the oven panel, lightly turned it to set the baking time, then turned and returned to her Control Console.

Rather than sitting down to work on something else right away, she leaned against the edge of the Control Console and looked at Kazehara Tetsu across from her.

Kazehara Tetsu had his head lowered, a spatula in hand as he slowly scraped the mixed batter into a square mold.

His movements were slow, smooth, and even. Not a drop spilled over, and even the four corners were filled just right—clean and precise.

Beside him, Sakayanagi Arisu was slightly furrowing her brow as she wrestled with the butter batter in her bowl.

She held a small whisk, her movements still somewhat awkward as she clearly felt her way through the process of whipping it.

The creamy butter slowly expanded in the bowl, but it had yet to become pale and fluffy.

As Ichinose Honami watched, she could not help curving her lips into a smile.

She leaned closer, lightly resting her elbow on the Control Console as she lowered her voice, her tone carrying a teasing note of understanding.

"Why are you going so slowly? I thought that with how quickly you learn, you'd have finished and put them in the oven already."

Kazehara Tetsu did not stop moving. He lightly smoothed the edge along the top