Cookie Ratings

The eight trays of cookies on the cooling rack had lost the scorching heat of the oven, their golden, crisp textures now clearly visible.

The rich sweetness still lingered in the air, though it no longer carried that searing warmth.

Ichinose Honami slowly walked over to the cooling rack, her gaze passing over each of the eight creations.

The eight trays of cookies all looked different—some delicate, some simple—like reflections of their makers' personalities. At a glance, one could guess who had made each one.

She lightly tapped the edge of the cooling rack with her fingertip. "Then shall we start tasting them one by one? Whose should we try first?"

"Mine first, mine first!"

The moment the words left her mouth, Kushida Kikyo eagerly leaned over and pointed at her tray, which had the most varied cookies.

Her baking tray held the most cookies: round ones, heart-shaped ones, little bear heads, all sorts of shapes packed tightly together. Brightly colored and adorable, they looked like a tiny tray of fairy-tale sweets, overflowing with girlish charm.

"I made several different shapes, and I added different fillings too. There are plain white chocolate ones and strawberry jam-filled ones. Everyone can try some."

"Sure, then let's start with Kikyo's." Ichinose Honami nodded with a smile, picked up a bear-shaped cookie, and gently broke it apart along the edge.

The crisp shell split with a crack, revealing strawberry jam filling that still held a faint warmth and gave off a rich fruity fragrance.

She took a small bite and immediately nodded in praise. "It's delicious. The outside is perfectly crisp, and the strawberry jam is just sweet and tangy enough without being cloying. And this bear shape is way too cute! You even made all the details."

As she spoke, she handed the