The next day after school.
Tsukishima arrived at the Sweet Talk Dessert Shop with his bag in hand.
"Boss Lady, I'm here~"
He took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and set it aside. Then he pulled a waist apron out of his bag, decorated with a chibi devil cat, and put it on.
The little cat on the apron had devil horns and a tiny fork. It looked fierce, but somehow it still seemed to be pouting cutely.
The Boss Lady glanced at it and covered her mouth, laughing. "Oh my, I forgot to tell you I have spare aprons here. Still, your taste is pretty unique."
Tsukishima grinned and stuck out his stomach, making the cat design wobble.
Seeing him act like that made the Boss Lady laugh even harder. "All right, all right, quit playing around. Go wash your hands. The students will be here soon. Today, you can help me whip the cream."
Tsukishima gave her an OK sign. "No problem!"
The Boss Lady led him to the back and pointed out the tools they'd use to whip the cream, then began her introduction.
"The first step in making desserts is whipping cream. Lots of desserts need it, and if the cream goes wrong, the dessert won't taste good. I do have a stand mixer here, but since you're a beginner, you need to start by whipping it by hand and learning what the different stages look like!"
Tsukishima glanced at the stand mixer, and his chuuni spirit suddenly flared up. Hmph, you evil machine! Your whipped cream could never surpass cream made by human hands and imbued with feelings!
He washed his hands, picked up the hand whisk, and held it like a spear.
"Now, about the cream. There are lots of kinds: dairy cream, non-dairy cream, mascarpone, crème fraîche, clotted cream, coconut cream, and so on. Different levels of whipping are suited to different desserts."
The Boss Lady laughed. "You'd better prepare yourself to eat so much cream you feel sick. I won't go easy on you."
"Today we're making crepes. There are Japanese-style layered crepes and the classic French single-layer kind. Let's learn the French classic first. That one sells better."
As she spoke, the Boss Lady took a carton of dairy whipping cream from the fridge. "This is dairy whipping cream, meant for whipping and piping decorations."
She poured cream into two small bowls and used one to demonstrate. "Don't whip too fast or too slowly. It's a lot like beating eggs. Have you beaten eggs before?"
Tsukishima nodded right away. "Yeah, you make big circles."
The Boss Lady nodded. "Come take a look. Watch the consistency carefully. It changes depending on how much you whip it. We're making crepes, and the cream is mainly for spreading over them. Think of it like a sauce. You only need to whip it to about five or six out of ten. Stop when it looks like yogurt."
Tsukishima picked up the other bowl and started whisking. The stuff was a little sticky, so he secretly dipped a finger in to taste it. It was a bit rich, and a little too sweet...
After about five or six minutes, the Boss Lady held up her bowl for him to see. "This is about the right consistency. You've overwhipped yours a little, but that's all right. It's just a bit stiff."
Tsukishima looked at the stiffened cream, feeling like this had ventured into a blind spot in his knowledge. "So why does it get stiff if you keep stirring it? What's the principle behind it? Is it a non-Newtonian fluid?"
The Boss Lady rested her fingers on her chin and tried hard to remember. "I don't think it has anything to do with Newton. The teacher who taught me how to make desserts did say something about fat bubbles, or something like that?"
She shook her head. "All right, don't overthink it. Let's move on. Once the cream is whipped, we can make the crepes."
Next, the Boss Lady taught him how to choose flour, make the batter, and cook the crepe. The first two steps were just explained aloud, since they had to be prepared ahead of time.
"Cook the crepe... So a French crepe is just a French fruit-and-cream pancake?"
Tsukishima couldn't accept it! It sounded so fancy... though he couldn't say exactly what was fancy about it. But never mind the details!
They'd said French crepe, so how had it turned into a French pancake? Its average price had just dropped from 2,000 to 10 yuan! (RMB)
He really couldn't accept this!
The Boss Lady saw him looking as if he wanted to complain but had no idea where to start, and laughed. "That's just how desserts are. They're nothing more than different kinds of flour mixed with different kinds of sugar, plus a bit of fruit and cream."
"All right, the students should be here soon. Let's go out front. As for the first crepe you made, try it yourself."
Tsukishima sighed, rolled up the French pancake, and took a bite. After chewing for a while, he furrowed his brow. "I'm not sure what went wrong, but it doesn't seem as good as yours, Boss Lady."
The Boss Lady put her own crepe in the display case. "The cream, the crepe, and the fruit you cut all affect the taste."
Tsukishima nodded, swallowed it in a few bites, then went to the counter and started serving customers.
Kushida Kikyo arrived first, bringing her group of girlfriends with her.
When Kushida Kikyo saw Tsukishima standing behind the counter, her smile grew even brighter. She opened with her signature drawn-out syllable. "Ehh~"
"Is that Tsukishima? It really is Tsukishima! Why are you at a dessert shop? Are you working here?"
Tsukishima kept his smile fixed and greeted her cheerfully. "Oh, it's Kushida. Welcome! How many of you?"
This shameless two-faced jerk, she came here to boost my sales, huh?
Like some returning war hero catching his wife and daughter in a brothel and calling on a hundred thousand soldiers to boost their sales?
The Boss Lady smiled at Kushida. "Kushida, you brought quite a few friends today. Thanks for your support!"
Kushida smiled sweetly. "Boss Lady, if Tsukishima's crepes taste good, we'll come here often from now on~"
The Boss Lady chuckled. Tsukishima rolled his eyes. "Can you place your order now?"
Kushida Kikyo was the first to step forward, her face lit up with a cute smile. "I'll go first, I'll go first! Hmm... I'd like a Tiramisu and a crepe! And two cups of black tea~"
Tsukishima said, "All right. That comes to 3,200 points. Please wait a moment."
Kushida took out her phone and paid. "I can't wait to try a crepe made by Tsukishima~"
Well, you'll have to wait a little. We have to finish taking everyone's orders first.
She didn't cause any trouble. After buying her food, she fluttered away like a moth.
Not long after, Karuizawa Kei arrived with her little clique.
Karuizawa Kei planted one hand on her hip and stood there like a pair of compasses. "Hey, hey, we're here too! I can't believe you really got a part-time job here, Tsukishima. I'm dead~"
It was a classic gyaru phrase: "Hey, hey," followed by whatever she wanted to say, then "I'm dead~"
Before Tsukishima could speak, Karuizawa Kei went on. "Hey, hey, Tsukishima, we're all classmates from Class D. You've gotta give us the friends-and-family price, right?"
Tsukishima kept smiling. "Sorry, it's a small business, and the Boss Lady is keeping an eye on me. No friends-and-family price."
Karuizawa Kei clicked her tongue. "Tch, stingy! It's just one crepe!"
She ordered a crepe, tossed her hair, and walked away.
Tsukishima wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the students still waiting in line. He sighed.
And this was only the beginning...
Before you continue