First Experience at the Cake Shop

When the morning classes ended, Yuto packed up his textbooks, already having made up his mind.

He would check out that cake shop during lunch break.

He had noticed the shop while wandering around campus yesterday. It was not large, but its warm yellow sign featured a slice of cake and looked quite cozy. The hiring notice posted by the entrance was simple: three hundred points an hour, up to four hours a day.

The school had restrictions on how long students could work part-time, probably because it did not want them neglecting their studies. But four hours suited him perfectly. He could work after school until six without affecting his classes or his free time at night.

He grabbed something light at the cafeteria to fill his stomach, then headed over along the path on the west side of the academic buildings.

The moment he pushed open the glass door, the rich scent of milk and butter washed over him.

The shop was much roomier than it looked from outside. To the left was a row of glass display cases filled with all kinds of cakes and desserts. Strawberry tarts were piled with bright red strawberries, the tops of the cheesecakes were baked golden brown, and cream puffs and cookies were arranged neatly on trays. To the right were several light wood tables and chairs, where two girls sat chatting as they ate. At the very back was the register counter. Behind it stood a half-open door, through which he could see the worktables inside and the gleam of stainless-steel utensils.

A woman in her forties stood before the register, wearing a white apron and sporting a neat, capable-looking short haircut. She was tidying the cash register when the doorbell rang, and she looked up.

"Welcome!" She gave Yuto a once-over. "What would you like? We just baked strawberry tarts and cheesecake today."

"Uh, I'm not here to buy anything," Yuto said. "I saw the hiring notice outside and wanted to ask whether you're still looking for help."

The woman looked him over again, her gaze appraising but not unfriendly.

"What year are you in?"

"First-year, Class D."

"Any baking experience?"

"I've made some things at home. I can handle basic stuff like cookies and chiffon cake," Yuto answered honestly.

The woman nodded and beckoned him over. "Come in and show me what you can do."

Yuto followed her into the workroom.

The workroom was cleaner than he had imagined. The stainless-steel counters shone, while the ovens, mixers, and various molds were all arranged in perfect order. Bags of flour and sugar were lined up against the wall, each labeled with its name and expiration date. A striking stand mixer sat in the middle of the worktable, with rows of spatulas and whisks hanging from hooks beside it.

"Aprons are hanging behind the door. Grab one yourself," the woman said, pointing toward the entrance.

Yuto put on an apron, carefully washed his hands at the sink, and dried them with paper towels.

"Start by cracking a few eggs," the woman said, taking some from the refrigerator. "Separate the whites from the yolks. Keep it quick and clean."

Yuto accepted an egg and tapped it against the rim of a bowl. With a gentle pull of his hands, the yolk fell intact into one half of the shell while the white ran into the bowl. He flicked his wrist, passing the yolk between the two shell halves a few times until all the egg white had drained away, leaving the yolk perfectly intact in the shell.

One.

Two.

Three.

His movements were fluid. Not a trace of egg white remained in the shells, and not a drop of yolk had mixed into the bowl. He neither deliberately slowed down nor rushed through the process. He did it as naturally as if he had done it countless times before.

A trace of satisfaction appeared in the woman's eyes.

"Your fundamentals are solid," she said. "What's your name?"

"Yuto Hayashi."

"My name is Sato Miki. You can call me Miki," she said, taking off her apron and wiping her hands. "Who taught you?"

"I just figured things out on my own. I learned from videos online," Yuto said.

That was the truth. When he had lived alone in his previous life, he would bake cakes on weekends whenever he had nothing to do. He was no professional, but he could handle the basics. Sometimes he made too much and brought it to the office to share with his coworkers, and the response had always been pretty good.

"All right. Are you free after school this afternoon?" Miki asked.

"Yes."

"Then come over and give it a try. You'll be paid daily: three hundred points an hour, four hours maximum per day." She pointed at the clock on the wall. "Come after school and work until six."

"Okay."

Yuto took off his apron and hung it back behind the door.

As he left the cake shop, he was in a good mood. The interview had gone more smoothly than expected. Miki was a straightforward person; once she saw he had some basic skills, she hired him on the spot without asking a bunch of pointless questions. The sunlight fell just right on the sign, making the cake illustration look even more tempting in its warm yellow glow.

He checked the time outside the shop. There was still a while before afternoon classes began. On his way back to the classroom, he took a detour past the library. He could see people reading through the glass doors, but he did not spot that long, straight-haired figure.

No rush, he thought. The library was not going anywhere, and neither was Hiyori.

Yuto was somewhat distracted during the afternoon classes.

Half his mind was following the lessons, while the other half was thinking about the cake shop.

He really had liked baking in his previous life. Kneading dough, whipping cream, controlling the oven temperature—those steps had a strangely soothing effect on him. Just staying in a cake shop and breathing in the sweet milky aroma made his whole body relax. The feeling of focusing on one thing was completely different from his usual mindset of planning and strategizing.

Besides, it was a genuinely useful skill.

Girls generally had low resistance to sweets. If he wanted to ask one of the female characters out in the future, saying, "I made a new cake. Want to try it?" would be more natural than any excuse. Cakes were social tools by nature. They could lower people's guard and bring them closer together.

Of course, that was a long-term plan.

For now, points were what mattered most.

As soon as the dismissal bell rang, Yuto packed up and headed for the cake shop. When he arrived, Miki was arranging the display case, placing the freshly baked afternoon bread inside.

"You're here?" She glanced at him. "Put on your apron. Today, I'll teach you the basics first."

His first day began with the simplest tasks: measuring ingredients, sifting flour, and making the base mixture.

Miki stood beside him and instructed him, telling him the ratios for each ingredient and what to watch out for. Her teaching style was direct. She did not explain much theory; she simply told him what to do, then had him try it himself.

"Two hundred grams of cake flour. Sift it twice."

"The butter needs to be softened enough that you can press into it with a finger."

"Add the powdered sugar in three batches. Beat it evenly each time."

Yuto followed each instruction. His technique was a little rusty at first, but as he worked, the feeling returned. The muscle memory from his previous life remained. His hands remembered the process before his mind did.

The sound of flour passing through the sieve was soft, like a light rain pattering against a screen window. The butter was slowly beaten apart in the mixing bowl, its color shifting from deep yellow to pale yellow and its texture changing from firm to soft. Once the powdered sugar was added, the entire mixture became fluffy, releasing a sweet fragrance.

He poured the batter into the mold, smoothed the surface with a spatula, then lightly tapped the mold twice against the counter to shake out the air bubbles.

Miki came over to take a look and nodded. "For your first time, this passes."

Yuto put the mold into the preheated oven and set the time and temperature.

The oven light glowed warm yellow. Through the glass door, he could see the cake batter slowly expand in the heat as the surface began to brown. He leaned against the worktable as he waited, his gaze resting on the oven door.

While they waited, Miki chatted with him for a bit.

"I've heard a little about your Class D," she said. "The rules at this school really aren't easy to deal with. Finding a part-time job outside to earn some extra money is a smart choice."

Yuto only smiled and did not respond. He did not want anyone to think he had some special plan. For an ordinary student, wanting to earn a little spending money was reason enough.

With a ding, the oven beeped.

Yuto put on gloves and took out the cake. Its golden surface had risen slightly. He gently pressed the top with a finger, and it immediately sprang back. He inverted it onto a cooling rack and left it to cool completely before removing it from the mold.

"For a first bake, it's not a disaster," Miki assessed.

Yuto was quite satisfied with it too. The cake had an even color, with no collapse or cracks. It was not perfect, but it was pretty good for someone who had not made one in a long time.

Just as he was putting away the tools, the glass door opened.

"Welcome, huh?"

The voice that entered paused.

Yuto looked up and saw someone he had expected.

Kushida Kikyo stood at the entrance, phone in hand. When she saw Yuto in an apron, her expression shifted from that of a casual customer to surprise.

"Hayashi?" She blinked. "You work here?"

"Yeah. First day," Yuto said.

Kushida walked inside, leaned closer to the counter, glanced at the display case, then looked again at his apron. Her eyes were full of curiosity.

"I really didn't expect you to work part-time at a cake shop," she said. "I thought you'd go straight back to the dorm after school to study or do something else."

"I have to earn some living expenses," Yuto said.

"True." Kushida nodded, scanning the display case. "Then recommend something. What's good?"

Yuto looked over the cakes in the display case.

"The strawberry tart was made today, and the cheesecake is good too."

"Then I'll have the strawberry tart," Kushida said. "And a latte."

"Okay."

Yuto turned toward the worktable to prepare her order. He first cut a slice of strawberry tart and placed it on a plate, then went to operate the coffee machine. He was still unfamiliar with it, so his movements were a bit slow, but he managed without making any mistakes. He placed the tray on the counter, steam still rising from the foam in the coffee cup.

Kushida took it, but instead of immediately finding a seat, she leaned against the counter and watched him.

"Hayashi, you can make cakes too? That's amazing."

"I'm just learning."

"Don't be so modest. I saw you just now." Kushida cut off a small piece of strawberry tart with her fork and put it into her mouth. "Mm, it's delicious! Did you really make it?"

"Miki baked the cake. I only helped out."

"You were still involved." Kushida smiled. "By the way, will you be working here every day from now on?"

"Probably. From after school until six."

"Then I'll come by often in the future and help boost your sales!" She blinked, her tone carrying the easy intimacy of a social butterfly.

"Thanks."

Kushida carried her tray to a window seat. As she ate her cake, she took out her phone, seeming to message someone. Her expression was relaxed, and she genuinely seemed to be enjoying the slice of cake.

Yuto did not think much of it and continued cleaning the tools. He washed the used bowls and whisks, then wiped the flour from the worktable.

Miki came out from the back, glanced at Kushida by the window, then at Yuto.

"Your girlfriend?"

"No, just a classmate."

"She's pretty cute."

Yuto did not respond. He did not really want to discuss his private life at the cake shop.

At exactly six, Yuto took off his apron and prepared to leave work.

Miki transferred his wages for the day. His phone chimed, and the balance on his student ID increased by twelve hundred points.

"If you're free tomorrow, you can keep coming," she said. "You learn fast. In a few days, you'll be able to handle things on your own."

"Okay. Thanks, Miki."

By the time Yuto left the cake shop, it was already dark.

The streetlights were on, stretching the shadows across the ground. The evening breeze carried a slight chill, but it felt comfortable against his face. There were far fewer people on campus now. Most students had returned to their dorms, leaving only a scattered few walking along the paths.

Yuto headed back to the dormitory along the small road.

Four hours, twelve hundred points.

It was not much, but at least it was a stable source of income. If he worked four hours a day, he could save around thirty thousand points in a month. Combined with the points the school distributed each month, it should be enough for daily expenses.

And baking itself made him feel relaxed.

He did not have to think about exams or class conflicts. He only had to focus on the dough in his hands and the temperature of the oven. In a school filled with calculations and schemes at every turn, it was a rare moment of peace.

When he reached the dormitory building, he caught sight of a familiar figure from the corner of his eye.

Long black hair, a white blouse, a book held in her arms. She was walking over from the direction of the library not far away.

Hiyori Shiina.

She saw him too. Her steps paused for a moment, then she gave him a slight nod in greeting.

Yuto nodded back.

Neither of them stopped to speak. They continued on their separate ways. As Yuto entered the dormitory building, he looked back once. Hiyori had already gone far ahead, her silhouette beneath the streetlights quiet and distant.

He turned and went upstairs.

After opening his dorm room door, he sat on the bed and checked his earnings for the day on his phone. Twelve hundred points. Not a large number, but it felt solid.

He lay down and looked at the ceiling.

The cake shop job was settled. Kushida knew about it now too. With her personality, the news would soon spread through the class, but that was not a bad thing. There was nothing to hide about an ordinary student working part-time to earn money.

He would also need to find a time to start working on Hiyori's library route. Running into her downstairs today had been a coincidence, but next time, he needed to be more proactive.

He closed his eyes and recalled the events of the day.

The interview had gone smoothly, and his first day of part-time work had gone well too. He had only done basic work, but Miki seemed fairly satisfied, which showed that he was capable of doing the job. Kushida's appearance had also been expected. With her sociable nature, she would definitely come by once she learned he worked at the cake shop. Today had only been a brief meeting; the interactions that followed would be what mattered.

As for Hiyori, meeting her downstairs today had been a coincidence. But that coincidence confirmed one thing—she really did have a habit of returning to the dormitory from the library at night. As long as he got the timing right, he could always arrange a more natural encounter.

The interview, the part-time job, Kushida, Hiyori.

He had gained more in one day than he had expected.