Chapter 322

The 13th Day of the Tree Month…… Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and in the midst of a somewhat lively city, there’s a certain miscellaneous goods store located a few distances away from the main street.

[And that’s why, Shall-tan! Teach me how to make chocolate!]

[……Y- Yes, I was just about to make one too, so how about we make our chocolates together?]

Although slightly pressured by Fate’s sudden appearance, Alice agrees and leads Fate to the kitchen.

Borrowing an apron from Alice, Fate looks at the prepared cooking utensils and mutters to herself.

[We’re going to do that, right? Buy some chocolates and melt it in hot water.]

[No, commercially sold products were quite crude…… So, here are some chocolates I’ve prepared made from “cocoa beans”……]

[……That’s amazing. Making chocolate from beans.]

[No, to be exact, I’ve also made the “beans themselves”…… Thanks to the perfect environment, I could make chocolate with the greatest cocoa beans.]

[……Y- You went that far?]

[Of course. This will be a gift for Kaito-san after all…… With the help of Lillywood-san, we’ve got the best of the best.]

Yes, Alice has been preparing for this day for over a year. In order to produce the best cocoa beans, she enlisted the help of the World King Lillywood on the condition that she would share the chocolate made from the cocoa beans.

And the supreme cocoa beans, which were completed by mobilizing the spirit of the World Tree Lillywood and the spirits of the trees under her control. And of course, not only the cacao, but all the other ingredients were prepared with extraordinary care.

She also traveled around the world to prepare the best milk, and all of the cooking utensils were also “made by her own hand” to prevent the taste of anything that was cooked with these utensils to transfer towards the chocolate.

[……I- I see…… I’m looking forward to the finished product then.]

[Yes, well then, Fate-san……. let’s see… Let’s make you do something simple. Add these ingredients into this bowl and firmly stir it.]

[Unnn, leave it to me!]

Receiving a bowl of chocolate and some other ingredients from Alice, Fate begins to stir with a motivated look on her face.

After turning it once, twice, thrice…… Fate stops her hands and turns to Alice.

[……What’s the matter?]

[……Shall-tan…… “I’m tired”……]

[Isn’t that too early!? You’ve only mixed it three times!]

[No, I did my best. I really did my best…… So, doesn’t that mean that this should be finished?]

[Of course, it isn’t! The other ingredients weren’t even properly mixed in yet!]

When Fate complains that she’s tired of moving her hand after turning the big stirring spoon three times, Alice looks at her with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

Then, she persuades Fate, who has been complaining for a while, to resume making chocolate.

[……Haahhh…… Haahhh…… The feeling after doing hard work feels pretty good, doesn’t it!?]

[No, I did most of the work though. Also, I’m sorry to say this when you look so accomplished, but there’s still a lot to do, like shaping and decorating.]

[Eeeehhhh!? I- It looks like it will be troublesome…… I underestimated chocolate making.]

[And I’ve underestimated Fate-san’s laziness……]

It was like a battle with Fate who was already trying to skip out at every opportunity she sees.

Even though she was the one who asked Alice to teach her, looking at how lazy she is, even Alice, who had known her for a long time, was looking astounded.

While Fate reluctantly poured the chocolate into the mold and waited for it to harden, Alice proceeded to make her own chocolate.

Alice’s hands move at extremely high speed, creating beautifully shaped candy pieces to decorate the chocolate.

[……Hmmm. Did I get a little too elaborate?]

[Unnn? Oooohhhh…… Shall-tan, that’s amazing! That’s them, right? That’s Kai-chan and Kai-chan’s pets!]

[Yes, Bellfried and Lindwurm. The color of the candy varies from each area, so I think I recreated it well.]

Alice only said that she did it well, but her skills are the best in the world, and this candy she created could already be considered as an art form.

[It’s really amazing…… wait, speaking of which, what kind of chocolate is Shall-tan making?]

[Eh? Ahh, I’m making sachertorte. As expected, giving Kaito-san one whole piece of sachertorte would be too big for him, so I’ll make it smaller but……]

[O- Oohhh…… That sounds difficult to make…… Unnn? Wait……]

[What’s the matter?]

(T/N: Sachertorte.)

As Fate was admiring Alice’s pastry-making skills, she came up with something and started thinking for a while, and seeing her like that, Alice tilted her head.

[Shall-tan…… It’s just for example, can you also mold chocolate like what you’re doing now?]

[Eh? Yes, you usually shape chocolates like that……]

[Well, then, can you make a chocolate “with my appearance”?]

[……I can but, what exactly am I making??]

[You see, wouldn’t giving such chocolate feel like asking Kai-chan to “eat me”!?]

[……W- Well, if Fate-san is fine with that…… I can do it……]

[That’s great!]

With a complicated expression on her face after hearing Fate’s request, she had already picked up the chocolate that had hardened before one knew it.

[……So? Even if Fate-san just said that it’s based on your appearance, how exactly is it?]

[“Nude”!]

[……Huh?]

[Like I said, I want it “nude”!]

[……No, unfortunately, I don’t know much about Fate-san’s nude body, so I don’t think I can make it……]

When Fate straightforwardly told her to form it with the appearance of Fate’s nude self, Alice gives her an astounded look, which also makes her think how many times she had felt this way today.

She understands what Fate seems to be thinking, but in the first place, Alice never stared at Fate’s naked body. She can recreate every detail of Fate’s dressed state, but she can’t recreate something she has never seen before…… Or rather, she didn’t want to see it anyway.

[Ahh, it’s alright. I could be the “model” right here after all.]

[Wait right there!? Fate-san, why are you trying to take off your clothes like it’s obvious!? Stop!]

[Ehhh~~ But if you don’t, you won’t be able to make the “Heart-Pounding Charming Goddess Choco”.]

[Putting that headache-inducing name, what the heck are you trying to make me create? That’s rejected! Re-jec-ted!!! Even if you show your body to me, I won’t make it!]

[Buuu~~! Shall-tan, you’re stingy!]

[It’s not about being stingy or anything like thaaaattt!!!]

[Then, then, you can also “touch” me!]

[Nothing would still happen even if you say that, you know!? Why the heck do you have that self-satisfied look on your faaaaaccceeee!!!]

……Thus, as Alice was being pushed around by Alice, the two people continued making chocolate.