NOVEL NEXT Chapter 345
[【Aoi’s Cooking/Camera】Off Collab! We’re going to make homemade Christmas cake together!!! #KaguyaAoba#IzumiKainoh#Star’sFlow]
“Then today, as I announced beforehand, I’m going to make a Christmas cake with Izumi-senpai!”
Kaguya-chan said that and waved her gloved hand towards the camcorder shining down on the kitchen floor.
– Looking forward to it!
– Be careful!
– Your hand is cute!!!
– Please start quickly!
Is Kaguya-chan not nervous at all while doing this?
Once you make a mistake in a camcorder broadcast, it’s literally a big spirit breaker…
Seeing this makes me think that experience really matters…
“Alright, for now, I’ll mix the butter and milk… and I’ll leave the dough to you, Izumi-senpai.”
“Okay. Leave it to me…!”
And so began the cake-making.
What I was in charge of was preparing the dough, which is arguably the most important part.
In fact, Kaguya-chan offered to take on the difficult parts herself, but I decided to show the greatness of a senpai who can handle tough tasks without breaking a sweat.
“Hehe…”
– Can we actually make this?
– It’s not going to be easy.
– If it’s Aoba-chan and Mei-chan, we’re definitely going to fail, haha!
The chatroom was full of encouragement for us, yet there were certainly many responses doubting our success.
…Making a cake is definitely not easy.
I already knew this well.
I had heard tons of stories from Miyauchi-chan and Suzumichi-chan.
But that doesn’t mean I have to give up!
“Huuh…”
First, I mix the sugar and vanilla extract that Kaguya-chan prepared, along with the eggs.
As long as I’m using a hand mixer, this part isn’t too difficult.
The problem starts now.
Next, I have to add the flour and mix it with a spatula. Miyauchi-chan said that this is the hardest part.
It’s physically taxing, and beginners find it hard to tell if the dough is mixed properly.
“Huff!”
But if I freeze up out of fear… I won’t achieve anything!
With a spirit boost, I make the dough.
It’s definitely tough, but it’s still bearable for now.
“Wow, Izumi-senpai, your womanly skills are high…!”
“Eh? Is that so?”
“You haven’t hesitated even once during the entire process. You’re really skilled.”
“Hehe. I’ve done cooking a bit, so…!”
– Now that’s a complete contradiction.
– There’s no way Mei-chan has high womanly skills.
– Mei-chan being good at cooking is impossible.
– No need to praise too much just because you’re a senpai, Aoba-chan!
“What do you all think I am?!”
I’m decent at cooking.
It’s not a lie; it’s true.
I’ve spent so much time alone at home since I was little that I had to learn how to cook!
Of course, among the Star’s Flow members, I might just be average…
But that’s just because there are monsters like Suzuha-chan, Kurokami-senpai, and Suzumichi-chan, so it’s not like I can’t do it.
“No, I know you all might not want to believe it, but I’m not lying, okay?”
“Yes, yes! You can praise me more, Kaguya-chan!”
Being praised makes me feel like I’m better at making the dough.
With this, I can definitely make the best cake in the world…!
“Actually, I didn’t really plan to make a homemade cake seriously… you know.”
…Huh?
– It’s definitely too hard for two beginners to make it.
“Right. So originally, I thought we’d buy two sponge cakes ahead of time, and each decorate them, comparing them. But after seeing your skills, Izumi-senpai, I think this was a good idea.”
…Huh?
“I-I didn’t hear anything about that, Kaguya-chan…?”
“…Huh? Didn’t I say it?”
“I didn’t hear anything?!”
If that’s the case, then I didn’t have to put in all this effort!
The pro-made cake has to taste better than the sponge cake made by a beginner!
“W-What about the sponge cakes you bought ahead of time?”
“…We already shared them among the Atlas members.”
What the?!
So it means I have to rely on the sponge cake I made myself?
That means Kaguya-chan, who already knows the taste of a professional cake, will compare what she ate back then with what I made…
Of course, she’ll be disappointed because mine will taste worse!
That’s it—my respect for the senpai is shattered…
“Aah…”
“Izumi-senpai?! Calm down!”
“But what I make will be far less delicious than what I bought….”
“I still want to eat what you made, Izumi-senpai?! Everyone will like it more!”
“…R-Really?”
“Yes! I’m sure of it! Right, everyone?!”
– Looking forward to it!
– Just the fact that it’s homemade is already a pass!
I see. Thank goodness…
★
“F-Finished…!”
After putting the completed dough in the mold and baking it in the oven, topping it with whipped cream and decorating it with strawberries, our Christmas homemade cake-making content was done.
For two complete beginners, the result turned out surprisingly decent.
“Wow. I’m going to eat Izumi-senpai’s homemade cake. It feels exciting.”
“K-Kaguya-chan made it together too…”
“No, I only did the simple parts. Essentially, this is Izumi-senpai’s homemade cake.”
No matter how much I say that, I truly wouldn’t have completed it without Kaguya-chan.
“But to eat Izumi-senpai’s homemade cake on Christmas… thinking about it, this is totally a boyfriend position.”
“Pfft?!”
– Hey…
– That’s crossing the line.
– That’s my spot!
“Aah~. Sorry, sorry. I was planning to keep it a secret, but now that I’ve let it slip, I can’t help it, Izumi?”
“Yeah…”
“You all heard that, right? Actually… I’m dating Izumi. I’m sorry to those from Kaguya Crew or Izutomo who might have had their eyes on either of us~.”
Kaguya-chan, saying that, was giggling.
I couldn’t quite follow that thought process, but since everyone including Kaguya-chan seemed to be enjoying it, it’s probably fine?
I was genuinely surprised when she suddenly called me Izumi, though.
“Then shall we start cutting the cake slowly?”
At Kaguya-chan’s words, I quietly nodded.
The cake we prepared wasn’t too big.
Even between Kaguya-chan and me, we could finish it all.
But still, we should first divide it into four portions and show one piece to Izutomo and Kaguya Crew.
“Though it’s a disappointing story for you guys, the cutting ceremony will be a memory just for me and Izumi-senpai.”
– Liar!
– Coward, Aoba-chan!
– I want to see it…
And Kaguya-chan thankfully decided not to film the cake cutting for me.
Of course, because of that, the chatroom started to get lit up… but, oh well.
“This is our first collaboration, Izumi-senpai.”
“Hehe, it is…”
– Aoi’s got it…!
– Aoi’s tea, tea!
So Kaguya-chan and I overlapped our hands over the cake knife and slowly cut the cake, then placed a piece on the plate to show it to the camcorder.
– It turned out way better than I expected?!
– Looks delicious!
– Please marry me!
“Regrettably… but as an idol, marriage is a no-go…”
Anyway, it’s now time to enjoy the taste of the cake.
“Let’s eat well!”
“Let’s eat well…”
After finishing the greetings, we both took a bite of the cake.
“Indeed, although it’s a bit drier than what I bought…”
“Well, I think that dryness is what makes it feel homemade.”
“Is that so…?”
That’s one way to think about it, but I still feel like it would’ve been more delicious if we had used that sponge cake that was supposed to be pre-bought…
Anyway, it’s already past, so there’s nothing we can do about it.
“By the way, Kaguya-chan. Is there milk in my fridge?”
“Yes. Just a moment, I’ll get it.”
“Ah, no. I’ll go get it…”
Since I came here to work, there’s no need to have Kaguya-chan do even this much.
Thinking that, I stood up and got the milk from the refrigerator.
“Here you go, Kaguya-chan… Whoops?!”
“Izumi-senpai?!”
Just as I was about to hand the milk to Kaguya-chan, my foot slipped, and I fell dramatically with a thud sound!
The only fortunate thing is that the milk was still unopened and didn’t spill.
– Are you okay?!
– Are you hurt?
“Fuh… yeah. I’m not really… hurt.”
I thought that my falling incident would just end like that.
“…Ah. The camcorder.”
“Huh…?”
Due to the commotion, the camcorder had toppled backwards and landed on the floor.
“It’s broken.”
“I-I’m so, so, so, so, so sorry?!”
“Ah, no. It’s alright. It was something I bought a long time ago, so it wasn’t too expensive.”
“But… but…”
It’s a fact that the camcorder broke because of my unnecessary actions.
W-What should I do now…
“How about this: I’m really okay… so how about next time Izumi-senpai buys me a meal as compensation?”
“I-Is that okay…?”
“Yes. That’s fine. Rather, it feels like I’m getting too big of a reward…”
“Ah, understood…”
With that, the latest incident was over.
…Or so I thought.
★
[Virtual On-Tuber Minor Gallery]
[Title: Our Boss Izumi looks more mature every time she collabs!]
[Posted by: Atlas’s Strongest Boss Aoba-chan]
She’s not the boss who usually looks like a weeaboo when she’s bored.
[Recommended: 3 / Not Recommended: 1]
ㅇㅇ: They both just look really cute, haha.
[Title: ?? Caught it!]
[Posted by: ㅇㅇ]
(Izumi’s body.jpg)
I quickly took screenshots while the camcorder fell just in case, and this got captured?! What the heck, haha.
[Recommended: 3 / Not Recommended: 1]
ㅇㅇ: Wow, what is this???
Mei-chan, I love you: Put it down, put it down, put it down…
Oyabun
: (Then watch out for being exposed… Kon)
Suzuiizu: Isn’t it possibly Aoba?
└ㅇㅇ: Aoba was wearing gloves, but Izumi wasn’t.
└Suzuiizu: Oh, I see.
ㅇㅇ: It’s blurry but not to the point that it’s invisible.
Darling: Wow, this is insane.
└Darling: They could literally just model at this point.
★
“Why?!!!”
After finishing the broadcast and casually doing a little ego-surfing, I found out that my body was captured at a moment when the camcorder fell earlier.
No one’s face, position, or anything that could identify Kaguya-chan or me was captured, but my body was clearly caught.
Is this even logical?
After all the effort to not be filmed by the camcorder, one mistake ruins everything…!
“W-Well… it’s… just a mistake, right? Let’s calm down, Izumi-senpai.”
Next to me, Kaguya-chan was comforting me.
Everyone in the LINE also said it was just an unavoidable thing, and even the manager said it was absolutely no big deal.
Of course.
Having a VTuber turn on a camcorder and stream isn’t that strange anymore now.
But no matter what, my principle of not wanting to be filmed by the camcorder has been shattered with this incident.
My wounds… cannot be healed with mere comfort…!
“If it’s Izumi-senpai, you should just have more confidence…!”
“Kaguya-chan…”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s… drink some alcohol…”
“…Huh?”
So right now, the only option left for me to forget this wound is… something like this…