"Kamisaka-kun, have a seat and rest for a bit. I'll bring out some cake for you to try," her mother offered.
Yuto wanted to decline, but Kaori tugged at his clothes, a smile dancing in her eyes as she insisted, "My dad's cakes are delicious, so Kamisaka-kun isn't allowed to refuse."
Giving a helpless chuckle, Yuto nodded in agreement, causing the girl's smile to brighten even further.
"I'll go prepare some tea too," her father added, stepping away.
Yuto sat beside Kaori, who watched him with a cheerful, sparkling gaze.
"Back at the clinic, you could have asked the doctor to take you home too, right?" he asked.
"I could have, but if I hadn't asked you, I wouldn't have had the chance to thank you properly," she replied with a faint smile.
"If I had directly said that I wanted to thank you, you probably would have refused me, right?" She really had wanted to thank him, but lacking anything suitable to offer at the time, she decided to invite him to her family's bakery.
Figuring a direct invitation would be rejected, she asked him to take her home instead.
A girl's thoughts were delicate, a fact Yuto was only just realizing as he thought, 'So that's how it was.'
"Try the cakes my dad made. Kamisaka-kun, you'll definitely like them!"
Not long after she spoke, her mother returned, setting two servings of dark pastries on the table.
"Kamisaka-kun, these are canelés. Please have a taste."
Yuto's expression shifted as he recognized the treat.
Back when he was studying desserts, he had given up on learning how to make canelés because the process was too complicated, leaving him having never actually tasted one.
"This is Dad's best pastry! Everyone around here loves it!" Kaori boasted, already popping one into her mouth since they were her favorite.
Nodding his thanks to her mother, Yuto took a bite of the dark pastry, his expression brightening instantly as he thought.
'Delicious!'
He remembered reading about canelés—a traditional pastry from Gaul developed by nuns that had nearly been lost to war.
Observing the small treat, he noted its dark, thin, crisp shell that resembled remolded dark chocolate. However, the flavor was nothing like chocolate, instead carrying a subtle aroma of rum.
As a chef, his trained palate easily distinguished the liquor's notes mingling with the fragrance of caramelized sugar.
Beneath the crisp exterior lay a soft, moist, honeycomb-like center, achieved through precise oven temperature control.
The aerated pockets added complex layers to the texture, prompting Yuto to take another satisfying bite.
As a chef, he never skimped on praising others' hard work; recognizing good food was a form of self-respect.
"How is it?" Kaori asked, her eyes full of expectation.
"It's excellent," Yuto agreed, his satisfied expression bringing a wave of joy to the girl's face.
Hearing her father's craftsmanship praised naturally made her happy.
Turning to her mother, Yuto asked, "Ma'am, may I try some of the other cakes or pastries too? I can pay."
Every chef was inherently a foodie, eager to taste as much as possible when encountering genuine culinary skill.
The woman smiled, waving off the offer. "You're too polite, Kamisaka-kun. They're only a few small cakes left. I'll go get you some more right away!"
Her generous, outgoing nature made Yuto suspect Kaori had inherited her bright personality directly from her mother.
As soon as the woman left, Kaori puffed her cheeks indignantly, complaining, "I can't believe you actually offered to pay!"
Now sitting safely in her family's bakery, Kaori was much more relaxed than she had been while clinging to his back.
Yuto simply smiled and glanced around the shop, noticing the walls were covered with photographs chronicling the girl's life from childhood to the present.
Seeing Yuto examine the carefully selected adorable pictures caused a sudden blush to rise to Kaori's face, leaving her embarrassed by a display she had previously never thought twice about.
"Miyazono, did you start learning violin in elementary school?" Yuto asked, observing that she was holding the instrument in every single photo.
Her expression relaxed as a trace of passion filled her eyes, and she nodded.
Yuto felt a twinge of emotion while thinking, 'When I was that young, I was obsessed with playing in the mud... Comparing people really highlights the gap.'
"Since she was little, this child has loved the violin, and she suffered quite a lot for it," her mother said, returning with a loaded tray.
Hearing the deep emotion in her mother's voice, Kaori offered an embarrassed smile.
Yuto exhaled, relating to the sentiment, studying to become a chef had demanded a great deal of hardship, proving that mastering any discipline required immense struggle.
Pushing a plate of small cakes forward, her mother urged, "These are some of our other popular cakes. Kamisaka-kun, please try them."
Nodding in thanks, Yuto scooped up a bite, but felt immediate disappointment the moment it entered his mouth.
Neither the texture nor the flavor could compare to the canelé.
After trying the others and finding them equally lacking by comparison, the woman smiled, voicing his exact thoughts..
"They don't taste as good as the canelés, do they?"
Yuto offered an awkward smile and nodded, prompting her to reassure him, "It's alright. Everyone knows the canelés are the best thing in our shop, making the other pastries seem a bit lacking by comparison."
Puzzled, Yuto wondered, 'Is her father only skilled at making canelés?'
Just then, the man emerged carrying a tray of tea, having overheard his wife's comment.
Smiling with evident pride, he explained, "Because this is Kaori's favorite pastry, I've devoted much more time to the canelés than to the other cakes."
While Kaori looked slightly embarrassed by the declaration, Yuto understood perfectly.
Cuisine only truly came alive when cooked for someone specific, the extraordinary flavor of that small canelé was born from a father's love for his daughter.
"Oh, right—Kamisaka-kun, do you know what Ma Fille means?" the father asked, his mood elevated by the topic of his child.
Yuto shook his head, remembering Kaori's refusal to answer earlier at the entrance.
"In French, it means 'my daughter'! This shop was opened for Kaori, because she is my most precious treasure!"
The proud declaration earned him an embarrassed smack from his daughter, a heartwarming scene that filled Yuto with a pang of longing as he remembered being his own parents' most precious treasure before they passed away.
....
Pouring Yuto a cup of tea, the woman asked sympathetically, "I didn't expect Kamisaka-kun to be running a restaurant all by himself. It must be very hard, right?"
Learning that he had abandoned school to run a business alone had shifted her attitude, drawing out a motherly sorrow.
"I wouldn't say it's hard since I'm already used to it," Yuto replied with a calm smile.
Factoring in his past life, he had spent over a decade working a stove, making the daily grind second nature; forcing him to relax now would actually be harder to adapt to.
His composure stirred the Miyazono family, drawing a look of softness from Kaori.
Letting out a long sigh, her sturdy father offered earnest encouragement, "Don't give up. Once the hardship passes, things will get easier!"
Running a business himself, the middle-aged man felt a kinship with Yuto's struggle.
Accepting the encouragement with a smile, Yuto appreciated the sentiment, even if he already understood the reality of the grind.
"Oh right, Kamisaka-kun, take this," the father said, pulling out a bulging paper bag clearly stuffed with cash.
Holding it out with both hands, he insisted, "Please accept this as repayment for saving Kaori today!"
The serious expressions on both parents' faces proved this was a premeditated decision, one Kaori silently supported, believing financial help was the best reward given his living situation.
Falling silent for a moment, Yuto pushed the paper bag back across the table, leaving the Miyazono couple stunned.
"Kamisaka-kun, if you have any other request, please don't hesitate to ask," the father urged with absolute sincerity, his willingness to offer a blank check proving his daughter was the center of his world.
"That's right, there's no need to be polite," his wife echoed.
Thinking quietly, Yuto considered the idea that had sparked the moment he tasted the pastry.
"Miyazono-san, I actually have a rude request," he began, knowing that asking another chef for a recipe was rather excessive.
Delighted by the opening, the father encouraged him to continue, desperate to repay the debt so he could rest easy.
Looking the baker in the eye, Yuto asked, "Could you teach me how to make the canelés from your bakery?"
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