Ch. 5: Now for the Chocolate Competition
Seeing how down Creto became after seeing the poster, I made up my mind and opened my mouth.
OO: “Creto, why don’t you participate?”
Creto: “Eh!? Me!? No way!!”
OO: “But you can make chocolate, right?”
Creto: “This is the biggest gathering in the country… I wouldn’t stand a chance at my level. Plus…-“
OO: “…?”
Creto: “Nothing, never mind.”
Creto continued to stare at the poster as he spoke.
(He really… wants to try entering.)
At that time, my eyes caught on a single line written on the poster.
OO: “It says… participation requires a pair. Hey, Creto. Why don’t we enter together?”
I ended up saying that to him all of a sudden.
Creto: “Huh? Me… and you!?”
Creto put his face closer to mine, as if peering into my eyes.
OO: “If you make the sweets, I should be able to help. Besides, I want to see you making chocolate…”
Creto: “…”
Creto frowned.
But gradually, the corners of his lips moved up and it turned into a grin…
Creto: “Well, I guess there’s no helping it if it’s something you want to see.”
And like that, the two of us decided to enter the competition.
Ch. 6: Seriousness from Now On
The next day, Creto and I met in his room to solidify our tactics.
In every conceivable part of his room were mountains of books and notes.
(Wow… and they’re all related to chocolate. I didn’t see that side of him at all, but it looks like he studies a lot…)
Full of true admiration for him, I watched as Creto pulled out a single book from one of the stacks.
Creto: “To cement our participation, we’ll need this.”
OO: “…Carré? Is this the name of a chocolate?”
I scanned the page Creto opened to and said the title out loud.
Creto: “Yup, it’s simple, which makes it difficult, but I think it’s worth doing. Though I don’t know if it’ll go as planned…”
OO: “But if it’s something you want to try, I think that’s the best option.”
I smiled and nodded in agreement, but Creto closed the book and bit his lip.
Creto: “But if I can’t do my best… I’ll be so uncool.”
OO: “That’s not true. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about when working hard for your goals.”
Creto: “Really…?”
OO: “Yes.”
Creto stared at me and…
Creto: “I thought it would be embarrassing if people knew I worked hard.”
OO: “Eh…?”
Creto: “My father and grandfather… everyone in the Latte Family has made a name for themselves as top-ranked chocolatiers. Of course, that means they’ve all won at this competition too.”
OO: “I see…”
Creto: “I love chocolate, but… I’ve always only been concerned with looking cool, so I haven’t actually been serious this whole time. As a prince and a chocolatier, I’ve just been doing everything half-baked…”
Creto looked directly at me.
Creto: “I want to try giving my all in this competition for you OO!”
Creto’s eyes sparkled with an unusual seriousness…-.
…
……
One week later, on the day of the competition.
Creto’s hands were unsteady as he did his absolute best and poured all his passion into the chocolate making.
(All the participants are famous chocolatiers who have their own shops on the main street… good luck Creto…!)
As I helped Creto, I continued to watch over him and pray for him as he made his chocolate.
…
……
A few hours later…
We trudged through the town square, dyed with the light of the setting sun.
Creto: “I did everything I could, but it wasn’t enough…”
OO: “But…but you won the special award for newcomers who were participating for the first time, so that’s pretty amazing.”
I spoke words of encouragement to the depressed Creto.
But in my heart, I was also frustrated.
Creto: “The path to being a top-notch chocolatier isn’t so simple I guess… Oh well, you’re right. And the participants today have been putting in the effort over and over again.”
Incidentally, Creto’s gaze changed to look to the side.
Before I knew it, the two of us had ended up on the main street where we’d first met in this country.
OO: “…”
At that time, a cold wind blew down the street and I hunched my shoulders against the autumn chill.
Creto: “Are you cold?”
OO: “Eh…?”
As Creto asked, a soft warmth was wrapped around my neck.
OO: “Ah…”
Creto: “You alright? You don’t want to catch a cold.”
The red checkered scarf that was always wrapped around his neck now adorned my own.
I watched the white cloud from his breath and felt my cheeks heat up.
OO: “I’m fine Creto! It’d be worse if you caught a cold so…”
Creto: “I’m fine.”
There was a gentle sweetness drifting up from the large, warm scarf.
(This scent, it’s Creto’s…)
Creto: “Haha, you’re all red… but thanks, for entering the competition with me. I’m still really frustrated that I couldn’t be number one but… I had fun. I didn’t know being so serious like that could feel so invigorating…”
OO: “The chocolate you made was really delicious. And… I thought you were really cool, trying your best.”
Creto: “…!?”
I spoke my honest feelings and watched as Creto turned bright red before my eyes.
Seeing him like that, my cheeks got even warmer…
Creto: “…did you mean that?”
OO: “…yeah.”
Our eyes met, both of us as red as we could be, and we both smiled at each other.
Creto: “I’m going to do my best from now on.”
The smile he gave me then was more lovely than any other smile I’d seen on him before.
END
Secret Story: A Sweet Future Imagined
A few hours after we’d gone on stage at the competition…-.
Creto: “I did everything I could, but it wasn’t enough…”
OO: “But…but you won the special award for newcomers who were participating for the first time, so that’s pretty amazing.”
We walked through the town square, and OO earnestly tried to cheer me up while I was feeling down at having victory snatched away.
Creto: “The path to being a top-notch chocolatier isn’t so simple I guess… Oh well, you’re right. And the participants today have been putting in the effort over and over again.”
(There’s no way I would have suddenly won over people like that. …alright, time to change my tune.)
Thinking that, I looked to the side.
At some point, we’d ended up on the same street where the two of us had met for the first time.
At that time…
OO: “…”
A cold wind blew down the street and OO hunched her shoulders.
(Ah… OO looks super cold. Hey, she’ll just keep getting cold given what she’s wearing.)
Creto: “Are you cold?”
OO: “Eh…?”
I took off the scarf I was wearing and gently wrapped it around her neck.
OO: “Ah…”
Creto: “You alright? You don’t want to catch a cold.”
As soon as I said it, I saw my own breath turn white.
(Aah, yeah, today is getting pretty cold… the kind of cold you need a scarf for. I hope OO is at least a little warmer this way…)
Then, OO frantically opened her mouth to speak as she watched me.
OO: “I’m fine Creto! It’d be worse if you caught a cold so…”
Creto: “I’m fine.”
(It’s the first time I’ve felt this… it’d definitely be worse if you were the one to catch a cold.)
I gently refused and after a moment, for some reason, OO’s cheeks turned red.
(? What’s wrong? …ah, I know. She’s probably over thinking the fact that the scarf was around my neck just a minute ago. Th-this is bad. I’m getting all embarrassed now that I’m weirdly aware of it…)
Creto: “Haha, you’re all red… but thanks, for entering the competition with me.”
I cracked a joke trying to shake off the embarrassment that was overwhelming me, but then I gave her my honest thanks.
Creto: “I’m still really frustrated that I couldn’t be number one but… I had fun. I didn’t know being so serious like that could feel so invigorating…”
(…if you and I hadn’t met, I bet I’d never have known that feeling for as long as I lived. So… really, thank you.)
I kept those quiet words of thanks in my heart.
OO: “The chocolate you made was really delicious. And… I thought you were really cool, trying your best.”
Creto: “…!?”
(Uh oh. What’s this… what should I do? I’m just so, so happy…)
I felt my entire face turn red at her words.
(Ah… b-but getting so awkwardly happy over a single compliment…)
In the instant I thought that…
Creto: “…did you mean that?”
OO: “…yeah.”
(…!!)
I ended up being shocked into silence at OO’s short yet straight-forward response.
(Oh. So, she really liked my chocolate that much. B-but…)
————————
OO: “And… I thought you were really cool, trying your best.”
————————
(…s-so basically, that means… that she likes me too… right?)
As I thought about it more, a sweet happiness filled my chest, and as our eyes met, both of us as red as we could be, we both smiled at each other.
Then…
Creto: “I’m going to do my best from now on.”
(I’ll make you even better chocolate, and keep trying my hardest so you think I’m even cooler…)
I made that vow on her smile as my imagination ran wild with thoughts of a sweet future with the girl before me.
END