Welcome to Heaven | ✓

11: Rice Balls

The unpleasant stench of the smoke encased the room, wisps curling and fluttering through the thick, hazy air. Even after the fire had long been extinguished, the smoke lingered, ready to greet whoever opened the door.

'It's impossible to go wrong with chocolate chip cookies.'

That was what I sincerely believed.

Until today, at least.

"How the heck is it possible to start a fire that quickly? We only took our eyes off you for two minutes! Just two!"

Koyuki was fuming. Nostrils flaring and teeth gritted, he swatted the smoke as far as he could out the open window, a fire extinguisher gripped in his other hand. Chiaki stood beside him, hands clasped over his mouth as not to inhale the smoke.

From where I was ducking behind the counter, tears stung the corners of my eyes. "I said I was sorry."

Koyuki twisted away from me, going on to wave the smoke as far as he could from the smoke detectors so they wouldn't go off. Fortunately, they didn't, and the air cleared soon enough. Once the frosty January breeze permeated the room, replacing the previous smoke, Koyuki cast the extinguisher to its proper location. Chiaki also let his hands fall to his sides.

Then with one shared glance, the two made their way over to what had caused this disaster.

"So this is what we're dealing with." Koyuki stared down at the black balls of dough stuck to the cookie sheet. He prodded at them, but they were hard as black ice, shedding its flakes the more it moved. "She can seriously make coal out of anything."

"Excuse you!" I called out from where I was. "I was fine with doing a sorbet but you're the one who insisted we make chocolate chip cookies instead."

"Because I assumed anyone, including someone as inept at baking as you, could succeed in it." He sighed. "But if you can't even follow a simple recipe to make chocolate chip cookies, this is even worse than I thought."

I rose to my feet, zephyrs of cold air nipping my exposed legs and arms as I did. Seeing my pout, Koyuki sweatdropped and beckoned me over.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to insult you out so much. The only reason I let you bake without instruction was to see what I was dealing with. But thanks to that I now know I have to teach you everything from scratch. That makes things easy then."

I carefully approached him and he shoved the empty bowl of batter I'd used earlier at my stomach.

"If you can't make it yourself, I'll have to do each step with you enough times you can do it in your sleep." He went over to another station to grab more bowls. "Go wash everything you used and toss out the coal you made so we can start over."

For someone who was apparently sorry for insulting me, he sure didn't make the effort of pulling his punches.

Shaking my head, I scooped everything I needed into the sink to wash. I then returned to where I'd left the cookies to throw them out only to find Chiaki hovering over them. Eyelids sluggishly parting and closing, he picked up one of the huge blocks of crusted dough. Shaking it and then hitting it against the counter only for it to chip, he hesitantly brought it to his nose to sniff. His features morphed in distaste. Then ever so slowly, he brought it to his lips.