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Making a cake on the very day of someone’s birthday wasn’t the easiest task in the world, but if it was for a friend then Aira was nothing but determined.
The caramel meringue cake recipe seemed like a divine grace, for Aira to suddenly stumble upon it on the internet after wracking his mind for ideas on something extra special to do for Mayoi’s birthday. Even though he had never made it before or even heard about it, he decided that it’d be the perfect dessert for the occasion.
And that’s how he ended up in a commercial kitchen that Niki so kindly let him use, along with Tatsumi and Hiiro after very little request that they help out.
“Hiro-kun, have you ever baked before?” Aira asked conversationally as he started on creaming the butter and sugar together.
“No, but I’ve been meaning to, so I suppose there’s no better day than this one!” Hiiro exclaimed proudly.
Aira giggled, “Oka~y, can you, um…” He briefly trailed off as he leaned over to read off the recipe sheet, “just crack a few eggs into a bowl, then? And Tattsun-senpai, can you start on the caramel sauce?”
“Of course.” Tatsumi hummed, while Hiiro had already left to fetch the eggs.
“Thankies~! The recipe’s super easy and it only takes, like, an hour, so don’t worry about anything, ‘kay~?”
“That’s wonderful. Fufu, I’m already looking forward to Mayoi-san’s reaction.” Tatsumi replied warmly before crossing the kitchen to look for the ingredients he needed as well.
“Aira, what do I do with the eggs?” Hiiro asked eagerly as soon as he returned.
“Ah, you just gotta pour them into the dough one by one. Wait ‘til I say when, though.”
Hiiro listened to a tee, clearly amazed as he watched the ingredients gradually join together. He also managed to find excitement just from pouring the eggs, even more so when Aira allowed him to stir it too. In a few minutes, the dough was finished.
After it was transferred into the cake pan, Tatsumi handled putting it into the oven, stating that he didn’t want to risk the other two getting burned.
Aira exhaled in relief after the oven door was shut. “Phew… Okay, now all that’s left to do is wait.”
“I’m excited! I’ve only ever seen the cakes from Café Cinnamon!” Hiiro chirped.
Aira smiled at him, “Ehehe, it seems you’re having a lot of firsts today too, Hiro-kun.”
“While we wait, should we perhaps work on making decorations for the cake?” Tatsumi suggested.
“Ooh, that’s a good idea, Tattsun-senpai! Hmm, Mayo-san likes teddies and stuff, right? I think I could make stuff like that out of fondant.”
“That sounds good. I think I’ll make something extra, too.”
“I will do the dishes, then!” Hiiro said.
After 30 or so minutes, everything was done and the cake just needed to be decorated.
Since Aira and Tatsumi had already contributed something, it was quickly decided between them that Hiiro would frost and cut it. With an impressive focus and an incredible natural talent for it like with most things he did, it ended up looking quite professional, especially after Tatsumi drizzled the caramel over it.
“I feel like something’s still missing, though…” Aira pouted as he carefully set the fondant bears around the outer edges of the cake, “It just looks kinda empty in the middle.”
“Yes, I agree. I tried imagining what it would look like after it was done, and figured it could do with a centerpiece.” Tatsumi said, “So I decided on making a cookie.”
A small, somewhat childlike grin crossed Tatsumi’s face as he revealed it then: It was shaped like a four leaf clover and was even dyed grey. Aira gasped excitedly. Of course, something like that would go with the cake perfectly!
“Would you like to do the honors of putting it on, Aira-san?”
“Eh? But you made it, Tattsun-senpai!”
“Yes, but the cake was your idea. It’s only fitting that you put the cherry on top, yes?” Tatsumi insisted with a smile, kindly leaving no room for argument as he gently placed the cookie in Aira’s hands.
So, Aira nodded confidently, walking over to the cake and leaning over it, lowering the cookie down with the utmost care…
“And… finished!” Aira beamed as soon as he set it in the middle.
After he stepped back to really get a better look at it, though, the cake was… not exactly what he had in mind, nor did it completely resemble what he had seen in pictures. Aira immediately felt like he would cry from frustration at all of the little imperfect details; some of the dollops looked messy or sat awkwardly, it wasn’t perfectly symmetrical aside from Hiiro’s expert slices, some of the fondant decorations now looked so obviously different from others…
Sensing his junior’s dejection, Tatsumi moved to gently place his hands on Aira’s shoulders, “Oh, it looks incredible. I’m sure Mayoi-san will love it.” He soothed.
Aira let out a shaky sigh, “Uu, I guess… But I wanted it to be perfect ‘cause Mayo-san does so much for us!”
“I understand how you feel, Aira!” Hiiro chimed in, “Mayoi-senpai has helped me a countless number of times, but today especially, all I want is to get my gratitude and appreciation across to him. If the cake does that, then it’s a success no matter what it looks like!”
“Hiiro-san is right. The thought and effort is what matters the most, Aira-san.”
Aira couldn’t help but feel a bit better at his friends’ reassurance. He at least didn’t want to be upset on Mayoi’s birthday, so he let himself smile. “Thanks, guys…”
Tatsumi smiled warmly, “I’ll call Mayoi-san in a moment, then. Would you two be so kind as to move the cake out to the café and set a table?”
“Of course!” Hiiro and Aira exclaimed in unison.
Upon receiving a call from Tatsumi asking that he please meet him and their kids at ES’s café, Mayoi felt just a bit nervous.
Even though Mayoi never failed to spend time with them, always finding it soothing, and though he was becoming much better at being around people, being celebrated all day by them and their colleagues had already tired him out. But, he also didn’t want to disappoint them or trouble Tatsumi by asking how many other people were there… Regardless, he was heading over in just a minute.
Once he arrived though, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the café was entirely empty except for the rest of ALKALOID. They waved him over, all wearing bright expressions.
Aira especially looked excited, not even being seated and swaying side to side as Mayoi approached.
“Mayo-san!” Aira greeted, “We have a surprise for you!”
“A surprise…?” Mayoi repeated curiously.
He watched in anticipation as Aira hurriedly nodded and stepped to the side, revealing a cake cut into neat slices. “Tada~!”
Mayoi just looked at it for a moment, his eyes widening as he read the icing that spelled out “Happy Birthday”, the words separated by a small clover-shaped cookie. That, along with the generally pleasing appearance of the cake, and also the little bear decorations that were just so cute— really, everything about it made Mayoi feel as though his heart would burst.
“I-It’s adorable!” Mayoi squealed, stepping closer to get a better look, “I… This is mine…?”
“Yeah!” Aira looked just as cute as his eyes sparkled, “We made it for you!”
Mayoi felt overwhelmed in the best possible way as he dazedly sat down at their table, “All of this… for me?” However, his joy suddenly gave way for a tinge of guilt, “A-ah, you didn’t need to trouble yourselves with this! I was happy enough just spending time with everyone earlier—!”
“Aira-san wanted to do something special for you,” Tatsumi smoothly interrupted, “But Hiiro-san and I helped with it as well, so we’d be happy for you to accept, Mayoi-san.”
Mayoi quieted down at once and bit his lip, “Of course… Excuse me, I didn’t mean to seem ungrateful…”
Tatsumi’s expression immediately softened, “Don’t worry, you didn’t. But it’s your birthday, so you shouldn’t be embarrassed about receiving anything, right?”
“Yes! I also recall hearing that birthday parties in the city aren’t complete without a cake!” Hiiro added.
Mayoi smiled softly at that. Of course, it was practically impossible not to, given how thoughtful his friends were, “...Thank you, everyone. I’m… truly so grateful that I met all of you.”
“Geez, Mayo-san! Save the sappiness for after you eat some cake, yeah?” Aira’s voice was light and teasing, but still held slight expectancy.
Not being a fan of keeping his junior waiting any longer, he obliged with a giggle. “Ufufu~, of course.”
After choosing a slice, he picked up the fork next to the plate that had been set out for him and carefully took away a bite of cake, still trying to keep the slice as intact as possible. After bringing it into his mouth, he was hit with the pleasant sweetness. The frosting just had a hint of it, but that paired well with the rich caramel’s. It tasted great; simple, but still clearly made with care.
Mayoi’s happy expression mixed with surprise, and he brought a hand to his face as he swallowed, “...It’s delicious.” He almost gasped out of awe.
The words were barely out before Aira sprang to hug him, causing Mayoi to drop the fork out of surprise.
“Mayo-san, I’m so so so happy you like it!” Aira said, sounding almost on the verge of crying, “Happy birthday! Ai love you sooo much!”
“Aira-san…!”
“We love you, Mayoi-senpai!” Hiiro declared, also skipping over to embrace him.
“Yes, very much~” Tatsumi agreed, moving to complete the group hug.
“I-I… You all…” Mayoi stammered, finding himself having to blink back tears despite the smile tugging at the corners of his lips and the warmth blossoming in his chest, “I love you all, too…!”