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The quietness that settled over the academy dormitories after midnight was always prominent, a stark contrast to the thunderous noise that had filled the stadium only hours prior.
Dia stood beside the counter, the cold stone smooth beneath her fingers. The grand celebrations had finally wound down, the flashing cameras had lowered themselves, and the crowds had gone home, leaving behind a peaceful stillness that felt almost sacred.
Yet, despite the exhaustion pulling at her limbs, she could not bring herself to sleep. Her mind was still racing, vibrating with energy.
But the victory itself belonged entirely to her partner.
On the counter, an arrangement of baking ingredients lay waiting. Dia had spent the last half hour preparing everything with her usual precision. There were multiple opened packets of high quality dark chocolate, a bowl of sifted flour, and a small carton of heavy cream.
This was not meant to be a private token of appreciation. She wanted to create something that connected their journeys together. Her plan was specific, she had decided to bake a batch of chocolate brownies, decorated with a delicate swirl of white chocolate and topped with bright and sweet strawberries. The combination was chosen deliberately to mimic the exact colors of Kita's own racing silks.
Propped against a sugar jar, Dia’s phone played a video on a continuous loop. It was the official broadcast of the final stretch of the Japan Cup. The volume was turned down low, reducing the announcer’s ecstatic roaring to a murmur, but the visuals remained captivating. On the small screen, Kita was a force that nobody could replicate.
Dia watched, completely spellbound, as she found an extra burst of speed in the final hundred meters, her stride breaking through the resistance of her opponents with willpower. The expression of pure determination on Kita's face as she crossed the finish line was something she knew she would never forget. It brought a smile to her lips, a warmth deep within her chest that made her hands tremble slightly.
Her thumb hovered over the screen to drag the progress bar back to the start of the final turn. She became entirely lost in the replay, analyzing the perfect angle of Kita’s lean, the incredible power in her posture, and the smile that had broken across her face the moment the victory was secured. She was so deeply immersed in the memory of the crowd’s cheer and the sight of her girlfriend's triumph that the passage of time slipped away entirely.
She failed to notice the subtle change in the air, the way the sweet, comforting scent of melting chocolate was gradually turning into genuine charcoal.
A sudden hiss from the stove snapped her back to reality. Dia gasped, her eyes widening as she realized the water in the double boiler had evaporated completely. Due to the heat, the chocolate had completely seized. It was now a clumpy, matte mass, ruined and stuck hard to the sides of the glass bowl. Before she could even process that disaster, the oven timer let out a beep.
When Dia hurried to pull open the heavy oven door, a small cloud of dark smoke billowed out into the kitchen, carrying the unmistakable odor of burnt sugar. The edges of the brownie tray were undeniably charred, a dark, crispy ring surrounding a center that looked slightly.. deflated.
She set the tray down on a mat, letting out a defeated sigh. She slumped her shoulders, staring at the ruined dessert with a look of profound disappointment. The tribute she had envisioned was now a crumbled failure. She reached up to rub her temples, completely unaware that she had accidentally transferred a prominent smudge of melted white chocolate from her fingers directly onto her left cheek.
The heavy swing door of the kitchen creaked open, the sound cutting through. Dia jumped slightly, turning around to see a familiar figure stepping into the warm light. Kita was rubbing her eyes, her dark hair pleasantly messy from sleep, holding a miniature plush of the very girl in front of her. She blinked a few times, looking around the kitchen with a mix of confusion and amusement.
"Dia? I thought I smelled something sweet from down the hall! But then it started smelling like a campfire," Kitasan said, a surprised expression breaking across her face as she took in the scene. "What are you doing up at this hour?!"
Dia felt a sudden flush of embarrassment color her cheeks. She instinctively took a step backward, trying to use her posture to block the view of the charred brownie tray, though she knew it was entirely futile given the lingering smoke in the air. "I was attempting to bake something for you!" Diamond admitted, her voice dropping to a softer, sheepish register.
"A celebratory treat for your G1 victory. I wanted it to be a surprise, but I am afraid I got terribly distracted, and the entire endeavor has gone completely wrong.. They're so.. So burnt Kita.. This is horrible.."
She did not seem bothered by the smoke or the ruined ingredients at all. She walked over to the counter, her steps light and energetic despite the late hour. Instead of looking at the burnt tray first, her eyes immediately caught the glowing screen of the phone, which was paused on a closeup frame of her own face crossing the finish line. A soft expression crossed Kitasan's features.
"Were you watching the race again?!" she asked, her tone surprised but laced with a deep warmth.
"It was a magnificent performance," Dia murmured, looking down at her slippers as she tried to defend herself. "I simply lost track of the timer while watching the final straightaway. The white chocolate burned, and the edges of the cake are entirely ruined!
"..I wanted to make something beautiful that matched your racing silks!" "To show you that I was celebrating right alongside you, but I failed rather spectacularly.."
Kita let out a soft laugh that instantly filled the quiet kitchen, dispelling every bit of tension that had gathered in Dia's shoulders. "Failed? Dia, look at the middle of the pan!" Kitasan said, stepping closer until she was standing right beside her.
She reached into a drawer, pulled out a small butter knife, and carefully carved out a square piece from the exact center of the tray, completely avoiding the blackened edges. The center was still soft, and also perfectly baked.
Without a single moment of hesitation, Kita popped the piece into her mouth.
Diamond watched her wide eyed, her breath catching as she waited for the verdict. Kitasan chewed thoughtfully for a moment, her eyes lighting up with genuine delight. "This is amazing!" She declared, reaching for another piece immediately.
"The edges might be a little crispy, but the inside is incredibly rich. It is literally the best thing I have ever tasted, especially because you stayed up all night making it for me! Thank you Dia-chan! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!"
"You don't have to say that just to make me feel better," Diamond said, a small, tentative smile finally returning to her face. "It is supposed to have white chocolate and fresh strawberries. Right now, it just looks like a lonely piece of coal.."
"That's okay, we can fix it!" Kita said decisively, rolling up the sleeves of her pajamas with an enthusiastic nod. "We have the strawberries right here, don't we? And there is still plenty of heavy cream in the carton!"
The kitchen transformed into a space of shared comfort. Working side by side, the distance between them felt smaller than it ever had during the hectic pace of the daytime training schedules. Kitasan took over the task of pouring the heavy cream into a clean bowl, whipping it by hand with a vigor that made Dia laugh, while the other took a small paring knife to slice the fresh strawberries.
The only sounds in the room were the clink of the whisk against the bowl, the thud of the knife against the cutting board, and the occasional burst of conversation.
"I was so nervous before the gate opened today," Kitasan admitted softly, her pace slowing down just a bit as she stared into the bowl of thickening cream. "The crowd was so loud, and the pressure felt heavy!"
"But right before we lined up, I looked out toward the stands and caught a glimpse of your eyes! Even from that far away, I knew you were watching. It made me feel like I couldn't possibly lose!"
Dia paused her slicing, her heart skipping a beat at the honesty in her voice. She turned her head to look at her girlfriend, observing the soft line of her jaw and the look in her eyes. "I will always be watching you," She exclaimed, her voice steady.
"Whether I am running right next to you on the track or cheering for you from the sidelines, my eyes will always find you first, Kita."
"Your victory today was earned through your own strength, but I am so happy that you won!"
She looked up. The silence was not awkward, it was comfortable, heavy with the weight of things they both felt but had yet to put into precise words.
After a long moment, Kita broke the silence with a smile, setting down the whisk. "The cream is ready. Let's finish this masterpiece!"
Together, they assembled the dessert. Kita used a spoon to spread a thick layer of whipped cream over the center pieces of the brownie, masking any hint of the overbaked surface. Then, Dia carefully arranged the strawberry slices across the top, creating a pattern that stood out against the white cream and the dark chocolate base.
It was not the pristine creation Dia had initially planned, but as they stood back to admire it, she had to admit it looked infinitely better.
"It looks perfect, Dia!" She pronounced, lifting the tray and carrying it over to the small shared bedroom. She hopped up to sit directly on the bed, patting the empty space right next to her. "Come on, take a seat. We have to eat the victory cake before the sun comes up!"
She smiled, abandoning her usual strict adherence to proper etiquette as she climbed up to sit on the bed beside Kita. Their shoulders brushed, a warmth radiating through the sleeve of Kitasan’s pajamas. They shared a single fork, taking turns breaking off pieces of the brownie that was placed on one of the nightstands, topped with the cool cream and the tart flavor of the strawberries.
The flavors blended together perfectly, a rich and satisfying reward after a day filled with.. Smoke and disappointment.
As Dia was chewing her second bite, she suddenly leaned closer, her eyes scanning her face with an amused expression. Dia blinked, freezing in place as the other girl reached out with her right hand. The movement was incredibly slow, removing any sense of urgency from the small space between them. Kita’s thumb brushed gently against Dia’s cheek, her skin warm and grounding against her face.
"You had a bit of white chocolate right here, Dia!" She murmured, her thumb lingering for a heartbeat longer than necessary against Diamond's cheek before she finally pulled her hand back. She looked down at her own thumb. "You're usually so neat. Seeing you with chocolate on your face is so funny!"
Dia felt her heart hammering against her ribs, the touch leaving a tingling warmth behind on her skin. She looked at the other girl beside her.
The Japan Cup trophy was sitting in a display case in their room, surrounded by ribbons and medals, but sitting here, sharing a burnt tray of brownies in the middle of the night, felt like the real victory for her.
"Perhaps we will make less mistakes in the future," Diamond said softly, her voice carrying a sincere warmth. "But.. The more burnt brownies, the more we will spend time together!"
Kita’s smile widened, her shoulder bumping gently against Diamond’s as she took another bite of the dessert. "Burnt or perfect, I'll always be here to help you finish the batch! Plus, we will surely get better with practice, right!?"