"Suzune?"
"---"
Startled by the sound of her name, Horikita Suzune looked up in a panic.
In front of her was a half-eaten sandwich and a cup of milk that had only been sipped once.
Now that she looked around, the scene suggested she had been eating breakfast.
She vaguely arrived at that conclusion.
Morning. As usual, she got up, washed up, sat at the dining table, and ate the same kind of unchanging breakfast, stuffing the food into a stomach that didn't feel hungry.
At some point, her craving for food had vanished. Children were supposed to be gluttonous, weren't they?
But lately, she found meals that were beneficial to her body more important than flavor.
Breakfast was essential. Without increasing blood sugar, concentration during the day might drop. But carb intake also needed to be regulated, or she might feel sleepy in class.
Ingredients had to support healthy development for both body and mind.
Why was that?
Day after day, she repeated the same rituals.
"Are you zoning out?"
The voice called out again. Only then did she realize the speaker was her older brother.
She looked up and saw him at the far end of the table, his figure blurred like a pixelated silhouette.
As soon as she acknowledged his presence, her body felt heavy like it was filled with lead, but her mind snapped awake.
That was when Horikita Suzune realized everything began to change the moment Horikita Manabu stood before her.
The girl opened her eyes.
What greeted her was a familiar ceiling.
It had just been a dream, but also a memory of something that truly happened in the past.
It was almost laughable. Horikita Suzune often tried to recall her brother's image to motivate herself, but in those moments, she would always realize how little time they had actually spent together.
They were siblings by blood, yet had spent less time together than ordinary friends.
Especially after Horikita Manabu enrolled in the fully-sealed Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, he hadn't even called once.
The memories between them were like a barren mine—easily exhausted after a few nights of recollection.
Suzune laughed at herself. Maybe that was why she was so obsessed.
Because there was so little, she kept replaying it. Those meager memories were frozen, thawed, and reheated again and again. Just the phrase "likes long hair" was enough for her to give up the hairstyle she used to prefer.
She pushed herself off the bed. It was already dusk. Outside the window, the last rays of sunlight were touching the earth. Winter was approaching, and the days were growing shorter.
She felt much better. In fact, her health had always been strong. After a day of rest and medication, she was nearly fully recovered. In the past, she would have simply powered through an illness like this.
It was a shame, though—the perfect attendance record she'd kept since childhood was finally broken. Oddly enough, instead of sadness, she felt a faint sense of relief.
She easily found her slippers, neatly placed by the bed. On the nightstand was a cup of warm water, just right for this chilly autumn night—comforting both to the hands and the throat.
She drank it all in one go and stretched. Her developing figure had both the innocence of a young girl and the charm of a young woman.
She opened the door and walked out. After sweating under the covers all day, she planned to take a shower.
But the sweet scent in the air quickly drew her attention instead. She sniffed and headed toward the kitchen.
"Caramel pudding, peach mousse cake, candied apples, yogurt cheesecake mousse, mango double-skin milk, sesame sweet potato cakes, mango mochi, dorayaki, blueberry pie."
"Hmm, that should be enough."
Kitagawa Ryo nodded at the neatly arranged plates of delicate desserts. The portions were small, but enough for sampling.
He had noticed Suzune approaching—she hadn't bothered to hide her footsteps.
"Suzune, you're up? Feeling better?"
Ryo slowly removed the gloves he'd worn while cooking. His slender hands and fingers were freed from their confines. It was a simple gesture, but somehow captivating when he did it.
"I'm fine," she replied casually, more curious about the desserts on the table. Though Ryo had taken charge of dinners during his stay, this was the first time she had seen him make so many sweets.
Though Suzune herself was quite skilled at cooking—even exceptional among her peers—she had never delved into desserts.
No need meant no interest, which meant no effort.
Simple and logical.
"I was just bored, so I made these. Want to try one?"
Noticing her gaze, Ryo casually handed her a plate of dessert.
"I might open a dessert shop someday. Consider this a tasting session."
"...I'm not interested in sweets. Excess sugar causes weight gain and offers no benefits."
"Besides, I've barely eaten any before, so I can't give useful feedback."
Suzune shook her head firmly. She was always driven, disciplined, and purpose-oriented. Cooking, to her, wasn't about indulgence—it was about nutrition.
Her cooking style reflected that. Every ingredient was chosen for its health benefits. That was part of why she allowed Ryo to stay—his meals supported her training and health regimen.
In short, Suzune believed she had no connection to desserts.
She often overheard girls in class gushing over the newest items at local sweet shops. After club activities, the coffee shops were always packed.
But Suzune neither liked nor indulged in desserts.
"People need to try new things. Until today, Suzune had a perfect attendance record."
Ryo had already prepared a small spoon and pushed the plate into her hands.
"If you never try, you'll never find your favorite flavor."
Suzune awkwardly looked at the dessert in her hands. The delicate blueberry pie glistened, the filling oozing out slightly from the gentle touch of the spoon.
Telling herself it was just to help him, she took a tentative bite.
And before she knew it, she had finished the entire plate.
When the spoon tapped against the empty dish with a soft clink, she finally snapped back to reality.
"Feels like this would sell well."
She recalled Ryo's earlier words and offered her verdict from a business perspective.
"What about your personal opinion? Too sweet? Not sweet enough?"
"I think it was delicious. If desserts outside taste like this, I can understand why girls are so crazy about them."
Pretty, tasty, and photogenic—it was hard for girls to resist.
"So Suzune liked it?" Ryo asked teasingly. "Especially since you just said you wouldn't eat sweets."
"...Having a little occasionally is fine, I guess."
Without realizing it, Suzune had grabbed a dorayaki and was nibbling on its soft shell.
"If even Suzune says so, then I guess my dessert shop plan is solid."
Ryo clapped his hands with satisfaction, watching Suzune try bite after bite, completely forgetting about her shower.
When the last dessert vanished into her stomach, he grinned.
"I'll have to rely on you to help out when I open that shop."
The final spoonful of cream caught in Suzune's throat. Her violet-red eyes widened in confusion and disbelief.
"You ate my products."
Ryo crossed his arms and declared.
"...Wasn't that just a tasting?"
"Have you ever seen a tasting where someone finishes everything?"
Only then did Suzune realize that all seven or eight plates were completely empty. She stiffly nodded.
Such a sneaky tactic—offering a reward before naming the favor.
She might have to try it herself someday.
The girl nodded secretly to herself.
-------------------------------------
After the lesson he learned from the Karuizawa Kei simulation, Kitagawa Ryo took a far more laid-back approach in the current Horikita Suzune simulation.
Especially after Sakayanagi Arisu completely shattered Horikita Suzune's illusion, Ryo figured there wasn't much hope left for this run. So, he adopted a hands-off policy.
Opening a dessert shop had always been something he'd thought about. In his previous life, he had worked part-time at a dessert shop, and the leftover, imperfect-looking treats the owner sometimes gave him at the end of the day had left a deep impression on him.
Just like his obsession with video games during Karuizawa Kei's second simulation, it was a form of delayed gratification—a compensation for what his past self had forcefully suppressed.
Kind of like how a kid who once had to give up a toy due to financial hardship would grow up and buy twenty of them in one go.
So in this simulation, Ryo decided he would open a dessert shop of his own.
And as luck would have it, he drew the [Master Chef] talent.
He had already picked out the name: [Hotaru]. Fittingly, he planned to make that little furball the shop's mascot.
The [Modest Wealth] trait granted him property rights, and over the past few years, he had slowly built up enough startup capital.
While Suzune attended school, Ryo had been busy preparing for the shop.
Due to his underage status, everything had to be handled through Horikita Suzune's father, who acted as his legal guardian.
Thanks to the [Family Bonds] trait, he had a familial connection to the Horikita family. Might as well use it.
The shop wasn't big—just something to enjoy. Ryo would be the pastry chef himself, and he planned to hire two waitstaff and one receptionist. All of this had already been arranged.
So in early September, during the cool breeze of early autumn, a small dessert shop called [Hotaru] quietly opened at a street corner in the shopping district. Surrounded by several high schools and junior highs, there was no shortage of potential customers.
The moment the store was under renovation, neighboring cafes, bubble tea shops, and dessert places began paying attention.
In particular, the owner of the nearby maid cafe came to investigate personally. Since competitors were always rivals, he was initially worried that this new store might be of the same type, using maids and anime culture to lure in students.
But once he saw the soft, elegant interior, the simple wallpaper, and the neat, properly dressed staff, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Apparently, no real competition.
He smirked at the thought.
But things quickly spun out of control.
On opening day, it only took one afternoon for the shop to be flooded with customers—all because of an irresistibly cute beckoning cat.
Unlike the plastic, gold-painted waving cats in other stores, this one was a real, live cat perched on the counter, cutely waving to attract guests.
It moved! It was alive! And it was adorable!
Even so, that shouldn't have been a big deal. After all, the street already had a cat-themed cafe.
The maid cafe owner remained confident. He believed nothing could outshine his uniformed maids sweetly calling customers "Master."
Naive.
He adjusted his glasses with conviction.
A mere cat?
But then he realized something alarming: the students who entered the dessert shop for the cat never came back out.
Soon, he heard voices:
"That was amazing!"
"I've never tasted dessert this good!"
"Everything else I've eaten before was like chewing rubber and sand."
And in that moment, the truth dawned on him:
A dessert shop, at its core, sells desserts.
No! He couldn't just admit defeat!
The next day, passing students rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
"Is it just me, or are the skirts in that cafe… shorter now?"
One of them examined carefully and nodded, dead serious:
"Definitely shorter."
"Wanna go in?"
"It's autumn, though. Looks kinda cold. They're working hard."
One nudged his friend with his elbow, already preparing a noble excuse.
Still, the two hesitated. For a couple of shy fourteen- or fifteen-year-old boys, entering that kind of shop so openly was a psychological hurdle.
Right then, someone stepped out of the dessert shop next door—
No, it felt more like they had been pushed out, stumbling awkwardly.
Horikita Suzune had no idea where Kitagawa Ryo had found this ridiculous mascot costume. It was like it was made solely to humiliate her.
But according to Ryo, since the shop's mascot was a cat, the promotional outfit had to be cat-themed too.
She adjusted the oversized cat head on her shoulders and tried not to think about the ridiculous ears on top.
At least it covered her completely. Compared to the previous test costume, this one was a lot better.
Perspective really did change everything. Suzune suddenly found it kind of acceptable.
She forcibly erased the image of herself wearing a cat-eared maid outfit in front of Kitagawa Ryo alone.
She hesitantly raised her paw—or rather, her paw glove.
"Uhm… Welcome."
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