"Oh, sorry. I didn't know there was someone else in the kitchen, sorry. I'll just finish up and leave." Ayano said, fumbling with the BLT she was making.

"It's alright, I don't mind. Actually, could you possibly help me make this shortcake recipe I've been wanting to out try for a while." LOL, this is soooooo cringey! Hahaha! Ahem* Sorrynotsorry.

"Sure... Let me just finish my lunch for tomorrow. Then I'd be glad to help you..." The implied question was obvious.

"Oh, I'm Amao. Amao Odayaka. And you must be Ayano Aishi, younger sister of Atsushi Aishi, right?" (While Ayano is not a Yandere in this universe, Atsushi is, and he got his girl in high school. Also, incase you didn't know, Atsushi means industrious, which I'm taking to mean two ways that apply to Yandere-kun. One being like a machine, and the other being efficient, or quick. Back to the story)

Ayano fiddled nervously with her pajama shirt, the awkwardness rising between her and the boy she met just a couple minutes before. He was scuttling about the kitchen, grabbing various ingredients for the shortcake, which was Ayano's favorite cake... Probably just a coincidence (INFO-KUN! INFO-KUN!) and not anything to worry about.

"All done! So, shall we get started?" He smiled, shaking her from her thoughts.

"U-um, right! Let's do this!" She rolled up her sleeves slightly.

"Could you please chop up these strawberries?" He gently pushed forward a cutting board with a paring knife and a bag of strawberries on it.

"O-okay..." Ayano gulped nervously. She had never held a knife before. Grabbing the knife and the strawberries, she began trying to cut them like she had once seen her mom do in the kitchen.

Amao giggled.

"What?!" Ayano snapped at him.

"You're holding the knife wrong. You're supposed to hold it like you're shaking hands with it." Ayano still looked confused, so he walked around the counter to her. "Like this." He settled behind her, taking her hand gently and positioning it correctly. "You see?"

Ayano nodded. 'OMG! HE'S SO CLOSE! HE'S SO CLOSE! HE'S SO CLOSE! HE'S SO CLOSE! HE'S SO CLOSE! HE'S SO CLOSE! CALM DOWN, AYANO!'

"I-I think I can d-do it now," she said. Amao smiled, and went back around the counter. He began preheating the oven while Ayano finished the last of the strawberries.

"Now what?" Ayano set aside the paring knife, and looked at Amao silently.

"We need to put the strawberries in this bowl, then toss them with some sugar. Can you handle that, or would you proffer to make the batter for the cakes?"

"I'll toss the strawberries." Ayano grabbed the sugar, measuring out half a cup before dumping it in the big bowl with the strawberries. She dug her hands underneath the strawberries, and pulled upwards gently, folding the strawberries into one another. She continued the process until Amao finished mixing the batter. He got out a pan and prepared it quickly, spreading coconut oil on it. Pouring the batter in, he made sure to get every drop of batter into the pan. Amao set a timer for seventeen minutes.

He picked up the pan gently, placing it in the preheated oven before closing the door and walking quietly to the dining room table. He sat down in the third seat to the right of the head chair, and gestured for Ayano to sit across from him. She scurried over silently, dragging out the chair quietly before sitting down gently.


Amao got up, about five minutes before the timer went off, and began cleaning up the kitchen. He grabbed all the dishes, depositing them in the sink one by one. Next were the ingredients. The flour, baking powder, and shortening went into the pantry next to the fridge. In the fridge he put eggs and milk, simultaneously grabbing out the heavy whipping cream. The salt he put in the Lazy Susan next to the sink. Grabbing the vanilla from the Lazy Susan, he made his way back to the island in the middle of the kitchen, placing it on the counter next to the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar.

He then walked out of the room to a room that Ayano couldn't see, emerging with a mixer which he gently set down on the counter. He began making whipped cream, pouring the heavy whipping cream into the bowl and adding the sugar, whipping them together with the vanilla, and let it go for about a minute.

The timer for the shortcake beeped, and Amao turned off the mixer. He set up a cooling rack, grabbing out the shortcake and setting it on the cooling rack.


COOLING TIME


Amao sliced the cake in half, taking the bottom half and heaping it with the strawberries. He set the other layer on top gently, and added the rest of the strawberries on top. Then he spread the whipped cream on top, and transferred the whole cake into a cake taker, bringing it to the table where Ayano sat. "Would you like a slice?" he asked.

"I would love a slice! This is actually my favorite kind of cake." She smiled, and they ate in peace, unaware of the eyes watching.