2: CHOCOLATE


At her job at the Sweets Shop, Manager Ueda noticed that Chi was not her usual cheerful self. "You ok, Chi?"

"Hideki Failed exam.", she explained sadly. "No college. No energy."

"He failed his college entrance exam again?" Mr. Ueda stared out the window into the distance, like he was trying to comprehend the depths of Hideki's misfortune. "You know, Chi, I think I have something in the back that could at least help..." He went into the storeroom and returned with a dusty can with a brown label on it. "In here is some chocolate syrup that is too old to sell. You could bake him some chocolate cake with this."

Chi sniffed at the can. "Old chocolate?..."

"Chocolate! That's happy food!", Sumomo cheered.

Ueda handed her the can. "I'm sure it's still ok. For some reason, chocolate always seems to cheer people up, at least somewhat. Here, I'll get you the other ingredients too, no charge. Everything but the butter, we seem to be out of that."

Chi appeared to cheer up, a little. "Thank you. Chi will try."

And on the way home, Chi bought some butter for Hideki's cake.
She also bought a bit of something that was just for Chi.


Back at the apartment, she saw that Hideki had already brought home his new school supplies, and had left again to work at the pub. With the ingredients and her experience from work, she should have no trouble at all baking a nice thick chocolate syrup cake for Hideki.

Or so she thought.

Chi turned the can labelled "chocolate" over and over, looking for the pull tab. Every can she'd ever opened had had one. "Chiii?" She tried pulling at the rim of the can, thinking maybe the whole top would pull off. She tried scratching it open; she tried twisting it open. It didn't open. "Chiii..."

"Sumomo will open it!", Sumomo announced. And Sumomo hit the can with some fancy-looking karate moves. It didn't open. "Uwwww...", she sighed. "That can is defective!"

Late at night, Ms. Hibiya heard a knock at the door. It was Chi, holding a beat up old can with a brown label on it. "Can won't open, no pull tab."

"Oh, that must be an old can." Ms. Hibiya told her cheerfully, taking the can as they both went inside her apartment. "I think I have something around here that can open that." Rummaging through a drawer in her kitchen, Hibiya pulled out a strange-looking piece of metal with a pointy end on it.

Chi picked up the pointy metal thing. "Chiii."

"Now, where did I set that can down?", wondered Ms. Hibiya, looking around. "Oh.. I just had it in my hand a moment ag... No, wait! Not like that!"

!CRUNCH!

It was too late. Chi had opened the can. Sort of. The handle of the can opener was sticking out the top of the can, the pointy end was sticking out the side, and chocolate syrup was leaking out on the countertop. "Chiii?!"

Laughing, Ms. Hibiya quickly put a bowl under the leaking can of chocolate syrup. "If you need any more help, I'll still be awake for a while."

Chi easily completed the recipe, and soon she had a freshly-baked chocolate syrup cake, ready to cheer up her Hideki.


Hideki's_Brain
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In the hallway outside could be heard the muffled sound of Hideki. "Whoa, I smell chocolate!" He opened the door to the apartment. "Chi... is that what I think it is?"

Chi was waiting for him at the door. "Welcome home!"
And this time it was Hideki that was going "Chiiii" as they were hugging.

He ate some cake before dinner, some with dinner, and some after dinner.

"ZzzZZzZzz Zzzzzzzz zzzZZzZzzz"


"FWEEEEEEET!"

The next morning, he had some more cake with breakfast. And it did seem to have cheered him up a bit...

"This year, I'm NOT GONNA FAIL!"

"Hideki, fighto!" (Both of them were doing a two-fisted cheer)

"Don't forget Sumomo!", Sumomo reminded him.

Hideki picked up his books, and Sumomo. "I'm off to class."

"Take care"
The door closed, and Chi smiled contentedly.


Next Chapter: "Bring Chi to school with me?"