A/N: …Okay, so I wasn't planning to do a second chapter for this fic, but the idea of Yuuji making Valentine's chocolates for Nagisa was just too cute, and it works better as a continuation to this fic than as a oneshot, so! Surprise bonus! :D
ALSO WOW TFW THE ADD-ON BONUS CHAPTER ACCIDENTALLY BECOMES LONGER THAN THE MAIN ONE… Please don't let anything fool you omg this is just a silly side thing, the first chapter is the real story I wanted to tell.
[new post logged: "Valentine's Day Chocolate-a-thon!", posted 2.16, comments: 166]
FlavorBlasterr: hey guys!
Misa11: Yayy new post!
bRockoLee: Woah, wait, things look kinda different here, what's going on?
Hungryboii: it's a niconico vid, man. it's embedded. u gotta get on that chat function to the side instead of commenting down here in the main post, haha
[A black box hung suspended at the top of the webpage just below the most recent banner. To the right and to the left, bright colors in orange and white lined the entire site, columns advertising various categories of reviews displayed proudly on the right-hand edge. On the other side was a short profile of the blog owner, along with a picture of their dorky, smiling face.
After clicking the "play" icon, a pinwheeling loading sign appeared, quickly giving way to a few seconds of nothing but blackness. The video, sure enough, featured a chat in NicoNico format, with viewers' comments already beginning to scroll across the screen, in addition to being gathered in a list over on the side, sorted according to time marker.]
KittyKitKat: Video~! Hurray~!
Megamegane: I don't think he's done one of these in quite a while… What a way to celebrate the holiday!
t1ckt0ck: It's been so long since we've gotten to hear Yuuji's gorgeous voice *tosses confetti*
Puffuff402: Pfft it ain't gorgeous, this kid talks like a narwhal, but yeah it is fun to mix things up a little bit.
Ichigo15: Happy Singles' Awareness Day, everyone
justHere4f00d: wasn't the big day earlier this week tho?
milkmalkmork: aww, he must have done it on the day and only got around to uploading it now. sweetheart.
Dip-Dop: ^^Pun intended?
milkmalkmork: hell yeah
Sakuya97: Wait a minute, a 'how-to' vid? That's new.
5shippo6: At least he's creative & experiments w/ genres omg
Yuuhime: To the new Yuuji content! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
xX_Yuuji_Luvrr12_Xx: ε=ε=ε=ε=┏( ￣▽￣)┛
banhammerGod: *banhammer* Alright, let's keep things clean and organized you guys, too much of that stuff and we won't be able to see the visuals.
[At last the scene faded in, darkness melting and giving way to light, color, sound. The setting looked to be a stovetop, filmed from above.
"Hey guys, what's up?" came the cheerful, frivolous voice of Yuuji Norita. Given the camera angle, the boy was not currently in view. Two hands appeared briefly at the bottom of the screen, waving jauntily up at the audience. In front of where Yuuji would surely be, four stovetop burners were curled up in place, arranged in a square. Beyond them, gray countertops stretched on past the camera's range of sight. "Hello to everyone out there, and welcome!"
"My name is Yuuji Norita and I'm the host of the 'Here comes little Richie!' food blog," Yuuji stated, a sense of genuine warmth managing to permeate his words despite the requisite tagline. "For today, I wanted to make an entry that's a little bit different. I'm gonna do something that I've never tried before…"]
Ayumine34: omg is he making chocolate omg
REannai: No way
[A hand appeared again, reaching into view. It seemed that the boy had fully accepted his role as being an invisible voice for today. Yuuji's reach journeyed off-screen for just a moment before returning with a small selection of ingredients bags, sorting through them almost nervously before he set them out on the counter one by one.
"So," continued Yuuji, "ever since the whole thing regarding Nagisa, and, um, that whole reveal about his gender, I've been getting lots of comments, and…well. Even though that wasn't quite the way we had expected to tell you guys, at least the truth's out there now," the boy's tone dipped at the end just a tad, bringing a range to it that was almost a grumble. It was hard to blame him—the reveal had, of course, come with its share of awkward moments. "Still, in a way, part of me is kind of glad that people know about it now. Makes everything a lot easier. And Nagisa says that he's okay with it, so anyway."
"Um…" For one moment, it was easy to imagine Yuuji scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "Again, I want to express my appreciation to all of you for your support, and even though I feel like we covered a good amount of info in those few Q&A vids we did a while back, obviously there are still some unanswered questions. Still, like I've said, the main focus of this blog will always be food. You'll probably hear me make references to him every once in a while though—heh, because let's face it, I can't keep my mouth shut—and this is one of those times."
"We don't mean to rub it in your face or anything, and we- I'm not looking for attention. I just, well…I felt inspired to do something nice this Valentine's Day." Yuuji cleared his throat. "So yeah, join me and follow along!"]
breaktheSilence: Ahh, he's talking about when we learned about Nagisa's true gender
PopdropCandy: ohh yeah, a lot of people left, didn't they?
Sakuya97: still enough of us here to have a good time
thisisBananas: Honestly, Yuuji shouldn't be able to hear the haters over the sound of that hit-counter reaching a cool 1.5 million B)
PuddingLover08: At least Nagisa appeared in that one coming-out-ish video to tell us himself. That was brave! I really appreciated that.
["So, today I'm gonna be trying my hand at something new—making chocolate!" Yuuji announced with a flourishing motion. "As it turns out, there are actually a lot of good resources out there for beginners, and with all the cool toppings you could add, it's easy to customize whatever base you'd like to start with. Of course, you could also choose between using a ready-made kit or making the stuff from scratch, but I've decided to do something kind of in the middle for today. Making chocolate by hand remains a tradition that forms a huge part of this holiday, after all…"
Then a jump-cut to a close-up of what appeared to be a printed-out sheet of paper. At the top was written 'Ichiban Honmei Choco' in stark block letters. "And for those of you keeping track, yes, this is homemade 'I-really-mean-this-I-like-you chocolate'," Yuuji said with a wry voice.]
Kitchenetta: haha like Nagisa would expect anything less
["Today's recipe is from Strawberry Fields online, with big big thanks to Sara Hanako for granting permission that it be used here," Yuuji rambled on. "You can find the link down below-" The two hands gestured to underscore his message, making pinwheeling motions towards where the video description would be, "-and I'll be using…"
The shot changed to a panning frame of the items on the counter as Yuuji rattled off a list of ingredients. Bags of confectionary materials, a few cans of chocolate powder, and a pint of cream rested alongside an assortment of bowls, whisks and other baking implements.]
candyBarBells: Huh. Gotta say, I've never seen anything quite like this before…
Anonymous: wth that's so girly
WagaHaiNo: yeah, I love this guy, but making valentine's chocolate? really?
kirakira12: I was wondering if he was going to do something like this!
Cookiessi: guess that makes it official, Yuuji's the 'woman' of this relationship...
AiLoveYuu: *smack * git on outta here w that bs
Cookiessi: what? it's just true! I'm not saying anything different from what he's doing to embarrass himself right now.
PuddingLover08: Personally, any man who can actually bake for himself becomes 10x more attractive in my eyes. Go Yuuji!
Sugarrush: *O* CHOCOLAAAAATE
["Okay. With that, let's get to it! Here we go. First step…" Yuuji narrated, sliding a small pot towards himself before reaching out for a package of baking chocolate.
The audio faded for a moment as the footage began to cut through some of the wait time, fast-forwarding through sequences of Yuuji's arms, still seen from above: placing the pot on the burner, struggling to carefully open a bag of chocolate pieces, even flinching back in surprise after flicking on the stove fire.
"Alright, so you do this, and then…oh whoops," Yuuji muttered in order to illustrate the basic steps of his prep work. "Yup, I think I know what I'm doing."]
Yuuhime: Yuuji! Please try this recipe! It's one of my favorites: [link]
kaba4: You moron, he can't see that now. This video is posted after the fact!
banhammerGod: not to mention pls don't clog up the video's visuals with spam such as links
[Soon, all of the materials were spread out over the counter and the cooking had officially gotten underway.
"Now, some of you have asked how the heck things work between us," Yuuji said, getting a bit chatty as he sifted cocoa powder into a bowl. "With Nagisa and I both being guys and all. How we like, handle certain events and other things. And, well, I don't want to give off the wrong impression or anything by doing this, so...I guess should explain just a little bit."
"The way we handle Valentine's Day, well—it's usually a mutual thing," he said. "I uh, don't know if that's how most couples like us do things but that's just how it ended up happening between us two. But like I said, I felt inspired this year, and I care about him, and wanted to express that somehow, so yeah! That's a good enough reason for a video, I think."
He tapped a spoon on the edge of the bowl, creating a sound almost like a starting gong. "To tell the truth though, although I love tasting and critiquing, I'm actually not much of a cook myself, so…"
Then a sudden jump-cut to the side, Yuuji looming over the as-yet-unused ingredients with an intimidating glint in his eyes. "Is it a Valentine's gift, or a curse? We'll just have to wait and see…"]
Menyuu: omg Yuuji that cut was so awkward, pls
KetchuptoMyLevel: So this isn't a "how-to" video, it's more like a "let's cook"! lol
23flora: This is so sappy it's making my teeth melt…
PuddingLover08: I know, but in a good way! I just can't look away lol
[The video continued, footage fading and melding through step after step, Yuuji's voice calmly narrating through each of his actions. Heating ingredients in a stove pot and giving the mix an occasional poke with a spatula. Sifting various powders into another bowl. Some slight clanging off-screen until the top of Yuuji's head reappeared, covered by a baseball hat as always, the boy huffing while he brought out a palm-sized baking pan and placed it on the counter for later.
Between steps, Yuuji would often return to the recipe sheet, his finger tracing down its instructions as he muttered softly to himself.]
Dip-Dop: Man, he checks that recipe plan about five times per minute, hahaha
Kinchouheichou: Aww, he's nervous about this, isn't he? You can hear it in his voice. Can't say I blame him, though…
["Huh…" said Yuuji after a while, pouring the contents of one smaller bowl into another. "Y'know, this doesn't really take as long as I had expected. In fact, it's surprisingly easy! Man, how come more guys don't do this?"]
PuddingLover08: Yeah, why don't more guys do this? ;)
xKaZaPx: Take note, people!
xxIyana: Aww c'mon, that's not fair…
[After stirring, the overhead shot lingered for a moment as Yuuji frowned down at what he had so far. Inside of the bowl was something that vaguely resembled a heap of cookie dough caked in powder. "Hmm…this doesn't look quite right, does it?"
There was a dramatic pause before his two hands made an 'ah-ha!' gesture. "Oh man, I bet I forgot something. Hold on, guys…" A corny sound effect of a tape-re-winding occurred as the footage entered double-speed mode, skipping through Yuuji going back to add one more ingredient, reaching over the counter and popping open a tiny bottle and measuring out some liquid, consulting the recipe yet again as he dropped it into the mix.]
SukiTsuki: Go, Yuuji! Way to persevere!
lollillolli: All this excitement is infectious!
Hirohitototo: Man, get a load of this kitchen though…you can see it when the camera changes to those side-angle shots. It's huge as a western-style mansion in there.
Razzmatazz: I know, right? So jealous.
KetchuptoMyLevel: Come to think of it, I think this is the first time we've ever seen his house.
Pasta_Is_The_Best: Quick, someone call Gossip magazine so they can try to figure out where he lives, lol
["Y'know, one of the most important parts of this process that people often don't pay enough attention to is the importance of getting quality ingredients," Yuuji spoke up once again after the footage speed had returned to normal, apparently doling out some cooking advice as part of the 'show'."For example, everything that I'm using today are materials from top-notch brands in their own right. Starting with stellar ingredients lets you reach even greater perfection once they're all combined. Simple math. Delicious plus scrumptious equals delectable."]
Umamimommy: omg we get cooking tips too! I knew there was another reason to watch this video.
Hikarei: *taking notes*
Dip-Dop: As expected from the Prince of Food Blogging!
["As for my sources, I had some members of the house staff give me recommendations on what works best for making this style of sweets," mentioned Yuuji offhandedly. Then he seemed to catch himself. "Uh, but that's it! I swear! They helped me with picking out mixing tools and stuff, but aside from that this is entirely self-made!"
"Sure, I had a little help along the way," he said, throwing a few extra chocolate chips into the main mixing bowl. "But the rest of this is real! It might be messy, but it's from the heart!"]
Tasketeh: He didn't want anybody else to help, aww.
norinattonori: "house staff" - this kid has full-on servants are you kidding me
Pasta_Is_The_Best: "house staff" = MAIDS
ravioliformuoli: rich kids must have it nice, huh
doughshtay: kinda makes me hate him a little tho
Ratman: 1) try to make chocolate exactly like Yuuji
Ratman: 2) no huge house, no maids; failed step 1
humdrum101: can't wait until I hit the big time and then all this will be mine
Bakaka: ^^are you stupid? you know what the chances of that are?
KillLaCannoli: honestly, loving this guy and yet still kinda hating him is part of the fun for me tbh
ravioliformuoli: Ikr. It's the same kind of entertainment as watching those mean judges on cooking shows.
SoSugoi: the Prince is working in his own kitchen lol
[Time went by, the film style become looser and less static, changing in accordance to what appeared to be Yuuji's whims. Footage faded in order to transition smoothly between shots, showing scenes from the point of view of the cupboards, from behind the stove pots. A close-up on cream bubbling inside a saucepan. A sideview pointed up from the counter, showing Yuuji standing with a glass bowl held to his chest, gripping it tightly as he stirred. To any experienced eye, the angles were nothing too professional. But at the very least, they did try to give a different look at each stage of the baking experience.
Meanwhile, before long a new sound began filtering through the video recording.]
whodat321: what's that? is Yuuji humming?
1Mixie1: he's singing omg omg omg
Menyuu: Haha how sentimental can you get
["Oh won't you please I said~, just stay right here with me~… Nanananananah~… Shut up and dance with me!" A spatula flicked, leading to a line of chocolate appearing on the counter as Yuuji grinned his way through an impromptu musical number. His movements began to pick up the pace, buoyed by the good mood that his singing was surely meant to channel. Endless snatches of songs, all of them cheesy, spilled from his mouth as he started on a second round of baking. According to his earlier narration he had decided to make multiple different batches, so the process was supposed to take a while.
"Why do I keep running from the truth~, all I ever think about is you~…" he warbled through another tune. "'Cause I'm trying, trying to walk away~, but I know this crush ain't going away, -ay, -ay, -ay-yeaahhh," sang Yuuji as the steps gradually came together in front of him.
Always in view were Yuuji's hands, mixing, grabbing, reaching, tapping rhythmically on the countertop. Occasionally he would hum, mumbling through a line of lyrics which he had clearly forgot, the upbeat tone of his words nevertheless remaining unchanged. "…and he's the only one for me, yes, he's the only one I see…"]
Sugarrush: Kyaaaaaaaaa! ^/o/^
BreadPantheon: awwwwwwww, cute! this is too cute!
PuddingLover08: Nooooo I didn't sign up to have my heart melted todayyy Q_Q
Sakusakura: Is he changing those lyrics to say 'boy' instead of 'girl'? Awwww that's extra adorable
XtraExtra: What's even funnier is knowing that he purposefully chose to keep this stuff in the video, and not take it out during editing, hahahaha
Hirohitototo: …Am I the only one who's gonna say it though? His singing voice isn't very good lol
Smiles2000: True, true. But it's Yuuji, so I like it!
Sakuya97: Honestly, I don't care, it's not that noticeable, all that matters is that he's singing
[After about a minute, the sound of Yuuji's voice finally fell silent as he stirred through the dark mixture inside of a bowl, which had by now taken on a distinctly appetizing shine.
"Hmm, I wonder what it'll taste like…" wondered Yuuji aloud. "What do you think, guys? Haha, just kidding. Your guess is as good as mine. Although since I added that hint of strawberry flavoring earlier, I'm hoping that the main batch'll be sweet, and maybe just different enough to stand out," he continued. "Gotta admit though, I am kinda worried, with it being my first solo baking attempt and all…"
"But it's all fine! That doesn't matter!" Yuuji declared as he triumphantly brandished a spoon. "I'm putting my feelings into this chocolate, so it must be good! Love is the greatest spice of all!"]
Ttbtt: aww, he's all giddy
Yuuhime: \^^ Everyone, let's all cast a wish to make Yuuji's chocolate delicious! *magic kiss whoosh*
Kyatto: *magic kiss whoosh*
PuddingLover08: *magic kiss whoosh*
Dip-Dop: *magic kiss whoosh*
1Mixxie1: *magic kiss whoosh*
chigakuruu: Will someone please tell this kid that chocolate isn't supposed to be spicy though?!
["Ah, come to think of it, in accordance with today's theme, let me tell you about some new pastry shops that I'd recommend," Yuuji narrated as he continued. "While checking out various shops in search of ingredients for today's activity, I ended up making a lot of nice discoveries. Look forward to hearing more about them in a future article!"
"But for now, I'll just tell you about the best of them all," he continued. "—a small outlet down near Eki station, known as Cacau Show! Apparently it's a famous brand, come all the way from Brazil. While I was visiting there, I ended up meeting and getting into a conversation with some weird tall guy. He had a military buzzcut and scars, and he was buying, like, ten boxes of macarons, as well as a tray of sugar flowers. Said they were for someone special…"
Yuuji gave a brief chuckle. "Heh. That guy really knows his stuff." ]
Pasta_Is_The_Best: It's sorta become like a talk show now lol
Yu_me_ni: so soothing~ this entire thing feels so welcoming somehow~
[At last the footage changed to a side-angle shot, showing Yuuji resting with his hands on his hips. "Whoo man, my arms are tired," Yuuji complained, the light sound of his breaths becoming just barely audible over the camera feed. Having to keep up constant movement and work through multiple batches must have taken its toll on him. "Honestly, if anything, this has made me realize that I've still got a lot to learn. Girls, I am so sorry for assuming so many things before. Guys, we really don't appreciate stuff like this enough…"]
doughshtay: looks like all that money went to his head and not his muscles lololol
Sugarrush: I wanna have what Yuuji's made! \ (^o^) /
RainonmyParade: Y'know, I'm gonna say something for a moment. I wasn't quite sure what to think at first, but if all m/m couples are like these two, I think that might be okay. I don't know any m/m couples irl, but if these two can be so kind, I can't bring myself to find anything wrong.
[comment has been deleted]
sunshineTime: Oh my godddddd, quit bringing this chat down with your sour words…we're all here for the sweetness and nothing more!
[Without any further ado, Yuuji began to take the bowls of chocolate and pour them into Valentine's-themed molds. Two of them were heart-shaped, about the size of a man's palm, while others were smaller and in the shape of flowers and additional hearts. For the second batch, he poured that bowl's mixture into the small rectangular pan from before.
"Oh man, this…doesn't look too bad?" Yuuji joked aloud, looking over the results. He gave an embarrassed laugh. "Although I've definitely seen better."
"I guess by my own standards, this might qualify as a two out of five, huh?" he said, referencing his own preferred rating system. "Hm. Maybe a three out of five. Yeah, let's say three out of five, just to be generous."]
killerQueen: Only 3/5 hahaha
xxIyana: On his own damn scale, no less
["Shut up!" Yuuji scolded, apparently anticipating the reaction and talking to the chat across the boundaries of time and space. "I'm a beginner, so it's okay! As long as it fits the holiday, that scores extra points."]
xX_Yuuji_Luvrr12_Xx: Ooooooh, watching this is so painful… T_T I'm so happy for them but so jealous at the same time!
norinattonori: of who, Yuuji or Nagisa?
DontSkipBreakfast: definitely Nagisa lol
thisisBananas: Heck, I'd be Yuuji's girlfriend if it meant that I'd get to eat a feast like this.
Hoshiizora: Come to think of it though, how does Yuuji have time for all of this cooking? Where are his parents?
KetchuptoMyLevel: "kay mom, I'm reserving the kitchen all day to make videos!" …And they don't even notice. How sad…
[At last, the recording seemed to reach a sense of finality. Yuuji stood with his arms crossed, looking over his work with a satisfied expression.
"Okay, everything's finally done," he said. "Leave it to chill-" Yuuji's voice continued over a shot of him opening the door of a refrigerator—industrial-sized, made of solid metal, tall and sleek—before placing the molds full of chocolate inside.
"And now…we wait."]
KittyKitKat: Yayyy that was fun
Ichigo15: Tru that
milkmalkmork: wait
kirakira12: omg
t1ckt0ck: what is he doing?
[The scene changed, leaping from a jump-cut to a shot that showed a clear path down the center of the kitchen aisle. The room stretched from one end to the other, forming a straight corridor with the counters and stove on one side and the kitchen's center island bordering the left. Softly, the intro to what sounded like an electronic club-music song began to play.
The figure of Yuuji silently walked out into the middle of the corridor, standing back by the refrigerator, far enough away for his entire body to be visible. He took up position at the center of the frame, or at least, surely his best guess as to where the center would have been.
For one moment Yuuji stood motionless. Then, right when the beat pulsed up until climax and lurched into a drop, he began to dance wildly.]
Dip-Dop: OH MY GODD
Sakuya97: YUUJI NO OMG
Misa11: HAHAHAHAHA
CutthroatChopped: WHAT IS THIS
PuddingLover08: he's GOING FOR IT
KetchuptoMyLevel: This is the greatest thing I've ever seen.
jeeperscreepers: As I thought, this is the most masculine way to do a time-passing montage…
AmeRain: IT LOOKS LIKE SIX DIFFERENT ROUTINES IN ONE THOUGH WHAT IS HE THINKING LMAO
justSayin: TWERK! YUUJI, TWERK!
Pasta_Is_The_Best: HIGH KICKS! SHOW US YOUR HIGH KICKS!
Ayumine34: No, no! Do a barrel roll! Somehow!
MerciMerciParfiat: lolol damn he should do more videos like these! dance-alongs, lol
norinattonori: *making memes of this as we speak*
[As a heavy beat pumped through the video's speakers, Yuuji's hips shook while he shimmied his shoulders back-and-forth. He waved his arms, carving out intricate patterns in the air. His head nodded, whipping around with such force that it seemed a miracle his hat didn't fly off. Meanwhile his legs were never still, pumping in time with the rhythm. Somehow he managed to avoid hitting anything for the most part, the counters only occasionally being used by Yuuji in order to brace himself against a nearby surface as a prop.
He leapt up, then dipped down, flowing from one movement into another, stringing together jerky steps that barely fit but yet somehow did, his entire body transformed into a strange amalgamation of motion. Yuuji rose back up unsteadily from a crouch, then tried his hand at a few moves which he obviously used to know but had become too rusty with over time to really have confidence in, even attempting something like breakdance at one point and failing, slipping and almost falling near the end of one very impressive shot.
In the middle of the entire interlude, Yuuji could be seen jittering over to the timer, glancing at the display and frowning, then going back to continue his dance over near the middle. Judging from the crooked smile on his face though, he seemed to be having fun.]
yamaneko: MORE DANCING
Daipurin: YESSSSSS
KetchuptoMyLevel: Oh man, he's really going for it. Don't tell me… he actually thinks he's good at this, doesn't he?
Artistscape: What if we got a blooper reel at the end of all this oh man please let that happen
SaMuRaI: buddy, this IS the blooper reel.
MushroomDirector: …Actually, yeah there wouldn't be much difference between the bloopers and the real thing, come to think of it.
[Suddenly the music cut off, Yuuji reappearing in a position much closer to the camera. He pulled out of another awkward pose and braced himself with both hands on his knees. "I don't know how people shake their butts like that in music videos, I can't do it at all," he groaned.]
okashimix: screaming inside my room rn
Yobesuke: That's okay Yuuji, some things aren't for everyone!
ForkYeah: I would no joke double my monthly donation if I could see that again.
Spoonslife: I'd double my monthly donation if it would guarantee that I'd never have to.
ThatGuy: ForkYeah, I have some good news: all you have to do is rewind the video
GrandmaOjisan: Ahh, to be young again…
[The footage resumed, angled to look over Yuuji's shoulder as he reached in and took the trays out of the refrigerator where they had been solidifying. Suddenly, he gave an audible gasp.
A jump-cut introduced a shot of all the trays laid out on the counter. One of the chocolate hearts was cracked across the top.]
Sakusakura: A broken heart!
MsSadou: That's terrible luck ahahahaha
PuddingLover08: That's okay, he still has another one! It'll be fine! Just do what I do and never tell your boyfriend about the failures!
[Yuuji silently, wordlessly, tried to paste the heart back together on-screen. After a few moments of hopeful pressing, unsuccessfully attempting to coax the two sides of chocolate to join back into becoming one, Yuuji seemed to give up. After another jump-cut, however, the footage showed him from the side, standing in front of a sleek silver microwave. Yuuji rose up on tip-toes and tugged open the door, placing a dish with the chocolate heart inside. A close-up on the microwave for a few moments showed the dish spinning as numbers counted down on the timer.
After the heart had been reheated a little, Yuuji laid it back out on the counter. He gently pressed both sides of the crack back together before pouring a new layer of melted chocolate over its surface. After another few seconds of time-skip movie-magic, the top layer had solidified. A slight seam still showed, but it was nothing too noticeable.]
Yakyuuboi: Nice save!
9ten11: My new favorite action movie: Yuuji's NicoNico channel
Coconutty: If you play dramatic music over the recording this part gets so much better holy crap hahahahaha
["Well," said Yuuji, his tone a bit strangled as he gazed over the final yield: two Valentine's hearts, a dozen or so smaller chocolates, most of which had managed to be removed from their molds while still remaining more-or-less intact, and a rectangular cake pan filled with something that looked more like goop than chocolate. "This looks…okay. Not what any of it looked like on the box, but whatever. Things should still taste pretty good!"
Then he glanced over at the cake, bringing it into focus. "But this bit…hm."
There was an extended pause. "M'kay."
After five whole seconds of silence, the camera angle seemed to shift slightly. Where the cake pan had been on the counter, was now a slightly different one, this pan filled with a dark brown substance that looked markedly more appealing.
"Hey guys. Alrighty, so now that we've got everything made, it's time to move on to the final process: packaging. But before that, decorations…"
Tomogiri: dang, did he just totally fail on that cake?
KarasuTengu: I think so… It looks like he might have redone a whole new batch off-screen.
Sekainotaro: That's definitely what he did
Megamegane: Yeah, you can tell from his change in vocal tone and hint of frustration… man, he sounds tired.
Rikahiiii: The lighting's different too…it must have taken him all afternoon.
NaNaHaNa: Poor Yuuji :(
[In the end, the final products were taken to a new, clean countertop. Yuuji had continued to narrate for the audience as he carefully teased the pieces onto plates for decoration: the half-dozen smaller chocolates, already placed in foil wrappers, two main chocolate hearts, and then in the middle, the 'cake' 2.0.
As Yuuji moved one of the smaller chocolates off to the side, the brush of his finger accidentally swept too low, jostling the face of the chocolate heart from before. "Whoops…" he muttered. Unfortunately, anyone could see it—that slight jostle had loosened part of the seam, and the chocolate heart looked like it might be threatening to crack again.
Yuuji stared down at it for a moment. "...That's okay, I'll fix it with frosting," he declared.]
UmamiUFO: Pfft
NaNaHaNa: LOL
mmmyum: "I'll fix it with frosting". Now that's quotable.
PlumPixie: so glad to know that it's not just me who's made these kinds of mistakes while baking!
Kawasenpai: tfw you wish your life could be fixed w/ frosting...
[Undeterred, Yuuji set to work, the footage fast-forwarding again to show him working through the confections at lightning speed, decorating the best he could with icing bags, forks, and spoons. On the other, more stable chocolate heart, he wrote out a squiggly 'N & Y 4evr'.
"Yeah, yeah, it's cheesy, I know," Yuuji grumbled, breaking across time in order to speak to the chat again. "But I don't have room for any other message, so."
MsSadou: Wait a minute, I recognize that brand of icing… Did this guy seriously make homemade chocolates but use store-bought frosting? lol
[Apparently Yuuji had bought a few bits and doodads for decoration, but not much. He added on sprinkles, going with a simpler style rather than an elaborate one, tracing out artistic designs and outlining hearts inside of hearts. He even tried some criss-crossing lines with icing, fanning them out into a spiderweb-like style.]
Wantsuu: His decorating is terrible lol
Shefusaikou: I think it's pretty good actually! Good for a guy, at least
KetchuptoMyLevel: My ex-girlfriend made better, hahaha. But yeah, gotta admit, it's not bad for a first try…
3sushi0: Yeah, if he had sharper lines, those would actually be some professional-looking patterns and swirls. Guess all that time spent around high-class eateries really rubbed off on him.
Ohnothewontons: As expected of this kid's food senses. ~*~Hail to the King. ~*~
["Okay, I think that's good enough. Hope he likes it! I'm so excited, you guys…" said Yuuji. "Now we just gotta package it somehow."
With determined, cautious movements, Yuuji set to work placing the sweets inside of a box. A happy, mindless tune played in the background as the footage zipped through his actions again. First, the smaller chocolates in their foils being arranged in a circle around the edges. Then, the two chocolate hearts, softly nestled down onto tissue paper. Finally, a thoroughly-frosted version of the thing-which-was-probably-still-a-cake-underneath, placed right in the middle.
The box Yuuji had chosen was large but shallow. It was colored white and shimmered beneath the bright kitchen lights. When Yuuji was done, he wrapped a large blue ribbon around the sides and topped it with a bow. Everything had needed to kind of squish in order to make it all fit inside, but then, at last, it was done.]
KittyKitKat: So pretty~
ReiKira: Almost pretty enough to be considered worthy of Nagisa
candyBarBells: Danggg you sure this isn't overkill, Yuuji? haha
["Phew!" Filmed from the side, Yuuji flopped down onto a nearby dining table with apparent exhaustion. "Oh god, I take it all back. That was tough-"
"But fun!" chirped his voice as the camera snapped back into the kitchen, Yuuji shown standing in front of a thoroughly-used countertop. His shirt and hoodie were covered in patches of flour and smudged cocoa powder. A few streaks were mashed into the leg of his jeans, as if he had wiped one hand there and then forgotten about it. There was a speck of frosting by his ear that didn't look like the boy would ever notice it anytime soon. Some flecks of chocolate even marred the 'NY' label on his hat.
"God, just look at me." Yuuji said, angling the camera up and down himself to show a panning body shot. He shook out one hand in a gesture of surrender. "Welp, that's what I get for not wearing an apron, I guess."]
xX_Yuuji_Luvrr12_Xx: *thinks of Yuuji in an apron*….Kya! ^v^
AiLoveYuu: screw off, you creep! he's just stating normal things
AhoAhoAho: Yeah, haha I can understand not wanting to look any more girly, but that might have been a bad move, dude. Not worth the loss of such nice duds right before a big day for dates.
WagaHaiNo: Actually, now I feel kinda bad for teasing him about that earlier. is there any way to delete a comment from the chat history?
["Annnnnd there you have it! First attempt at hand-making chocolate, successful!" Yuuji cheered, the shot pulling in to create a slight-more-flattering frame. "Thank you all so much for following along with me, and I hope it managed to put a bit of fun in your Valentine's Day."
For a moment, Yuuji cocked his head to the side in a playful show of pretend. "Hmm, what am I forgetting? Oh yeah, White Day…" Yuuji brushed one hand through his hair in a show of self-consciousness. "Well, he doesn't need to get me anything," Yuuji said, a streak of honesty showing through his voice. "I mean, I'm not a girl, so…that might just make things kinda awkward, to be honest. Although there's nothing wrong with getting free cookies on any day of the week."]
Eienalways: "I'm not a girl" - even though he just did all this stuff lol
[Yuuji shrugged. "Plus, I don't know if he'll even watch this, it's not like he really goes through this blog. And I'm not gonna hold him to that 'three times more expensive' rule or anything, I mean, that'd just be way too much…"]
ManekiInu: hahahahahahaha good luck to nagisa, finding a reciprocal gift for a rich man.
Parmesanfan: anybody have some good ideas for nagisa's sake
norinattonori: #savenagisa2017
AshtaForever: Whenever I'm sad, I'm gonna come back to this video and rewatch it in order to cheer me up, haha. It's worked like a charm so far.
["Alright!" said Yuuji. He winked and made a finger-gun at the camera with one hand. "The big day approaches. I'll let you guys know how it goes…"
After a five second pause, the visuals slowly faded to black.]
Coacoakoko: Aww, it's over? That was so sweet.
Sama1zama: Thanks for your hard work~
OmeraisuEater: I think it was a valiant effort, no matter the result.
PuddingLover08: All men take note! This is what girls expect!
dragonbutler: eeehh, c'mon, that's way too hard on us…
1Mixie1: wait… guys, the vid's not over yet!
[All at once the scene burst back to life, a shock of white nearly washing out the background.
"Hey guys!" Yuuji called, waving at the camera. He was sitting in a rolling chair and dressed in different clothes. He appeared to be in a different setting, with a neutral-colored wall behind him. It had probably been filmed from inside his room.
"So, I'm sure you've all been chomping at the bit to know how things went." Yuuji grinned. Then he turned his face away and frowned toward the ground for a moment. "And, well…honestly, I didn't mean to get your hopes up, or anything… After all, one should never assume…and, well, some parts of my presentation could have been better, to be honest…but still…"
"Nagisa liked it!" Yuuji burst out, looking back up towards the camera with a smile spreading across his face like a ray of sunshine. "Said that he really appreciated the time and effort it must have taken. He looked really happy too, haha…"]
kirakira12: Yayyyyy!
PuddingLover08: Hurray! Congratulations, Yuuji. ^o^
Sakuya97: I think Yuuji looks more happy here than I've ever seen him, though
AkunoHana: These two r so sappy get outta my sight (jk I'm just jealous forreal)
otakulyfe: Boooo, I wanted to see Nagisa-chan's cute face again!
Chottospice: umm, but didn't they already talk a little bit about that though? how they didn't want this to be a big deal, so they weren't gonna hype things up a whole lot about themselves?
Megamagane: Yeah, famous people tend to really value privacy anyways, and I kinda prefer my celebrities to be more humble than flashy tbh. He's probably just trying to keep the people that he loves safe.
Megamegane: also, Yuuji's asked that we not call Nagisa '-chan'.
otakulyfe: What? Why?
Megamegane: It's just his preference, so don't do it.
["I could tell from the look on his face that the first bite wasn't spectacular or anything, though," Yuuji said before laughing off the remark. "Oh well!"
Right on cue, a badly-edited graphic of a cut-and-paste star fell from above, Yuuji ducking his head beneath it as if pretending to get crushed. "So the score remains three outta five! Ouch! But hey, there's always next year," he said, shrugging off the star graphic. "Plenty of time to improve. I'd like to see some of the pro chefs that I've judged show such initiative. After all, I tried something new! And the person that they were meant for enjoyed it. So overall, I'd rate that a great success."
SugarSpiceNice: Is he blushing?
xX_Yuuji_Luvrr12_Xx: He is, haha! He has a tendency to do that, I've noticed.
Pasta_Is_The_Best: I wonder what Nagisa gave him in thanks… ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
clickiticlick: …A kiss. He mentioned on his twitter being happy that he had 'finally gotten a kiss for valentine's day'. It's obvious. You sickos.
[["And finally, hey, to all of you people watching out there…" Yuuji said, his tone becoming serious for a moment. "I wanted to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day. I hope that the day brings with it something that makes you stop and feel loved, even for a moment. It's a day all about love, so y'know, celebrate that however you'd like. Love for a project. Love for your hobbies. If you're dating someone, make sure to reach out and make them feel special. If you're not, then cool, just take the time to focus on something that's important to you. Show some appreciation, whether there's a thank-you that you haven't told to someone yet, people who have helped you recently, or if there's a significant other in your life." He gave a small smile. "No matter who they might be."
"Or, y'know, just make it a special day for your friends. Or relatives, or other loved ones. Heck, even yourself! There's nothing wrong with doing something nice for yourself every once in a while, 'cause you know who's always gonna be there for you? You!"said Yuuji, getting more animated in his speech. "Whatever different kind of love, it all counts."
"And it doesn't even have to be on the specific day!"he said, waving a hand through the air."This day is just supposed to be, like, a reminder of something we should all keep in mind anyway. To set aside some time, and make an effort to do nice things for those that make you happy. Whoever they are and whatever they mean to you."
Yuuji smiled. "Me, personally, I'm so happy to have all of you listeners out there in my life, supporting me and letting me pursue what I love most: food." He paused for laugh. "And Nagisa. Nagisa now, too."
"So yeah," he nodded, signing off. "I hope that you guys all have, or uh, had, a Happy Valentine's Day. And thank you for sharing this one with me."]
SukiTsuki: Aww…that's just what I needed to hear this year
SugarSpiceNice: He's right!
KuroGashiki: You know, things like this are why I really love Yuuji.
Ichigo15: *comforts self with food and Yuuji videos on a lonely Feb. 14th*
Ichigo15: *…gets to this part of the vid and begins to realize that maybe I'm not so alone after all *
Anonymous: stuff like this makes me wonder just how much Yuuji takes after his dad. do you think he was able to make all this because he's already pretty comfortable in front of the camera?
Kyarameru: Yeah, sometimes I really wonder how similar they are…
Pasta_Is_The_Best: This guy seems to have picked up on the whole public-speaking part of that job, at least.
TadashiiOne: Well, whatever. Yuuji's the only guy I need to know. I don't care too much about who his famous dad is, tbh, the only person I care about is Yuuji. Well done, and keep going, li'l richie.
["Alrighty then. That's it, everyone!" Yuuji cheered. "I appreciate you following along with me on this amazing and messy Valentine's Day journey. Keep on the lookout for more food content coming in the near future, and I appreciate every single last one of you. Thanks for watching and make sure to click like, comment, and subscri- OH WAIT SYKE! Haha just kidding."
"See you food-lovers in the next amazing post. Buh-bye!" Yuuji grinned, signing off with a corny pose, mimicking one of the worst ones from his dance routine.]
norinattonori: even more joke material. this kid is gold.
xX_Yuuji_Luvrr12_Xx: Yuuji! I will follow you to the ends of the earth!
[Suddenly, after another few seconds of darkness, the footage faded in again.]
justHere4f00d: ? bonus round?
Pasta_Is_The_Best: NAGISA? DO WE GET TO SEE TWINTAILS?
[The footage made a slow pan across the kitchen, eventually scrolling over to where Yuuji stood on the side. There was a slight zoom-in on Yuuji's face, the boy's eyes wide and his expression drawn tight in horror. He opened his mouth to speak:
"…And then my mother made me clean all of this by hand in order to 'build character'."]
Afterword: A lot of inspiration was taken from the video "Valentine's Day Making chocolate for Jun!" by Rahcel and Jun on YouTube, although Yuuji's decorations are definitely not quite up to that par!
Oh yeah, and the tall guy Yuuji mentions in the sweets shop is meant to be Takaoka, in a tribute to some friends of mine. ;)
For those who don't know: the tradition of Valentine's Day is different in Japan—it's considered a day for women to give gifts of affection to men in their life. There is a reciprocal day, White Day, when men are supposed to give gifts in return to the women who gave them presents, so. That's why the chat keeps commenting on Yuuji's choice.