Expectations When Expecting

Book 1, Chapter 11

Yuu wasn't very fond of using knives, having almost cut off her finger at a young age when her uncle had allowed her to try peeling a chestnut. She hated it yet found that it was the easiest way to actually peel a chestnut.

She huffed, blowing on her fingers as she peeled a still-hot chestnut that hadn't quite cooled off.

"Ha! Weak." Ace stated, blowing on his fingers as he attempted to peel the chestnut in his hands, putting the knife down to go rinse his hands in cold water.

"Says you? The guy using cold water?" She grumbled, allowing the knife to glide across the skin of the chestnut. Once it did that, Yuu peeled the skin and placed the nut onto the plate.

Ace grumbled something, watching the others peeling the chestnuts with magic.

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Yuu refused to admit the sudden nausea that hit her had happened because of the sweet scent of milk, chestnuts and sugar and the heat of the room.

Trey had instantly noticed Yuu's pale complexion, allowing her to go sit outside for a bit while her dizziness subsided.

Currently, the young woman was sitting outside, resting her head on the wall and praying that no spiders would climb onto her. As hard and raspy as the stone wall was, Yuu liked how cool it felt. She kept her eyes closed before she heard the door open behind her.

"You okay, Yuu?" Deuce.

She gave a short nod. "M'fine... Heat made me dizzy though." She muttered.

"Yikes. I brought you water, if that'll help." Deuce said, offering her a cool water bottle, which she took gratefully.

Opening it, she took a sip, hoping that it would settle her stomach. Yuu finally sat up, giving Deuce a weak, yet thankful smile.

"Sorry if I caused any trouble." She said, "Apparently, I can't handle sweet smells in hot temperatures."

Deuce nodded sympathetically before speaking again.

"Are you okay now?" He asked, watching Yuu take a sip of the water. She nodded, relieved at the coolness of the water.

"Yeah. I think I'm fine now." Yuu nudged the blue-haired boy. "Let's go back in before Ace chews us out."

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"I just need to add butter and sugar to the chestnut paste..." Trey's voice rang in the kitchen as Deuce and Yuu entered. "and a sensible splash of oyster sauce."

Yuu did a bit of a double take, freezing as she thought about what the boy had said. "That's my secret ingredient!" She heard the tall boy remark.

"What the-" She mouthed before Ace and Deuce snapped themselves out of the shock.

"Oyster sauce?!" They yelped.

"Yep." Trey confirmed. "The umami of the oysters gives the cream a deep, savory flavor."

Yuu pressed her lips into a line, looking at Trey to see if he was joking in any way.

"I use this one here: Walrus-brand Young Oyster Sauce." Trey handed the two boys the bottle, seemingly forcing himself not to smile.

"All the best bakers use it in their tarts." Trey smiled, making Yuu sigh in relief. Oh thank goodness. Now I know it's a joke.

"Really? But isn't oyster sauce like, super salty?" Deuce asked.

"Some folks put chocolate into curry, don't they? Maybe it's the same idea." Ace shrugged, accepting the answer.

Unsurprisingly, Trey didn't last much longer, bursting into near hysterical laughter for a good two minutes. Yuu rolled her eyes, a small smirk forming on her face. As stupid as it was, Trey's laughter was somewhat contagious.

"I'm totally lying! No one in their right mind would put oyster sauce into a pastry." He finally revealed, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Called it!" Said Yuu, proudly. "Gotta admit though, you had me in the first half, not gonna lie."

"What?! So you were just yankin' our chain this whole time?!" Ace cried, bewildered at having fallen for such an obvious prank.

"I mean, if you'd used your brain, you'd have realized how ridiculous it was! Let that be a lesson to you. Don't believe everything you hear." Trey said, a very slight lecture being given.

Yuu nodded. "He's right. It's best to not be so oblivious." She agreed.

"Henchman?!" Grim yelped before pouting, turning away from her. "Feh. And here I thought you humans were actually somewhat decent."

"Aww c'mon Grim!" Yuu giggled, amused at Grim's sulking form. "I didn't do it to be malicious.

She smiled, walking over to Grim, kneeling to be able to look him in the eye. "Tell ya what? If you forgive me and you promise to behave, I'll design a batch of butter cookies just for you."

Grim's eyes widened at the mention of food. "Really?!" He turned to look at her. "Deal!"

She extended her hand to the cat, and shook his paw. She heard Trey chuckle behind her.

"Alright!" Trey clapped his hands, effectively getting the group's attention. "Next, I'll put in the cream... Oh!" Trey seemed to pause, looking a little sheepish as he turned back to the group.

"What's wrong?" Ace hesitantly asked, clearly worried about having to be put to work again.

"You guys gathered so many chestnuts that we may have overdone it with the chestnut paste." Trey laughed awkwardly, clearly hinting at the need to go buy more cream. "I don't think we have enough cream to mix in." He informed them.

"Then I'll go buy some. Do they sell it at the school store?" Deuce asked.

"They sell pretty much everything, so... probably." Trey shrugged, adding, "Can I have you pick me up a few other things?" Wow. He's taking advantage of the situation.

"I need two cartons of milk, two packs of eggs, some muffin cups, five cans of fruit..." Trey listed, writing on a pad of paper before handing it to Deuce.

"I don't think I'll be able to carry all that back..." Deuce muttered, turning to Yuu. "Hey, Yuu, could you come with me?"

She gave him a small smile, somewhat relieved at being given the chance to leave. "I've never been to the school store before, but... Sure." She agreed, fighting back a laugh as she heard Ace protest from next to Trey.

"Then I'm comin' too! I'm getting dizzy from all this stirrin'. I need a break!" Grim complained, taking his spot on Yuu's shoulder.

She sighed, before gesturing for Deuce to lead the way.