Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 25 25. "Shionji Sayori"

"Long time no see, Saori-senpai!"

Asami excitedly shouted and greeted the newcomers. She omitted the yo sound in Sayori and directly read it as saori. This imaginative and unique nickname is very much in Asami's style.

Masumi couldn't help but wonder what she would be like if she followed this style: masumi (真澄)... maumi (真海)? Too weird.

"Long time no see, Mami-chan. It's been a while since anyone called me that."

Although she was only as tall as Mami's chest, the way the girls addressed her revealed the subtle authority of a senior. This must be the senior who was good at making desserts that Mami mentioned, Masumi thought.

After shaking his head to dispel the random thoughts in his mind, he walked over to greet her, "I'm the barista Masumi Miyazawa, please give me your guidance."

After a moment's notice, he showed a slightly surprised expression after seeing the person's appearance clearly.

It turned out to be the girl who reminded him last time at the convenience store.

Is there such a coincidence?
The girl who called herself "Shionji Sayori" also had an impression of him and smiled with narrowed eyes, "Ah, we meet again, so you are Masumi-kun."

"Do you know each other?" Mami looked at the two of them suspiciously.

"I saw her at the convenience store yesterday..." Masumi briefly explained to her what happened yesterday.

"Hmm, I see." Mami nodded. "That strawberry and banana smoothie is delicious even as freeze-dried fruit."

Her focus was on the odd one.

Then he looked at Shionji Sayori and asked, "Why is Saori-senpai there?"

"My hotel is not far from here. Yesterday, I took a walk along the beach to watch the sunset and ended up there."

"It just so happens that this place is not far from Sannomiya. After it gets dark, we can take a bus directly from here to Mount Maya."

"But what a coincidence." She tilted her head and smiled, "This must be a fateful meeting."

Then he slowly raised his head to look at Masumi and said, "I was just kidding."

The familiar language style makes Masumi feel like she has seen it before. Is it true that the culinary research department of Shiga Prefecture High School is a gathering of mischievous ghosts?
Sayori Shionji is Asami's senior in the culinary research club when she was in high school in Shiga. According to Asami, she is currently working in a Japanese confectionery shop in Tokyo. This time she was on vacation and happened to be traveling around Hanshin to relax, so she was invited by Asami.

"The night view of Mt. Rokko is so beautiful! It's worthy of being one of the three great night views. It's even more beautiful than what you see in the photos."

Sayori Shionji squinted her eyes and sighed, then looked at the other two girls who were walking over.

"I'm Kamishiro Rinone. Thank you very much, Miss Shionji, for taking the time and energy to guide me. Please give me your guidance."

The black-haired, purple-eyed girl bowed politely and expressed her gratitude with great courtesy. Kuon Mirai followed suit.

"Hello, there's no need to be so serious."

Sayori Shionji had a friendly smile on her face and looked like someone who was easy to get along with.

"You're Asami's friends, so you're my friends too. Just consider it a small favor for a friend."

She was petite and everyone present was taller than her. Shionji Sayori raised her head, her eyes, with the whites of her eyes being larger than her pupils, rolled around, and then she spoke with a smile on her face.

"Time is tight, so let's get started now without further ado."

Without any greetings, she followed the others into the kitchen. Although she spoke a little slowly, she was a decisive and active person in this regard.

Tools and other items are all laid out on the counter, and the ingredients for the prepared snacks are placed in the refrigerator.

Sayori Shionji glanced at the tools on the counter and nodded with a satisfied expression. "Very thoughtful preparations. It seems you've put a lot of effort into it."

As she spoke, she skillfully tied her apron and walked to the refrigerator to check the raw materials. Her movements were elegant and calm, like a queen inspecting her territory.

"I'm so sorry to bother you while Miss Shionji is on vacation..."

"It's okay, don't be so reserved. I really enjoy guiding others in making pastries."

"To be honest, I was a little surprised when Mami found me. I felt like I was desperate, after all, I make Japanese pastries."

"Because among the people I know, you're the only one who can make snacks and has the time."

Asami's carefree and direct words frankly reveal a sense of intimacy.

"I think the combination of a cafe and Japanese sweets might be popular." Masumi expressed his thoughts. He narrowed his eyes slightly, thought for a moment, and then described it in one sentence.

“It feels very Kobe-like.”

When he said this, he saw the girl in front of him was slightly stunned, then nodded in understanding, and smiled faintly.

"What an interesting metaphor, it's really like that." The three major cities in the Keihanshin region have developed their own distinct memories after hundreds of years of trials and tribulations.

If we were to say that Kyoto, with its long history, is like a dignified lady from a distinguished family, dressed in a gorgeous twelve-kimono and walking gracefully on Ninenzaka in wooden clogs, her figure would be as gorgeous as falling flowers in the spring breeze.

Kobe, the earliest port to be opened and deeply influenced by Western style, is a Chinese lady holding a lace umbrella, wearing a kimono with small sleeves, a hakama skirt and a bow, full of romantic style that blends Japanese and Western styles.

The strange combination of Japanese sweets and Western-style cafes in Kobe always creates a subtle feeling that is both unexpected and reasonable.

This subtle feeling gives people anticipation.

With this expectation, Sayori Shionji began to make sweets.

The open flame flickered.

There was a slight sound, like something crackling, in the kitchen.

Shionji Sayori was grilling something on the grill. Masumi and the other three watched as she deftly placed the red bean paste in the dish, like apprentices watching their master, and passed it to them.

Four freshly baked glutinous rice cakes with red bean filling are dotted on the surface with a light brown color, exuding the unique aroma of baked food.

"Please try it, everyone."

"Okay! I won't be polite then." Asami immediately smiled, "Ah... um..."

Masumi and the others also reached out to the freshly-made glutinous rice cakes—

——Crunch, crunch.

The sound of chewing the burnt skin.

The first thing you notice when you bite into it is the fiery, crispy texture of the glutinous rice cake. The aroma of the pastry fills your nostrils.

It really is the feeling of freshly baked dim sum.

After the lips and tongue warm up, they come into contact with the cool and moist temperature of the red bean paste, and at the same time, the sweet taste spreads in the mouth.

The two completely different temperatures and textures created the wonderful taste of the red bean glutinous rice cake. Masumi ate it with gusto. It was truly an amazing snack.

"Well, this is amazing, so delicious!" Jiuyuan Mirai chewed the glutinous rice cake with shining eyes, and his face puffed up like a squirrel stuffed with nuts.

Lin Yin nodded slightly and said, "Not very sweet."

For people who don’t like sweets, this should be the highest praise.

Looking at the four people's satisfied expressions because of the handmade snacks, Sayori Shionji slightly curled her lips.

"This dessert must be eaten while hot to enjoy its best flavor. Customers at Japanese confectionery shops usually take it home, so it's perfect for dining in at a coffee shop."

"Thank you for your trouble." Linyin politely swallowed the food in her mouth before thanking her.

"Well, let me teach you how to do it next."

"First, let's process the glutinous rice flour, which is the basis for making glutinous rice cakes. When adding water, add it little by little and pay attention to controlling the humidity." As she spoke, she gently kneaded the glutinous rice flour mixture with her fingers, her gestures elegant and natural.

"Saori-senpai, is there any special trick to this humidity?"

Shionji Sayori smiled, "The trick is to feel it. It's not good to be too wet, and it's not good to be too dry either. Like this—" She handed the prepared dough to Mami, "It feels soft when you pinch it, but it's not sticky."

Next was the red bean paste. Although the red bean paste was purchased, Sayori Shionji still instructed them on how to make the flavor richer.

“Add a little salt while steaming,” she said. “Not too much. The salt will bring out the sweetness, but not overpower it.”

While Rin and Asami were learning how to make pastries, Masumi was not idle either. After asking a few people about their tastes, he used the coffee machine to make four servings of coffee. He first handed one of the cups to Kuon Mirai who was studying at the guest table.

She took the coffee and whispered "thank you". The thick notebook shook gently in her hand, and the fluorescent word cards trembled slightly.

When I walked into the kitchen, I saw that the counter was already filled with multiple copies of several Japanese snacks. Since Sayori Shionji would make them before they were burnt and ruined, they were all edible and were expected to be our snacks for the next week.

Asami was trying to make pancake crust. As she kneaded the dough, she would look at Sayori Shionji from time to time, trying to find inspiration from her movements.

The serious look was in stark contrast to her usual frivolous image. Masumi thought for a moment, then walked closer and said to her, "Oh, Seno, that expression is rare."

This was just a joke. Mami was slightly taken aback after hearing this, then raised the corner of her lips and said:
"Well, since I'm not good at it, I need to focus more."

　Today I went to see a female friend whom I hadn’t seen for a long time. I updated a little late. My childhood sweetheart whom I hadn’t seen for five years (laughs)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)