The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

"Okay... Anyway, we've met today, and there will always be opportunities to get to know each other better in the future. Now I'm going to teach Xiaoyi how to make snacks. Do you want to join us?"

"Hey, hey, I'm going!"

"...Today I have an appointment with the chef from Qianlong Pavilion to learn cooking."

"As for me, my latest model of fireworks is almost ready, so I'll continue today~"

Asuna was attending, and Karin and Akane also had their own schedules, which were basically the same as he knew. Heishin nodded and looked at Nel, who was standing nearby and yawning, and asked, "What about Nel? What should we do?"

"As for me... I'll come and observe and learn today. Anyway, I'm different from them and don't have anything special I want to do." Nilu said as she put her arm on Koito's shoulder. It was really not easy... Facing Koito who didn't dare to move, she continued: "Then let's get along happily today, junior~"

"Shh~!...Yes, yes——" Although she had a slight advantage in height, Fukumaru Koito completely lost to Nel in terms of momentum. Her body subconsciously straightened like a soldier waiting for the instructor to call her name.

"What a surprise! I thought you were going for a walk or playing games today... Have you changed your personality?"

"Ha... After all, doing the same thing every day can get a bit boring, so you should find new fun every now and then, right?"

He didn't know whether Nelulu was happy or not, but Koito certainly couldn't be happy now.

"You look like a delinquent who's been tagged along under the guise of building good relations. You should learn some self-defense from me, Koito. This shoulder throw is really useful."

Although he does not have an advantage in physique and strength, he can make up for it or even surpass it by relying on ripples.

"Eh?...But aren't we here to learn how to make pastries today?"

"Ah, that's true... By the way, you don't have to be so nervous, okay? Although her attitude and words are a bit rude, Nel is much cuter now than before. Just take a look at her and you'll see~"

“…Tsk, you—!”

"hi...!" She bared her teeth and clicked her tongue. Putting aside her body shape, she looked like a bad guy. She scared Fukumaru Koito so much that she let out a strange cry. She was always so timid when dealing with strangers.

Faced with Pingxin who did not give her face, Nilu's way of revenge was to chase him and use Wolf Fang Wind Fist. Her little fists hit him madly to urge him to move forward, while Pingxin cooperated with her in a fast and slow manner. The two big kids had a lot of fun.

Eh? ...It seems....it's really not scary?

"...Hey hey~"

......

...

..

"Since White Day is approaching, today's topic is of course chocolate snacks. Let's work hard together~"

"oh--!"

“Eh? Oh~?”

"Haa ...

Perhaps because of the short ally's +1, Nilu was particularly talkative and enthusiastic today. While things were getting better, that didn't mean the past was over. She remained cautious and rarely spoke to strangers.

But in other words, she is now treating Fukumaru Koito as her own person——

"I, I understand!..Hehehe, thank you, Nilu-senpai~"

"Tsk... no need to be so polite. There are no 'outsiders' here anyway, right? That guy must want you to treat this place like your own home, right?"

Although it was a question, they actually already had the answer in their hearts. After all, these two people have an extraordinary chemistry. Although most of the time they quarrel because someone takes the initiative to be mean, the fact that they can always accompany him in the quarrel without getting angry, doesn't that already speak volumes?

"...Nobu-chan?" Fukumaru Koito's lavender eyes forgot to turn around. They were watery and round, adorable no matter how you looked at them, except that they looked a bit like his cat acting coquettishly.

"Well - to be honest, it's better to relax a little. I would be very happy if I could treat this place as my home. That's about it." Although Ping Xin now has the gesture of spreading his hands like a little bear, he is actually secretly happy in his heart.

After all, someone helps you deal damage and leaves the kill for you. Isn’t this pure emperor-level treatment?

"Ahem... Anyway, let's start by learning some basics. For example, chocolate on the market can be roughly divided into three types: dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. The cocoa butter content decreases as you go from dark chocolate to white chocolate, but the dairy content increases. So, the melting and cooling temperatures also go from high to low... Please refer to the handouts for details."

"It feels like a chemistry lab class~"

"Well...after all, I'm still Koito's tutor, and you'll be more familiar with it this way, right? Well, let's relax~"

"...yes!"

“Oh~ Come on—!”

Seeing Koito frightened by Asuna's sudden shout, Nel showed a somewhat handsome but somewhat disdainful smile. It seems that you still have a long way to go before you adapt to this place, junior~

Chapter 64: Fukumaru and Fukumaru

"Anyway, you can buy chocolate from the market, melt it, and then process it according to your taste. Although dark chocolate is common, there are reports that women prefer sweeter things, so here I recommend using sweeter milk chocolate and white chocolate.

Also, if everyone else is giving dark chocolate but you give white, it will make you stand out. For someone like Tou-kun who is very popular and curious about new things, this might have an unexpectedly good effect~"

"That's it, that's it!"

Although they were just talking about chocolate, Fukumaru Koito felt like he was taking a special education class. Heart +1

"However, it's difficult to differentiate between pure chocolates. After all, the products circulating on the market are basically finished to a high degree. Even if they are melted and remade, they will be almost the same. So if you want to reflect the thought and uniqueness of handmade chocolates, you have to rely on additional means--" Ping Xin showed a somewhat cunning smile. Although the smile alone made him look like a despicable person and a conspirator, but with this face, he looked very handsome.

Humans are visual creatures. Some people even become fans of murderers simply because they're handsome. While this is confusing, it also highlights the importance of appearance. Ugly people suggest ulterior motives, while handsome people suggest well-intentioned and creative. Regardless, at least Ping Xin has nailed the initial hurdle.

*The author of Lonely Rock tells us that the biggest reason why Goto Ichiri is so popular is because he looks good.

"Um, additional means...?"

"That is, it doesn't rely on chocolate, but on other parts to win!"

Asuna clapped and cheered in agreement, while Fukumaru Koito breathed a sigh of relief. It was strange to have so many girlfriends, but at least he seemed normal now, wasn't he?

“For example, bread, cookies, cakes… When these existing foods are added with chocolate elements, they stand out from the crowd and give people a unique feeling.”

"Like, like flowers?" Fukumaru Koito asked, thinking of the beautiful and delicious chocolate flower she had seen before.

"Ah... yes, that's right, but that's difficult and takes a lot of effort to make. Let's learn it after you become proficient. Let's start with simple chocolate balls today." Although I don't know where Fukumaru Koito had seen that kind of chocolate dessert where form is more important than content, but the hell lies ahead!

"Chocolate balls...isn't that too easy?"

"If it's just made into a circle, it's too simple. After all, anyone with a mold can do it."

Pingxin didn't touch her head this time. After all, he was about to start cooking, so he still had to pay attention to basic hygiene. After all, this wasn't some curry stall. He took out box after box of ingredients and laid them out on the table.

"...What are these?"

"There are basic dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate that can be used to make ordinary candied chocolate and soft chocolate. On top of that, there are various grains such as oats, walnuts, and peanuts that can be used to make hazelnut-filled chocolate. Chocolate powder, matcha powder, etc. can be used to make special chocolate balls that are completely covered or only have a small layer of coverage."

"This, so much?"

"Well...it depends on what flavors the person you're giving it to like. We can actually add edible coloring or other different colors to the surface as decoration. With just a little effort, we can give it a completely new look. Visual impact is definitely a very important factor."

"Oh...I see."

"It just gives that 'Dong Kang!' feeling, right? I get it, I get it!"

"No, you don't understand... But it seems to be okay. Anyway, let's do it first, starting with the basics."

......

...

..

A bunch of semi-finished products are sent to the places they should go. Those that need to be frozen are frozen, and those that need to be warmed in the oven are sent in to enjoy the warmth of winter. There are also some classical people who think that the oven is not stimulating enough and just enjoy the fire in winter. In short, it highlights the flourishing of all flowers.

While waiting for the finished product to be released, Ping Xin held a tea party with the three of them.

"Ah, what a fragrant tea... Come to think of it, why did Ping Xin-niang think of making chocolate balls?"

"Yeah, I want to know too!"

Seeing Asuna approaching enthusiastically and proactively, Fukumaru Koito felt envious. If she could get along with others so easily, wouldn't her relationship with everyone be better?

"Okay, well...it's all because of Koito, right?"

"Hey, me?"

"Right, right... After all, the word 'maru' means round in Eastern language, right? And since Koito likes to share with friends, chocolate balls would be easy to share, right? Compared to cake or something."

“Ah~~…mm!”

Seeing the two of them clinging to each other and Hiranobu feeding Asuna, Koito finally felt a sense of reality. The previous facts had been so shocking that it was hard to accept, but looking at them like this, she felt—

Ah, it turns out that Xin-chan really had a girlfriend, and it happened when none of us knew about it...

"Is Koito unhappy? Or should I feed you too?"

"Look over here before you ask her, idiot~" Meganelle directly elbowed him, but although it was called an elbow, it was actually just poking him with the elbow, just like two good friends teasing each other, poking his abdomen.

"No, it's just... because of 'Fukumaru' or something, it was a little unexpected..." Fukumaru Koito was smiling, but not completely.

Did someone tell me that? After all, some people often use characters from their given and last names to create nicknames, with classic examples like "Niu," "Diao," and "Xiang" being examples...

"'Fukumaru' is a good surname. In Eastern languages, both 'Fuku' and 'Maru' have good meanings. In my opinion, it is more about giving people a sense of happiness and perfection than bringing good luck, so I think they are very suitable for Koito~" Ping Xin used the head-patting move. After making the snacks and washing his hands, he can now get started again.

"!...Is that so?...But doesn't the pronunciation of 'Fukumaru' give people a feeling of being a bit unintelligent?"

"Really?...I don't think so. I just think it's cute, and it suits the equally cute Koito~" After all, he is a Yan person at heart. If you ask him to feel this thing...I can only say that he really can't feel it. Anyway, Koito is cute, and that's enough.

"Hey, hey hey~~"

See? She's even cuter when she's smiling happily like she is right now—

"Now that you have such a nice name, you should thank your parents later."

"...Um!"

Chapter 65: Round and Sweet

"But speaking of 'Fukumaru', I actually prepared another dish today. Koito, can you guess what it is?"

"Eh... Could it be Daifuku?"

Fukumaru Koito immediately thought of this kind of wagashi, after all, there was a matcha daifuku on the table...

Wait, who is this kid?!

Xiao Yi looked closely and saw that a light suddenly appeared next to the table... a white ball of fur. Upon closer inspection, she found that it was a white-haired child who was a little shorter than her. He had a pair of heterochromatic eyes, one blue on the left and the other yellow on the right. He picked up the matcha daifuku on the plate and stuffed it into his cat's mouth.

"Rakuna, did you wash your hands before eating? And... this lovely sister is called Fukumaru Koito. You may see her here often in the future. Why not say hello?" Rakuna directly pressed the cat's head and stopped when she found that she could never reach the real point of eating.

She looked at Fukumaru Koito, tilted her head, and then asked Ping Xin, "Yuanyuan...Master's Wife?"

"Master's Wife, what? Call me Sister... I've told you so many times, whoever feeds you is not Master's Wife. Otherwise, I always feel that one day you will evolve into Lu...607 II."

After patting each other's heads for a while, both of them showed comfortable expressions. Since the beginning of winter, the quality of Rakuna's hair has also changed slightly. It is hard not to think of the winter hair that cats grow to survive the winter. Is this child really a cat spirit?

Considering her overly liberal parents, Ping Xin suddenly felt that it was not impossible—

"Okay... Anyway, don't look at me in surprise. This kid's name is Kaname Rakuna, and she's about to start junior high. She's from an acquaintance, and she occasionally comes to my place for tutoring, guitar practice, and free food and drinks. That's about it."

Kaname Rakuna stuffed food into her mouth and nodded in Koito's direction, which was probably a greeting.

"Um...my name is Fukumaru Koito, please guide me."

Using honorifics even for a child, this kid is really too particular. Maybe he and Rakura are just average in compatibility, because he is easily led by her.

Fukumaru Koito just breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed two more fur balls, one black and one white, popping up next to the table. Could it be that there were two more of the same child?!

No, if you look closely, you'll see these two are more than one size smaller than the previous Kaname. Hirayuko grabbed the two kittens by the scruff of their necks, and two adorable kittens, stretched by gravity, appeared before her.

"Wow, it's a kitten!... Oh, is it the one I saw before?"

"Yes, yes... this white one is called Vanilla, and the black one is called Captain. I stopped them from coming near me because I was making some snacks. Now say hello to Koito." Following Ping Xin's command, the two kittens responded.

"Meow~"

"...Meow."

Vanilla, who is as warm and hospitable as ever, and the sheriff who is obviously forced to work, give people a sense of the classic combination of brainless and unhappy.

"..Meow?"

"Rakuna, I'm not asking you to say hello here, and please speak human language properly... Stop interrupting for so long, it's time to reveal the correct answer--" Pingxin said as he took out the things he had prepared last night from the refrigerator.

"Bangbangkabang~...it's the Yan Country's traditional holiday delicacy, Yuanxiao (Chinese glutinous rice balls), also known as tangyuan (Chinese rice dumplings). Yesterday, February 2th, was the Yan Country's traditional Lantern Festival. Eating Yuanxiao (Chinese rice dumplings) symbolizes family reunion, like the full moon, and expresses people's good wishes for their future lives."

It carries the wish for happiness and has a round shape, so in a sense, it is also a Fukumaru~"

"Ah...really?"

After hearing his explanation, Koito suddenly realized that this thing was indeed not included in the test points.