Chapter 111: S2 Episode 10 - Donut Holes (3)
I could feel a troubled look form on my face which her father noticed as he watched me try to make them.
"Please don't over-exert yourself to make this. It's already enough that you've tried," the father bowed his head respectfully but I shook my head.
"No, this is nothing. Compared to some situations where I had to figure out recipes that my mom never left me, I believe that I can do this," I explained to Yui and her father with determination in my voice.
"Sis, you baked with your momma, too?" Yui asked me as I responded with a slight nod.
"Yes, she taught me everything I know… she also was the best baker I ever knew…"
I replied, which made Tennouji Mari and Kashino's heads turn to face me.
"You learned your skills from your mom, Keiko?" Tennouji Mari asked me as she furrowed her eyebrows, and I nodded my head again.
"Well, I haven't learned everything since she passed away when I was 8. But it's all in the past. I've moved on so I could continue to live the life I want to live," I explained, and then Kashino clocked his head to the side.
"Is that so?" Kashino spoke and I gave a slight nod.
"Yes, when someone you love leaves your side, you have to learn how to cope with the situation and move on. Even though they're gone, it doesn't change the fact that they've also been one of the most influential figures in your life that you can never forget no matter how hard you try to."
Tennouji Mari, Kashino, and Yui & her father remained quiet as I spouted my thoughts out loud.
I inwardly sighed but continued with figuring out how to make the donuts have a gritty texture.
Scanning the ingredients I had at my station, I could feel my mind racing at a million miles an hour trying to figure out a solution. I played out each ingredients' role if I placed them differently but I figured that the order of the ingredients wouldn't change much.
"Can you explain the taste of the donuts your mom made, Yui?"
"Well, from what I remember, Mommy's donuts had more of a nuttier aroma and taste. It kind of has a sweeter taste than yours."
'Nuttier aroma and taste, and slightly sweeter than mine... Wait—That has to be it!'
Once I pondered for a moment after hearing her explanation, I quickly figured out what was wrong with my donuts. All I needed to hear were just a few keywords to set me off.
"Sir, was your wife by chance allergic to wheat flour?" I asked the father who widened his eyes in shock.
"H-how did you know? She couldn't eat anything with wheat flour or else she'd get hives," the father responded which confirmed my suspicions.
"It was only a wild guess, not that it matters anyway. Regardless of whether she was allergic to wheat flour or not, I can confirm that she had no traces of wheat flour in her donuts. Instead, she used another alternative that has a nutty, sweet, yet gritty texture to it—almond flour," I confidently explained after nodding my head approvingly at my analysis.
"A-Almond flour?! Now that I think about it, when I tried making these for Yui, I think I used all-purpose flour but she said it didn't taste the same," the father remarked astonishedly.
"And I used wheat flour yet she said that it also didn't taste the same. So, I've concluded that Yui's mom used almond flour mainly because she was allergic to wheat flour and possibly gluten. Okay, I think I've figured out the solution so let me try it again!"
Her father looked at me in shock after figuring the source of the problem out with just a few keywords and context clues.
"Hey, Kashino, can I use the almond flour?" I asked him, pointing to some almond flour he had at his station. Unwaveringly, he handed it over.
I readied the ingredients again but since almond flour is more coarse than regular wheat flour, I would have to alter the measurements of most of the ingredients to fit a palatable taste.
I repeated all of my steps, but instead of wheat flour, I replaced it with almond flour and formed small dough balls. Using the already heated-up oil, I placed the balls in and cooked them until they turned into a nice golden brown color.
After draining out the excess oil, I coated all of the donuts into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and handed one for Yui to taste.
"Okay, tell me how it tastes now."
She took a full bite of it and chewed. Her dark eyes widened in surprise and I could see water well up in her eyes.
"I-it t-tastes just like mommy's…" Yui began sobbing after I fed her one of the donuts. Seeing her reaction startled me.
"Oh, no… Why are you crying, Yui?" I asked her, taking notice of her tears as I patted her soft head of black hair. Yui wiped off the tears but they kept falling down her face.
"I-I… Momma has been gone for so long that I was beginning to forget the taste of this and how we made it together… I'm just sad that she's not here anymore…" Yui confessed and I had no other feeling inside me besides empathy.
'Yui lost her mother at a much younger age than me… I can only imagine how hard it is to lose your mother at a much younger age when a child needs one. Not only that, but as you get older, you begin to forget most things from your childhood.'
"It will be fine now, Yui. Let these donuts be a reminder to never forget your mother… I hope that this will reach your mother in heaven," I consoled her as I gently patted her head.
"HWAHUAAAA!"
As if my words hadn't done anything, Yui began crying even harder.
'What have I done now?'
I was completely oblivious to how to calm a crying child. I had just barely managed to calm down Andou's little brother, Ichita, back at their family restaurant.
"Thank you… Nee-san…" Yui said as she nuzzled her head against my stomach.
"Thank you, young miss," Yui's father added as he gratefully bowed his head to me.
I couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed since both teams had stopped what they were doing to watch this scene unfold.
Kashino and Tennouji Mari who stood right next to me had seen and heard everything. I truly didn't know how to respond to this situation.
"Ah, you don't need to thank me. It's my job to make sure that my eaters are happy," I said, trying to brush off the over-apologetic father who was bowing his head to me.
"Let me get ready a small box for you to take home, okay? I'll also write down the recipe of what I did so you can make them whenever you want," I continued to console until she finally looked up at me.
"D-Do you all study at this school?" Yui asked as she referred to each of us that had our chef jackets on.
"Yes."
"After today, I realized that I want to be like you, Nee-san… I want to make people happy when they're feeling down, so I will come here too and study cakes. And then, I'll become just as amazing as you!" Yui explained belatedly, a spark shining in her eyes.
As I looked at that new and energetic light in her eye, I couldn't help but be reminded of myself when I was younger because I, too, also looked up to someone.
"I will look forward to that, Yui," I said gently with my eyes closed, reminiscing those memories I shared with my mother.
'Just now… I got this image about "dreams"... It's nice to know that I've inspired someone to have their own dream. I'm sure Mom would be proud…'