"This is not right…" Henry furrowed his eyebrows.
A grim look was on his usually placid expression.
Patrick also had a serious look on his face as he placed his hand under his chin. "I've done everything according to the Standard Operation Procedures, but why is it that everything came to this? We've sacrificed so many of them! We've raised them with our own hands, they are like our children!"
"Yet, why is it that despite all of them…"
"Why do these cupcakes look so hideous?!"
Patrick softly grunted.
Henry, who was standing beside him, took one of the cupcakes and took a bite.
"Oh, that actually doesn't taste that bad," Henry revealed a smile.
"Really?" Patrick was intrigued.
He took a cupcake and bit on it.
In an instant, Patrick's body, soul, heart, and nerves were inundated with the overwhelming and boundless power of the…
Ocean!
Patrick forcefully gulped the mouthful of cupcakes that he had eaten and then he stared in shock at Henry. "S-Sir… I think I can understand now as to why our cupcakes ended up like this."
"Oh?" Henry stared at Patrick.
The latter mustered his courage and replied, "We added too much salt!"
"This is too much salt? I think it's fine..." Henry replied while munching on the cupcakes.
"Well..." Patrick hesitated.
No matter what, Henry was still his superior and the God of Destruction, Vajrada Shivada.
If Henry said that he was right, then even if he wasn't right.
He would most certainly be correct!
But right now—empirical evidence said otherwise!
This cupcake was indeed too salty, so in conclusion. They must've added too much salt!
In addition, Henry's sifting technique was terrible.
The flour didn't become airy enough and as a result, the cupcakes looked more like flat cakes.
Patrick stared in hesitation at Henry.
Henry noticed the nervousness in the eyes of the former and asked, "Speak. Did I do something wrong?"
"N-No... It's perfect..." Patrick didn't have the heart to say the truth.
Henry furrowed his eyebrows. "Speak your mind. I might be your superior in military rank and authority, but I am but a cadet in the art of baking. If you have something in mind, say it. Hesitation is defeat."
"A-All right..." Patrick composed himself and confessed. "S-Sir... I think the reason why you think that the cupcakes are just fine even though it's too salty is that your palate had become too accustomed to Meal, Ready-to-Eat rations of the military..."
"Those things always have a lot of salt in them to make sure that the dried up ingredients will have some kind of flavor in them once they are prepared to eat."
"Your palate must've been dulled after years of eating nothing but Meal, Ready-to-Eat rations... that is what I think, sir..."
Patrick hung his head low. He didn't dare to look straight at Henry. Afraid that the latter might get angry and annihilate him with a single slap.
"I see..."
But in contrast to Patrick's expectations, Henry merely nodded his head and smiled. "That must be the case. It's true that I have eaten far too many Meal, Ready-To-Eat rations that I can probably eat anything in this world without feeling disgusted..."
"However, that is not the case for my daughter. Her palate is unmistakably pure, purer than anyone in this world. That is why I must take care of it and not overload her with flavor."
"Good job, Colonel Patrick. Thank you for informing me of my mistake." Henry went back to bake another batch of cupcakes.
Patrick was overwhelmed with feelings after his actions were recognized and acknowledged by the great God of Destruction, Vajrada Shivada.
But when he was looking at Henry, Patrick couldn't seem to see any hint of him being that feared and world-renowned God of Destruction.
Instead, the smile on his face indicated that he was nothing else but a father that wanted to pamper and spoil his child to the limits.
"V-Vajrada Sir!" Patrick saluted.
Henry was taken aback.
"I-I-I'll do my best to help you make the best cupcakes!"
The smile on Henry's face deepened, "All right. Settle down. Assist me with what I am doing. For today, you will be my food taster."
"Sir, yes, sir!"
"Also don't call me by my title, just call me Henry or sir Henry."
"Understood, sir Henry!" Patrick saluted once more."
"Also stop with the salutes."
"Copy that, sir Henry!"
"Talk like an ordinary person."
"Yes..."
Henry and Patrick continued to cook another batch of cupcakes.
This time, Patrick was more comfortable helping Henry as the two of them worked in tandem.
"Sir Henry, I suggest we use Sifted Flour instead of the ordinary ones so we can save on time."
"Okay." Henry gently nodded.
"Add the vanilla extract..."
"Do I just mix them all together?" Henry asked.
"Yes, sir. You just mix them together." Patrick nodded in affirmation.
Henry stretched his hand out and added the salted butter in. Then, he reached for the salt shaker.
"Stop!" Patrick's words forced Henry to stop.
"What's wrong?"
"Sir Henry, you're using salted butter. There's no need for us to add any salt anymore."
"Hmm. That makes sense." Henry nodded and asked, "Do I mix them together now?"
"Yes, yes, yes... Just follow the recipe."
Henry sternly nodded. His eyes landed on the cookbook in front of him as a determined look flashed on his face.
His heart thumped swiftly against his chest.
This was the first time since he fought the Black Organization did he feel as nervous as he was feeling right now. It seemed as if the action of slowly adding water into the batter and mix was akin to an intense fight against the Black Organization.
Sweat formed on Henry's forehead and his eyes focused solely on the batter and mix.
After making sure that everything was finally well-combined, Henry filled the cupcake liners halfway before placing them into the oven.
The recipe called for 15-17 minutes of baking, but Henry knew that he couldn't wait that long.
He felt too anxious and impatient as he took the cupcakes out of the oven at exactly fifteen minutes.
"Here's the toothpick, sir!"
Patrick saw the opening of the oven as the signal to give the toothpick to Henry which would test if the cupcakes were made to perfection.
Henry solemnly received the cupcake and he inserted it into the center of the cupcake.
"Here it goes..." Henry made a sidelong glance at Patrick.
"Yes..." Patrick gulped a mouthful of saliva.
Slowly but surely, ever so slightly...
Henry pulled out the toothpick from the cupcake and saw that there were a few moist crumbs stuck to the toothpick.
"Yes! That's perfect!" Patrick yelled out in excitement. He even pumped his fists into the air as a gesture of victory.
"Finally, after so many hours... We have achieved—perfection!"
Patrick looked as if he wanted to cry.
They had been practicing with all sorts of pastries until they came to the conclusion that cupcakes were the most optimal solution to the problem. Unfortunately, just because it was the most optimal didn't mean that it was easy.
In fact, these two men struggled a lot.
Seeing the fruits of their efforts, Patrick seemed as if he wanted to cry on the spot.
"Yes, we've succeeded."
Henry glanced at his watch and said, "I'll go upstairs to take a bath. You handle the frosting and packaging. Do it as what I have told you."
"S-Sir, yes, sir!" Patrick saluted once more.
Henry shrugged and went upstairs.
Taking a shower, he soon saw himself in the mirror, and on his face—was a smile that looked so happy that he doubted if he was being possessed.
It has been so long since he saw himself smiling like this.
Shaking his head, Henry let out a chuckle as he continued to shower.
'The time is 4:30 PM.'
'By now, Shy Shy must already be in the house. It will take me about half an hour to reach the Mahalina Residential Area, so I should be able to arrive by dinner.'
'I wonder...'
'Will she like the cupcakes that I've made?'
Henry started to grow inexplicably nervous.