"How you do on the filling is what will make or break it," This was just half the battle, but he had faith that she'd complete a tasty cake by tomorrow.
"You really won't let me enjoy the moment, will you Mister?" Ai was brought down quickly, though there was no denying it. She just hoped that the filling wouldn't give her a tough time.
The recipe itself wasn't that tough to follow, just that it wasn't good for her small hands. Adam had to heal her twice in a matter of an hour as it required an absurd amount of strength to whisk away at a constant speed for an absurd amount of time.
"It is done. Hmm, The sweetness is just right!" Regardless, she succeeded in the end and assembled the basic components to make a chocolate cake.
"Now you can decide on the layers and the design you'll make," Adam's designs were always simple, but they were always appealing as they looked picturesque somehow.
Though Ai wanted to do something different from him…
"I already have a design in mind," She smiled.
It took her a while to develop it, but this was the best one. And for it to work she needed some special conditions to be met.
"First, Mister needs to wait outside. Second, you can't come in till I say so," She said adopting a serious look.
"Why?" Adam narrowed his eyes.
What was it that she couldn't do in front of him? After all, he was teaching her, so as a teacher he had to be there when she finished the work. But Ai shook her head resolutely.
"It is important, just trust me." She wouldn't be backing down from this.
'It must be something important,' Adam decided to not pry and agreed.
'Wonder what she doing in there,' He could've peeked but decided against it. Leisurely sitting at one of the tables he waited for about an hour before the door opened again.
"I completed it!" Ai looked satisfied.
He noticed the splatter of the chocolate ganache on her apron, and the small amount of cream at the end of her lips. She must've tried a piece and liked how it turned out, in the end, that was the important part.
"Let's see it then." But the final judge was still going to be him.
"Yeah, I made this cake for you after all," Ai's smile did catch him off guard just as much as her words did.
'Might be because I taught her how to make it,' He thought of it along the lines of a tribute.
Even though his selection process was gruesome—as any of the cakes Ai made would be used by another cake maker with no problems—they were trying to make a final product of a level that required such nitpicking for its success.
Adam had gone through thousands of trials and errors before he carefully crafted this recipe, so using it—as long as the ingredients and method are adhered to—one can make a high-end product that the humans of this world have yet to reach. So, generally speaking, the cake Ai made was already a luxurious food item that the kids would love even if he says that it is 'just alright'.
But as soon as he laid his eyes on the cake he was stunned. It was by no means because of an eye-catching design or an otherworldly presentation that was prepared for him. Rather it was the crooked letters etched on the face of the cake that got him. They were written in white whipped cream that was probably made in a hurry.
'I Love You.' It was a confession.
Before entering she said the cake was for him, if so was it right to believe that these words meant for him too? The answer to that was, yes. And there was no two ways about it when double downed on that.
"What do you think, Adam?" Her voice was calm yet it shook slightly.
Now he understood why she wanted to be alone, Ai couldn't be truthful in a normal way and might try to play it off as a joke. But even she knew that there was a limit to things, and she had reached her a while back.
"Ai, you know what I do right?" The same held true for Adam. He had been trying to look the other way so he could help her finish the cake for her kids, but for the result to be this. It wasn't something he expected of Ai.
"I've been to your shop three times, and we have made two contracts. So I know it well." A small smile appeared on her lips. Right now there was no Hoshino Ai in this room, it was just Ai.
Over the years she associated 'Hoshino Ai' with the mask she wore in front of others while the real Ai was hidden away. Hoshino Ai was a captivating persona that drew in people with her high energy and cute clumsiness that made people look at her endearingly.
Whereas Ai was a dull and simple woman who grew up with a lack of many things including affection, she had the same face but no real redeeming qualities. She was clumsy too, but in a way that nearly ruined the life of her kids and her own. It was anything but attractive.
Most people in her life had only ever seen Hoshino Ai, her fans would never see that side of her nor the people she met, even her kids did not know of the real Ai. She could never show them that side of her when she heard them praise 'Hoshino Ai' for all she did. It was her but also not her at the same time.
But it wasn't like no one knew what the real Ai was like.
'Don't say no… please don't…' Her eyes were shut tight, she was too scared to open them and face the answer. Because of that she did not see him walk up to her, watching her in such a state wasn't easy. He understood her doubts so he decided to answer her cleanly.
"You can't take that back now." Her eyes shot open at the suggestive reply.
The big eyes stared into his sharp ones as a smile slowly formed on her lips. Times when she felt this level of happiness were rare, the first time was when she had the twins—they are everything to her—and now this was the second. She wanted to jump around, hug him and not let go. But before that, she needed to answer him.
"I won't say it is a joke this time… but only if you promise not to do the same." She said.
He has seen both sides of her, but to her surprise, he never treated her any differently when she tried to probe his reactions. It was almost like he could only see one Ai, and for the most part that was true. To him, both 'Hoshino Ai' and 'Ai' were the same, because both wanted to protect the same thing and what they asked for was also the same.
To Ai this seemed normal because Adam was something beyond human, so he could look past things of this level instead of being stuck on the mask like others would, he could see the real her.
This is why if he rejected her confession, Ai had no idea what she would do as the fear of rejection by the people she loved is what made her hide that part of her in the first place. This became even worse after the fan incident through which she met Adam for the first time. But in a way, she was thankful for that fan who stabbed her as all of this was only possible with that incident.
Thinking back on the days, the changes he brought to her, and the ways he helped her. According to her personal belief, stepping through that door was the single best decision Ai had made in her life.
But the days ahead seemed brighter.
"Of course, I won't do that," He smiled.
.
.
.