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[ It wasn't that he didn't think he could learn, but more . . . well. There was still a lot on his plate. His mind was too occupied with a million other things for him to really learn something like that. Instructions were simple enough, at least. Asougi doesn't comment on that, following Naruhodou's instructions instead. ]

Don't fill them all the way? . . . If you say so. [ It's a bit different for him to not go 110% on everything, but he manages. ]

They're going to expand when they bake. You don't want it to overflow, otherwise you're going to have a mess instead of cake layers.

[He'll help Asougi a little, taking the bowl from him after a bit, to make sure the batter getting into the molds are at least even. Once satisfied, he nods and picks up the tray.] Can you get the oven open for me?

[ He steps back, allowing Naruhodou to take over, albeit grudgingly. He's all too eager to do something, so when he's asked to get the oven, he steps over immediately. ]

What now? [ Surely they don't just wait, right? ]

[Once the tray has been put in the oven and left to bake, he turns to Asougi with a smile on his face.] Frosting!

[By the excitement in his voice, this seems to be his favorite part. He gets another small bowl, gets the ingredients together and then gives Asougi a whisk.] You're going to have to really stir this time. This, [He points to the puddle of sad ingredients in the bowl] needs to turn white and somewhat fluffy.

[ Frosting? He seems mildly skeptical at first despite Naruhodou's enthusiasm, though that quickly fades when he's handed the whisk. Asougi steps over, raising an eyebrow. ]

All of that, huh? . . . Alright.

[ He rolls his shoulders and then proceeds to go to town with stirring the ingredients. Fortunately, he has enough control to keep it from splashing everywhere, so everything remains inside the bowl itself. It isn't long before the sad little puddle starts to come together, as white and kind of fluffy as anything. ]

[Naruhodou had gone to work on the remaining strawberries that hadn't been cut while Asougi was working on that. He cuts them in half, in preparation to use them as the toppings. As he checks Asougi's progress, he looks impressed at what he finds.]

W-Whoa, you already made it that white? This is one of the most strenuous cooking tasks to do.

It wasn't that difficult.

[ He shrugs his shoulders as he keeps whisking, though he does slow it down some so it doesn't end up overly whisked. ]

[He laughs softly.] I suppose it wouldn't be, for you. [He sits down in a nearby stool. At this point, all they have left to do is to wait for the cake to finish baking.]

You should try to relax a little more. There's no rush to get this done.

[ Asougi sits down nearby, giving him an incredulous look for a brief moment because has he met him? But he follows that up with a small smile, shaking his head. ]

You might have a point.

[ But that's about all he'll concede to. ]

Well for one thing, finishing that frosting quickly isn't going to make that cake bake faster. [He gestures to the oven. He leans on the counter, his hand supporting his head up.]

...You really should give yourself a break.

I give myself a break.

[ It's not a lie if he thinks it's true, at least. A breakneck pace is all he's ever known, anyway. "Slow" for him would be a normal person's pace. He shakes his head, resting his chin on his hand as they wait. ]

Wasn't I supposed to be the one concerned about you getting any sort of break? Before you insisted on doing this cake tonight.

I mean a real break, a vacation. [When's the last time you had that? He waves his free hand nonchalantly.]

We're almost finished anyway.

[ Never. He gives him an amused snort at that, glancing sidelong over at the oven. ]

Don't worry about me. Worry about keeping yourself and that detective from burning this whole place down.

T-That's not going to happen. (...Ok, maybe the detective might.) [He sighs and looks to the bowl of frosting. He then gets out of his seat to get a spatula in preparation for spreading the frosting and then walks over to Asougi.]

If you're going to worry about us, then I'm allow to worry about you. [Getting a small bit of frosting on his finger, he boops Asougi on the nose with it. Stop being ridiculous.]

[ That takes him by surprise. He's learned to expect a lot of things from Naruhodou, but it seems like he'll have to learn a whole new things to expect from him. He slowly tilts his head to the side as he reaches up to wipe away the frosting with a finger. ]

I . . . suppose that's fair.

[ He's too stunned to argue, really. ]

[With a firm nod, he walks over to the oven to check on the cake.]

I think that's what I'll do tomorrow with your gift. I'll take you on a vacation.

You'll take me on vacation? . . . To where, exactly?

[ Though he'd done some exploring on his own, the area as a whole remained a mystery to him. It would be nice to see more with Naruhodou. ]

We can go to the city of Theasthai! You haven't been there yet, have you?

[He takes a nearby toothpick, and pokes at the now solid cake batter. He smiles to see they're the right density, so he gets the oven mitts to get the tray out. It's slow work, cause it's still pretty hot even with oven mitts.]

I can't say I'm familiar with it.

[ He shifts back a bit, trying to keep an eye on him while staying out of his way at the same time. ]

That was the city of the arts I mentioned. [Pardon him as he puts the tray on the table and let the cake cool.]

There's always some kind of performance happening there and they have a lot of different kinds of street food. [This is clearly the reason he likes it.] There have a lake with glowing fish too. It's really pretty there at night.

[ He leans back a bit so Naruhodou can do that. ]

In other words, there's plenty there to keep us busy for the entire day. I see.

[He'll take a sit beside Asougi, since they're stuck waiting for a bit again.]

I'm sure you would enjoy it. I'll see if there's any performances you might like to see tomorrow. [More than likely some epic story about a samurai will be one of them. He rest his arm on the table, hand supporting his head as he looks curiously to Asougi.] Have you actually been on an airship yet?

[ He glances over at Naruhodou, meeting his gaze, and shakes his head. ]

Nothing like that, no. [ There's a pause as he considers it and then— ] What are they like?

Well, they go a little faster than the ships in water, and definitely smoother. There's more space to move around on the ship too. Although...[He shudders slightly.] while the view's nice, try not to look down too often.

[Airships have been the only exception Naruhodou has made when it came to heights, but it still a work in progress. He looks to the cakes.] Mm, I think we can put the frosting on now. Do you want to do it?

Hmm . . . well. It will certainly be a new experience.

[ He pauses, raising an eyebrow at that but stands immediately, stepping over to it. ] It's not difficult in theory, correct? I'm assuming you keep it even throughout the cake.

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