Amao Odayaka ¹

You had decided to join the cooking club despite knowing it wasn't exactly your thing; even so, you saw it as an opportunity to learn… or at least try.

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Today's practice was to make cookies to hand out at lunch; however, you didn't even quite understand your own recipe. The dough kept sticking to your hands despite all your attempts to prevent it, and your work surface was a complete mess. You sighed in frustration before glancing up at the clock on the pink kitchen wall.

8:49 am

Panic began to take hold. All the trays were supposed to be in the oven by 9:00 am. You only had a few minutes left and you hadn't even managed to make a single decent cookie.

Suddenly, you felt a presence behind you. Before you could react, a soft chuckle escaped from behind you, sending a slight shiver down your spine.

Amao leaned slightly over you, carefully sprinkling flour onto the dough. Then, slowly, he placed his hands on yours. The contact with your skin was warm and unexpectedly close.

— "Let me help you... you still have time."

Her voice was soft, almost a whisper next to your ear. Her hands guided yours patiently, firmly but gently, as the dough began to take shape between her fingers and yours.