Chikage Utsuki/Reminiscent Gingerbread

Dream's and Reality's Gingerbread

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2

	*knock, knock*
Itaru	Come in~.
Citron	I found a slacker!
Izumi	Itaru-san, will you help us out with the Christmas preparations?
Itaru	Ahh... Sorry, I can't right now. Ranking in this current event is pretty difficult.
	If I don't play as soon as my stamina recharges, the rankings and rewards——.
Izumi	It's fine even if you help after you use up your game's stamina.
Citron	You can't balk your way out of this!
Itaru	Guessing that's supposed to be 'talk.'
Citron	That's it.
Itaru	*sigh*... Alright alright, I'll help out.
Chikage	I'm home.
Itaru	Oh, Senpai, welcome home.
Izumi	Chikage-san, welcome home.
Citron	Welcome home!
Chikage	Do you two need something?
Izumi	We've been splitting up and doing Christmas preparations, but we don't have enough people.
Itaru	So, just now they were trying to drag me out of the room.
Izumi	It's more fun when everyone does it together! Ah, Chikage-san, if you feel like it, please feel free to join us.
Itaru	Why do I have no choice but Senpai gets to choose...
Izumi	It's because Chikage-san just got home from work.
Itaru	I just saved an entire country as work a bit ago, though.
Izumi	Don't mix up this conversation with a game!
Citron	Chikage, let's do the Christmas prep together!
Chikage	Alright. After I reply to some emails, I'll come over to help.
Izumi	Okay!
Citron	See you later!
	*door closes*
Itaru	Senpai, I can help out with your work.
Chikage	Unfortunately, this isn't the kind of work that you can use your phone to help with. Go help with the party prep.
Itaru	*sigh*...
	*door closes*
Chikage	...
Taichi	Ah, Itaru-san! Look at this~! I made an Entaku Knight-kun out of origami!
Itaru	Those details are weak. I'll show you a reference for it. It's in my room, so I'll go get——.
Izumi	You're saying that, but I know you just want to play your game. You're not going anywhere!
Kazunari	Itarun, you're so obvs~!
Citron	I'll keep a rye on him!
Chikage	... What a lively Christmas.
Chikage	Mm, the smell of cinnamon...?
August	Oh, did you fall asleep while slacking off?
December	That's not fair. I've been holding back on falling asleep, too.
Chikage	August, December...
	——A dream, huh.
August	A dream? To think that on top of falling asleep, April would even have a dream. Hehe, tomorrow the world might end by natural disaster.
Chikage	Don't talk about bad omens.
August	Sorry, sorry, I was just joking. More importantly, help us out with making the gingerbread.
	If you don't help out, then the gingerbread will end up not having any ginger in them.
December	... It doesn't taste good when you add in ginger. But if April isn't there, everything will end up burnt.
Chikage	...
August	... Honestly, what's going on with you today?
December	What a weird April.
Chikage	Shut up. ... I just let my guard down a little.
August	Even after saying all that, you're still helping us out.
Chikage	Because I don't want everything to be burnt.
August	Hehe. Alright then, let's make delicious gingerbread this year, too. So that we can say "Merry Christmas" to our family with smiles on our faces.
Chikage	——.
	The smell of cinnamon... I guess I fell asleep when I was writing those emails.
	——This place makes you let your guard down.
	*door closes*

Chikage	...
Taichi	What about putting it up over here?
Sakuya	Sounds good! Then over here...
Yuki	Hold up, that origami has no relation to Christmas, you know.
Itaru	You worried about the details and wanna remake it, after all? I'll go get the reference from my——.
Masumi	No. The Director told me not to let you get away.
Itaru	Tch...
Chikage	This place really is lively...
	Hmm...
Izumi	Ah, Chikage-san, you came! Thanks so much.
Chikage	Are these gingerbread?
Izumi	You recognized them pretty fast. The truth is, we've run out of ginger, but Chikage-san, do you have any powder in your spice stock?
Chikage	Yeah, I've got some. Hang on a minute.
	Alright, here you go. Also, if you add a little of this, it'll be better.
Izumi	Ah, it has a tingly, nice aroma.
Chikage	I've mixed a lot of spices that have cloves as their base. I think it'd be better if we don't put those in half of the batch for the people with kid taste and the sugar maniacs.
Izumi	Hehe, that's true.
Chikage	Okay then, what should I help out with?
Izumi	There are a lot of people helping out with decorations, so is it alright if you help me out with making the gingerbread?
	You do know a lot about spices, as well.
Chikage	Got it.
	Is there alreaady powder in this one?
Izumi	Umm, I'm melting it right now.
Chikage	Then I guess I'll start prepping the shape cutters first.
Izumi	Chikage-san, you're really efficient. Is it possible that you've made gingerbread before?
Chikage	... Every year I was forced to cooperate and help out.
	It was because there was a guy who sucked at cooking but insisted that families had to make gingerbread and eat it together at Christmas.
Izumi	Hehe, he really was a wonderful person.
CHOICE 1: "Do you make anything else?" [+] Izumi Chikage-san, do you make anything else? Chikage If I don't need to, I don't really cook much. If anything, I make simple curries to taste-test the spices that I mix together. Izumi Is that so. Then later on, please tell me what spice you would recommend with curry!
CHOICE 2: "Chikage-san, you're very skillfull" [+] Izumi Chikage-san, you really can do everything skillfully... Chikage I wonder. Are you sure it isn't just because you're careless and clumsy? Izumi Ugh, I have no retort...
Chikage	... Doesn't it smell like something's burning?
Izumi	Huh?! Oh no! The cookies I put in before are—!
	... They're burned a bit. That's weird, last year they turned out pretty good.
Chikage	Well, since they're only burned a little, it's not that bad.
	Was the preheat time and the temperature the same?
Izumi	... I think so.
Chikage	You're so thorough and detailed when it comes to performances, but when it comes to things like this, you're so unspecific.
Izumi	I'm sorry.
Chikage	*sigh*... Director-san, will you help me out with making the gingerbread?
Izumi	Yes...
	They came out well thanks to you, Chikage-san!
Chikage	You're welcome. This is the first time I've made this many.
Izumi	Ahaha, well, we do have a big family.
	By the way, what kind of decorations did you make in the past?
Chikage	I never really decorated mine much. It's already sweet, so I didn't need anymore sugar.
Sakuya	Ah, it's gingerbread!
Kazunari	They're supes cute! Are they about to be decorated?!
Citron	I'll make it a Citronbread~!
Taichi	That would be hard to eat!
Muku	What about putting chocolate on top?
Yuki	If we put something like gummies on top, wouldn't that be pretty cute?
Chikage	Before they get covered in sugar, I'll take one and retreat.
	After that, do as you like.
Izumi	I'll try to protect the ones with a lot of spices until the end!
Chikage	That's a big help.
Hisoka	I'm home.
	(... I smell something nostalgic.)
Chikage	Oh, you're home.
Hisoka	... Did you make that gingerbread, Chikage?
Chikage	Together with Director-san, yeah.
Hisoka	... Hmm. Where's mine?
Chikage	Don't know. Why don't you check in the kitchen?
Hisoka	——Chikage. Merry Christmas.
Chikage	... Merry Christmas.

Kou