CH 58

I take care of Kurumi, who has fainted.

When Kurumi regains consciousness, she shrinks down like a turtle and bows her head.

“I’m sorry ….. Leopin! There is no way you can make sweets with just sugar and water,……! I’m sorry, I was wrong!”

“Don’t worry about it, just look up.”

Then Kurumi glances up, seemingly in a good mood.

“Well,……, well,……, well,……. I’d like to ask you a favor ……. Can you tell me how to make Gekko Candy?”

“You saw how to make it, right? You just make sugar water and boil it down.”

“But, but, I’m very, very clumsy. …… I can’t make it ……. I’ll probably have to learn how to make it …….”

“Really?　Then try making it.”

So, I lend Kurumi the kitchen at home and let her make it. ……

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Terrible Gekko Candy

Quantity 1

Quality Level -12 (Material Level 4 + Occupation Penalty 6 + Failure Penalty 10)

A poorly made candy made by boiling down sugar and water.

It is sticky and stale.

It smells burnt and bitter, and is irritating to eat.

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I’m shocked in so many ways.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen an item with the word ‘terrible’ on it.”

When the quality of an item is low, the word “shoddy” is added to the beginning.

But if it’s too badly made, the word “terrible” is added directly to the beginning.

I think I saw a chocolate with “terrible” in the same way a long time ago. ……

No, that old story is not important.

Now I have to deal with the “terrible” here.

I taste my homemade candy and tell Kurumi, who is overwhelmed with despair.

“This is going to take a lot of training. Are you ready for this?”

Kurumi looks up suddenly.

“Yes, ……!　Of course I’m ready!　Please teach me how to make pastries!　Chef Leopin!”

After that, we worked on making “Gekko Candy” until the evening.

In the middle of the day, we ran out of sugar, and Kurumi had to run to the purchasing department to buy some.

However, Kurumi’s “Gekko Candy” was still terrible.

“We’ll have to train all night long! Kurumi!”

“Yes, Chef Leopin!”

Kurumi is a scared and timid girl.

However, she seems to have more passion for sweets than anyone else, and she followed my strict instructions without a single whine.

As I make the candy over and over again, the “terrible gekko candy” is upgraded to “inferior gekko candy”.

Finally, at the end of the night, I went to …….

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Gekko Candy

Quantity 1

Quality Level 1 (Material Level 4 + Failure Penalty 3)

Candy made by boiling down sugar and water.

Sweet.

==========

Despite the plain description, we finally finished the ‘regular Gekko Candy’ ……!

“Yaa …… yaaaaaaaaay!”

At this moment, we both shout for joy and hug each other.　

Kurumi is trembling in my chest, looking up at me.

Her eyes, peeking out from behind her slicked-back bangs, shone brightly.

“Yes, yes, I did!　Chef Leopin!　At last, I could make sweets!”

“Yeah, you did good.”

I pat her on the head and she looks happy, “Heheh ……”.

But then she suddenly came to her senses, turned red as if she was going to explode, and pulled away from my arms.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!　I was so happy I just couldn’t help myself. ……!”

Kurumi bows her head so fast that it leaves an afterimage.

I present her with a frying pan and a wooden mold.

“This is to celebrate your first success. Take this with you.”

“What? ……?　Are you sure you want ……?　No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.”

“Yeah. I’m always ready to make something. You’ll get more practice with this.”

And then Kurumi begins to shake like a chihuahua.

“Oh, …… oh, …… thank you, thank you, thank you, ……! I’m a …… screw-up and a slow …… no matter what I do! E- eve-, everyone hated me. ……!”

Tears stream from her slicked-back bangs.

“But, but, but Chef Leopin is ……! But Chef Leopin has been so good to me, even though I’ve been such a failure. ……! …… Uwaaaaaaaaa!”

Kurumi, who is supposed to be away from me, jumps into my arms again.

She buries her face in my chest, wailing like a little child.

I stroke her head until she calmed down.

◆　　◇　　◆　　◇　　◆

That day, the little girl with dreams presents her menu to her classmates for the first time.

It is another level of quality, and was well received by her classmates.

It is immediately added to the menu of the cafeteria.

The “Gekko Candy” is renamed “RPG Candy” and is displayed in small bottles in the store.

It was a big hit with the students who were busy exploring and doing schoolwork.

They were easy to carry around and easy to eat when they were tired and needed something sweet.

The “RPG Candy” became one of the new specialties of the settlement.

The adults, who were hungry for achievement, would not miss it.

“Yes!　Now we can finally give an award to a decent student!”

Like a hyena who finds a fawn that has strayed from the herd, the first to fly to the school was the yes-man vice principal.

He spoke to Kurumi, who was working as a vendor in front of the cafeteria, with a big smile.

“Well, you’re Kurumi, aren’t you? I’ve seen through your talent for a long time!”

The yes-men had blatantly ignored her when they found out that Kurumi had become a “pastry chef” during the “Ritual of Ability Awakening” at the entrance ceremony.

But now he rubs her hands and buzzes around her like a fly.

“Your supporters are paying attention to the sweets you make! I’m so proud to have a student like you in my school! I’d like to taste the first creation of this future super confectioner!”

“Ha, ha, ……. So, line up and …….”

The head teacher ignores her words, taking advantage of the fact that Kurumi is not a good talker.

He takes a jar of candy for sale, opens it without permission, and eats it.

“Yes!　Delish!　My cheeks are melting! What do you call this wonderful candy?”

“Ha, ha. ……. It’s called “RPG Candy”. Waa, wawaa, I named it after the person I admire the most, …….”

“I see, I see!　Not only the taste, but also the name is delicate! It seems that the personality of not only Kurumi, who made the candy, but also the personality of the person that Kurumi respects is exuding from it!”

While the vice principal was praising the candy, this thought was running through his mind.

–The head teacher was praising him very highly, and he was thinking about this in his head. The student whose name begins with “R” and who is so respected is …….

It must be that person from Class 1-11!

Muhohohohoho!

A unique opportunity to score points has come to me!

His tongue never stops churning.

“Yes!　I’m very impressed! I’m very impressed! Kurumi-san’s Class 1-16 will move up one grade!”

Class 1-16, C- ⇒ C

“We’ll also give you a prize!

I’d like to know so that I can repay the favor to the person you respect!”

“Ha, yes, ……!　It stands for “Leo R. Pin P. Gekko G. Candy.” ……”

“Gooooooooooooooooooood ……!”

The vice principal collapses as if he has been poisoned.

Next to her, Kurumi’s classmates are giving her some advice.

“Kurumi, if it’s Leopin, shouldn’t it be ‘LPG Candy’?”