I hadn’t expected such a fierce individual like Julia to come up with this impressive idea.
I was already familiar with the process of making meat pie from my previous world, but learning the new methods and how to make the former was fun, so I silently followed her instructions.
I noticed their gazes turned my way as I rolled my dough. Shock, Fear. Curiosity, astonishment.
I realised that my victory against Jaran had already reached them.
So, I paid them no attention.
Three hours later, I had finished the baking.
I stared at the crispy individual fruit pie and meat pie freshly taken out of the oven.
I was impressed that the counter tables also housed their own ovens.
Julia stood across my table, still dressed in her white apron.
She nodded in approval at the sight of the pies.
"It looks good. Have you ever baked before?" Julia asked, drawing her eyes from the pies to stare at me curiously.
"No. This is my first time," I shook my head.
At least, in this lifetime.
"Okay. You’ve got talent in baking, then. It’s good that you’ve applied here so your talent isn’t wasted," Julia replied with a nod.
"Since the crust looks fine, and it smells nice. Time for the final judgement," she added.
In her right hand was a spoon she had brought along with her.
She used the spoon to cut a small piece of the fruit pie.
She ate it. Swallowed. Her expression turned thoughtful for a moment before shifting to astonishment.
Julia also cut a small piece of the meat pie and tasted it.
"It tastes incredible! It’s hard to believe that you’d created this on your first attempt," Julia exclaimed, as she nodded her head in approval.
She looked at me with interest and amazement.
It was completely different from the expression she had shown when we first met.
I felt proud to see that she enjoyed my pies.
"Thank you," I responded.
Her gaze widened in surprise at my sincerity.
She quickly recomposed her emotions and nodded.
"Do you want to trade with me?" Julia asked.
Her words took me aback.
I hadn’t expected that she would choose to trade for my peis with hers.
In fact, from the frequent looks sent our way from the other club members as we spoke, I hadn’t expected to trade my pies with anyone.
"Which pie do you want?" I asked curiously.
"Both of them," Julia replied, eyeing my two pies.
"Okay," I nodded in agreement.
Julia’s lips curved with a smile. She turned around and shouted, "Elma, bring my pies for me. I’ll be trading with Ezekiel."
The moment those words left her lips, the whole club turned their attention to us and stared with widened eyes.
A complex mix of emotions rippled across their faces.
An unexpected tension filled the room.
The other young woman at the forefront, who had been helping Julia, walked towards us with a plate filled with two large pies.
Elma? I finally recognised the identity of the other young woman.
Elma was one of the top ten Magical Swordsman Rankings in Class Two.
No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t fit the image of the fierce, magical swordswoman on stage with the girl with a gentle demeanour.
I could only accept that the Eldar Clan’s descendants had natural fierce dispositions in battle.
Elma arrived in front of my table. She didn’t place the plate on the table. She shot me a cold glance before leaning toward Julia and whispering in her ear.
"Are you sure about this?" Elma asked.
I looked at her, pondering if she thought that I couldn’t hear her.
This time, she glanced back with a slightly irritable expression.
"I’m certain. It’s his first time baking, and he baked a delicious pie. Even if he followed my instructions, it’s still impressive, so it’s only fair that I also share mine with him," Julia replied.
Elma’s eyes widened in surprise at her words.
I was also stunned at how she had highly praised me.
Seeing no need to argue, Elma gave her the pie.
Julia received the pie.
We exchanged both of our pies with each other.
The tension among the other club members intensified as I placed the pie on the table.
Hostility came from the few boys. However, the moment I met their gazes, they swiftly turned their heads away.
Once the trade was over, Julia happily took her pies and walked towards her table..
Elma sent me another cold look, but this time her gaze was tinge with interest and suspicion.
I was curious about what she thought about me, given how close she seemed to Julia, but remembering my previous experiences, the thought was quickly washed off.
Afterwards, the club members traded with one another.
Elma traded with another girl.
The boys traded with all the girls, none with each other.
Anyone with half a brain could nd why they were here.
Those whose pie wasn’t good enough were stuck with theirs, as stated earlier.
They began talking to each other and sharing reviews on their pies for just a few minutes.
Julia clapped her hands together, drawing everyone’s attention to the front.
"You all worked hard today," she said. Then announced, "We’ll meet here again to try a new recipe. As always, those who hadn’t checked in for their attendance should do so before leaving."
"Today’s extracurricular activity is over."
Seeing everyone packing up to leave, I realised that we didn’t need to wash the baking tools. Probably the cleaners would handle it.
I placed the two pies in a paper takeout, covered them, and walked over to the door.
Julia was surrounded by a few of the girls and boys.
Her eyes were drawn to me.
I nod at Julia as I pass by them.
She responded with a nod.
I exited the room to return to my dorm.
Ezekiel Zahara was someone I couldn’t bring myself to like.