Strawberry Cheesecake Truffles [Sora/Mashiro]

“

Without music, life would be a mistake.

The biggest drawback to Mashiro's cooking abilities was that she was far too used to making things in bulk. A useful trait for when she was working in her family's confectionery, but not as much when she was on her own in Fukui. Fortunately for Mashiro, the family and friends she had here in Fukui weren't particularly picky when it came to food, much less sweets, meaning the pianist could make what her heart desired and any excess could be distributed without guilt.

When it came to reserving a kitchen in the Culinary Arts Department, the only issue Mashiro faced was priority - the Culinary Arts students had obvious priority. But the wait, however surprisingly short, was worth it. Compared to the dorm's kitchens, there was far more space and access to a lot of frustration-saving tools and appliances. In fact, Mashiro felt a tiny bit of guilt over using a few, as if it was cheating compared to the more manual methods at home.

Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Mashiro still made good use of what was available to her. Today's project was strawberry cheesecake truffles, a fusion of her own preference for strawberries and her cousin Misha's affinity for chocolate. While the recipe only called for five ingredients and the methods summarized in succinct sentences, it was still a rather labour intensive affair not helped by Mashiro's habit of mass production. And so atop the countertop were a few large trays of cheesecake balls studded with bits of strawberry, arrayed neatly and awaiting coating.

<Fly, my duckling, to the meadow. Run, my maiden, from the window...>

Perhaps one drawback of the spacious kitchen was how quiet it could get. In the end, the musician's mind wanted music, and so Mashiro hummed to herself one of the songs that Misha sang when she was cooking, singing in the song's native Russian. Though Mashiro knew the translation of the lyrics, the way her cousin explained it, regarding a woman sleeping under a willow then chasing off two men who made an instrument from a nearby tree, seemed to have some additional meaning that was too obtuse for the composer to understand. Still, it was a lively tune that Mashiro was content to sing, her song drifting invitingly out the open door as she dipped and covered the cheesecake balls one by one.

[ Sora Nakai | #WORDS | ♫MUSIC | NOTES: click on music for an idea of what she is singing ]

MADE BY KAIZU OF WW AND TWF

Given the somewhat lacking (to her mind) offerings of the Fukui Academy cafeteria, it wasn't uncommon to see Sora book one of the kitchens to make something herself instead. However, today her purpose in the kitchens was a different one. She was in the kitchens today because she needed to talk to one of her classmates, privately, and what better time than when said classmate had booked a kitchen?

The best part was, Sora would probably get to snag a bit of whatever Fujiwara was making - and it smelled delicious. Yeah, Sora could be a bit of a mooch at times, but sue her. At least she would be helping by taste testing. In any case, she was almost at the right room, with wonderful smells and music spilling out of it, though she didn't recognize either offhand. Whatever music her classmate had on was interesting - not English or Japanese, that was for sure, but it still had a nice rhythm to it.

"Fu~ji~wa~ra~san," she sang as she entered the room, only to immediately see someone who was not her classmate. "You're not Fujiwara-san." Puzzled, she stuck her head back into the hall, quickly confirming, no, she was in fact in the right kitchen. Frowning, she pulled out her phone to double check the schedule, only to immediately slap herself in the forehead when the lockscreen with the time and date came up. "Ah hahaha... Got the date wrong, thought it was tomorrow." She slipped her phone back into her pocket and took a look around the kitchen, becoming impressed with the sheer volume of what was being produced. Definitely something sweet, that was for sure.

"I'm sorry about that, I don't mean to interrupt, it's just I got the date wrong," she said, taking a step closer and taking a look at the production line the unfamiliar girl had set up. "I'm meeting a classmate here tomorrow, but I thought today was tomorrow... I'm rambling, aren't I? I'm Sora Nakai, I'm in the culinary arts program," she said, punctuating her introduction with a polite bow. "Whatever you've got going here is certainly an impressive production! Are you in the culinary program too?" Sora asked, visibly lighting up at the idea of meeting a new person in her program.

“

Without music, life would be a mistake.

The spacious kitchen let Mashiro's voice echo off the walls and the pianist found herself in her usual musical trance, picking up the cream cheese and strawberry balls with a large fork and dipping them into the warm molten chocolate, coating them thoroughly before placing them down on another sheet to let dry, all on autopilot. That was until another voice intervened.

"...Ah?!"

Thankfully, the fork in her hand had just placed another finished truffle onto the sheet by the time Mashiro's entire body jumped in surprise, leaving only the metal implement flying in mid air. Swiftly, Mashiro returned to her senses and snatched the fork in a single swipe and turned to look at the sudden guest, her crimon eyes wide and her face expressionless as she clutched the fork close to herself. Initial worries that she had taken another student's slot by accident were washed away by the other girl's explanation of her own scheduling mistake.

Calming down, she set aside the fork and straightened her apron before stepping aside to properly return the bow. The name of Fujiwara or Sora Nakai were unfamiliar, and so Mashiro had no idea if she was talking to a senior or not, so she erred on the side of politeness.

"Ah...I am...Mashiro Satou...Nice to meet you, Nakai-san," Mashiro said, in her usual soft and breathy voice that slowly gained strength as she continued to speak. Some expression returned to her face, but it was her usual neutral frown as she shook her head. "Ah...no. I am not part of the Culinary Arts program. I am...Ah...I am actually part of the Music program?"

Mashiro gestured over to her array of coated and uncoated truffles. "Ah...these are...just for myself, and my family, and friends," she explained before looking around. "Ah...well...there is not much sitting to be done in a kitchen...else...I would offer you a seat...? Do you...want me to find one...?"

[ Sora Nakai | #WORDS | ♫MUSIC | NOTES ]

MADE BY KAIZU OF WW AND TWF

Sora nodded along with the pale girl's explanation of her program and what she was making. Even if Mashiro wasn't in the same program, she was clearly experienced and knew her way around a kitchen. Even if it was just a hobby, well, didn't mean you couldn't be amazing at it too. Case in point was Sora's best friend, who was an amazing singer even though she was in the culinary program with her. "Music? That's cool! Sorry for assuming, just that it's usually culinary students in here and you really seem to know what you're doing," she said, gesturing at Mashiro's handiwork.

"Nah, don't worry about a seat. Thank you though," she said. She was grateful for the offer, but honestly would rather take a closer look at what was being made. "D'you mind if I take a look at what you're making? I haven't made something like these before." Truth be told, Sora felt a bit ashamed and embarrassed that she didn't recognize the treats being made. Then again, this looked like baking and that was most definitely not Sora's strong suit. "You can go ahead and keep working on it, if you'd like! I do promise I didn't mean to interrupt."

Sora did love seeing fellow cooks at work, even more so if she could chat with them while they were working. And in any case, if she could get a sense of how these were made, she might try and replicate them another day as a challenge to herself. Also, yeah, she wanted to see if she could snag one as a taste test at some point. "You said you're making these for your friends - think I have a shot at being one of those if I stick around?" She grinned at the other girl, utterly shameless. It wouldn't be the first time she'd made friends over food.

“

Without music, life would be a mistake.

Such praise was quite surprising for Mashiro, who tilted her head and frowned at first before bowing and softly saying words of gratitude. She then gestured towards the cheesecake balls. "Ah...go ahead, take a look..." the pianist said, the frown changing into a nervous smile for a moment before reverting back and reaching for her fork again.

She had only been able to scoop up one of the balls and hover it over the melted chocolate when Sora put up her proposal. Mashiro froze in thought, crimson eyes looking distantly at first before slowly glancing over to Sora, trying to process it. Warning bells rang through her mind, coming into conflict with her longstanding desire to make friends through her own means instead of relying on Yuki or Misha.

Such forwardness admittedly made the musician a bit nervous. Was Sora-san just in it for the food? Or was what Mashiro was seeing the genuine article? The composer blinked and movement returned to her, wordlessly dipping the cheesecake ball into the chocolate. And there she got an idea.

"Ah...perhaps...if you wish to know more about it...you can help me..." Mashiro said, pulling out the coated cheesecake truffle and setting it down on the tray next to the others. Turning carefully, she pulled out one of the drawers and took another large fork out, spinning it around and offering it handle-first to Sora.

"Ah...sorry...this is...the last step, second to last if you count the cooling...but..." Mashiro trailed off. The plan was to observe how Sora worked and judge her character that way. "...ah. Well...I can tell you about them more too. It is not like...ah...they were my family's secret recipe..."

[ Sora Nakai | #WORDS | ♫MUSIC | NOTES ]

MADE BY KAIZU OF WW AND TWF

With permission granted, Sora approached the workstation, taking in - but not touching - everything Mashiro was working on. While a baker she was not, this particular confection didn't seem to be overly demanding, just time consuming more than anything else. She wasn't judging at all though, a single monotonous could be even more draining than a demanding recipe, and doing it at the scale being accomplished here was a talent unto itself.

Her head whipped around to face Mashiro when the other girl offered to let her help though. This was even better than snagging a taste test! Her face lit up with a thousand watt smile, eagerness apparent on her face. "I would love to help!" She was already pulling her hair back into a quick and messy ponytail to keep it out of the way. Hair secured, she darted over to the sink and washed her hands, explaining as she went, "Don't mean to leave you hanging, but gotta follow proper procedures and all that!"

It couldn't have been more than half a minute from the acceptance of the offer that Sora was back by Mashiro's side, accepting the fork from her fellow cook. She took a brief moment to observe Mashiro intently - she might have been passively paying attention to what was being done, but that was different from actually seeing it - before mimicking the actions, feeling rather pleased with her first attempt.

"I'd be happy to hear anything about it,"she said as she started on her second one. Sora was clearly focused on what she was doing, but not to the point of blocking out the world. "Besides, even if this is the last step, you can still walk me through the process." She spared a quick glance over and a sheepish smile "I'll admit that baking is not my strong suit, but I might still try and replicate these - if you're okay with that." Just because it wasn't a secret recipe didn't mean there weren't still protocols of respect to be observed.

“

Without music, life would be a mistake.

Mashiro blinked as her mind scattered out of reflex, freezing momentarily. Why ask for permission to replicate? She glanced over to Sora again. Was there something else? Something sinister, behind it?

The pianist slowly reanimated, her free hand reaching up to gently rub at the top of her long hair before her mind restabilized. Like before - Sora-senpai was just inquisitive. "Ah...Of course. After all, my family learned it from someone else. Though..." Mashiro trailed off, starting to smile and she looked back to the ball in her fork. "I am sure that the recipe that my parents told me was very different than what they first learned."

There was a soft giggle as Mashiro dipped and coated the cream cheese ball in her hand. "One part strawberries, diced. One part confectioner's sugar, and specifically confectioner's sugar. Two parts cream cheese. Four parts graham crackers, ground fine. Six parts chocolate, coarsely chopped." In her whispery and airy voice, the muscian listed the ingredients in rapid-fire fashion, then lifted the ball out to let it drip the excess off, then dipped it again.

"Mix sugar, cream cheese, graham crackers until homogenous. Fold in strawberries. Form into balls by hand. Chill until firm but not solid." Once more, the ball in her fork was lifted out and let to drip. "While chilling, chop the chocolate and melt in double boiler, stirring until smooth. Finally...coat. Allow excess to drip before setting on parchment."

Once the dripping slowed she transferred the now finished ball onto the patiently-waiting tray, letting it roll off the fork delicately. "The flat bottoms are normal. It adds...character," Mashiro said, smiling and watching the still very fluid chocolate start to pool slightly at the base of the ball.

"Ahh...That was all from the top of my head. I am sure my parents wrote it down with exact measurements, but...I didn't remember them And..." A slight blush formed on Mashiro's pale cheeks as she looked to Sora. "Ah...I didn't even follow that recipe I just said...I added more strawberries. B-because I like strawberries. So I am sure that you'll put your own spin too."

The musician tilted her head slightly, then nodded, as if trying to say it was Sora's turn.

[ Sora Nakai | #WORDS | ♫MUSIC | NOTES ]

MADE BY KAIZU OF WW AND TWF

Being just focused enough on the new task, while Sora noticed Mashiro's momentary pause, she didn't think anything of it beyond a momentary pause in action. She felt she was really getting the hang of the thing too - not that it was overly demanding, but still, there was an art to the coating.

She nodded along as the recipe was listed off to her. Strawberries. Makes sense, though seasonal - perhaps swapped out for another fruit if they weren't available? Something to think about. Confectioner's sugar, specifically. In other words, don't play around with that part. Cream cheese and graham crackers, the core of any cheesecake or cheesecake inspired confection. Chocolate - well that part was obvious for what they were doing now. Fairly straight forward in terms of ingredients. So was the rest of the directions. So, not a difficult thing overall, but that was hardly a strike against it.

In fact, given what Mashrio said next, that made it so much better. "Ah, a cook after my own heart," she giggled, setting another chocolate coated ball on the paper. "Recipes are more like guides than anything, stick exactly to them and it lacks the passion you can really put into it." Her face was highly animated, but her hands stayed steady as she started coating a new treat.

"Besides, the simple things like this are most fun to experiment with, they're so difficult to have something go totally wrong, you know?" She continued, a few different ideas flitting through her mind. "I mean, the fruit alone can take this in so many different directions. Change it out when strawberries aren't in season, or if you want something different," - she held her current truffle still to let the dripping slow - "Give you a variety of different flavor options there, and that's not even getting into what you could do with flavored cream cheeses." A breath here.

"Went off on a bit of a ramble there, wouldn't fiddle around with that quite yet." Sora placed her latest truffle down on the parchment paper and grinned up at Mashiro as she scooped up another. "I usually stick pretty close to the recipe the first time 'round, gotta know what I'm working with before I start playing with it!" She punctuated this statement with a quick wink as she went to dip the next one.

“

Without music, life would be a mistake.

There was an unmistakable wince from Mashiro when Nakai-san praised the way the pianist used recipes, but thankfully the chocolate-coated ball in her fork made it to the parchment without any deformation. Was it really praise? Was she...flirting? It was so hard to understand the way the other girl was talking and acting.

Mashiro glanced over to Nakai-san to see how she was doing, quietly watching with the usual frown on her face. Despite the energy the other girl exuded, she seemed to instantly take to the dipping and coating process; the musician found herself unsurprised - this was a bona fide culinary arts student after all. Perhaps she had already something similar before, and that realization began to embarrass Mashiro; all that instruction on how to dip and let dry was likely unnecessary.

Red eyes glanced over to the tray of cheesecake balls that were still yet to be coated, blinking in surprise when only a few remained. Between the two of them, they were able to much more quickly finish up. Mashiro proceeded in silence, coating the last of the cheesecake balls with Nakai-san, throwing her fork into the sink with a quiet sigh of relief.

"Ah...now it is just...to chill and let the chocolate temper..." Mashiro said, grabbing a tray in each hand and easily picking them up and carrying it to the refrigerator, opening the door with her foot. Despite the speed she moved at, the trays remained incredibly stable; an ability learned from the many hours in the family shop. As she closed the refrigerator door, she turned around, looking at the sink. "...Ah...and clean up, too."

Cleaning up always was the worst part of cooking in Mashiro's eyes, but it had to be done. Walking briskly, she picked up the last two trays with the same ease as before, walking carefully past Nakai-san as she spoke. "Ah...Nakai-san doesn't need to stay around to help clean up...I can deliver these to your room too..." Mashiro trailed off as she repeated the process of inserting the trays before turning around again. "Ah...well...I say that because...I know...not what else I can say..."

Mashiro rather obviously, fidgeted and tugged on the extra-long lock of hair before heading to the sink. "Ah, not that I did not enjoy Nakai-san's presence or the conversation...I just...am not used to...this." She stopped in front of the sink suddenly, pivoting and bowing respectfully. "A-ah...before I forget...! T-thank you, Nakai-san, for your help"

[ Sora Nakai | #WORDS | ♫MUSIC | NOTES ]

MADE BY KAIZU OF WW AND TWF