It’s often said that the path to becoming a patissiere is severe.
But it isn’t that severe… Well, maybe not as severe as they say…
“Momoko-chan, you’re working hard every day, huh? And you’re so slender yet tough~. Huh? This isn’t sexual harassment, right~?”
“Just on the verge of it!”
When I retorted, Ikoma-san dramatically shrugged his shoulders, making the staff laugh. Ikoma-san, my mentor and the owner of “Eugene”, is usually like this.
Ikoma-san’s cheerful personality seems to spread to the store and staff too. It helps soften the somewhat intimidating atmosphere of the patisserie (Western confectionery store) that might seem high-class from its stylish appearance.
His wife, Ruri-san, is a former idol and now a Japanese beauty. She’s quite a bit younger than Ikoma-san but very composed. She’s currently right in the middle of raising children and has a real motherly aura about her, shining vibrantly. It’s dazzling!
Ikoma-san had been training in France since he was young, and he met and married Ruri-san there, who had abruptly retired from being an idol and was living in France. Wow, yet again with the stylishness! I didn’t know this, but apparently Ikoma-san was one of the top 5 famous patissiers in Paris.
The first store that Ikoma-san and Ruri-san opened after they got married and returned to Japan was “The City Center”, with a different clientele compared to “Eugene” in Misora City. Now, Ruri-san’s younger brother, Ran-kun, is entrusted as the patissier at The City Center store. Still, since Ikoma-san is the owner, he oversees the numerous staff at both stores.
Ikoma-san seemed surprised that I worked hard without taking a single day off, from early mornings too. To me it was natural and I knew Ikoma-san was stricter than he appeared, but I also respected him. So I was happy to be praised.
After graduating from high school, I had decided to study abroad at a confectionery specialty school in Paris starting in the fall instead of going on to university. MAHO-do also changed from a sweets store to a magical goods and accessories store, returning to its original business. Then, from April, my apprenticeship as a patissiere at MAHO-do’s former rival store, “Eugene”, began.
I returned to Misora City when I was in my first year of high school. Everyone knows that after I came, MAHO-do was remodeled into a sweets store.
I had continued making sweets even when I was living in America, and I thought I had improved quite a bit, but to be entrusted with running an entire store was another story. So, the support from Doremi-chan and the others was very much appreciated in the beginning. Remember how we took on various challenges back then? It was a little different this time, wasn’t it?
Of course, Doremi-chan and the others were high school students too. It wasn’t merely support.
Suggestions for decorations and accurate critiques. Building the website, decorating the store, designing the layout of the flowerbed in the garden… Even though everyone was busy, they accomplished it all brilliantly. Hazuki-chan and Onpu-chan also had refined palates.
Thanks to them, MAHO-do became a popular store even quicker than I had envisioned.
However, as everyone’s future paths were decided, and each person became busy with their own pursuits, my responsibilities continued to grow. I would wake up early, similar to the morning practice of a sports team, rush into the MAHO-do kitchen to prepare, and then hurriedly go to school.
After classes, I would go straight to MAHO-do. Majorika, Lala, and Dodo and the other fairies had continued the morning preparations. I would enter the kitchen, finish up the preparations, arrange the sweets in the showcase in the lobby. And then I’d start making more sweets to replenish what had sold out…
No wonder Ikoma-san was so surprised at how tough I had become!
That’s how every day was all throughout high school. Though, it became even busier after Hana-chan came to Misora City to join me, in a different sense. There were various incidents that occurred.
There weren’t as many witch world-related incidents like when we were in elementary school, but there were tons of different kinds of trouble.
Even so, with Doremi-chan, Hazuki-chan, Ai-chan, and Onpu-chan around, I managed to get through it all rather enjoyably. There were a lot of hard times, but there were also many experiences that we wouldn’t have had if we didn’t know about the witch world. In that sense, I think I’ve had a pretty happy high school life. Yup yup.
From April onward, I thought I would be even busier and more challenging.
However, Ikoma-san, the owner and patissier of “Eugene”, starts working even earlier than me. The morning shift patissiers also arrive around the same early hours as me.
Ikoma-san’s wife, Ruri-san, had a newborn baby in March, so she doesn’t come to the store as often now. Nevertheless, when Doremi-chan occasionally works as a babysitter, Ruri-san does things like accounting and serving customers. The French-style bread Ruri-san bakes sometimes is just so delicious.
Oh, I got sidetracked huh. Anyway, since “Eugene” has so many staff members, my job was really assistant-oriented.
While watching the work of Ikoma-san and the senior patissiers, I take out and wash the tools for them. I measure and clean up the ingredients. There’s practically no opportunity for me to actually make any sweets. But since it’s a busy store, time flies by in the blink of an eye.
Even if I stayed behind to secretly observe and learn from the senior’s skills, or tried to wake up earlier than Ikoma-san to watch carefully…
“We don’t approve of overtime work here, you know.”
He’d say that, and around when my shift ended at 3pm, I’d be promptly sent home. That’s just unreasonable──!?
After four months of apprenticeship and as I was about to start preparing for enrollment at the confectionery school in Paris, I was led to the living room on the second floor of the store.
“Momoko-chan, you work hard everyday huh. You’ve become able to use even the heavy tools skillfully without them shaking around. Yes, with this, I can send you off with peace of mind.”
I feel Ikoma-san’s evaluation is a bit too lenient…
“Is that really true?”
As I looked at him doubtfully, Ikoma-san nodded and said,
“You’ve become quite proficient in speaking French, and you handle the tools carefully, plus there’s no issues with how you operate the machines either.”
“But isn’t that all just the basics of the basics?”
I think those are all things that should be a given I can do. But Ikoma-san shook his head dramatically and said,
“No no. I think it’s still too early to worry about the finer techniques or what genre of patissiere you want to become.”
“I see… you think so?”
“Our direction is completely different from MAHO-do right? I believe sweets are tiny works of art, pieces of art,” he continued.
Ruri-san brought in tea for us and said,
“Momoko-san, please have the white peach mousse and tea that we plan to introduce in the store next week. Lately he’s been particular about ingredients too. Maybe because our baby girl was born?”
She smiled sweetly at Ikoma-san and me. I see, I see. Sweets using white peaches are a standard for early to mid-summer, but Ikoma-san doesn’t use greenhouse-grown ones. He uses seasonal fruits that have been fully sun-ripened.
Peaches are famous from Yamanashi, Fukushima, and Okayama prefectures. Depending on the place of origin and variety, the color, sweetness, and seasonality differ. It’s a fruit with much more personality than its appearance suggests. Naturally, the proportion of other ingredients changes to match it. I didn’t pay much attention to these details because I always ordered them from the witch Dela.
I stared intensely at the white peach mousse neatly placed on the pure white plate.
The sweets at “Eugene” tend to be petite sized. The white peach mousse has large cut peaches that shine and rise three-dimensionally, and the pure white mousse underneath firmly supports it. It’s garnished with small mint leaves in pale pink and white, which is very elegant. If it were me, I think I would add red or orange sauce on top, or put a chocolate ribbon on it.
Sometimes I think that my sweets are about adding things together, while Ikoma-san’s are about taking things away. But that doesn’t mean everything is plain. When various types of sweets are displayed in the store’s showcase, it all adds up to make it “Eugene” altogether. That is what it means to be a pro I guess. Even though I’ve only worked here for barely four months, I’ve discovered so many incredible traits about Ikoma-san.
Ruri-san turned her gentle expression towards me and said,
“I don’t know about your technical skills, but I think your proficiency in French deserves a passing grade. Thanks to you and Hazuki-san, I’ve been able to recall my French, so that was great.”
“Oh, Ruri-san, thank you so much!”
I stood up and grasped both of Ruri-san’s hands. Hazuki-chan and I had mainly learned French from Ruri-san. Although I can only manage basic daily conversations, I’m full of wonder that I can speak this much in such a short period of time. I was only half-convinced by Ikoma-san’s praise, so it’s odd how I can instantly believe Ruri-san’s words huh.
There was a lot more I wanted to talk with Ruri-san about, but I could hear the baby crying, so Ruri-san quickly left the living room. A couple who can converse in French, how cool. While offering me sweets, Ikoma-san said,
“That’s right huh. I feel that after our baby girl was born, my perspective on sweets changed a little too. I want her and the kids to enjoy eating them too after all, so at least for the pound cakes or baked goods that we eat as a family, I’ve started to insist on using domestic ingredients…”
After the crying quieted down, Ikoma-san showed a kind smile and turned to me, saying,
“See. Hahaha, there are things to learn and changes happen even after surpassing 40 you know.”
He had a very fatherly grin.
“So Momoko-chan, I hope you’ll absorb lots of different things from your fellow students and first-rate patissiers you’ll be studying alongside in Paris. And slowly discover what it is you want to do,” he added.
“Mm-hmm…”
“In my opinion, the most important thing is communication skills. Momoko-chan, you quickly got along with our staff in this regard too. During work, you often looked around, and you prepared ingredients carefully without wasting anything.”
“Thank you so much…”
His praise makes me happy but since I was only doing fundamentals, it’s kind of embarrassing. Seeing me like that, Ikoma-san continued on.
“Having seen you Momoko-chan, we were able to reconnect with that humble foundation of continuous learning. Even though you can handle everything yourself, you often listened to what everyone said.”
I shook my head and replied,
“That’s too much.”
I was so surprised that Ikoma-san had been watching me in so much detail.
“I thought maybe the MAHO-do uniform was cute so ours might not suit you, but Momoko-chan, it suited you quite well.”
Saying that sort of thing, that’s just like Ikoma-san too, I suppose…
Certainly, the MAHO-do uniform is cute. And the uniform at “Eugene” is a chic navy blue shirt with black slacks. The orange line is cool, like a cafe uniform. However, since I rarely went out to the lobby, I usually wore all white. Ikoma-san watched me with a big smile and said,
“I think sweets are food that makes the people eating them feel happy. Therefore, if the staff unnecessarily compete with each other, or cut down on sleep to work and harm their health, they definitely can’t make delicious sweets. Having rivals isn’t a bad thing though.”
Since I handled things alone at MAHO-do, apparently Ikoma-san was worried it might be too difficult for me to do manual labor together with the other staff.
“It’s fine even if your French is a little shaky. I understood baked goods are your forte, but here, I wanted you to work following the ways of ‘Eugene’. And on your days off, you must have been able to go on a food tour of all sorts of places, right?”
“Oh, I see!”
I unconsciously raised my voice.
In the evening, still in bright daylight, after finishing work, I could go out to Yokohama and Tokyo to go on a food tour of all sorts of patisseries. With two days off a week, I could also help out at MAHO-do where Hana-chan and Doremi-chan were working hard as the leaders. Chatting with everyone, helping make magical goods, exchanging emails with Hazuki-chan who went to Paris before me, and Onpu-chan working hard in New York.
I hadn’t realized it. The reason Ikoma-san sent me home early was due to his attentive thoughtfulness.
“It’s impossible to make delicious things without peace of mind.”
He said with a wink.
“Ikoma-san, thank you so much!”
I thanked him wholeheartedly, and looked over the white peach mousse again.
I felt like his personality and character were fantastically represented.
It was so beautiful it seemed a waste to eat, but the instant it entered my mouth, I felt a sense of happiness. And realizing that Ikoma-san and Ruri-san had been thinking about various ways for me to do well in Paris, I felt even more happier.
An apartment in Paris has also been found for me by Celeste-san, the French girlfriend of Ruri-san’s younger brother, Ran-kun. I am really a lucky girl.
As I was thinking that, Ikoma-san changed the subject by saying,
“Oh that’s right, maybe because she has a younger sister, but Doremi-chan seems to have an unexpectedly good disposition as a babysitter.”
Can’t mention we have experience raising Hana-chan huh.
“It seems that the pregnant Ruri could relax when Hazuki-chan played all kinds of songs for her on the violin. The MAHO-do regulars have started coming by to our store too. We’ve been helped out a lot by everyone. Once you’re in Paris, we won’t be able to rush over right away, but you can consult us about anything anytime, got it?”
Hearing Ikoma-san’s kind words, I felt a warmth welling up in my chest. Ikoma-san looked incredibly gallant.
Blessed with wonderful friends and a cool mentor, not exactly like Doremi-chan, but I’m the luckiest girl in the world!
“Well, I figure the Paris confectionery school has high standards and will be strict. Momoko-chan, while I believe you’re tough both mentally and physically, but with your level around intermediate probably, you might end up in the roughest group. Do your best ok?”
“Eeeeh?! Is that so!?”
He said it casually with the same expression as when he was encouraging me earlier. That thing called raising up then bringing down huh.
My blissful mood was blown away in an instant!
But I quickly pulled myself together.
I know it’ll be harsh. Bring it on! I thought.
While thinking so, I asked,
“Even though it’s a specialized school, aren’t the students’ levels generally the same?”
Ikoma-san replied with a refreshing expression,
“Momoko-chan, I had you apply as an advanced student though. Maybe professionals gather there too. You might be the youngest. It won’t be as kind as our place you know.”
He blurted it out casually yet again!
What… Are you serious?
“If it doesn’t work out, we’ll take you back here.”
Good grief, middle-aged Latin men are frightening!
While working part-time and preparing for the move, I changed my planned departure to Paris from early August to late August to coincide with the September enrollment date.
Hazuki-chan’s university entrance date is later than mine, so she originally planned to depart at the end of August and stay in a hotel until her dorm became available.
But she stopped by New York to see Yada-kun and Onpu-chan before heading to Paris first. I think Hazuki-chan can fill in the details.
In Japan, it’s the tourist season during summer vacation. As for New York, that’s one thing, but Paris is also in the vacation season. Families go out to the sea in southern France and summer resorts all over Europe. Hazuki-chan’s university is on the northeast outskirts of Paris city, so it’s supposed to be very quiet this time of year.
There aren’t any stores near the dorms. The nights are very silent too, you only see the street lights and houses lit up. I better get used to it quickly.
I received such a message from Hazuki-chan yesterday.
We decided to rent the apartment where I’ll be living a month early, and until the university dorm is ready, Hazuki-chan will stay there.
Sorry for renting the apartment a little ahead of you, Momo-chan. I’ll get everything set up for you to start living comfortably right away when you arrive. Let’s go for a walk around the neighborhood together. I can show you around near the dorms too.
Since my school is in the suburbs southwest of Paris, if we wanted to directly visit each other’s rooms, it’s surprisingly far you know.
Knowing Hazuki-chan, the room is surely neat and tidy… And as soon as I move in, the room will be a mess won’t it, I just know it!
Upon completing my apprenticeship at “Eugene”, I was contemplating what to buy with the last paycheck I received. Because Hazuki-chan’s plans changed, I worked at “Eugene” longer than I was supposed to, so I also earned more pay. I wanted to purchase something memorable since it was an opportunity.
Something cool I could use in Paris too. I wavered between clothes or kitchenware, but eventually, I bought a big bag for carrying things. A soft, huge bag that can fit anything inside. I opened the newly bought bag at MAHO-do to show everyone. Hana-chan complimented it, saying it looked cool, but then she added,
“So Momoko is going away too huh. That makes me feel lonely.”
She muttered those words while gently stroking the bag right away, making Doremi-chan’s expression turn almost teary.
“We won’t be able to eat Momo-chan’s sweets for a while…”
“I’ll make sure to come back and bake something to celebrate you passing your exam, Doremi-chan!”
“Oh yeah, no Christmas cake either huh?”
When Doremi-chan voiced her deep disappointment,
“Wait a minute, Doremi. You know Christmas will be a busy time, right?”
Hana-chan scolded her, making Doremi-chan come to her senses. I really don’t wanna leave them huh.
On the day of departure, I was accompanied by Mama, and in Paris, Hazuki-chan and Papa were waiting for us. So, the day before departure, I gathered with friends and everyone from MAHO-do to have a lot of conversations. It’s not like we’ll be fully separated forever, plus I transferred in during elementary school too, and lived in America during middle school, so I never imagined Misora City would become so hard to leave.
But this is the place where I decided on my future dream, and where I spent time becoming even closer to my best friends. Even if we split apart, the place I will return to is right here. It’s wonderful to have a place to come home to, I thought.
When Mama and I arrived at Charles de Gaulle International Airport, Papa and Hazuki-chan came to pick us up. I wondered if it was a bit overprotective, but ever since Papa is posted abroad alone, we haven’t spent much time together as a family of three. And honestly, having Hazuki-chan on the advance team was reassuring.
“Sheesh it’s hot huh!”
“Is that really the first thing you say?”
Although Papa looked exasperated, I thought Paris would be cooler.
“Oh Momo-chan…”
Hazuki-chan exchanged glances with Mama and chuckled.
“Let’s head over to the apartment first, Momo-chan. I’ll show you the way. The luggage must have been heavy right?”
There was the huge bag I had bought of course, plus the suitcase with clothes and books. Stuffed in Mama’s big suitcase were mostly my confectionery making tools.
Charles de Gaulle Airport is located to the north of Paris, and it takes almost an hour by bus to reach the city center. My apartment and confectionery school are towards the southwest from the center, so I guess it’s like cutting diagonally across Paris. Along the way, we changed buses under Hazuki-chan’s guidance.
According to Hazuki-chan, if you memorize the metro (subway) and bus routes, you can get around the city smoothly. Truly, she’s an experienced senpai in Paris living.
When we arrived at the apartment, I received the key from Hazuki-chan and we all went inside.
I immediately opened the windows.
“A residential area, classic buildings, greenery… What a nice spot huh!”
You can see the street from the window. Hazuki-chan told me the confectionery school was across that street. About the same distance from my house to MAHO-do huh. It’s close so I can avoid being late.
When I went out to the balcony and looked at the street, there were classic buildings lined up, and the first floor was often a cafe or a daily necessities store. Beyond that were mostly residences, with a small park also visible.
“I guess this apartment building is about 100 years old too.”
Papa said as he looked around the room, Hazuki-chan followed up by saying,
“My dorm seems even older, maybe around 200 years or so. With the old structures still so intact, I felt like I should live in it carefully without being neglectful. There’s also a lot of greenery, so it’s a little like Misora City. It doesn’t feel out of place. I’m sure Momo-chan will like it too.”
I returned next to everyone and took another look around the room. Hazuki-chan had kept it very clean while living here.
“I didn’t know what would suit your taste, Momo-chan, but I bought some tableware just in case. Since I want to come visit from time to time, I got more items than the minimum needed.”
She said with a wink. The cupboards were filled with tableware that could be used immediately for everyday life.
Mama nodded in satisfaction and praised Hazuki-chan,
“Well, the kitchen is cute too. Hazuki-chan, thank you for getting everything ready. Did you buy it in Paris? You have nice taste.”
It seemed like she purchased them at regular local stores, not luxury brands. Hazuki-chan had been enjoying Paris quite a bit. Mama was even more delighted than me, but with the brightly colored tableware I liked, cooking seemed like it would be more enjoyable.
That day, after organizing our belongings, we persuaded Hazuki-chan not to be too reserved and had an early dinner. Even in the evening, it was still bright at this time of the season. After 9pm, I saw Hazuki-chan off to the station as she returned to her dorm, and it was still quite bright.
Papa and Mama, who stayed at a hotel, spent the next day tidying up the room, shopping for necessary items, and finishing enrollment paperwork for the confectionery school I would attend starting next month.
Before I knew it, a week passed in the blink of an eye, and Papa returned to his overseas post, while Mama went back to Japan.
After seeing the two of them off, I suddenly felt exhausted and ended up sleeping for about half a day.
When I woke up, I was just staring blankly at the ceiling above my bed.
I did feel a little lonely being all by myself, but I had spent time alone sometimes even up till now. And Onpu-chan and Hazuki-chan managed alright too.
What’s more, with the tuition for the specialized school being considerably expensive, and even though it’s in the suburbs, the rent for the apartment is not insignificant. My whole family is all scattered again. Still, Papa and Mama who gave me the OK and sent me off, my best friends who support me, along with everyone at “Eugene”, when I think of everyone’s faces, my heart warms up. It’s burning──!
After the confectionery school classes started, my days became quite short.
That said, it’s not hugely different from when I was making sweets at MAHO-do, or working at “Eugene”.
From Monday to Friday, I make sweets almost every day. I was taught the origins of the names of sweets and their places of origin, which I only vaguely knew. I wasn’t very good at world history, but if I had studied it in connection with sweets, my grades might have been a little better. The students gathered from various countries, and some of them were even less proficient in French than I was.
Gave me a spot of relief? No no, lectures have English interpretations too, but all the instructors for the sweets-making practical training are French. They don’t speak fast, but they move their hands while they speak, so I didn’t understand anything at first. But after about a month, I got used to it.
Just as Ikoma-san said, since it’s the advanced class for those with some sweets-making experience already, there are only about 2 or 3 girls around my age. The vast majority are in their early 20s, some students even over 30 years old. The male to female ratio is about 6 to 4, I guess.
Since it’s hard to tell the age of foreign students, both male and female, my first impression of the whole class was maybe late 20s.
As I had assumed about them, when I revealed my age they all went:
“Ehh, Momo is 19 years old?”
Everyone around me was stirred up huh.
“I thought you were about middle school age.”
A boy from Italy said, and everyone nodded in agreement. Come to think of it, Mama said that it’s a habit or a matter of manners for Italian men to compliment young women, saying things like “You’re beautiful” or “How about a cup of tea together”, but that Italian male student never approached me at all.
He probably thought I was a child. It’s kind of frustrating…
When I talked to Hazuki-chan about it, she said she had been regarded similarly by those around her apparently. People tend to think Asians look younger. Neither I nor Hazuki-chan are particularly tall, and I think I have a particularly childish face. My hairstyle is the same, but I’m trying to dress appropriately for my age, though.
Ikoma-san said the confectionery school would be tough and demanding, but I’m managing decently. He probably just wanted to put a little pressure on me.
“Huh? My university classmates from the area said that your confectionery school is well-known for being extremely strict.”
A bewildered Hazuki-chan said looking at me.
“Well, it’s tough if you say so.”
It feels somewhat similar to the days when I made sweets every day at MAHO-do, so it’s not a big difference…
It’s not that I’m complaining. I enjoy life in Paris and studying at school, but something feels different… I’m feeling a bit frustrated. I don’t really understand why I feel this way, so I can’t explain it well to Hazuki-chan.
Seeing me fall silent, Hazuki-chan tried to encourage me by saying,
“Even in Japan, Momo-chan was always pushing herself alone right? Coming here, you’ve probably become even more resilient. That’s probably why it doesn’t seem that harsh to you. I see you’re eating well, so I’m relieved.”
The daily lectures and practical training are intense, and because we’re always making and eating sweets for preparation and review, there are students who suddenly gain weight or lose weight due to unbalanced nutrition.
“The leftover sweets from practical training and the ones I practice at home, I share with friends living in my building.”
“I see, I’ve been getting souvenirs like this too. Momo-chan’s sweets are wildly popular with my dorm friends as well. My reputation goes up thanks to you too. Thank you as always.”
Hazuki-chan said happily. And I’m glad to see her happy.
I’ve been exchanging emails with Hazuki-chan for about a month since I moved to Paris, but starting in October, we’ve been going out together about two or three times a month. Since we both live in areas away from the city center in opposite directions, our usual meeting place is the midpoint, which is right in the heart of Paris.
The instant she saw my face today, Hazuki-chan said,
“Good morning, Momo-chan… Unlike usual, you look a bit down today. Did something happen?”
Hazuki-chan is sharp as always. Probably because we share similar circumstances huh.
Since I still didn’t understand what exactly was causing the fog in my mind, I just gave her a vague smile.
“Mo Li-san worked late last night, and she sent me a message saying she might not be able to wake up early today. But she mentioned that she would join us partway through. It’s warm for the first time in a while, so let’s take a little trip somewhere farther together,” she said.
“I’m glad that Mo Li-chan is still coming.”
“She said after working sooo hard, she wants to eat lots of sweets.”
Hazuki-chan said with a smile. Sweet treats can indeed soothe both a tired body and a weary heart.
Oh right, I should give an explanation about Mo Li-chan first huh.
Mo Li-chan is originally the daughter of a Chinese couple who had served as housekeepers for Papa when he was posted abroad alone in China. Later she also became close friends with Onpu-chan and got acquainted with the rest of us too. Even though she’s only a year older than us, she always seems much more mature. Despite being of Asian descent like us, her face and style have a more Western look.
Currently, Mo Li-chan is apprenticing under a Chinese designer living in Paris. She excels in delicate embroidery and even remade one of Hazuki-chan’s competition outfits.
Mo Li-chan, who has been living in Paris longer than us, has shared a lot of information about patisseries. Despite her slender figure, she has a big appetite and often accompanies me on my food tours. I also got information from Hazuki-chan’s university friends. So, I won’t have any trouble finding places to go on a food tour for a while, and it’s better if there are more people, so we can share and try more things together.
Paris, which is at a higher latitude than Wakkanai in Hokkaido, has very short daylight hours from autumn to winter.
But now that the Christmas season is approaching, it’s more sparkling than usual. And it’s also the perfect season for indulging in sweets. I’m glad to be a student at this time. The advanced class of the confectionery school I attend has a system where students, after completing the curriculum for about half a year, do an internship at the patisserie run by the school. Since I enrolled in the fall, I will graduate next spring and will be doing an internship at the patisserie.
If I had graduated in the fall, I would be doing my internship at the patisserie right now. Surely, I would be too busy, and there wouldn’t be time for food tours.
The patisserie we were going to today was introduced by Mo Li-chan and is located near Orly Airport in the south of Paris. So for the trip we opted for a train instead of the subway.
When we boarded the train, Hazuki-chan poured hot tea from a pot into teacups and handed one to me.
“I got this tasty tea, so please have some Momo-chan!”
“Thanks!”
It’ll be about an hour train ride, so having a drink is a major saver. Thanks a lot Hazuki-chan!
“Momo-chan, it might not be much help, but if you want, can you try to talk it out with me?”
Hazuki-chan, who noticed that I had been feeling uneasy lately, straightforwardly asked.
“……”
I hesitated for a moment, but decided to be honest and share my feelings.
“Not sure where to start… I know, first…”
Taking the macarons I had made yesterday from my bag, I continued,
“In my class, everyone is advanced, so we mainly breeze through the basics, and currently, we’re making sweets that are sold in stores. This week, I made several types of macarons.”
Hazuki-chan picked up a pink macaron and said,
“These bright, cute colors suit macarons perfectly. Macarons are very popular in Japan too, right? Momo-chan, you used to make them at MAHO-do. Although you can eat them in one bite, I remember you saying they’re quite expensive in terms of ingredients.”
“You remember really well huh.”
Prompted by Hazuki-chan, I released the pent-up feelings in my heart.
I have no complaints about the confectionery school at all, but the sweets I’m learning now are similar to the sweets at “Eugene”, and there are many stylish and luxurious ones. Of course, they taught me the basics of sponge, tart, and pie dough, as well as the details of the work. I think I’ve improved massively in just a few months. Not only that, but I was also able to learn about baked goods that have been eaten around France for a long time. I thought that sweets also have various episodes and history, even though they are also written in books.
“I feel we also need to learn the latest trends in sweets and how to operate the equipment too though.”
“What was it like at ‘Eugene’?”
Hazuki-chan didn’t know very clearly what kind of sweets I had been making there.
“Ikoma-san taught me the basics, like measuring ingredients accurately, cleaning tools properly afterwards, chopping fruit neatly, and so on. He also said I should know how to serve customers, so sometimes I worked at the counter too. I really was an apprentice in the true sense.”
“Could that be so that Ikoma-san wouldn’t fully instill the ‘Eugene’ style in you, Momo-chan? He knew the MAHO-do sweets very well after all, right?”
So that’s how it was! Since my mentor understood me well…
“He said sweets are tiny works of art, didn’t he? Although that’s from his own viewpoint, I suppose…”
Hazuki-chan nodded and said,
“Yeah. The sweets that Ikoma-san and Ran-san made were always so beautiful and intricate. But didn’t you say they changed a bit after the baby was born?”
“That’s right.”
The baby was born around the time MAHO-do closed its doors, and Ikoma-san started offering family-friendly baked goods and casual pound cakes at his store.
“Misora City is a bedroom community of the city center, and his store was originally located in a residential area, right? Since the customer base is different from that of the store in the city center, it’s only natural that the sweets offered are different,” Hazuki-chan added.
Ikoma-san was watching how much of the basics I had mastered. And then, he taught me only about the most important things for a patissiere, the handling of ingredients and tools.
Hazuki-chan continued with a serious expression,
“We also thought your dedication to your work was impressive. Going to high school while working so hard at the store. It was really motivational for me too.”
Getting praised by the winner of the Paris violin competition is making me blush.
“Now is the time to absorb various things, isn’t it? I also had a hard time keeping up with studies other than violin performance at first. Things like European music history, fundamentals about instruments other than the violin, things that everyone else seemed to know already. I had been so focused only on the violin up until then. It made me reflect on that.”
Hazuki-chan’s words made me have a realization.
I remembered what Ikoma-san told me when I finished my apprenticeship at “Eugene” and left for Paris.
Ikoma-san advised me to learn all kinds of things from my fellow students and the top-class patissiers in Paris, and to slowly figure out what I want to do.
At that time, I didn’t quite grasp the meaning, but now it felt like I understood the true intent of those words.
That’s exactly what had been bothering me lately.
I wonder what kind of sweets I would like to make the most now that I’m a patissiere?
Maybe it’s time to start thinking about that.
Hazuki-chan gave me a refill of tea, and I ate one macaron. Even though I thought I knew the taste of the macaron I made myself,
“Eating it while looking at the outside scenery makes it taste different.”
“They’re delicious. The macarons you made, Momo-chan.”
The train continued to curve gently along the tracks. We would soon reach our destination station.
The patisserie we visited was as delicious as its reputation. Since I shared the sweets with Hazuki-chan, we got to eat a lot. Just as we were wondering whether to go to a second store or have lunch, Mo Li-chan joined us.
“Sorry I’m late. Ahh, I’m tired… I want sweets, I need something comforting!”
“So even Mo Li-chan complains sometimes.”
Mo Li-chan’s loud voice, which I heard for the first time, surprised both me and Hazuki-chan. There was also some Chinese mixed in, which was unusual. She seemed more childish than usual.
“Sorry about that. I don’t usually get to say these kinds of things.”
Apparently, together with her designer mentor, she received subtly racist remarks from customers like, “Won’t it be difficult for you to run a boutique in Paris?” This is something that Hazuki-chan and I, who are aiming for Western-origin professions such as violinist and patissiere, have experienced before too. I’m sure Onpu-chan and Yada-kun, who are living in New York, have experienced the same thing.
That we as Orientals may not truly understand Western culture… we’re constantly confronted with doubts like that.
“Ultimately, it’s a world where your skills speak for themselves, so my mentor said it’s fine no matter what people say. But I still can’t get into that mindset… Ahhh, I want sweets!”
It might sound like she was desperate, but for Mo Li-chan, there are limited places where she can vent these kinds of frustrations.
“Okay, let’s get sweets first then.”
“Right. And we can have a slightly late lunch after that.”
“Sorry~~, Momoko-chan, Hazuki-chan!”
Hazuki-chan may have met Mo Li-chan more times than me and know her better, but seeing Mo Li-chan apologize so profusely made me feel a kinship with her and put me in higher spirits.
“Oh, there’s a store over there that looks like a patisserie.”
I spotted an old, weathered sign across the park.
“I wonder if it’s still open?”
Mo Li-chan asked, tilting her head when she saw a little store that resembled a cheap candy store.
“Let’s check it out and trust Momo-chan’s intuition.”
We walked through the park and headed for the little store.
The store was located alone on a street lined with residences. The well-maintained garden had no flowers and had a completely autumnal atmosphere. The door, fitted with glass, was beautifully polished, but the light blue paint was peeling a bit here and there.
“A quiet little store.”
For some reason, Mo Li-chan whispered to me in a hushed voice.
“The interior looks classic too. It has the feel of a neighborhood place with mainly local customers. Let’s go inside.”
When Hazuki-chan opened the door…
“Oh!”
The scent of butter and vanilla drifted out.
“It smells nice.”
I said, and the other two nodded emphatically.
Even though the bell on the door made a charming sound, no one came out of the store. There were several cream puffs and cheesecakes lined up in the small glass showcase. Although it was lunchtime, I’m sure it wasn’t that they were sold out, but rather that there weren’t many fresh cakes to begin with. Instead, the shelves were filled with various baked goods such as cookies, madeleines, financiers, galettes… all kinds of baked confections.
That evening, when I returned to my apartment, I placed the letter set I had just bought on the desk and crossed my arms.
The train on the way back was a bit crowded, but the three of us remained quiet. It wasn’t that we were silent, but rather, disjointed conversations continued sporadically. Yes, we were talking about those sweets without expecting a reply, listening without needing to respond.
Doremi-chan, how are you?
I took out a pen from the drawer and started the first line.
How’s your exam studying going?
Ahh, no good. Such obvious, pressuring questions. But…
“I wonder if it would be more considerate not to bring up this topic?”
I tore up the letter paper and threw it away. Hmm, letters are tricky. And the character for “studying” didn’t come to mind instantly. This is frustrating.
Come to think of it, as Hazuki-chan mentioned, it had been a while since I wrote Japanese.
“I have to write letters occasionally. Otherwise, I’ll forget kanji.”
She said something like that. Hazuki-chan also keeps her family and Doremi-chan and the others updated, but it’s mostly through emails. With Baaya-san, however, she makes it a point to write letters.
After seeing Hazuki-chan’s example, I thought I’d inform Doremi-chan about today’s events in a letter too. With Mo Li-chan here today, our conversation had turned into a mix of English and French, and lately besides emails I haven’t used much Japanese.
“…it resembles Momo-chan’s madeleines.”
After taking a bite, Hazuki-chan murmured softly.
When Mo Li-chan ate her first madeleine in one bite,
“It tastes like the madeleines my grandmother made for me when I was a child…”
She said with beautiful tears in her eyes.
“These unexpected triggers… They make me nostalgic and happy. I thought I could never taste them again…”
When Mo Li-chan’s grandmother was young, she had worked as a maid for a British family living in Shanghai. It seems that she learned how to make madeleines from the lady of that household, which she would then make for Mo Li-chan when she came to visit as a child.
“I thought madeleines were simple in terms of ingredients and preparation, and they wouldn’t change much no matter who made them, but I was wrong. Ikoma-san said the ingredients used at MAHO-do were very good.”
When I said this, they both nodded in agreement. Hazuki-chan also said the classic oven at MAHO-do was excellent. Ah, I should keep writing.
After quickly finishing the madeleines, we immediately returned to the store. We wanted to empty our pocket money to buy up all the baked goods lining the shelves. Mo Li-chan even tried to find a nearby ATM.
The owner of the store was an old lady over 70 years old. When I said she had similar qualities to Majorika, but in a more refined, quieter and cuter way,
“If you described her that way, she’d be a completely different person, Momo-chan.”
Hazuki-chan laughed at me.
I heard that the old lady is continuing the store started by her own grandmother. For ingredients like flour and butter, she sourced from the same places she had always used, joking that the suppliers had all gotten old too. She said she would keep the store open as long as customers kept coming to enjoy her baked goods, until she couldn’t move her body anymore.
When we tried to make a bulk purchase, she requested with a smile that we not buy everything because a regular customer would be coming in the afternoon. Mo Li-chan also agreed and said we’d come again. Hazuki-chan intended to buy them as souvenirs for her friends, but laughed and said she might end up eating them.
I thought I’d come again too. It made me feel nostalgic somehow. I didn’t want to talk about it in front of Mo Li-chan, but Doremi-chan, you know too, right? About Majomonroe.
It’s hard to explain, but when I ate that madeleine, all sorts of memories flooded my mind. You’d understand, right Doremi-chan?
I recalled the five years spent with Majomonroe at MAHO-do in New York.
I was six years old when I moved to New York because of Papa’s job.
Unable to speak English and with no friends, I longed to return to Japan. If only I had a magic broom to fly me back…
While thinking that as I sat on a bench, Majomonroe suddenly appeared in front of me.
As if performing magic, Majomonroe took out cookies and gestured for me to eat with a smile. Although I didn’t understand her English, I could sense her kindness.
Just one bite of that cookie was enough to make me smile.
That was our first encounter.
After that, upon learning that Majomonroe had opened a little sweets store called MAHO-do nearby, I started going there almost every day.
Although it was a little store, all the homemade cakes and baked goods had a comforting warmth to them and were incredibly tasty. Thanks to Majomonroe, my English improved little by little, and I made friends with the neighborhood children too.
There was a mean girl named Mary too, but thanks to Majomonroe’s sweets, she didn’t bother me at all.
But I ended up seeing through Majomonroe’s identity as a witch, and accidentally turned her into a witch frog. In order to restore my beloved Majomonroe to her original form, I became a witch apprentice. When I passed the level one witch apprentice exam, Majomonroe passed away, having lived out her natural lifespan before ascending to heaven.
To this day, it remains the most heartbreaking event of my life.
The happiness-calling earring that Majomonroe gave me before she breathed her last is still my treasure, always shining in my left ear.
Thanks to that earring, I was able to return to Japan and meet Doremi-chan, Hazuki-chan, Onpu-chan, as well as Hana-chan, Majorika, Lala and the others. We’re still best friends to this day.
After that, rebuilding Majomonroe’s MAHO-do in New York became my dream and paved the way for me to become a patissiere.
Majomonroe remains my mentor in spirit, and creating sweets that make people happy when they eat them, just like she did, became my goal.
Of all of Majomonroe’s creations, the madeleines were my absolute favorite.
And as I ate the madeleines from the old patisserie today, I felt a sense of relief wash over me, like some vague unease I had been carrying was blown away.
The familiar taste that Mo Li-chan said reminded her of her grandmother, the madeleines that Hazuki-chan said resembled my own…
A flavor anyone can make, with ingredients readily available anywhere. Passed down from mothers to children, from grandmothers to grandchildren. That’s the taste of my favorite baked goods.
Such baked goods are found in all kinds of patisseries, none with a particularly unique flavor. They have a reassuring taste. It’s a taste you can trust unconditionally.
Doremi-chan, I’ll do my best! Someday, I definitely want to revive Majomonroe’s store. I can’t believe I forgot something so important until now!
But you know, I also realized there’s still so much more for me to learn at school. Hazuki-chan said my madeleines resembled hers, and I feel the same, but preserving that exact same flavor is not as simple as I thought. I need to refine my skills, experience all kinds of tastes, research ingredients too…
Doremi-chan, I’ll do my best, so let’s both keep at it!
After finishing the letter, I put it in an envelope with the mailing address written on it. My trash bin was full of discarded sheets with mistakes. I can’t believe I’ve forgotten this much Japanese! I put the leftover envelopes back in the drawer.
“Hmm, somehow it doesn’t feel complete…”
I picked up my phone to check the time. It was past 11pm.
“Is it still too early…?”
I put my phone down and headed to the bathroom for now. On busy days I just take a quick shower, but I felt like a proper Japanese-style bath soak today.
After drying my hair and brushing my teeth, all that was left was to sleep. While preparing for tomorrow, I looked at the clock.
“12:30, is she back?”
I gave Onpu-chan a call. The time difference between Paris and New York is 6 hours, so it should be evening in New York, meaning Onpu-chan was likely back at her place. I felt like hearing Onpu-chan’s voice after a while, and wanted to tell her about today’s events in Japanese.
In the end, I just talked one-sidedly to Onpu-chan without hearing her good news, so we decided to save that for later. She was stunned that I wasted so many sheets of letter paper. But since she’s so competitive, she’ll undoubtedly take on the challenge of writing a letter tomorrow like I did. And then be equally disappointed, I just know it!
On my way home the next day, I bought more letter paper and Christmas cards. This time, I thought I’d send a letter to Ai-chan.
Ai-chan entered university and fully transitioned to long-distance running. She won her first collegiate competition right away. Wow, as expected of Ai-chan! But long-distance runners focus on winter as their season. I thought that with emails, she might feel obligated to reply quickly even when she is tired.
I’m actually disappointed that I can’t write kanji as well as I thought. It’s strange to call it revenge, but Hazuki-chan’s advice makes me want to write letters again. I should express my gratitude to her. I’m worried that my English might become shaky next year.
Ai-chan, how are you?
The opening is good. The problem lies in what comes next. I was informed through Hana-chan that Ai-chan is steadily improving her records. However, there are an overwhelming number of rivals in long-distance running. When it comes to full marathons, there seem to be many aspects, such as time management and hydration, that you won’t understand unless you’ve participated in a certain number of races. Right now, she’s aiming for the 10,000 meters, but eventually, she’ll probably become a full marathon runner. Ai-chan said she’s progressing step by step at a relaxed pace, but…
I’m also moving forward step by step. There are still many areas where I’m lacking, but I have to keep going, thinking that today is better than yesterday, and tomorrow will be better than today.
As it turns out, there really were a mountain of things I wanted to write about. Happy things, tough things, complaints, and so on. But putting it all into a letter makes me calm down a bit. And while I did waste several sheets of letter paper, putting thoughts into words and reading them back is nice. I added a message to the Christmas card and put it in an envelope addressed to Ai-chan’s dorm.
With the official start of the Christmas season, I’ve been going around patisseries again. Of course, I can’t buy or eat a lot of whole cakes, but it’s still fun to just look at them.
Since the Christmas vacation is short, I decided to stay in Paris instead of going back to Japan. Papa and Mama said they would come visit for a few days, so I’m thinking of having them sponsor my tour of sweets stores. It seems that Papa is about to be transferred again soon, and it looks like it’s going to be somewhere in Central or South America. I thought it would become more and more difficult to visit, and I wondered if Mama would get angry or sad, but instead she said,
“It looks exciting. Maybe I’ll go too.”
Lately Mama’s horizons keep expanding, and it really looks like she’s enjoying her work. She still lives apart from Papa often, but,
“Momoko, since you’ll be doing training around Paris even after graduation, let’s plan to meet as a family in Paris for a while. No sneaking away, Papa.”
“Same for you!”
That’s how it is. Since they both respect each other’s jobs, now that Mama’s work has increased, they just can’t live together easily. They don’t seem to have any intention of getting a divorce, but this kind of couple dynamic works too. Compared to a normal family stereotype in the past, where parents are always together, their situation is somehow interesting. I think I’ll cleverly insert myself between the two of them and get them to pamper me.
I heard Hazuki-chan and Onpu-chan won’t be going back to Japan either. Hazuki-chan is slated to perform in a Christmas concert. And Onpu-chan is right in the middle of stage rehearsals.
Doremi-chan is facing the climax of her entrance exam studies, while Hana-chan is preparing for her university exams and Ai-chan is in the middle of a training period for the peak of the season.
I’ll be graduating from confectionery school in the spring, so I’m thinking of going back to Japan before starting my patisserie apprenticeships, to celebrate Doremi-chan getting into university!
I promised to make her a whole cake to celebrate her acceptance. Once the new year starts, spring will be here in no time!
momo Chan ganbatte ne
Click here to leave comments on GitLab.