[It was clear to me since the start.]

  Ayumu rubs his nose.

  [If there is one single thing I want from this world right now...]

  [It's cookies!]

  He rubs his nose again, pacing around the kitchen with his hands clasped behind his back.

  [I, Ayumu, will cook the best cookies known to man.]

  [And, of course, my skilled assistant. Kanna.]

  He offers a hand to her. Kanna sticks out her tongue.

  Kanna: [I cook better than you!]

  [Keep dreaming, assistant.]

  Kanna: [Whatever.]

  Ayumu's gaze darts around the kitchen.

  [Where's Hinozu?]

  [He said he didn't want anything to do with you.]

  [No way! You're lying.]

  He points at her accusingly.

  Kanna: [Even if I am, it would make sense.]

  [Whatever.]

  Clearing his throat, he walks over to the counter.

  [Anyways, let's get to cooking. The first step, of course, is to see which tools we need, which ingredients we need, and the quantity. Especially in baking.]

  [We'll need two large bowls, crystal if possible, a glass, a saucepan, a whisk, a spatula, silicon preferably, measurement cups or a scale, a tablespoon, two teaspoons, and of course, a plastic tray that can withstand 12 cookies.]

  Kanna: [Why two teaspoons?]

  [You see, we'll be using dry and wet ingredients. I don't want to wash clumps after, because we used the same spoon for everything.]

  Ayumu claps, and after a while, all the ingredients and are in place.

  [My magic fascinates me.]

  Kanna: [I didn't gather everything for you to say it's magic.]

  [Anyways, here we go.]

  Ayumu grabs a saucepan, setting it on the stove.

  [First step is to brown the butter. That's right. We start, adding three quarters of a cup, or 180 g of butter, into the... Saucepan.]

  [Then, we get the flame to low, and mix it around with a whisk occasionally.]

  Kanna: [Are you melting the whole stick?]

  [... Yeah.]

  Kanna: [You're dumb. Cutting the butter into chunks is better for faster melting, and even browning.]

  [Using a whole stick is better if you're on low heat, though.]

  Kanna: [But that takes time! I don't want to wait!]

  [Better luck next time... Melting it in low butter is the best way for me.]

  Kanna: [Yeah, because you're clumsy and you always burn the butter.]

  She giggles. Ayumu swirls the melted butter.

  [Ah, there's foam now. This means the water is boiling off. I used to think I had to do something with the foam, but it just disappears after, leaving a golden liquid.]

  Kanna: [You nearly sound like an adult. Boring!]

  She sticks out her tongue. Ayumu scoffs.

  [I take this very seriously. I won't accept any chaos or mistake in the kitchen, from now on.]

  Kanna: [Yeah... Like when we met Hinozu for the first time.]

  [You started it!]

  Kanna: [No, you!]

  Clicking his tongue, Ayumu focuses again on the butter.

  [When we see those little bits at the bottom starting to form, then we know it's browning.]

  [We need to be careful, and watch. Watch... Closely...]

  Kanna: [What's that... Aroma? It's so good!]

  [That's because it's nearly browned. Once the little bits are golden brown, we can remove it from the heat, and pour it into our glass.]

  Kanna: [Wait, that's what you needed the glass for?!]

  [Yes.]

  Kanna: [Why?]

  Ayumu pours the browned butter into the glass.

  [Now, we wait until it's room temperature. Then, we'll refrigerate it until it's almost paste-like. This ensures we have the right consistency when mixing in the other ingredients.]

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  Kanna: [I see. How long will that take?]

  [Long. So just wait.]

  Kanna: [Don't wanna.]

  [Didn't know you could travel to the future!]

  Kanna sighs, placing a palm on her forehead.

  Kanna: [Of course I can't.]

  [Then wait.]

  Kanna slumps, sighing deeply.

  [An assistant should never—]

  Kanna: [Leave me be. I cook better than you, anyways.]

  [You already said that.]

  Kanna: [Because it's true.]

  [A liar always says the same thing, over and over again.]

  Kanna: [You're no fun!]

  [We'll get back to you, little chefs, after the butter is done. Remember to leave it to be at room temperature, before refrigerating.]

  [Be really careful, as we don't want it almost solid.]

  Ayumu claps, taking the butter out of the fridge.

  [Now that it's almost paste-like, we can begin working on the rest. The first thing to—]

  Kanna: [Blah, blah, blah. Just do it already, I've been waiting too long!]

  [Don't you ever think about our little chefs? They need this.]

  [They need me.]

  Kanna groans.

  [So, first of all, we pour our... Um, browned butter on a large bowl. Now, we add half a cup, or 100 g, of granulated sugar, and 1 cup, or 200 g, of brown sugar.]

  [We mix it well, until it's fluffy.]

  [Then, we add two large eggs, and mix until it's completely incorporated.]

  [Assistant.]

  Kanna: [Right away...]

  [Next, we add a tablespoon of vanilla extract.]

  Kanna: [A whole tablespoon?!]

  [Of course. You see, it can seem like much, especially for cookies, where only a teaspoon or two are used.]

  [But by adding a tablespoon, or 3 teaspoons, we can come out with a bolder, more complex flavor, all because of the browned butter, brown sugar, and the chocolate we'll add later.]

  [Now, we'll need to balance, as it can be sharp if it's artificial, though that won't be a problem if the measurements are right.]

  Kanna: [I see... You're so smart, Ayumu. It's the first time I want to listen to your rambling.]

  [If you want a softer flavor in your cookies, you can use less.]

  [Now, after adding the vanilla extract, we'll add a pinch of salt before mixing it.]

  [A tip for our little chefs out there, you can add just a pinch of coffee powder.]

  Kanna: [What for? I don't want to stay up all night.]

  [Adding a pinch of coffee powder makes the chocolate flavor more pronounced. So, if you like your cookies tasting really like chocolate, add that in.]

  [Now that's all mixed, we set this bowl aside. In another bowl, we add—]

  Kanna: [I'm hungry.]

  [... Okay. And?]

  Kanna: [What do you mean?! I want the cookies now!]

  [Well, if you'd help me more eagerly when giving me the ingredients, we wouldn't take so long.]

  Kanna: [I'm doing my best here.]

  She scoffs, crossing her arms.

  [Do better, then. Anyways, after setting the liquid mixture aside, we grab another large bowl.]

  [Now, because we need 1 cup, or 170 g, of chocolate chunks.]

  Kanna: [We only have a chocolate bar, though.]

  [Dear assistant, we can chop the bar into pieces ourselves.]

  Kanna: [I always buy them from the store in packages.]

  [Do you like wasting your money?]

  Kanna: [I'm scared to use the knife.]

  [Whatever. We grab the bar, and make chunks out of it. They don't need to be too big, but we don't want them small either.]

  [Once we have the chunks, we set them aside.]

  [In our empty bowl, we sift in 3 cups, or 360 g of all-purpose flour, before adding one teaspoon of baking soda, and half a teaspoon of baking powder.]

  [Now, we don't mix it, as we need to add the chocolate.]

  Kanna: [Why don't we add it later, when mixing the dry ingredients with the wet ones?]

  [You see, adding the chocolate in the flour, and mixing it first, ensures they're integrated well into the dough later.]

  Kanna: [Hurry up, then!]

  [On it... We add half a cup, or 85 g of chocolate chips, as well as the chocolate chunks.]

  [Ah, you can add how much you want, of the chunks. If you prefer it with less chocolate, add less.]

  [But, little chefs, if you want to do something special, set some aside. I'll do that, so follow along to see what happens.]

  He grins wickedly.

  Kanna: [Stop, you're scaring me. Also, I've just realized you say "little chefs".]

  [So what? I may be little too, but—]

  Kanna: [That's not the issue. Who... Talks alone like that?]

  [It's all about ambience and immersion.]

  Kanna: [Fancy words for someone with an empty head.]

  [Now that we've mixed the chocolate into the dry ingredients, we mix it well.]

  [Then, we toss it all into the wet mixture. Now, grabbing our spatula, we fold it all in. Slowly, consistently, and with care.]

  [Once the dough's ready, it's time to shape them into balls.]

  [Now, the size is preference, but it's better to do them a little bigger, based on what I'm going to do.]

  Walking over to the faucet, he washes his hands thoroughly before drying them off.

  Walking over to the dough, he takes some of it, rolling it in his hands.

  [We need it to be round, but not perfect. Nobody likes perfectly round cookies. I don't.]

  Kanna: [I like cookies.]

  [We know.]

  [Now, we flatten it out, and then, the special, secret, amazing step.]

  [Grabbing some chunks we set aside earlier, we place them on the center before rolling again. This will result in a center that's full of chocolate.]

  [Heavenly.]

  [We repeat this process with the rest, and I'll get back to you, little chefs.]

  Clapping twice, he sets the cookies on a tray.

  Kanna: [Hey, Ayumu...]

  [Hm?]

  Kanna: [We didn't preheat the oven.]

  [Ah... That's for a reason.]

  Kanna raises a brow.

  [We won't be baking them today.]

  ...

  Kanna: [WHAT?!]

  She sinks to the ground, staring at Ayumu, dumbfounded.

  [Should've told you sooner...]

  [I mean, we can—]

  Kanna: [I beg you. Be merciful...]

  [Listen. It's okay to bake directly, but if you let it chill, the flavors won't only develop and become richer. The texture will be better, too. The cookies won't spread as much, and the interior will be fudgier. It's better.]

  A single tear rolls down Kanna's cheek.

  [I like freezing it for at least a day, though it's possible to leave for up to 3 days for better results.]

  Kanna: [Ayumu...]

  [If longer, make sure to freeze them on a tray first, before transferring to an airtight bag.]

  Kanna: [Ayumu...]

  [Let's place it in the freezer, and I'll come back tomorrow. If I'm alive by then. Sorry, Kanna.]

  Kanna: [I understand why Hinozu hates you.]

  [Does he hate me?!]

  Kanna: [No... But I do now.]

  [Well...]

  Clapping, sunlight filters through the kitchen.

  [Good morning, little chefs. Today's the grand day.]

  [Kanna isn't here. She said she had to think about her life choices after... The incident yesterday.]

  [Now, first we need to preheat the oven for half an hour, at 320 °F or 160 °C.]

  [While it's preheating, we grab a baking tray, grease it a little and line it with parchment paper.]

  [After half an hour, we take out our cookies, line them on the baking tray, and bake for 17-22 minutes.]

  [There's no need to thaw, they'll bake really good as is. If you want more spread though, let them rest for 5 minutes. Also, because we're baking them frozen, we add 1 or two minutes. This means the usual baking time is 15-20 minutes.]

  Ayumu grabs a toothpick.

  [The ultimate inspection tool. After 15 minutes, we check the cookies by inserting it.]

  [We'll know when they're done when the edges are a bit solid and the center comes out with a few crumbs when we insert the toothpick.]

  [... Done!]

  Putting on some mitts, he takes out the baking tray.

  [Now, we let them rest for 10-15 minutes, or until they have more structure. If not, they'll fall apart too easily.]

  Ayumu smells the aroma, delighted.

  [Amazing.]

  Kanna: [It is.]

  Ayumu flinches, turning around.

  [When did you appear?]

  Kanna: [Just now.]

  [Well, you're in great timing. Try one.]

  Grabbing a cookie, she bites into it.

  Kanna: [I can see stars.]

  [It's good, right?]

  She nods, her mouth full as she chews.

  [This world will crumble under the influence of my recipe.]

  [Or will it prosper?]

  He mumbles to himself.

  [I should keep it to myself.]

  [That would be too selfish.]

  [Hey, Kanna.]

  Kanna: [Hm?]

  [Do you forgive me, now?]

  Kanna: [Not unless I can eat half of this.]

  [Sure, sure...]

  He sighs.

  [Well, that's it, little chefs. Try them out, see how they turn out!]