RPG Candy

I tended to Kurumi after she fainted.

When Kurumi came to, she hunched up like a turtle and bowed her head.

“I-I’m sorry, L-Leopin-san! I-I said there’s no way you can make sweets with just sugar and water…! I-I was wrong!”

“Don’t worry about that. Just lift your head.”

Kurumi peeked up like she was checking my mood.

“U-Um… I-I have a request… C-Could you teach me how to make Moonlight Candy…?”

“Teach you? You watched it. You make sugar water and reduce it.”

“B-But… I-I’m really clumsy… I-I think I can’t make it unless you teach me…”

“Are you? Then try making it.”

So I lent her my cooking area and had her try…

I was shocked on multiple levels.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen an item with ‘Terrible’ in the name.” When a crafted item’s quality level was low, it got labeled “Low-Grade.”

But when it was truly awful, it got stamped with “Terrible” instead.

I felt like I’d seen chocolate labeled “Terrible” a long time ago, too…

No—old memories didn’t matter right now.

I had to deal with this “Terrible” one first.

I tasted her candy and spoke to Kurumi, who looked crushed by despair.

“This is going to take serious training. Do you have the resolve?”

Kurumi jerked her head up.

“Y-Yes! Of course! P-Please teach me how to make sweets, Chef Leopin!”

After that, we made Moonlight Candy until evening.

Partway through, we ran out of sugar, and Kurumi sprinted to the School Store to buy more.

Even so, Kurumi’s Moonlight Candy stayed terrible.

“A-Alright then—we’re pulling an all-nighter! Kurumi!”

“Yes, Chef Leopin!”

Kurumi had been a timid, jumpy girl.

But her passion for sweets was stronger than anyone’s, and she followed my harsh coaching without a single complaint.

As she repeated the process over and over, “Terrible Moonlight Candy” leveled up into “Low-Grade Moonlight Candy.”

And then, around dawn, finally…

The description was plain to the point of being cold, but at last—normal Moonlight Candy was complete…!

“W-We diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid it!”

For once, we both let out a roar of joy and hugged each other tight.

Inside my arms, Kurumi trembled as she looked up at me.

From behind her curtain-like bangs, the little bit of her eyes I could see sparkled brightly.

“W-We… we did it! Chef Leopin! I-I finally made sweets!”

“Yeah. You did great.”

When I patted her head, Kurumi smiled happily.

But maybe she suddenly came back to her senses—her face went red like it had exploded, and she pulled away from my arms.

“S-Sorry! I-I just… got so happy…!”

Kurumi bowed over and over at high speed, so fast it left afterimages.

I held out the frying pan and the wooden molds to her.

“A celebration for your first success. Take these with you.”

“Huh…? A-Are you sure…? S-Something that amazing…”

“Yeah. I can make them anytime. Train more with these.”

Kurumi started trembling like a chihuahua.

“Ah… ahh… th-thank you so much…! I-I… I’m clumsy and slow at everything…! E-Everyone hated me…!”

Tears trickled down from beneath her curtain-like bangs.

“B-But you, Chef Leopin…! Y-You were kind even to someone like me who keeps failing…! W-Waaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Kurumi—who’d pulled away—threw herself back into my arms.

She buried her face in my chest and cried like a little kid.

I stroked her head until she calmed down.

That day, the dreamy girl showed her own menu to her classmates for the first time.

After the quality level rose one more step, her classmates praised it.

It was immediately added as one of the cafeteria’s items for sale.

Moonlight Candy was renamed “RPG Candy” and put into small bottles to line the storefront.

It became a huge hit with students busy with development and classes.

It was easy to carry, and when you were tired and craving something sweet, you could eat it quickly.

RPG Candy became one of the new local specialties of the developing settlement.

Adults hungry for achievements weren’t going to overlook sales like that.

“Yes! Now we can finally give a prize to a proper student!”

Like a hyena spotting a fawn separated from the herd, the first to pounce was Vice Principal Yesman.

With a beaming smile, he spoke to Kurumi, who was selling in front of the cafeteria.

“Let’s see… you were Kurumi-san, correct! I have recognized your talent from a long time ago!”

At the entrance ceremony’s Rite of Ability Awakening, the moment it was revealed Kurumi became a Pastry Chef, Yesman had blatantly ignored her.

But now he was rubbing his hands and sidling up to her like a fly.

“The sponsors are paying attention to the sweets you made! Having a student like you makes even me proud! I would very much like to taste the very first masterpiece of the future super pastry chef!”

“U-Um… i-if that’s the case, please line up—”

Taking advantage of Kurumi’s poor speaking skills, the vice principal ignored her words.

He grabbed one of the candy bottles for sale, opened it, and ate it without permission.

“Yes! De-li~cious! My cheeks are going to fall off! What is this wonderful candy called?”

“U-Um… it’s… ‘RPG Candy’…”

“I-I named it after someone I respect the most…”

“I see, I see! Not only the taste, but even the name is delicious! Not only Kurumi-san who made it, but even the character of the person you respect seems to shine through!”

While showering her with praise, the vice principal was thinking this:

—A name starting with ‘R,’ and a student revered this much…

It must be that revered figure from Class 1-11!

Mwahahahaha!

A perfect chance to rack up points just fell into my lap!

His tongue didn’t stop.

“Yes! I am deeply moved! Class 1-16 will be promoted by one rank!”

“And I’ll even give prize money! Not only to Kurumi-san, but I’d like to give prize money to the person you respect as well! What does ‘RPG’ stand for? Please tell me—if only as a way of repaying your benefactor!”

“Y-Yes…! It stands for… ‘Leo(R)pin(P) Moonlight(G) Candy’…”

“Guh… gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?!?”

The vice principal collapsed like he’d swallowed poison.

Beside him, one of Kurumi’s classmates deadpanned a retort.

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