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One day, Orfevre sat alone in her dorm room, staring at an apple on her desk and worrying over it.
The apple had been bought the day before by Orfe's older sister, Dream Journey. It was bright red, glossy, and by all appearances a fresh, excellent apple.
Or so it should have been.
But when Orfevre had actually cut it and eaten it, it hadn't been sweet at all. No—if anything, it was rather sour. Considering the beautiful shine of the skin and the juicy flesh revealed when she sliced it open, she had expected something richly sweet, and the taste had honestly disappointed her. Even so, since it was something her sister had bought for her, there was no way she could say such a thing aloud. Somehow she had managed to finish the whole apple.
The problem was that Dream Journey had bought two apples.
One way or another, she would have to get through the other one as well. But the idea of forcing herself to eat a whole apple that wasn't sweet held absolutely no appeal for Orfevre. And so she sat there, troubled by that rather serious problem.
Even by the following day, it had not been resolved.
After school, with training off for the day, Orfevre sat alone on a bench, deep in thought. That was when a red-haired horse girl—someone who was by now becoming a familiar sight to her—walked up.
“Um... Orfe-san. Are you worried about something?”
“Hm? ...Shion.”
When Orfevre lifted her head, there stood Win Variation.
“Worried, you ask? ...I won't say I have no troubles. But it is neither the kind of matter I ought to consult you about, nor one for which I have any reason to do so.”
“Ah... right... then I'll be going...”
Variation started to leave, and Orfevre watched her go. Then, suddenly, something occurred to her.
Come to think of it, I heard that girl likes apples...
She was not entirely certain the memory was correct. But if it was, then Shion might prove useful in solving the problem currently before her.
“.........No. Wait!”
Variation jumped at the shout, stopped, and turned back.
“W-what is it?”
“I said I had no business consulting you... but perhaps I was mistaken.”
“...Huh?”
“Win Variation, I ask you this. ...Do you like apples?”
(...She suddenly dragged me all the way to the dorm entrance and told me to wait here for a while, but... what is going on...?)
Only moments earlier, Orfevre had abruptly asked her, Do you like apples? and then led her here. Variation had been confused ever since. It was only natural. However often they ran into each other, they were hardly close, and on top of that this was that Orfevre—the tyrant herself—coming to her with a problem. Variation could not read her intentions at all.
(If she's suddenly asking me whether I like apples, does that mean she's actually worried about something apple-related? ...No, that's ridiculous. There's no way someone like her would be troubled by something like that.)
While she was turning over all sorts of thoughts like that, Orfevre came back carrying something in her right hand.
It was, unmistakably, an apple.
“What? Why are you looking so surprised?”
“Eh...? Well... that's an apple, right?”
“Why do you ask me something so obvious? Of course it is an apple. Do not waste my time with foolish questions.”
The conclusion Variation had just dismissed as ridiculous was, somehow, entirely correct.
She could not hide her astonishment.
“Orfevre-san... you actually eat apples...”
“What nonsense are you speaking? Whether I eat apples or not is entirely my own affair.”
“No, I mean, sure, but...”
Variation was left with all kinds of complicated feelings as Orfevre began explaining her problem.
“The reason I consulted you is none other than this apple. It is currently causing me distress.”
“Orfe-san... are you really the kind of person who gets troubled by an apple?”
“Enough. Listen. ...This apple was given to me by my sister, and I have already eaten one. However—if I am to speak plainly—it is bad.”
“What? That apple? It looks delicious to me...”
Variation's inner apple-lover reacted immediately to Orfevre's statement.
“To be precise, it is too sour. I ate it expecting sweetness, and its lack of sweetness left me disappointed. I must somehow use up the remaining one as well... but as for how, I have no idea.”
“I see...”
Variation thought for a moment, then said:
“Would it be all right if I tasted it?”
To her surprise, Orfevre nodded.
“Very well. I should like to hear your opinion on the flavor as well.”
“Then I'll go cut it!”
“No. I shall cut it. You may sit there and wait.”
Stopped in her tracks, Variation backed down with an unhappy look. Orfevre, however, paid her no mind and took the apple away.
<Five minutes later>
Orfevre returned carrying a plate with several slices of apple on it. The apple looked juicy, and the cut surface was bright and fresh. For Variation—who loved apples so much she found it too precious to even drink one-hundred-percent apple juice—the sight was almost unbearably good. At the same time, she felt strangely apologetic toward the apple itself.
“Um... well... I need to mentally prepare first...”
Orfevre, on the other hand, sounded irritated.
“Was it not you who said you wished to taste it? Or what—does an apple cut by my own hand inspire too much awe for you to eat it?”
Half-provoked by that line, Variation gave an “Oh, come on!” and bit into a slice.
(...She's right. The sweetness is subdued, and it's definitely tart. I like this kind too, but people who prefer sweet apples might hate it. ...This taste might mean...)
After finishing the slice, Variation said:
“This apple... could it maybe be a cultivar called Kougyoku?”
“Hm? Kougyoku?”
“It's one variety of apple. To put it simply, this type tends to be fairly tart.”
“Shion. Are there truly so many kinds of apples?”
“Of course there are. Haven't you heard of Tsugaru or Fuji?”
“...No. I had thought apples differed only as green apples and red apples.”
“Ehhh...”
It seemed Orfevre knew far less about apples than Variation had expected.
“In other words, this is simply a kind that is not sweet.”
“Yep.”
“Muu... So there is no way to eat this apple deliciously...”
“.....................No. There is a delicious way.”
“Oh?”
“Orfe-san... if you don't mind, could you lend me this apple?”
“......What do you intend to do?”
“I'll bring it back in a form that lets you eat it deliciously.”
Variation knew of a way to make sure this apple would taste good. She was confident of it. Perhaps that confidence was why, unusually for her, she had made such a bold proposal to Orfevre.
“....................Very well.”
After some thought, Orfevre accepted.
“I shall pray that what you make does not disappoint me.”
“...........You really are annoying sometimes...”
The next day, it was Orfevre who sat waiting at a table near the dorm entrance, because Variation had instructed her to.
(That girl... she's late.)
Orfevre's irritation rose the longer Variation took. More than likely, that irritation was being fed by the tiny spark of anticipation she herself had toward the “offering” Variation was about to bring.
At last Variation appeared carrying something in her hands.
“...You are late, Shion.”
“Sorry. It took a little while...”
“Honestly. If what you have brought as tribute does not suit my palate, you understand what will happen, yes?”
“Ugh... and you keep calling it a tribute... B-but! I'm confident this time!”
“Oh? Bold words from you. Then let me see this item you have brought before me.”
“I said stop calling it that... well, whatever.”
What she had brought Orfevre was—
an apple pie.
“This is... apple pie?”
“That's right. Kougyoku apples are ridiculously good when you make apple pie with them.”
“.......You rather drew that word out.”
Even as she said it, Orfevre studied the pie carefully. From the look of it, it certainly seemed delicious enough to whet the appetite. And since supper had just ended, it would make an ideal dessert as well.
“...Um, instead of staring at it like that, could you maybe try eating it...?” Variation said.
“Hm. Very well. Taste is what matters.”
Using the knife and fork Variation had brought, Orfevre cut a piece with great care. Even the color of the apple filling looked just right.
Then she brought a bite to her mouth.
“........................................”
She closed her eyes as she chewed. Variation watched her with an expression half anxious, half hopeful.
“Um..................what do you think?”
“................................I am surprised.”
“Huh?”
“It has an excellent sweetness. And depth of flavor as well. ...I shall praise you. This is a fine tribute. You have done well.”
“Eh... ah, right... well... if it suits your taste, then that's good...”
Variation's heart skipped a little in spite of herself. Orfevre did not praise her often.
(So she really likes sweets... I feel like I've seen an unexpected side of her...)
Variation was still turning all of that over in her head when she glanced at the plate and suddenly shouted.
“Wahhh! Hey, Orfe-san, you've practically eaten the whole thing already!!”
“Is there a problem? Was this not something you presented to me? Then it is mine.”
“No, I still haven't had any!! I'm not giving up this last piece!”
Variation hurriedly snatched the final slice. Orfevre glared at her, but Variation stuffed the pie into her mouth without caring.
(This is exactly why I still can't really like her... 💢)
Thinking that, she savored the apple pie to the fullest, then swallowed it down along with all her pent-up dissatisfaction with Orfevre.
A few days later, Variation was walking down the academy corridor when someone unexpected called out to her.
“Excuse me, Win Variation-san.”
“Wah— ...you would be... Dream Journey-san?”
“Yes.”
Dream Journey. Variation remembered that she was Orfevre's older sister.
“What do you need with me?”
“It concerns my younger sister, Or.”
Variation tensed instinctively. Was there some kind of problem with the apple incident from before?
“Recently, Or has become obsessed with apples.”
“........Huh?”
“She has started researching apple cultivars and trying to cook them herself... Just yesterday she even handed me apple juice. When I asked why she had suddenly become interested in apples, she told me, 'Shion instructed me in many things about apples.'”
“Which is why I wished to ask you something... Would you help Or this weekend?”
“Huh?”
“She intends to borrow a kitchen and make apple pie. It seems she was inspired by the pie you made for her. If possible, I would like you to make it together with her that day.”
“Wait—Orfe-san? ...With me????”
“That is the situation, yes. I appreciate your help in advance. ...Now then, if you'll excuse me.”
With that, Dream Journey walked briskly away.
(That Orfe... with me? This weekend?)
Variation's thoughts did not organize themselves at once, but as time passed she slowly digested what she had just heard.
(And she's even made arrangements to borrow a kitchen... that's full-on 'we're spending the whole day on this' mode, isn't it... And if I don't go, she'll absolutely use it against me later... haaah......)
Variation had all sorts of complicated feelings about Orfevre. That only made the coming weekend feel heavier and heavier to her.
(Well... I'm glad she liked it, at least... No, she liked it *too much, didn't she...?)*
Sighing, Variation walked down the hall toward her next class.