A Future in Mochi?

“Strawberry dango this time! I seriously need it after the week I’ve had at work…” Taffy sighed as she gazed at the pink goodness that was a mere 100 carats away from her stomach.

Dan gave a curt nod and grabbed the specified treat. “I should hope you have been making time to practice making dango amidst your busy schedule.”

“Oh, I have! I love making dango!” The dango left the stick as quickly as the carats left her hand. “Mmm… Yours is still way better than anything I’ve been able to make, though!!!”

Holding back a smile, Dan reset his grip on the mochi hammer resting on his shoulder. “Very good to see that you still have excellent taste.” With a loud clearing of the throat, the pride bun solidified his usual expression. “You're still an amateur, and I have much still to teach you. If you have time, I would like to instruct you on how to make mochi.”

Exhilaration shot through Taffy, and before she could realize what she was doing, her hands were slammed down on the counter. Other buns in the shop immediately turned their heads towards the commotion.

“I’M FREE TONIGHT!”

Although he was caught off guard at first, Dan straightened himself up, seemingly satisfied with Taffy's vigor. “Tonight it is then. At the workshop. Bring that spirit.”

After Taffy dashed out of the shop and Dan vanished into the back, the remaining buns in the room were left to discuss whether what just happened was a fistfight challenge or a hookup proposal.

That evening, Taffy arrived at Dan’s workshop, bristling with energy. Her trek was filled with imaginings of all the varieties of mochi she could make, and she had finally found herself at the place where she would learn the craft.

“The first thing you must do is prepare the rice by soaking it for a night’s worth of hours,” Dan explained as he set a large bowl of wet rice on the worktop in front of them, “I have done so for you. This has been soaking since this morning. You will do the rest.”

“Yes, sir!” Taffy stepped forward, ready to work with the rice.

“Transfer the rice into the wooden basket and steam it over the boiling water I have running there.”

A tinge disappointed that they weren't getting right into the kneading and pounding, Taffy followed the instructions with a pout.

Dan have a hum of approval. “The rice must be steamed until it becomes soft. In the meantime, please help me tidy up the workshop.”

“Is that… necessary for the mochi?” Taffy asked, the ghost of a laugh in her voice. She was about to say more until a strong force pushed a broom into her hands.

“Mochi-making is about taking pride in one’s hard work and dedication. It would be best not to idle.”

Taffy sighed until her cheerful energy shone through again. “Makes sense, I guess!”

By the time the rice softened, the workshop was free of any messiness left over from Dan’s hard day of work. Soon enough, it was time to resume making the mochi.

“Move the rice over to a bowl and knead it until it becomes dough.”

Excited to begin the fun part, Taffy squashed and stretched the rice with gusto. When it eventually became the correct consistency, Taffy wished she could still play with it.

“Now…” Dan took a spare mochi hammer and handed it to Taffy. While he probably did not intend to imbue the movement with a flourish, the action felt rather grand. “It is time to pound it.”

Stars were in the smaller bun’s eyes. This was where she was really able to show her potential. Being a fitness instructor and personal trainer, Taffy had quite a lot of physical might and endurance. Pounding mochi at length seemed hardly different from her typical workday.

Dan watched as Taffy pounded the mochi, clearly thinking about something. Eventually, he spoke his mind. “If I were to take you in as a full-time apprentice, around when could I expect you to be free of your current job?”

The question blindsided Taffy, causing her to pause and stumble from the weight of the mochi hammer. “H-huh?!”

“I understand that you wouldn’t be able to up and quit your job within a day. Say I made you my apprentice today, when do you think your last day working at the gym would be?”

Taffy resumed pounding the mochi. A rhythmic thudding sounded along as she talked. “I wasn’t planning on quitting my job… Can I not do both…?”

Dan huffed, annoyed. “Earlier today, you were complaining about how exhausted your job was making you. You would not have the time nor the energy to spare for a second job.”

“...You’re right. I really wasn’t thinking about it that hard… I guess I kinda forgot I can’t be in two places at once.”

After that, only the sounds of Taffy pounding the mochi filled the room for a while. Repeatedly swinging down the hammer, Taffy felt like she was chipping away at her own thoughts.

“You can stop now,” said Dan, “the texture seems good from where I’m standing. Let me see.” He transferred the rice cake back to the worktop and inspected it. “Congratulations, you have successfully made mochi. It’s rather good quality, too.”

Usually, something like that would’ve made Taffy absolutely light up with excitement, but amidst all of the thinking and life-planning she’d done, she could only bring herself to pull her mouth into a light smile.

Dan opened his mouth to inquire about the change in her demeanor, but the answer was already leadening the air. He looked down at the mochi and moved right along instead. “While some customers do buy plain mochi, flavored mochi is extremely popular.” He looked back at Taffy with the vague suggestion of a smile. “...Ah, but you know that already. What was your favorite out of the mochi flavors, again?”

Her smile becoming a little less forced, Taffy placed a finger on her cheek as she thought. “I like the chocolate sprinkle mochi the best, but I’m more curious about how ice cream mochi is made.”

“It’s more simple than you would think. Allow me to demonstrate.”

Dan retrieved a container of ice cream and showed how to wrap the mochi around it to where it’s the correct amount of thickness. When it was her turn, Taffy felt a bit comforted by the tactile stimulation.

After a while, Dan spoke again. “I understand that uprooting your life by changing your career is daunting.”

The reminder of what was making her stressed made Taffy wilt back to the poor state she was in before.

“As such,” Dan continued, “You will be given some time to think it over. I will keep you in my consideration for the position, but if you’re still unsure by the time I’m ready to take in an apprentice, I will move forward with another candidate. You can practice here whenever you’d like in the meantime.”

Taffy nodded, a small but sincere smile on her face. “Thank you.”

The last step was adorning the mochi with snowflakes. Utterly charmed by the beauty of the snowflakes, Taffy regained some of her cheer.

“I think it’s done! Did I do a good job?”

Dan gave a nod. “It’s very promising work. Nearly good enough to sell at the shop.”

Taffy smiled wide and picked up one of the mochi balls. Her face then changed to one of expectation towards Dan.

The larger succubun sighed, ending in a little chuckle. “Yes. You may eat it.”

He had hardly finished his words before the mochi was already in Taffy’s mouth. She placed her hands on her cheeks and wiggled with delight.

“It’s good to see you in good spirits again,” Dan said, “Be sure to practice whenever you can. You may grab any mochi ingredient you would like to experiment with on the way out. Just one, though.”

The gluttony bun gasped excitedly and headed towards the ingredient stock. After a small bit of deliberation, she plucked her choice from its container. “This one! Ooh… I’ll be back here as soon as I can!”

With that, the two buns bid farewell to each other and Taffy headed home. Many thoughts crowded her mind, both about her future and about the mochi she would make.