DANGO 101

In Prompts ・ By WhiteManju

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Nier didn't have the slightest idea of how long he had been kneading and stretching out the sticky dough of glutinous rice flour. But before Dan's watchful rigid eyes, he didn't even dare to stop what he was doing.

Making Mitarashi Dango in itself was a relatively easy thing to do. You would only need to mix the rice flour with water and then start to stir it until sticks together and eventually form clumps. After that, it was just a matter of using your hands to gather the dough into a ball and knead it until it was smooth.

But obviously, it wouldn't be that easy having a perfectionist like Dan by your side...

Nier's hands were growing tired, his arms aching from the repetitive motion as beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he focused on following Dan's instructions to a T.

The room was filled with tense silence, broken only by the rhythmic sound of Nier's hands slapping against the dough. He could feel Dan's stern gaze boring into him, analyzing every move he made and the pressure was almost unbearable.

Nier's heart raced in his chest as he glanced up at Dan, hoping to catch a glimpse of approval in the stoic man's eyes. But all he saw was an unwavering expression of scrutiny as if Dan were dissecting every movement and decision Nier made.

Dan finally broke his silence, his voice cutting through the stillness of the room like a sharp blade.

"Your technique is lacking," Dan's voice resonated, filling the room. "You lack precision, but all in all it's acceptable... with a little more practice I have confidence that you'll improve considerably.."

Nier couldn't help but feel a surge of relief at Dan's words, even though they were laced with criticism.

"Let's move on then," Dan said in his deep, gravelly voice, breaking the tense silence that had enveloped the room. "Now, the next step is to roll the dough into logs and then cut it into small pieces so we can shape them into balls."

Dan instructed, his voice echoing through the room as he demonstrated the technique with masterful precision.

Nier watched Dan with rapt attention as the bun skillfully rolled the dough into logs and effortlessly sliced them into neat, bite-sized pieces. Each movement was precise, calculated, and carried out with an air of expertise that Nier couldn't help but admire.

The room seemed to hold its breath as Dan's hands moved with a grace that defied his gruff exterior.

As Nier followed suit, his own nervousness began to fade. Each movement of his hands became more confident with every piece of confection, his fingers dancing across the wooden board.

The room seemed to blur around him as he focused solely on the task at hand, feeling the weight of the dough beneath his touch. He could almost hear the soft squish of the rice cake forming, a satisfying sound that resonated with each perfectly shaped piece.

Before he realized it, all of the dough had been rolled out and neatly placed into a wooden box to be used for the final baking of the dough.

Nier couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment wash over him as he surveyed the neatly arranged dango sticks on a beautiful ceramic plate.

His hands trembled slightly with a mixture of exhaustion and excitement as he added the final touch of the soy glaze over the dumplings. The smell of freshly made dango hung in the air, causing his stomach to growl and his mouth to water.

"Well, I think you've done a good job in general," Dan said, his voice gruff but tinged with a hint of begrudging approval.

Nier couldn't help but feel a surge of pride well up within him at the acknowledgment. His heart swelled with a mix of relief and accomplishment, his tired muscles now tingling with the satisfaction of a task well done.

And there's nothing more satisfying than to enjoy your hard work with a warm cup of tea.