I am the Entertainment Tycoon Chapter 1009: Siblings’ Conversation and Pie Decorations

"Think about it this way," Theo began, his eyes bright with the familiar enthusiasm of a creator who had just unlocked a new recipe. "Instead of replacing the mochi entirely, my plan is to layer it directly inside our flaky, buttery pie crust. We keep the pastry shell, but completely reinvent what’s inside."

Aurora leaned against the kitchen counter, resting her chin in her hands as she hung onto every word. Her purple eyes tracked the gentle, rhythmic motion of his wooden spoon as he explained.

"First, I’ll spread a smooth, velvety layer of sweet red bean paste along the bottom of the chilled crust," Theo said, gesturing with his free hand. "But to elevate it, I’m going to swirl a rich, jarred strawberry jam right into the paste. That mimics the concentrated, juicy berry flavor of the classic Ichigo Daifuku we love."

"Ooh, that sounds incredibly rich," Aurora murmured, her mouth already watering at the mental image. "But how does it get that chewy texture if it’s baked in an oven?"

"That’s the secret," Theo smiled, tapping the side of his nose playfully. "Next, I’ll prepare a thin, pliable layer of soft mochi dough using glutinous rice flour, sugar, and water. I’ll stretch that layer right over the sweet bean and strawberry base. Then, I’ll heavily layer our fresh, sweet plums across the top of the mochi."

Aurora blinked, surprised by the sudden addition of the fruit. "Plums, big brother?"

"Exactly, plums," Theo nodded confidently. "As the pie bakes, those fresh plums will release their naturally tart juices, sinking into the pastry to perfectly cut through the heavy, dense sweetness of the red beans and jam. At the exact same time, the hidden layer of mochi will melt into a soft, beautifully stretchy, and gooey center. When you take a bite, you’ll get the crisp, golden crunch of the outer pie shell, followed immediately by the authentic, chewy mouthfeel of a real Daifuku. It’s a complete texture explosion."

Aurora stood frozen for a second, fully processing the brilliant culinary architecture her brother had just mapped out. The sheer creativity of fusing a traditional Yamatese confection with a classic Pendragonian baked good was groundbreaking.

"Big brother," Aurora said, her voice dropping into a tone of absolute reverence as she clapped her hands together. "You are an absolute genius. Forget the apple-anko pie. We are absolutely, one hundred percent making the Daifuku plum pie tonight!"

Theo let out a hearty laugh, turning off the burner under the savory chicken filling. "The customer has spoken. Daifuku plum pie it is. Now, let’s clear the island so we can finally start rolling out the dough."

He poured the filling into the pie dish to cool down before taking the dough from the fridge.

The dough had firmed up beautifully, the micro-pockets of butter perfectly chilled. After clearing the marble kitchen island, he lightly dusted the clean surface and his wooden rolling pin with a handful of flour.

Placing the dough in the center, Theo began rolling it out with smooth, measured strokes, working from the center outward to maintain an even thickness. As his hands handled the cold pastry, shaping it until it was roughly three millimeters thick and slightly wider than his pie dish, he looked over at his sister.

"So, how was your day at school?" Theo asked, keeping his focus on the expanding circle of dough. "You mentioned you stayed late for Student Council business."

Aurora leaned against the opposite side of the counter, watching the rolling pin move rhythmically. She sighed softly, though a proud smile remained on her face. "Yeah, things are starting to get incredibly hectic. Today is the last day of May, which means tomorrow we are officially entering the final month before summer vacation."

Theo nodded, turning the dough ninety degrees to ensure it didn’t stick to the marble. "That means finals are right around the corner, right?"

"Exactly," Aurora replied, counting down on her fingers. "The last week of June is official exams week, so everyone is already stressing out and studying extra hard to keep their grades up. But since I’m the Student Council vice-president, I don’t just have to worry about my own study schedule. The council has to oversee end-of-term logistics, and on top of that, we are currently locking down the details for the school’s annual summer trip."

Theo lifted the rolling pin, checking the diameter of the dough against the ceramic pie dish sitting nearby. It was coming along perfectly, stretching thin without cracking. "Ah, right. You mentioned the plan before. Have you guys managed to finalize renting that private island on the Sapphire Coast?""Yes, it’s officially locked in on a target!" Aurora explained, her purple eyes tracking his movements as he gave the dough a final, light roll to smooth out the edges. "Although it will take a few days to finalize the rent procedures. But securing the destination was just the first step. Now we have to budget the entire private transportation matrix, coordinate accommodations with the school administration, and make sure the itinerary doesn’t clash with any school schedules. It’s an absolute mountain of paperwork, but honestly, it’s a lot of fun working on it with Vivian and the others."

Theo smiled, carefully draping the delicate, buttery pastry over his rolling pin to transfer it effortlessly into the pie dish. "I’m glad to hear that. Just make sure you don’t overwork yourself. If your council duties start cutting into your sleep, let me know, and I’ll whip up some specialized energy bento boxes for your lunches."

Aurora giggled, her mood lifting completely at his constant support. "Deal! With your food fueling me, I’m pretty sure I can conquer exams and the private island logistics without breaking a sweat."

"How about you? You said you were going to work on the Naruto production today, right?" Aurora asked, her eyes wide with genuine curiosity as she leaned closer across the marble island.

Theo smiled as he picked up a small, sharp paring blade, lightly pressing the tip into the top of the pastry crust. He began drawing fluid, elegant patterns across the dough, talking to her without breaking his concentration. "It was amazing," he said, a feeling of deep, quiet satisfaction warming his chest. "Honestly, leaving the studio today, I just felt a great sense of relief and accomplishment. Everything is clicking perfectly."

"Really? Did you get a look at how the animation units are handling the workload?" she asked, resting her chin on her hands to watch the blade carve clean lines into the crust.

"They are exceeding every expectation," Theo replied, his focus steady as he recalled the buzzing energy of the workshop. "We spent the entire morning in Workshop A locking down the storyboards for Episode 3, focusing entirely on getting the emotional pacing and visual layouts just right. Watching the teams pull together and bring the panels to life gave me this great feeling that the core of the story is in completely safe hands."

Aurora smiled, happy to see him so relaxed. "That sounds amazing, big brother! I can’t wait to see the final result."

"Me too," Theo replied with a chuckle, his blade smoothly curving around the center of the pie to form a leaf pattern. "And the afternoon only made it better. I spent about three hours walking the floors of the Key Animation and In-Between departments. Seeing hundreds of talented artists working in total harmony, effortlessly managing our high frame-rate requirements, was deeply moving. I even sat down at a few desks to help them smooth out some fast-paced action sequences and effects. It was so fun working with them; I could feel their passion for the work. But we still have a long journey ahead; after all, producing so many episodes in such high configuration is hard."

"Although I don’t understand this high-quality configuration you keep talking about, but if it is as good as the Magig Girls anime, I’m sure Naruto will be awesome!" Aurora giggled, shaking her head. "But you sound so energized by it. What else did you do?"

"I checked the sound design team," Theo said, a light chuckle escaping his lips as his mind drifted back to the recording bays. "I finished the day with the sound design crew, and it was the perfect way to finish the day." He smiled as he recounted the scene that he found when he entered the department.

Aurora laughed out loud as she heard and pictured this weird scene.

"Anyways, although the scene was weird, it seemed extremely fun," Theo continued his tale. "The sound design artists were in the zone, stomping around, smashing wooden planks, and experimenting with raw materials to build our acoustic library from scratch. I couldn’t resist jumping into the trenches with them to test a few analog layers for the martial arts blocks. I didn’t even feel time passing when I was working there."

Aurora’s eyes sparkled with laughter. "You actually joined in? I can totally picture you getting right in the middle of all that chaos just to get a specific sound effect right."

"Hey, when a day goes that beautifully, you just want to be a part of every single second of it," Theo teased, lifting the small blade as his intricate design on the pastry was finally complete. He looked down at the decorated pie, completely satisfied with how both his workday and his evening were turning out. "Every department is fired up, the momentum is entirely in our favor, and I honestly couldn’t be happier with how we are building this project."