bittersweet layers

the story is set after their promise in yumeiro professional

Years after graduating from St. Marie Academy, Ichigo Amano returns to Paris as a rising pastry chef-and the last thing she expects is to be paired again with her old partner, Makoto Kashino. Time has changed them both: Ichigo is more confident, and Makoto... is still Makoto. Brilliant. Stubborn. And carrying more weight than he lets on.

As they work side by side on a prestigious winter showcase, sparks of their past begin to reignite-sweet, slow, and tentative. But beneath the surface lies something deeper: old wounds, unspoken fears, and the kind of loneliness success can't fix.

When Makoto begins to crack under pressure-from his family, from the past, and from his own expectations-Ichigo becomes his anchor. And as their bond deepens into love, they both must decide: can two pastry chefs with layered hearts and complicated histories build something lasting together?

A story about comfort, quiet breakdowns, messy kitchens, and the kind of love that takes its time-Bittersweet Layers explores what happens when two people find home in each other, one recipe at a time.