A/N: Hello! This is Sakura-chan and I'm using my non-biological twin sister's account. is too lazy to make an account for herself Anyway, this is my first attempt to write a Yakitate! Japan fic it's not that good. And also, I'll be using my original character (OC) here: Cagalli Hayashi. For any questions, email me at Oh I forgot, I'll be addressing them at their first names and Kanmuri Shigeru is a little out of character here.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yakitate! Japan. And also, I disclaim the name 'Cagalli'. I got it from Gundam Seed. I'm just using it because the name is cute. BTW, Cagalli here has long blonde hair and blue eyes. She's not the one from GS… oO
An Afternoon Visit
"Konnichiwa!" a gentle yet cheery female voice greeted the walls of Pantasia Southern Tokyo branch one fine afternoon. The girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes –though not really seen because her eyes were crinkled to a smile—waved at the employees present at the store. Judging by the number of the people wearing blue uniforms of this branch, Tsukino made a great job in employing new bakers. However…
The "employees" stopped on their tracks. "Huh?" was all she can say as she looked at them the moment she felt their presence halted.
"Eeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhh!" she shrieked, tilting her body a little as she raised her hand with a basket on it in her front in a frightened manner. She scanned each of the employees and found one thing: they all look the same! A feint blue shade appeared on her nose bridge. 'A-A clone? But how?' she thought.
"Oy! What happened here?" a voice said from inside. Then, Kazuma went out of the Pantasia Southern Tokyo branch office. She halted at the sight of the blonde girl. "May I help you?" he asked, thinking that the girl was a customer.
A voice followed, "Hey Kazuma, what happened?" Tsukino came out of the same door Kazuma went through. Upon seeing the blonde girl's face, her face lightened. "Cagalli-chan!" she called as she ran towards whom she called Cagalli and gave her a tight hug. Cagalli hugged her back. "Easy there, Tsukino-chan!" she said and laughed. Kazuma, however, gave them a confused look. "What's going on?" he asked to nobody in particular.
That was the moment when Shigeru came out. Upon seeing Cagalli's face, he smiled. Kazuma noticed this and asked who the blonde girl is. "Ah! She's Cagalli," Shigeru answered. "She is Tsukino's best friend."
Kazuma and the "employees" gave Cagalli a shocked look and she noticed it. She let go of Tsukino and bowed to them in a polite manner, "Hajimemashite. I'm Cagalli. I'm a friend of Tsukino and Shigeru," she said.
Kazuma scratched the back of his head. "Eeeehhh! I didn't know Tsukino had such a cute best friend," he said. Cagalli grinned in reply, backed it up with the words, "You're such an honest person, Azuma Kazuma. Thanks for the compliment though," and saluted with a wink.
"Oh! Cagalli-chan is here!" an obvious-male-voice-imitating-a-female-voice said. Cagalli looked behind Shigeru and found a man standing there while holding a paper that has an eye drawing on it. "I wonder what she is doing here. I have something to tell in my employees."
Tsukino walked towards that man and snatched the paper. "I'm thinking no such thing, Manager!" she said. Cagalli just smiled at them.
"By the way, I brought you some of my homemade cookies," she said as she raised the basket she is holding. The Pantasia Southern Tokyo branch employees' jaws literally dropped. Cagalli walked towards the door and said, "Come on. This is good." Tsukino and the others followed her leaving those "employees" alone.
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"Hey! This is good!"
"Wow Cagalli! In addition to your ability to make bread, you can also make delicious cookies!" Kazuma commented.
Cagalli, who had her chin resting on her palm and elbow resting on the table, sweatdropped. She sighed inwardly. 'Eh! I can't even make an ordinary bread!' she thought. Just then, the scene wherein her master, Kuroyanagi Ryou, gave her a bread-making test came into her mind. She remembered how "trash" her bread would be but then, to her surprise, Kuroyanagi didn't call it trash. But still, she knew that deep inside him, he considered it a trash. She still cried by just remembering that embarrassing situation.
Suddenly, Cagalli snapped at remembering something. She looked at Tsukino who was standing in front of her and busy munching cookies, "By the way, Tsukino-chan."
"Hmmmm?" was all Tsukino can say. After all, her mouth is full of cookies.
The blonde sweatdropped at the scene but continued to talk, nonetheless, "Aren't you going to give your employees some of these?" She gestured at the cookies.
"Employees?"
"Yeah. Those employees on your store. Man! They're many. I didn't know you have employed that many. I just don't know if these cookies are enough for them though. They're about 10 plus there and I'm surprised they all have the same face. Are they all siblings or something?"
Tsukino looked at Kazuma and Shigeru. She figured out that Cagalli didn't know the trick behind those many employees.
"Cagalli sure is so naïve, neee? Don't you think so guys?" the obvious-male-voice-imitating-a-female-voice of Manager Ken said while holding that paper with an eye drawing on it again.
Tsukino snatched it again and said her famous "I'm thinking no such thing!" line. She cleared her throat before speaking. "Anyway, those 'employees' you were saying, they're all the same person."
"EEEEEEEEEHHHHHHH?" Cagalli yelled. Her jaw dropped. "How the hell did that thing happened?" she said loudly after recovering from the shock.
"It's because he can use cloning technique. His family belonged to a clown family. I guess when I said that you had figured out that before he became a baker, he was a clown." said Manager Ken with his normal voice for the first time she entered this building.
"C-cloning technique? Clown? Sugoii neee?" she said with amusement in her eyes. She peeked on the shop and saw those clones again. For a while, she observed him. Then, something hit her. She looked at the peeps who were munching her cookies. "Neee, is it okay if you leave him alone there? I mean, aren't you going to help him? What's his name, by the way?" she asked.
"His name is Kinoshita Kageto. It's okay to leave him. Mushroom-head can handle the job perfectly." Manager Ken said. He snatched the last cookie in the basket just before Shigeru can take it.
"HEY! That's mine!" Shigeru wailed. Manager Ken stucked his tongue out and readied his mouth to receive the last cookie. Shigeru tried to snatch the cookie. "That's mine, Manager! That's mine!" Shigeru continued to wail as he wrestled with his manager for the remaining cookie. Manager Ken lowered her sunglasses a little and gave Shigeru a death glare that caused the pink-haired genius to freeze. Manager Ken took this opportunity to eat the whole cookie leaving Shigeru no more arguments. He bawled like a kid, "Waaaahhh! Manager Ken is soooo mean! He ate my cookie! Gimme back my cookie!" Manager gave him a grin and a peace sign.
Cagalli sighed and looked at her watch. It's about time to go back to her sempai's house or else he'll get mad. She took the basket at the table. "Guys! I have to go now. Kuroyan-sempai doesn't want late people," she said as she smiled. However, her smile immediately faded when she saw Shigeru still bawling with his, "Cookie! Manager ate my cookie!" dialogues. She sighed once more. "Neeee Shigeru-kun. How about bringing you some cookies the next time I go here? Is that okay?" she said with a comforting smile. Shigeru's eyes lightened, "Really!" Cagalli nodded in reply.
"ARIGATOU CAGALLI-CHAAAAAAN!"
Manager Ken, together with Kazuma and Tsukino, sweatdropped. They all thought the same thing about Shigeru: 'Cookie addict!'
Cagalli opened the door. "So, then… Bye bye." she bidded. The others waved her goodbye especially Shigeru who held Cagalli's promise to bring him cookies next time. She stepped outside the office and headed for the exit which is the main entrance located on the shop. The first thing she noticed on the shop was few customers. Then she looked at the clones again and, again, found herself amazed at the cloning ability. She cast her glance on her left and saw a sighing "Mushroom-head" (as Manager says) on the counter. For a moment, she thought if she will go to him or not but in the end, she did.
"Hey," was all she can say to him. Good thing she manage to pause just before the 'Mushroom-head' word came out of her mouth.
Kinoshita looked at her. "Yes? May I help you?" he replied.
"Ummm… You're Kinoshita-san right? I hope you don't mind if I ask why you are sighing." Cagalli asked and then cursing herself after the last sentence sunk in her mind. 'Bakero Cagalli! Of course he minds'
When Kinoshita sighed once more, she started to panic. She scratched her head and cast her sight anywhere in the store. Kinoshita's eyes were the last thing Cagalli wanted to see this moment. "A-Anou… Kinoshita-san, s-sorry for saying that. Forget I s-said that," the said nervously as she laughed in a nervous manner also.
To her great surprise, Kinoshita smiled. She expected him to yell at her or something but it was the exact opposite. He didn't get offended at all. "No. I don't mind. Sorry I scared you. Here, have a sit," Kinoshita tapped the chair placed beside his. In response, Cagalli placed her basket on the counter machine and sat beside him. The moment she sat there, she remembered something. She removed her backpack from her back and searched for something inside it. She smiled when she found it and gave it to Kinoshita.
Kinoshita, however, stared at the small white bag tied in blue ribbon. For a moment, he didn't speak.
Cagalli broke the silence, "Especially Cagalli-made cookies for Kinoshita-san. I baked it in the main branch." Her eyes crinkled to a smile. Kinoshita looked at her before untying the ribbon and looking inside the bag. There are various-shaped cookies inside. He took one and had a bite. "This cookie tastes great," he said and munched the remaining cookies in the bag.
"Thanks!" Cagalli smiled. "Anyway, I'm all ears now." When Kinoshita sighed once more, she wasn't surprised anymore.
"I'm just a little depress these days." Kinoshita confessed.
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Well, as you can see, I am the only one maintaining the store nowadays. The others weren't helping me anymore. It's as if they don't care about me at all and they want to torture me! Tsukino doesn't care about me at all. I've been here for years but I haven't received any special attention like Azuma and Kawachi. And now, Kanmuri. Manager Ken also favors them than me. I don't why! What have I done to deserve this! I am not doing anything! In fact I'm doing well yet bad things are coming back to me. Why? WHY?" Kinoshita started to cry.
Cagalli listened to his outburst and then looked at the shop. Good thing there were no customers around. The sky outside was already dark. The clones inside the shop were already gone. She looked at Kinoshita with pity. She can understand her grieves. After all, she experienced the same thing. She shook her head. This isn't the time to think about her personal life. The guy here needs help. She let him cry and waited until he finished crying. Her hands were rubbing his back to tell him that she's here.
"I'm sorry Cagalli," he said. She gave him a surprised look. "You must've thought that I'm weak because I cried."
Cagalli shook her head. "Iie! Of course not! It's not bad to cry even if you're male. People need to cry sometimes to lighten their heavy burdens."
Kinoshita cried again. Cagalli just smiled at him. "You know what? I don't think the reason they left you here is because they want to torture you," she said. He paused in crying and looked at her. "You see," she continued, "Tsukino and the others got more important thing to do and they're doing it for the sake of Pantasia. The only reason I can think of letting you manage the store by yourself is they trust you so much. Manager Ken, although not obvious, is truly proud that you are doing a great job in handling this store. And Tsukino also. She has so much faith in you that she let this important thing in her life be handled by you. If they don't believe in you, do you think you're still sitting here beside me? You did a good job in managing this store and despite the hardships, you can still keep this store in great shape. All of Pantasia Southern Branch employees are grateful for having you as an asset though it's not obvious. Whenever you are down and you have the same problem, think that 'they believe in you'. Don't be pessimistic." Cagalli searched for something inside her bag once again. After a few seconds, she took out a Japanese iris and gave it to Kinoshita. "Here take this. You know, the meaning of this flower is 'the power to believe'. Believe in them for they believe in you."
Kinoshita stared at Cagalli. She's right. He had been pessimistic about his job. He's too emotionally down to think that they believe in him thus thinking of the exact opposite. He felt embarrassed inside but then, relieved. He thanked the Lord for sending Cagalli this day on Pantasia Southern Tokyo branch. "My, my! Look at the time!" Cagalli's words cut his train of thoughts. He glanced at the wall clock just as she said. It's six thirty PM already? Time flied so fast.
Cagalli stood up. "Oh well, since it's already dinner time, I might as well be useful here and make some dinner," she walked towards the door as she crossed her fingers and placed it on the back of her head. "Jaa ne, Mushroom-head!" she said before she can even stop herself. 'Cagalli no baka! You've just made him upset! Damn you, Cagalli!' She bowed many times in apology, "I sorry Kinoshita-san! I didn't mean to! I'm sorry! So sorry!"
"It's okay," she heard him said. She looked up and was astounded to see him smiling. She straightened up and scratched the back of her head. "Well if you say so…" she turned on the door and touched the door knob.
"Cagalli-chan?"
She looked at Kinoshita. "Yes?"
"Thank you."
Cagalli gave him a warm smile. "You're always welcome, Kinoshita-san!" She stirred the door knob, opened the door and entered. She closed the door and greeted the people on the office. "Yo!" she said as she raised her hand.
"Eh? Cagalli? I thought you went home already?" Kazuma said, holding a tray of freshly baked breads.
"Oh my! We have to cook more dinner. Cagalli will eat here. What a burden." Manager Ken imitated Tsukino with, of course, the paper with eyes drawing on it. Tsukino snatched it back for the third time on this fic and, yep! You guessed it! "I'm thinking no such thing!"
Shigeru, on the other hand, greeted her with, "COOKIES!"
Cagalli grinned at Shigeru. "Sorry to disappoint you, Shigeru-kun, but I will not make cookies this time but a decent dinner," she said as she took the nearest apron around and wrapped it in her waist.
"OH MY GOD! Is that for real, Cagalli-chan?" Tsukino almost shouted.
"Of course!" was Cagalli's reply before disappearing into their sights and headed on the kitchen.
The three looked at Tsukino who had her mouth opened. Noticing their stares, she immediately closed it. "Well, Cagalli is good in making dishes so expect to have a good dinner," she said.
"In that case, we might as well invite her every dinner." Manager said.
"I agree!" Kazuma seconded the motion.
"Of course with cookies!" Shigeru said happily which earned him a raised-eyebrow and sweatdrop from the others who were thinking the same thing again: 'Cookie addict!'
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"This is for real! I really have to go. Your shop's closing at this time, right," Cagalli said to the Pantasia Southern Tokyo branch employees who were standing in front of the office door.
"Yeah. You have to head home now. I can tell how panicked Kuroyanagi-sempai was." Shigeru said with a snigger.
"Thank you for everything Cagalli-chan," Tsukino said as she hugged her best friend.
"No problem! You can call me anytime you want, Tsukino-chan."
Manager Ken twitched. That was the very word he's waiting for! He was about to speak about the dinner but Kazuma spoke first, saying with a hand waving, "Thanks for the meal, Cagalli-chan!" You can now see a bulging vein anime style on Manager Ken's temples.
"I'm glad to serve you guys," Cagalli replied. She looked at Kinoshita and saw in his eyes contentment and happiness. His eyes were saying thanks to her also. She gave him a thumbs-up in reply.
Just then, the door banged open matched with a yell, "CAGALLI! Where is Cagalli!" They were all shocked but still manage to look at the door only to see a furious and panting Kuroyanagi Ryou holding at the door frame. Cagalli blinked, "Yo, Kuroyan-sempai! What's up?"
A vein bulged on Kuroyanagi's temple. And to everybody's surprise, she yelled, particularly to Cagalli, "What 'What's up' are you talking about! Do you have any idea what time is it!"
Cagalli's calm demeanor remained. Her eyes looked up to show that she was thinking. Then she looked back at her sempai. "It's already ten o'clock. So?"
Few more veins grew on Kuroyanagi's temples. "'SO'? It's late at night! I thought you said you were to go home early and yet you spent dinner here leaving me alone!" He said words 'leaving me alone' louder to give emphasis.
"Oh come on, sempai. It's okay." Shigeru said earning him a death glare from Kuroyanagi which sent shivers on his spine.
Kuroyanagi walked towards Cagalli, grabbed her wrist and dragged her. She didn't object though. "We're going home," Kuroyanagi said. Cagalli let herself be dragged. Before they got into Kuroyanagi's car, she took a last glance on the others. She waved at them. "Byeeeee!" she said, casting her last glance at Kinoshita.
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Cagalli took notice of Kuroyanagi's silence. It's the opposite of what she expected. She thought that he will burst his anger in her. She was surprise he didn't. She opened her mouth to speak but just before words came out of her mouth, Kuroyanagi spoke, "Why did you stayed there for so long?"
For a while, she didn't answer. She looked at her hands that were resting on her lap. She was not thinking of a good answer rather she was thinking of the words to use. After a short while, she spoke, "Anou… Kinoshita-san and I had a long conversation." Kuroyanagi just glanced at her and returned his gaze on the road. Silence filled the corners of the car once again. She was the one who broke the silence.
"It's my time to ask a question. Hmmmm…" Cagalli put an index finger on her chin as an indication that she's thinking of something. "Why did you storm the Southern Tokyo branch? You could've just called and ask if I'm there, you know." She gave a chuckle. It took a few seconds until she heard him speak.
"I… was worried. And it's late at night so I decided to just fetch you there," Kuroyanagi answered. Cagalli gave a long "Ooooohhhhh!" as a reply. She blushed lightly. Silence filled the air once again.
"By the way, Cagalli…" It was Kuroyanagi's turn to break the silence.
Cagalli's eyes looked at him. "Hmmm?"
"Where are my cookies?"
Cagalli's eyes widened and she also sweatdropped. 'Oh my God!' she thought. She remembered clearly what happened to Kuroyanagi's cookies.
"Especially Cagalli-made cookies for Kinoshita-san. I baked it in the main branch."
Cagalli started to sweatbead. She remembered the bag she gave to Kinoshita. It was the cookies that suppose to be for Kuroyanagi. She separated some for her sempai because she knew that the Southern Tokyo branch employees can eat it all. She gave Kinoshita the small bag of cookies when she saw him depressed not remembering it was for her dear sempai. Cagalli felt herself becoming pale. She started twiddling her index fingers.
"Anou… Ummmm… Actually, I… Umm…" she stammered.
Kuroyanagi gave her a quick glance. "You what?" he said with an impatient tone.
"I…" she swallowed and she felt her eyes becoming wet. She said the following words in almost a whisper, "…gave it to Kinoshita-san."
Silence at first. Then, when the words sunk into Kuroyanagi's mind…
"NAAAAAAANIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII? MY COOKIES!"
"Waaaah! Gomen Kuroyan-sempai!" Cagalli wailed. 'Damn! Another cookie addict!'