Chapter 1: Let me tell you a story
Name: Yamaguchi Tadashi
Occupation: Baker
Work place: The small bakery at the corner
Speciality: Baking cupcakes and sleeping
Current worry: He can't stop thinking about the blonde customer who's a regular of the shop and his long time crush
Since it's located at the corner of the street, the bakery didn't have many customers at first. But after a journalist ate there, he wrote an article about the – as he wrote – amazing bakery with incredible caked and tea, more and more people came to the bakery. The bakery that used to have five or six people each day became stuffed with customer everyday. The owner of the bakery, who worked alone before, had to hire more staffs to help him out. And Yamaguchi is one of those staff.
He was a newly graduated student of the local cooking school then. When he saw the hiring notification, he applied without a second thought. And that was one of the best decision he has ever made.
Now, he's working with the best people he has ever met. The bakery's owner and the main cake baker Sugawara Koushi, the multi baker Akaashi Keiji (Yamaguchi once saw him baked a cake version of their whole town based on a single picture and remembering it still gives him goose bump), the beautiful manager and waitress Shimizu Kiyoko, the cute manager-in-training and waitress Hitoka Yachi, the tea specialist with pudding hair Kozume Kenma and the hyperactive waiter duo Nishinoya Yuu and Hinata Shouyou. With a job and workmates like this, Yamaguchi has nothing to worry about. He shouldn't have thought that. Yamaguchi remembers the day it all changed; he remembers it as clear as yesterday.
That day the bakery was full of people like always, though most of the people were elementary students. A class of a nearby school had chosen every Thursday's afternoon as cakes and cupcake's afternoon, so their bakery is always stuffed with children on Thursday's afternoons. Between the children's talking and laughing, a small 'ding' was heard, signalling the arrival of another guests. Yamaguchi looked out fro his position in the kitchen and saw the last person he expected to be there. Waked through the door of the bakery was no other than his elementary, middle school and high school crush, Tsukishima Kei.
And he didn't exactly walk though it though, more lie being pushed into the bakery by someone. And this someone was his brother, Tsukishima Akiteru. How Yamaguchi knew whom his brother was, well, you would know about your crush's family if you studied with them all 12 years of school in the same class. Yamaguchi was sure Tsukishima didn't even notice him then. The first time Yamaguchi saw Tsukishima was when he was being bullied and Tsukishima walked by, no he didn't go in and save Yamaguchi, and said only one word "Pathetic". His bullies went for Tsukishima but he, with his tall figure and arrogant face scared them all. Yamaguchi admired him from then; he knew the word "Pathetic" was probably aimed at him too but he can't help but looked up to that towering back. Yamaguchi secretly watched Tsukishima from then on. He didn't know when it went from admiration to like – love even. But it was love, and Yamaguchi was trapped inside it.
Until college, while Tsukishima went to some business college, Yamaguchi went to the cooking school. Yamaguchi went to the cooking school with no hope at all. He didn't have the talent to go on higher education. Hell, he barely passed high school. He thought being a cook would let him get a job easier. But he was glad he chose that, because that's why he's here now.
But why was Tsukishima here too? His college was far from here. It had been too long since Yamaguchi last saw him. Yamaguchi didn't realize how much he missed Tsukishima until that moment. That familiar face, with the ever-lasting frown when he was being forced to something. That familiar figure, towering height – Yamaguchi saw some kids looked up to him in wonder, he was once like that.
He watched as the two brothers argued for a while and Tsukishima sighed, heading to the counter while big brother Tsukishima headed for an unoccupied table. Then, Yamaguchi noticed something. All the waiters and waitresses were busy with taking of the kids, Sugawara and Akaashi were busy with a special order cake and Kenma would be too lazy to do anything. So he, Yamaguchi Tadashi, would be the person to take care of Tsukishima's order. He was so dead.
While Yamaguchi mulled over his bad luck, Tsukishima had reached the counter and was looking for someone. Despite his internal screaming, Yamaguchi accepted his fate and walked out of the kitchen.
"I'm Yamaguchi Tadashi, welcome to the NAME bakery. What can I get for you?" Yamaguchi took a deep breath and showed his smile, although he looked pretty creepy when he forced a smile.
"I'll take a strawberry and a chocolate chips cupcakes and two cups of tea too. We'll eat here." Tsukishima said, already puling out his wallet.
"That would be 600 yen." Yamaguchi pulled the cupcakes out and went to Kenma's place to take the two cups of tea.
When Yamaguchi came back, he saw a child by Tsukishima's leg, looking up at the chocolate chips cupcake. Then he watched as Tsukishima sighed and gave the child the cupcake, patting the kid's head while doing so. The kid's was so bright that it could rival Hinata's own sunshine smile when she skipped back to her friends.
Yamaguchi quickly walked back to the counter and placed another chocolate chips cupcake on the tray.
"It's on the house." Yamaguchi said with a smile, pushing both the tray and the extra money Tsukishima had just taken out toward the blonde. The 'Thank you' with the slight smile he got in return made his heart eat faster and his face automatically reddened. Yamaguchi squeaked out a small 'Thank you and come again' and promptly ran back to the kitchen.
Once safe behind the kitchen's door, Yamaguchi hold his burning face in his hands and breathed. That was too dangerous. His heart might overwork and he could die if he saw that slight smile another time. He was so pathetic and pitiful. The rest of his work time was spent peaking at Tsukishima from behind the kitchen's door. And when the brother left, Yamaguchi indulged himself in self-pity and proceeded to bake cake, something he did only when he was sad and bothered. Luckily, nobody asked him anything. Although he heard Nishinoya and Hinata being told to leave him alone by Sugawara and Shimizu. He was thankful for that and when he left, he thanked them for everything and promised to be better the next day.
That night, he decided to spoil himself to get his mind of Tsukishima. He went to this food street where he used to eat when he was a student. He hadn't been there in ages and with the amount of food there, he would be distracted enough not to think about Tsukishima.
After a bowl of ramen, a dish of tempura, a serving of okonomiyaki, Yamaguchi decided t have dango and tea for dessert. He settled himself in a small shop and called for two dishes plus a cup of tea. Just when he was about to pay for it, someone else stopped him and paid for it. He looked up to the face of none other than Tsukishima Kei himself. Just his luck, it just had to be Tsukishima, Yamaguchi could cry right now. To make the matter worse, he saw Tsukishima called a serving and a cup of tea for himself and seated himself across Yamaguchi. All he wanted to do then was to flee and hide in his room. What should he do now?