"Here's your change. Thank you! Please come again!" Saaya said cheerfully, holding out the customer's purchases in a paper bag.
The Yamabuki Bakery was bustling with people, it being busier than usual. Most of them were regular patrons from around the district; workers who popped in for a convenient breakfast before heading to work, students who were just hanging out—since it was a Sunday—or mothers who wanted to get some snacks for the family.
As the morning dragged on, Saaya even caught a glimpse of her old band, CHiSPA, huddled at the corner of the shop, and they were engaged in what appeared like a grave discussion as to what type of bread they should buy for practice. She caught the eye of the leader guitarist, Natsuki, as the latter looked up. Her lips curled up briefly, and she waved over to the counter before returning to her band's now slightly heated debate.
"What a busy few hours it's been so far," the high-schooler sighed, wiping the perspiration off her forehead with a handkerchief lying on the counter nearby. She gazed longingly at the clock, which hung with an imperceptible tilt to the left. "I've been working at full throttle since opening time, and it's only noon…?"
A cursory glance out of the shop signified no difference in the density of gathered people. Children were standing outside, their eyes burning with clear desire as they tugged on their parents' clothing, begging them for the chocolate cornets and melon buns on sale. Her eyebrows knitted as she squinted, trying to recognize the duo further up by the entrance of the shop.
Moca had her face pressed against the glass, her widened eyes ravenously feasting on the line of items on display. As the guitarist inhaled deeply, her nose took in the pleasant aroma of freshly baked bread wafting out of the shop. A soft groan escaped from her wet lips as she licked them in anticipation.
"Moca… You're going to dirty the glass if you continue doing that," a voice behind her called out. "Look at the drool dribbling from your mouth."
"Eeeeeh…?" The ivory-blonde haired girl made a disapproving sound as she wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her hoodie. "But I'm hungry…. You can literally smell the fragrance from here!"
"Well, that's because the doors of the bakery are open," Tomoe told her, a finger pointed towards the entrance. "C'mon, we've gotta go. We're running late for band practice!"
"Moca-chan won't be able to concentrate later if she doesn't eat…" she moaned, still looking fixedly at the extra-large melon bun which was tantalizingly inviting her into paradisiacal territory.
"We'll be able to grab something at CiRCLE later," Tomoe countered, shaking her head, "Let's go—Hey, Moca!
Saaya couldn't help but giggle as the guitarist from Afterglow ambled mindlessly into the store as if she were possessed, headed straight for the buns being displayed prominently in the centre of the shop. Moca had always proclaimed herself as "Yamabuki Bakery's number one fan", and she was making a good show of it as she stood still like a statue in the middle of the shop, merely staring at the immaculate tower of buns with her mouth wide open.
"Hi Moca! Might you be interested in the special Star-Crossed Bread, our special Tanabata Festival buns? They're filled with lots of chocolate, with a tinge of cheese," She greeted the guitarist, bowing slightly.
The drummer from Afterglow entered the shop in tow, a faintly exasperated expression clearly written on her face. "Yo, Saaya," she greeted the Hanasakigawa student with a small nod, "Working during the weekend again? It must be hard on you, having to do this all the time."
The brown haired girl chuckled dryly. "I'll be alright. I like it; just that it's a little busier than usual, what with the Tanabata Festival approaching and all that."
"Hence the limited Star-Crossed Bread making its yearly appearance," Tomoe nodded again, "Was it you who came up with the name for the bun this time?"
"That would be Sana… I'm sure we could've thought up a more creative name, but my mum and dad seemed to like it, so that's what we went with in the end."
"Simple names are always the best…" Moca murmured, now gawking at the assortment of bread littered around the bakery.
"Oh, what about the live that us five bands are gonna be performing at CiRCLE? That's happening on Tanabata as well. Will you be able to manage?" The redhead added in realization, her face creased with mild worry.
Saaya's head shook perceptibly. "Don't worry, everything's going smoothly!"
"Well, if you say so. Just give us a holler if you need any help over the next few days… Woah, Moca! Just how many are you taking?!"
Moca had her hands crossed over her chest, and resting on her arms were a stack of star-shaped buns, each neatly arranged to form a pyramid which had built up to the point where it had fully obscured her head. Saaya couldn't help but stifle another bout of laughter as the girl swung around awkwardly, apparently being unable to identify the location of the other two girls.
"Hmmmm…?" A dimmed sleepy voice floated through the mountain of Star-Crossed Bread, the top few pieces resting insecurely above one other. "Enough for all five of us. We'll need the nourishment to survive through practice!"
"That's definitely way more than what we need," she retorted, slowly stepping towards her band member. Her friend took a step back gingerly with every respective step Tomoe took. "Who's gonna pay for this, anyway?!"
"Of course you are…" Moca's shot back, albeit nonchalantly.
"And why would that be?" the drummer demanded hotly, her hands placed on her hips.
"Remember last week, when we were playing Russian Roulette with the rest during our training camp at CiRCLE, and you shot the toy revolver right next to my ear while I was sleeping? Moca-chan was dreaming about the biggest chocolate cornet you could ever imagine," she replied indignantly, the stack of bread shaking precariously once again as her feet hit the back of the wooden table's base. "You promised to make up for it by buying a week's worth of buns, didn't you, Tomo-chin?"
"Now that I think about it, I did remember you agreeing to Moca's terms," Saaya agreed, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling.
"Not you too, Saaya…" The first-year grumbled irritably. "I thought we were drummer buddies. You should be on my side here!"
"I will be once you've bought those buns," Saaya responded teasingly, "…and I can't just abandon a fervent supporter of the bakery. Look on the bright side; I think Moca's point reward card's nearly filled up by now, right?"
"Yes…" Moca muttered, reaching for her pocket.
"Moca, no! You're gonna drop them—!"
Clunk.
A loud clatter reverberated through the shop as the products slid out of the heap resting on the arms of the Haneoka student, and collided with the mound of well-ordered buns on the table. That in turn created a chain reaction, causing the table to succumb to the might of gravity, and it ended up on the floor as well with a deafening crash.
Saaya did not know how to react, merely managing a contorted, conflicted expression. On one hand, the scene she just watched was hilariously played out, and on the other… She would have to assemble everything back in order.
The culprit stood stock still, eyeing the clutter of Star-Crossed Bread lying in disarray, a vacant look in her eyes. She pointed to the mess. "Oops… I'll take the ones I was holding just now."
"I'm so sorry about this, Saaya…" Tomoe apologized hastily, already on her knees to tidy up the chaos, "Moca can really go out of hand when she's hungry, and we're already late for practice… Tsugu and Himari aren't gonna be happy about this."
"Ahaha… Don't worry about it. Here," Saaya said, holding out a bunch of Star-Crossed Bread in Moca's direction, "For being such a loyal customer! You guys should go on ahead. I'll finish up with the tidying."
"Eh? We couldn't possibly—"
"In return," Saaya cut in, wagging a finger in mock sternness, "You guys can repent by performing your best for practice later, okay?"
"I'm…we're really really sorry," Tomoe repeated profusely, her face muddled with guilt. She pressed her band member's head downwards into a bow. "Right, Moca?"
"Thaaaanks, Saaya…" The guitarist's eyes lit up as she took the bread off the drummer's hands. "I'll be sure to fill up a second point card for you in return!"
"I'll hold your word to it," The brunette replied with a light smile, ushering them out of the bakery. "Go on, shoo!"
Tomoe dragged her classmate towards the exit by the hood of her clothing. "Let's go. I can already feel Ran's wrath all the way from here."
"Oooh, that's actually pretty scary…" Moca thought aloud, her voice fading off as they left the shop.
The high-schooler watched the two childhood friends dash off until their figures dissipated into the crowd. She would be headed in that direction too, but only much later at night, since Poppin' Party's own timeslot at CiRCLE was specially scheduled for then.
In fact, bookings for the utilization of CiRCLE's studios were only permitted till the late evenings on a daily basis. However, the girls had school until afternoon, and even after that, Saaya had to leave almost immediately after classes ended to help out at the bakery. For the last two weeks or so, the only spare time she had outside of school and work was at night, and that was where she dedicated the time to practice her drumming. Thankfully, Marina was kind enough to grant access of the studios to the band when she learned about the plight they were in.
The first-year sighed like a subtle summer breeze, soft and gentle, almost lost against the chatter of the bustling within the bakery. Bending down, she picked up the wrapped pieces of bread, and started to set them sequentially on the wooden table which was placed back to the centre by Tomoe.
With Tanabata looming ahead, it didn't make things any easier for her. Her father was rarely around, mainly because he had to make more deliveries than usual. The Yamabuki Bakery was well-known, and its bread was popular not just with the shoppers around the area, but was renowned district-wide. Just the day before, her dad had to stuff the entire van with piles of bread, just so he could do the deliveries in a single trip without having to come back for refills. Even then, it took him the entire day to complete the deliveries.
Her younger siblings, Sana and Jun, were way too young, so them helping out at the bakery was out of the question. Even though Kasumi and the other PoPiPa members were more than happy to lend their assistance whenever they believed Saaya needed help, the thought of having to continually rely on them perturbed her considerably. She therefore consented to their offers, but only when there was no other choice.
Then there was her mother. She'd been sickly for a long time, and easily fatigued herself even by performing a few simple chores. Still, she always insisted on helping out with the housework and cooking, to which Saaya reluctantly agreed to. In return however, she kept a strict lookout over her throughout the months, constantly ensuring that she did not overexert herself.
"Saaya," her mother had told a few days ago, "Tanabata's just round the corner, so you and Otou-san are going to be pretty busy in the bakery... Don't you think I should help out too, at least minimally?"
"This isn't up for debate, Okaa-san," she protested flatly. "You know you shouldn't be tiring yourself out needlessly. Otou-san and I will be able to cope. It's only for a few days anyway."
She wouldn't be able to handle a repeat of that incident, the one which led her to quit CHiSPA, her old band formed with Natsuki and the others. Even though she had patched up with Natsu since joining Poppin' Party, it just wasn't the same anymore. They didn't hang out as often as before. They didn't converse as much as before. They weren't playing their instruments together anymore. The consequences from that event were hard-hitting, and had largely shaped her into who she was today.
"I understand your concerns, my dear, but what about the performance you mentioned earlier? You did invite us to a live on Tanabata itself," the woman pressed on, giving her a knowing grin. "Is that why you were coming home so late at night since last week?"
"Yup," Saaya had answered, avoiding any eye contact with her mother. She didn't want to give in. She knew what her mother was getting at. "Band practice."
"Weren't your tests held yesterday?"
The drummer said nothing, and continued to face the floor fixedly, a sense of foreboding clouding her mind. The flow of conversation was going down the line that she had expected—and dreaded—and she knew she was about to lose the battle.
"How did you do for them?"
The teenager's shoulders had slumped in defeat. "I… I passed them, but just barely."
"You keep telling me not to overexert myself, but from my point of view, you're the one piling all the problems on yourself," The woman said, placing a hand gently over Saaya's. The corners of her eyes crinkled as she patted her daughter on the head. "I'll be fine, alright? You should go and do what you enjoy doing."
Saaya looked up resignedly. She couldn't deny what her mother said. In fact, she had already considered herself lucky that she wasn't being reprimanded for the recent deterioration in her grades.
"I guess I can't stop you if you're going to be this stubborn," Saaya had told the elder, her hands raised in defeat, returning the smile weakly. "But promise me that you absolutely won't tire yourself out. Stop if you have to. And this only applies till Tanabata ends!"
The rest of the day flashed by rather uneventfully save for the separate visits from Rimi and Hagumi, of which the latter proposed an absurdly comical idea of a collaboration between her meat shop and the bakery.
"Saaya!" The orange-haired girl had exclaimed in excitement while leaning against the counter. "You know what we should do for Tanabata?! Since the norm's to stuff meat into bread or croquettes, let's stuff bread inside a croquette instead! It'll be a hit for sure! Nobody's gonna expect such a brilliant idea!"
"Well…" Saaya trailed off, handing over a bag of purchases to a customer who was waiting uncomfortably by the tomboy's side, "I do agree that nobody will expect it, but I'm not certain about it resonating with the customers."
The bassist, meanwhile, had a similar reaction to Moca's as she drifted into the shop, gaping at the freshly restocked chocolate cornets lined up across the counter.
"Rimirin," her classmate said, gently poking her on the shoulder. "You really love chocolate cornets, don't you?
"Yes… But I think you guys should know that by now, right?" Rimi asked.
"I know, but…" she'd pointed out, "You're eating one while looking at the ones in the store!"
"Wah! I totally didn't realize that!" the black-haired girl blurted out, nearly dropping the bread she was nibbling on. "Maybe I am addicted to them…"
"I see no harm in that," the drummer chortled.
Dusk was steadily approaching. As the blazing sun descended unhurriedly past the horizon, so did the number of customers entering and leaving the bakery, finally providing some respite from the slogging throughout the day.
"Aaaah," the student allowed a contented sigh to escape her lips, as she flopped down onto a wooden stool across the counter. "At last, some rest…"
"Saaya," a female voice came from the kitchen, "Isn't your band practice starting soon?"
"Yup!" The teenager called back, "I was just about to leave! Remember to take care and let me know if you need any help!"
"Alright!" Her mother's head poked through the beige curtains, which draped around her facial features. "Oh. Take as many pieces of bread as you want to share with the band. They're leftovers anyway. It'll be a shame to waste them."
"Already done," the daughter replied, holding up a moderately sized cane basket filled to the brim with a variety of bread types. "I'm sure they'll gobble everything up before practice ends!"
The woman smiled broadly, waving her daughter to the exit. "That's great. Go on, I'll see you later!"
Saaya raised a hand in response as she left, trotting along the darkened pavement towards the studio.