Plight

Chapter I

Beginning Of a Plight

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Tsukino shifted uncomfortably on her feet. The problem at hand was very unsettling.

"He has been like that for how long, exactly?" She looked skeptical. What the manager was saying practically bordered on impossibility.

"A week or so…" Running his hand through his afro, Ken Matsushiro gave the younger girl a look of disbelief. "You, of all people, didn't notice?"

She took a step back, caught completely off guard. "Well…" She averted her eyes from his critical gaze. "I've been busy, as of late. Due to the school's finals and all…" That was no excuse and she knew it. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

He replied, "Why should I? Shouldn't you be the one who noticed it first, since you are the one who has a cr…"

"Manager!" Tsukino's face was completely flushed. Why she had stopped him (in the nick of time, no less), she had no idea. Her feelings for a certain bread artisan were by no means a 'deep, dark secret.' In fact, everyone seemed to be aware of this fact; everyone except the one who was the object of her feelings in the first place.

"Oh, sorry." He motioned his hands in an apology. Despite the fact that he himself listed adamant rules for the South Pantasia Branch, there is only one true rule that everybody abides by. It is 'Don't tell Azuma about Tsukino's feelings.'

"It's alright," she said. Absentmindedly, she began to caress the ring that Azuma gave her. She knew it didn't mean anything more than a token of goodwill, but, hey, everyone has their dreams.

They both sighed at the exact same moment.

"Well," Tsukino said when the silence overwhelmed her, "I better see what's wrong."

"You do that."

Slinging her book bag over her shoulder, she stalked off to Azuma's apartment.

"Don't be nervous!" The manager yelled to get her attention. "He's probably baking, so I'm pretty sure he doesn't want your 'bun in the oven'!" By some chance, Tsukino did have a frozen sweet bun in her book-bag; by the tone of the manager's voice, however, he was by no means referring to the cold treat.

The double entendre left Tsukino swooning in the middle of the street.

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It was a simple problem- one that he so easily overlooked.

How he had missed it was aggravating.

Sighing in exasperation, he began slinging his pink hair band around his index finger.

The problem was common among many businesses. He couldn't possibly grieve over something so cliché.

Yet, he was.

"In order for a business to succeed, three absolute things must be present." Azuma mumbled under his breath. "Good service." How many restaurant businesses faltered due to this was beyond him. Quality service was one thing many business owners stressed. "Excellent merchandise." A business is nothing without their products. Good service only isn't enough to bring in the bacon, or so he had been told.

Azuma hung his head as he muttered the last thing.

"Reasonable prices."

Ja-pan- The epitome of excellent breads- the bread that surpasses even the world's best baker's creation- the physical embodiment of his dream…

…costs too much.

"Damn…" he mumbled.

Only a handful of people can afford this product- it being so rich in expensive ingredients.

He ran the scenario in his mind again. Lower the current cost of Ja-pan and profit wouldn't be made. Substitute certain ingredients would degrade the absolute taste. Only making it for people who can afford it would cheapen his current dream of having everyone in the world trying it. A Catch-22 situation, so to speak.

All options available to him would degrade his dream no matter what. He was damned one way, and equally damned another.

Out of irritation, Azuma tossed his headband at the wall and gripped his head in frustration.

That was the less of his problems at the moment. The dominant trouble on his mind was the fact that he had fallen into a metaphorical 'funk.' Inspiration for a new type of 'Ja-pan' would seldom come, and when it does, the result was far from his expectations.

'Perhaps…' he thought, 'I am trying to hard.' A knock on the door caught his attention. "Come in!" he shouted.

A female voice filled the room. "Excuse me…" It was Tsukino. Turning his head around, Azuma stared at blushing girl. She was shifting uncomfortably on her feet.

"What?" he asked point-blank. He grimaced a moment later, realizing how cold and unkindly his tone was.

Startled, Tsukino bowed and muttered an apology. "I'm sorry! Did I interrupt you?" She looked up, her cheeks burning. "Should I come back later?"

"It's alright…" Azuma muttered an apology of his own.

"What's wrong?" she asked, making her way toward his desk.

"Nothing," he lied and quite pathetically. Being the honest guy he was, he couldn't lie to save his life. Only a complete moron can be fooled. And quite frankly, Tsukino was not a moron. If anything, she was the most sagacious girl Azuma ever meet.

"There's no point in lying." Her voice was very serene, Azuma noticed- almost like a soothing melody. "Can you tell me what's wrong?" she asked again. "Everyone is concerned…" Well, when she said everybody, she was actually referring to herself, the manager, and Kawachi. 'Everyone' else was somewhat indifferent.

"I don't want to tell…" Azuma mumbled, unable to meet her gaze. His plight was idiotic, and deserves no actual attention. He was quite adamant in emphasizing this.

"Please…" she begged. Tsukino received no reply.

Tsukino, having enough of this odd aloof manner of his, grabbed his hand and began dragging him to the door.

Azuma was caught off guard, to say the least. "Where are we going?" he gasped, unaware of the irony that he, a world renowned bread artisan, is practically being manhandled by a girl.

"Out!" she said, her face not facing his; leaving Azuma completely unaware of her mortified face. "On a date," Tsukino whispered to herself.

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