The cluster of Thumbelina bells tinkled as Ami Koiko opened the door and stepped into the bakery. She saw Chie and stifled a giggle.
"Poor Chie-chan."
Chie had obviously fallen asleep at the counter and was using a honey cake as a pillow.
Ami quietly skulked over to Chie's arm and poked her arm. When Chie didn't stir, she tried another tactic.
"CHIE-CHAN!" she shouted in the girl's ear.
Chie's eyes popped open and she bolted straight up. "Welcome to the Ryoyu Family Bakery!" she said automatically. "Our pastries are always made with family love. May I take your order?"
Ami couldn't contain her laughter anymore. She fell backwards and let loose a loud laugh. Half of Chie's face and hair was covered with honey and bits of the cake.
"Oh, Ami-san, is something wrong?" Chie asked. "Your face is very red and you seem to have fallen on the floor."
Laughing, Ami reached up and grabbed the counter for support. She took one look at Chie and fell again. Chie stared at her, dumbfounded. After a few more minutes, Ami stood up.
"Okay," she said, breathing hard. "I'm done."
"Why were you laughing so hard?" Chie asked. "I thought you were having some sort of attack."
Ami smiled. "Well, half of your face was buried in a cake when I came in."
Chie's hands flew to her face and she immediately felt the stick goo. "Uh-oh," she mumbled.
Ami giggled. "Now you're not just in trouble with my mom, but with your grandmother as well. And maybe Winnie-the-Pooh is going to think you stole his honey!"
Chie and Ami laughed. Ami was indeed Koiko-sensei's daughter. Both had long, dark blue hair and sky blue eyes, but Ami didn't yell as often. She just liked to hit people with her book bag.
"Well, Ami-san, are you going to buy anything today?" Chie asked.
Ami tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and gazed at the assortment of baked goodies.
"I guess I'll take a slice of chocolate cake, please."
Chie blinked. "I thought Koiko-sensei said you couldn't eat chocolate."
"Oh, it's not for me. It's for Edo-kun."
Chie grabbed a spatula and stared at the cake trying to decide which of the three remaining slices was the biggest. "Come to think of it, Kira-san and Edo-san haven't come to the bakery in a really long time. And I haven't soon Iru-san since last month. What's going on?"
Ami sighed sadly. "He's sick."
Chie looked up. "Who?"
"Iru-kun. Kira-chan found him passed out one day. No one knows what's wrong with him."
"He's not---I mean, he isn't---He's going to be okay, right?"
Ami shook her head. "I don't know," she said in a trembling voice. "And Kira-chan is starting to suspect that Edo-kun has been harming himself."
Chie gasped and dropped the spatula. "Why would he do that?" she asked with surprise.
"Oh, Chie-chan, it's just how some people deal with pain," Ami replied softly.
"But doesn't it hurt more?"
"The physical pain? At least that can be treated. An emotional pain is hard to get rid of."
Is that why they say Anko-chan stabbed herself? Because she couldn't deal with the pain that came with killing Sana-san?
Hot tears stung Chie's eyes. She dabbed her eyes with the edge of her pinafore.
"No," she said in a small voice. "Iru-san will be okay. Just like Anko-chan and Ku-chan and everybody else."
"Did you say something, Chie-chan?" Ami asked.
Chie grinned. "Nope," she said and grabbed a cardboard box. Instead of selecting one slice, Chie grabbed a whole chocolate cake and slipped it into the box. "Here, Ami-san."
Ami blinked with surprise. "But I asked for a slice, not a---!"
Chie shook her head. "It's okay and it's free. I'll just work harder to pay off the cost of this cake."
"Chie-chan," Ami said and smiled. "Thank you." In a whisper, she added, "You always know how to make a person smile."
Chie only heard the first part and answered cheerfully, "You're welcome!"
"I'll tell my mom to give you an extension on that project," Ami said and waved goodbye. "Bye!"
"Bye-bye!"
Chie watched the door close and sighed.
"I guess I should clean up before Kiku-san sees the mess I've created."
"UTA!"
"Eep!" Chie squeaked and turned around stiffly. She smiled nervously. "Oh, Kiku-san, how are you?"
Kikuko glared at Chie. "I think you know."
"Uh, not very happy?"
"What was your first clue?"
Chie twirled a lock of her hair. "Uh, because you look like you want to murder me?"
Kikuko's angry expression melted away and she sighed. "Chie, I need to take to you seriously for a moment."
Chie swallowed the bile that had risen to her throat. Kikuko never called her Chie. This meant that she was really serious. But why would Kikuko want to talk to Chie seriously for?
Let's see. Ami and her friends ( Edo, Kira, and Iru) will become somewhat important later on. Actually, Kira's going to appear in a few more chapters. She's going to have an interesting role (well, it's only interesting to me. Everyone else will not care).
