"You have to admit, it's pretty impressive."
"I think so."
"It's true that I took the national simulation exam with two goals in mind. The first, of course, was to beat you. The second was to make the top 10. Getting eighth place left me more than satisfied, however, who knew you would actually get higher than that...to the number one position, I mean."
"Well, I said I would."
"Fufu, being unassuming seems like the logical thing to do given the effort it took you. Congratulations on making it."
"Believe me, this is his least modest moment."
"Thanks, I guess."
"Come on, I couldn't say it until now, but I thought you'd be a little happier."
"What do you want my mood to be like after finding out I didn't win any awards after coming in first place? It's so unfair. Our tax dollars aren't worth it? What a scam."
"At least the achievement will look great on your resume."
In the sunlight that was passing well past its peak altitude, indicating that it was now past noon, children were happily playing around a residential park, either sliding down the slide, building castles in the sandbox, or simply playing whatever game their immense imaginations could determine as entertaining and apt to expend their vast reserves of energy. In contrast, the sound of a poorly oiled chain on a swing squeaked with the swinging of three teenagers, or rather, two of them and a girl who seemed to be simply leaning against one of the swing's posts, relaxing as she participated in the conversation.
"It's almost the school trip, what are your plans?".
"Stop." Stopping Takeda, Fuutarou began to take more and more momentum backwards as he asked something that had been bothering him for a while now. "Tell me. why am I spending the day with you guys on the swings?".
"Haha, yesterday's enemy is today's friend." Takeda said with a smile. "Maybe that's what youth is all about, no?".
"Besides what's the rush?". Said the girl as she slipped a lock of her jet hair behind her ear. "He summoned the three of us to this place. So there's nothing to be done about it."
Quietly satisfied with that, Fuutarou took advantage of a moment when the swing was coming down so he could stand on top of the seat, and at the sight of the other two, Fuutarou took another speed boost before hitting the farthest jump he could.
"You're good." Complimented Takeda as he clapped his hands a couple of times.
"Not good enough." Fuutarou muttered more to himself before using the tip of his shoe to carve a line at the exact spot where he had landed, being watched very closely by Takebayashi, who had one eyebrow raised before the unusual sound of an engine caught the group's attention.
"Just in time." Said the girl, watching as from the back door of a luxurious vehicle descended a man in an elegant black suit.
Fuutarou swallowed as he watched the man walk casually to a nearby bench, which everyone had tacitly designated as the area where this conversation would take place.
Marou took a seat on the edge of a bench, while the three boys took a seat on the bench next to him. Despite the distance and the ambient noise, it was still surprising that the doctor's voice could be heard as clear as water.
"My apologies for keeping you waiting. I had a last minute patient. For starters, I'd like to congratulate you on taking eighth place, Takeda-kun. I'm sure your father is very proud to have such a capable son." Maruo said, watching as Takeda seemed to smile at the compliment. "I hear you want to become a doctor, how about coming to my hospital? To have such an exceptional person like you-".
"I'm really sorry." The blond said hastily as he bowed from his spot. "Although I am incredibly honored by your offer. I would like to take some more time to properly think about my future."
Mauro nodded at that.
"I see. I look forward to hearing a favorable response. As for you, Kuruma-Kun, likewise I would like to express my congratulations on achieving second place in the ranking. There is no doubt that your guts are well-founded. That's something you don't see these days."
"I appreciate it." Takebayashi said with a rather well-disguised triumphant smile once he heard the scathing tone with which the adult had said that.
"Uesugi-kun." The man said, causing Fuutarou to feel a bit of a chill. "I would like to offer you the position of private tutor again."
"What?" Fuutarou's eyes widened. Even though this was the agreement they had had, he was not prepared for Mauro to make him such an offer so directly.
"The pay is five times the market average and the workplace is a house with a fun atmosphere."
"Define fun."
"To be honest, I'm a little reluctant to hire you again. This is a pretty heavy job even for professionals...though." This was the first time in the entire conversation that Mauro turned his eyes to the bench next to him.
"You seem to be the only one capable of doing it. Besides, I'm a man of my word, do you accept?".
Takebayashi and Fuutarou stood up in unison, looking at each other with a smile before the latter spoke.
"Of course I do! I was going to do it even if you didn't ask me to. Getting paid for it makes it even better!".
"I'm glad to hear it. Then, as we had already agreed, until graduation-".
"Ah, about that, there's something I want to tell you, sir." Fuutarou said, receiving a nod from Mauro to proceed. "If we only consider their grades, they are already able to graduate."
"How reassuring." Said the doctor, there being a sort of relief in his voice.
"I had thought that having them graduate was enough but after listening to Itsuki and Takeda, I think I changed my mind. I will have them graduate by aiming for the next step. I want to help them fulfill their dreams."
"Uesugi-kun..." Hearing his name from Fuutarou, along with his little speech, Takeda smiled touchingly. While Takebayashi, again just looked at him silently.
"What a turn. To think that you used to do the job reluctantly at first." Maruo said before leaning on his knees to get up.
"W-Well..."
"Well, I agree, you're free to use whatever method you see fit. I don't think you'll choose wrong." Making Fuutarou's 5'6" look small, Mauro approached the newly hired tutor, standing to his full height as he looked straight through his soul at him.
"But don't forget. You are but a mere tutor. So I trust you will approach my daughters in a gentlemanly manner."
"O-Of course! I have already drawn a very clear line between us! Really!" Fuutarou said sweating profusely before watching as the man relaxed his expression, took a couple of steps back and turned around to leave.
"Kuruma-Kun..."
"I appreciate the offer, but I'm already busy teaching at the intensive school."
"I just wanted to spend all my cards. Have a nice day."
And without further ado, the man opened the back door of his vehicle so he could go attend to any business, leaving the three young men in the same situation they had been in for a while now.
"Anyway." Once everything was settled, Takeda stood up. "That was fun, but if you'll excuse me, I'd like to use the rest of my day in the library to look for material that might be useful to me. I'll see you at school."
"Bye." Said the two remaining young men, watching Takeda's back for a moment walk away before Fuutarou let out a deep sigh.
"Haaa...at least this issue is settled now. That's a relief, though I guess he does care about them after all."
"Certainly." Takebayashi nodded in response. "Tell me, what will you do now Fuutarou?".
"It's my day off from the bakery and since I already got my job back, I'll go to those idiots' house so I can study." Fuutarou said putting his hands in his pockets before starting to walk, being quickly followed by Takebayashi.
"Right, I was wondering. what will happen to your job at the bakery?".
"An extra income never hurts."
"As hardworking as ever, eh? That's a fine thing for girls to do."
"Please don't start with that. In case you didn't notice, their father already gave me a gentle reminder."
"Who mentioned quintuplets here? It wasn't me~"
Fuutarou stopped his pacing for a moment before sighing after realizing he had fallen.
"Ugh. How annoying."
"The exams were just a time out and you know you can't cover the sun with your finger forever." Takebayashi said giving him a slightly more serious look.
"Believe me it's not that. Quite the opposite. I'm trying to understand them so I know how to approach this situation." Fuutarou said scratching the back of his head wearily. "I just...I don't know. This is all very complicated, you know, I have no experience with this kind of thing."
"I mean, someone our age does?".
"That there aren't people our age who have partners and stuff?". Fuutarou asked arching an eyebrow, making Takebayashi sigh.
"Agh, god, you suck at reading the fine print. Bluntly speaking..." In a swift movement, the black-haired girl delizo to stop Fuutarou's pace. "How do you feel about them? Do you see them as your students, or as your friends? How about a better question: 'Are there any that are special?'"
"Special?" Fuutarou blinked a couple of times, mentally repeating that last word a few times before lowering his gaze in contemplation as if dissecting and analyzing it for its true meaning. "Hmm...not that I don't want to answer but...I don't even know if I understand."
"The girl of the bell. She kissed you. Ever since that day you've been trying to figure out who was responsible, haven't you?" Takebayashi's tone softened noticeably, trying to be sympathetic to her friend and give him the support he needed. "Tell me, do you want to know her identity to satisfy your curiosity, or for something else?".
Fuutarou didn't answer, leaving the conversation suspended for a few seconds before the blackhaired spoke again.
"Anyway, how about a riddle to lighten the mood?".
"Riddle?" Fuutarou said arching an eyebrow at the sudden change of subject.
"Yes. Do you like them?".
"No".
"Surely it's because you haven't heard the right riddle. What gets bigger the more you take away from it?".
"A hole."
"Yeah, right. Let's see...hmm, I'm tall when I'm young, I'm short when I'm old. what am I?".".
"A candle."
"Yes! Have you heard them before?".
"No"
"Hmm, then how about this one. I poison whoever doesn't drink me but I give strength to whoever possesses me."
"That doesn't make any sense..."
"Hehe. Come on, try to figure that one out, brainstorm."
"Ugh, it must be something abstract, I guess...". Fuutarou placed a hand on his chin as he pondered the matter for a few moments. "I poison whoever doesn't drink me but I give strength to whoever possesses me...Medicine?".
"Nope!". Takebayashi gave him a mocking smile, causing Fuutarou to growl. "Let's see how long it takes you to figure it out."
"Now it's a challenge?" Fuutarou commented with irritation in his tone before something in his path caught his attention.
Turning his eyes to the road, far beyond the cars that were driving completely normally all over the road, Fuutarou could see a spectacular, and on it he could see the logo of a coffee shop that had inadvertently become quite familiar to him. Apparently they were advertising a new special edition coffee drink on their menu.
I wonder if they will have a more bitter taste.
After a good 20 minutes of walking, the pair finally arrived at their destination. The Nakano residence.
"Well, I guess this is where we part ways." Takebayashi said placing a hand on her hip. "Good luck, Mr. Tutor."
"You're not staying?"
"No. As I told the girls' father, I have work at the intensive school. Itsuki-san's shift will be over soon so I'd better hurry." Suddenly, Takebayashi's attention was caught by the gaze of a certain red-haired girl approaching from behind Fuutarou. "Wow, what a coincidence."
Turning in the direction her yellow eyes were watching, Fuutarou ran into the girl his friend had mentioned.
"Uesugi-kun, Kuruma-san. It's good to see you." Itsuki said politely as she gave a small bow. "How's your day going?"
"Fine I guess." The black-haired man said with a rather nonchalant look on his face as he headed up the stairs of the small apartment complex. "You see, I met with your father. I'm officially back to being his tutor."
"Really!?" Fuutarou resisted the urge to cover not only his ears at Itsuki's sudden joyous exclamation, but also his eyes at the stellar glint the latter sister seemed to emanate from her expression. "Finally your achievements have been recognized! Congrat-Eh!?".
Itsuki's choke bristled as she saw Fuutarou brutally ignore her, passing her by as she walked up the stairs of the building.
"Why are you avoiding me...?". Itsuki asked in a futile attempt to get answers.
After a warning that without any trouble would pass as a threat, no one could blame Fuutarou, he really didn't even feel like looking at them. No, more than that, since he was now their guardian again, Fuutarou had the idea to rethink his distance from them to try not to get the wrong idea.
At least I need not worry about her. It would be a waste of time. On the other hand, if I don't need to focus on her thanks to her work, I can probably ask Raiha to cook something for her as a reward.
"How suspicious..." Itsuki muttered squinting analytically at him. "Is something wrong with him?"
"You know how it is." Takebayashi said with a sigh before winking at her. "Anyway, how about we talk later? I already have to go to work. See you later."
"Ah, of course, Kuruma-san. I wouldn't want to delay you. Be very careful please." Itsuki politely waved goodbye, and once the black-haired woman began to walk away quietly down the sidewalk, Itsuki returned her gaze to the second floor of the building, a place where her ear began to tune in to quite a bit of bustle from inside her apartment once she started getting closer there.
"Are you serious!?". Itsuki reflexively grimaced once the high-pitched sound of 3 blaring voices impacted her eardrum after entering her residence.
"Yes, I'm serious." Fuutarou replied dryly.
"I knew Uesugi-san would make it! Congratulations!". Yotsuba said cheerfully. "It was all the work of my cranes, no doubt about it!".
"Heh, I'd pay anything to have seen papa's face as soon as he found out the results." Nino said, crossing her arms haughtily with a smile. "That'll teach him not to mess with us again."
"Come on, come on, don't be like that." Said the first sister Ichika before looking flirtatiously at Fuutarou. "Though I guess it must be a relief for you to still be our tutor, right? Congrats on being back in the game."
"Anyway, what's all this mess?". Fuutarou said looking around the foyer at the multiple boxes and bags scattered and piled all over the place.
"We're doing a deep cleaning now that things have calmed down." Yotsuba said finishing closing the flaps of a box to proceed to lift it up and out of the way.
"But weren't we supposed to do the review of your exams today?". Fuutarou arched an eyebrow.
"I know! How about you help us?". Nino said hurriedly with a bright expression on her face as she walked a little closer to Fuutarou. "I need someone's opinion to know which clothes still fit me and which ones I need to discard.".
"Actually that's a good idea, Nino." Ichika commented with a smile as she pushed Nino out of the way. "I have a lot of clothes that need a second opinion, you know?".
"Eh? But hadn't I helped them with that earlier?" Yotsuba asked innocently as she scratched the side of her head.
"Wow, look at the time." Fuutarou said looking at his non-existent watch on his wrist. "Since it looks like we won't be able to study today, I'll take my leave. I have things to do."
"What? so soon?" Nino said loosening her expression.
"Can't you stay a while longer, Uesugi-san?". Yotsuba asked parading her ribbon a little.
"I'm sorry , I have to uhm, help Raiha cut paper." Fuutarou replied turning around so he could retreat from the place. "Bye."
Once Fuutarou closed the apartment door behind him under the arched eyebrows of the girls, who simply shrugged before going about their business, Fuutarou sighed quietly before starting to walk out of there.
"I smell a secret."
Or so he wanted to before the creak of a door and a voice quite familiar to him called out to him from behind it. Turning, he could see the fifth sister poking her head out from a door between open, looking at him with daggers in her eyes.
"What do you need Itsuki?" Fuutarou asked watching as the girl walked out of the dorm and closed the door behind her.
"I can feel it. You're hiding something from me, aren't you?". Itsuki said crossing her hands in her lap. "It could be something my fath-".
"N-No!". Fuutarou rushed to interrupt him, but realizing he had messed up, he quickly looked away.
"Mmmmh..."
However, his peripheral vision still caught the pout Itsuki was giving him.
"Then how about we do this?". Said the girl placing a hand on her chest. "If you tell me what you're hiding, in return I'll tell you one of my secrets.".
"Your secrets?" Fuutarou arched an eyebrow before turning to look at her again. "I don't really care much about that, though."
"Wh-what!? Oh, come on. You have nothing to lose!" Itsuki said before lowering her gaze to the ground, softening her tone in the process. "I can't keep this quiet any longer. I can't say it unless it's this way...".
Fuutarou pondered that for a moment. Actually, telling Itsuki shouldn't cause any trouble, right? It was probably a smart decision, since she might as well guide him in some way. Stresses the word "probably".
"I guess it's as good a time as any." Fuutarou sighed before leaning his elbows on the railing of the building. "I'll tell you, just don't freak out."
Itsuki's expression brightened with realization before mimicking his posture.
"Sure, I'm all ears!".
"I reached my popularity phase."
Expression that darkened after hearing that.
"...What?".
"The ones interested in me are Ichika and Nino." Fuutarou said in a tired tone.
"Are you really that tired?" Itsuki said arching an eyebrow, sorely tempted to go inside for a thermometer to make sure Fuutarou wasn't sick. "I recommend you to rest... Eh? Wait, Nino and Ichika?".
Itsuki was confused.
"Not Miku?".
"No, not her." Fuutarou said crisply. "Miku and Yotsuba said they'd be supporting me or something. What exactly do they want me to do? I don't know."
"Miku and Yotsuba...supporting you...".
Itsuki didn't know why. She wouldn't know what to answer even if the reader asked her directly. But Itsuki had a feeling that there was something very wrong with Fuutarou's statement. Miku wasn't in love with him? Was it a fact?. Itsuki knew first...or well, maybe third hand that her older sister was in love with Fuutarou, she had told her so herself on that trip in the hot springs and it was the main reason why Miku had done all that fake Itsuki theatrics in the first place. She wanted to sever her student-teacher relationship so she could move forward in her relationship with Fuutarou in another way and for all she knew, that worked out somehow. So what was this turn of events all about?
That aside, he had mentioned Ichika and Nino? Her sisters were in love with Fuutarou? Itsuki could hardly believe it. There was no way that could happen, was there, especially coming from someone like Nino, who practically hated his guts as soon as she met him.
And as for Yotsuba...well, that was another story.
To say Itsuki was confused would be the understatement of the century, however, her train of thought had to make an emergency stop as soon as she saw Fuutarou turn his head noisily in her direction.
"Hey, don't be quiet. I just told you something very embarrassing. So tell me your embarrassing secret at once."
"O-Okay." Itsuki said blinking a couple of times from shock. "T-The thing is, I... Well, uhm."
Itsuki anxiously put the toe of her shoes together, whittling them slightly as the girl inhaled some air to prepare herself for what she would say.
"I have an alias." Itsuki said in the calmest tone she could muster.
"Eh?"
"I couldn't tell anyone. I've kept it a secret all this time, but...I can't keep it to myself anymore." Itsuki stifled all intrusive thoughts about the future development of events once that left her lips, squeezing the railing tightly before turning her head in the direction of her tutor.
"I am-!".
"I'm going to ask Itsuki!".
What little courage she had mustered returned to hide in the depths of her stomach once the person she least wanted to see in a situation like this opened the door loudly.
"Eh!? You're still here, Uesugi-san! Hello!". Yotsuba said smiling before turning her gaze to Itsuki. "Ichika wanted to know whose box is in the closet and...Uhm...you guys were in the middle of something?".
"She was about to tell me an embarrassing secret." Fuutarou said pointing at the fifth sister with his thumb, eliciting an Ooooh from her elder and in turn, causing the pointed one to rush out of the scene.
"S-sorry, I'll tell you another time!".
"Wait! I already told you something! It's not fair!" Fuutarou shouted at her back before snorting heavily. "Damn."
"Hehe, sorry, seems like I came at a bad time." Yotsuba said scratching the back of her neck nervously.
"Well, whatever. I think I already have an idea what this is about. Have you heard about the famous culinary critic May? She's Itsuki's secret identity."
"Secret identity!?" Yotsuba's ribbon bristled all the way up. "Itsuki is like a superheroine!?".
"No, she just likes to do food reviews on the Internet or something."
"I see, that makes a lot of sense!".
"Anyway. Now if I'm going, I'll see you later." Fuutarou said turning around to start walking down the stairs towards the main street.
"Go carefully, Uesugi-san! Don't forget to let us know when you're home safe and sound!". Yotsuba said waving him off with a hand, turning back inside once the young man's silhouette was lost in the distance.
Itsuki's hurried footsteps vibrated across the floor of the apartment until she finally reached the room she needed to be in.
Inside, the girl was aware of her older sister and the piles of magazines, boxes, and other items that could only be categorized as disposable arranged in the corner of the wall.
Quietly, she was grateful that her family (or at least the vast majority) had a habit of cleanliness and made it easy for them to focus exclusively on discarding anything useless. Because otherwise, she was sure that the dust resulting from this cleaning day would definitely have made her sneeze more than she would have sneezed all year.
"Itsuki-chan, do you recognize this box?". The eldest of them all, Ichika, asked her while pointing to a certain box that was in the center of the room.
"I-It's mine." Itsuki said as she approached her. "That's where I keep clothes that I probably won't use again."
"Make sure to throw away anything you don't need. I'm not one to talk though, hehe." Laughed Ichika scratching a cheek nervously as Itsuki picked up the box, turned around and took it somewhere else.
"Huh?".
However, Itsuki's rush to have some privacy left her unconscious to the sheet of paper that had slipped from the flaps of the box, falling to the floor just inches from Ichika's foot.
Noticing this, Ichika bent down to return the object to Itsuki, however, Ichika immediately realized that it was a photograph judging by the hardness of the paper. A photograph folded in half.
"Itsuki-chan, you dropped something-".
As she unfolded it to look at its contents, Ichika's heart, the air, the sound, time itself seemed to freeze for the first sister for several seconds. Her sapphire eyes opened to the full extent of pure disbelief before her analytical side began to work at full capacity, sharpening her gaze.
"This is...from Kyoto."
In her hand. A memory. A moment. A piece of time ripped from the past. Something that should be shouted from the rooftops for some, something that should be buried forever for others, and something that had always been there for a select few.
A pink-haired girl and a blonde-haired boy.
Ichika sketched a smile as she arched an eyebrow.
"So that's what it's like." Ichika stifled a small chuckle that was welling up from inside her gut before pulling herself together, giving the photograph one last glance before folding it back up to tuck it inside her bra and continue her work as if nothing had happened.
"I'm home." The monotone voice of the third sister announced her arrival in the apartment, proceeding to remove her shoes before walking quietly towards the kitchen.
"Ah! Miku, welcome! How was work?". Yotsuba greeted with great encouragement before leaning close to her ear to whisper something to her. "Hey, you won't believe this but did you know Itsuki is-?".
"Yotsuba, good thing you're here." Said the girl using her phone to pause the song that was playing in her blue colored headphones and proceeding to rest them in the usual place on her neck. "I made some bread. Try it."
Needless to say, said sentence sent a wave of shivers down the 4th sister's spine, causing her to freeze in place for a few seconds as she watched Miku unhook her backpack from her shoulders to fetch a paper bag, offering it to Yotsuba directly.
"I-It's okay..." Yotsuba really was resigned that whatever excuse she said would definitely not be believed by anyone, so accepting her fate, she accepted the bag from her sister's hands. A bag that considering its contents and the chef who was responsible for making it, the pleasant, warm smell emanating from inside was downright unsettling.
"Nino, do you want some bread?". Miku asked suddenly as soon as she looked at her eldest walking past the scene, looking somewhat disconnected.
"Not now, I'm busy." She replied crisply before locking herself in their shared room.
Miku simply shrugged before returning her gaze to Yotsuba, who had already taken a bite of one of the buns in the bag, squeezing her eyes tightly shut in anticipation of the chef's signature culinary recoil.
"Delicious bread!". A recoil that never came. Yotsuba's palate was treated to a warm, crunchy yet fluffy bread with a slight cinnamon flavor. Yotsuba proceeded to take another bite, more out of disbelief than anything else. "You really made it yourself, Miku!? It's delicious!".
"I've been doing intensive training." Miku replied visibly relieved, loosening her expression once Yotsuba delivered her verdict.
Yotsuba really wasn't known for having the most discerning palate, nor the most trained one like Nino's or Itsuki's own probably was, but even she could notice certain details in this food if she focused on it. For example, she could taste a slight charcoal flavor in some parts, and a strange taste of colored sprinkles seen in some parts of the bread. No doubt an attempt by Miku to add some flavor to the mix and that definitely hadn't gone quite right.
Nevertheless, this result could already be considered a success coming from the skills of her eldest.
"Heck, if only you had arrived a little earlier Uesugi-san could have tried it. Ah, about him, good news! He's officially going to be our private tutor again! With salary and all!".
"What? Really?" Miku's eyes blinked in surprise before an uncharacteristic smile lit up her beautiful face. "I see. What a relief, I knew I'd make it...in that case, I guess he'll just have to wait a little longer for me."
Miku looked down a bit dreamily.
"I'll feed you this in a special place, Fuutarou. You deserve it."
"Sure! Let's make it happen!". Yotsuba said animatedly before shaking her hand a little inside the paper bag to get rid of the small bread crumbs that had stuck to it. "But what do you mean by a special place?".
"You know. What you talked about the other time." Miku replied. "The trip to Kyoto."
"Oh! That's right!". Yotsuba replied with a fist pumping gesture. "I'm really excited about it! What's the plan, sis?".
"Like I said, I want to feed Fuutarou something special somewhere in Kyoto...and that's all." Miku said scratching the side of her hundred. "Other than that I don't really have a concrete plan. I've just been dedicated to improving the preparation of my breads."
"Hmm, hmm, I totally understand." Yotsuba replied crossing her arms with a curt nod. "In that case, don't worry, we'll come up with something later. You've improved quite a bit judging by the bread I just ate, so no doubt you'll be more than ready to make Uesugi-san a bread that he'll definitely never be able to forget!
The next day...
Well, judging by the charred and smoking bread in front of her that could very well pass as the meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs, the definition of a bread she could definitely never forget was quite accurate, though not for the right reasons.
"This..." Yotsuba, sitting at one of the tables in the bakery where Miku worked, stared for a few minutes at the attempt at food her sister had presented to her. One moment, something in the previous sentence seemed to be wrong, so Yotsuba wanted to find out. "This is a bakery where they sell bread, right? Or stones as well?"
In Miku's opinion, Yotsuba was the only person in the whole world who could throw that kind of seemingly offensive comment not with the intention of hurting the other person, but because she was genuinely wondering that. And in the face of such innocence, Miku had no choice but to give her the point, because she had it.
"W-Well...Nakano-san just started recently." Miku's boss interjected from the side, in an attempt not to detract from her efforts. "Baking bread is hard. Everyone starts out like this."
Miku preferred not to think that even the first breads Nino baked when she was younger were by far better than hers.
"Luckily the cake store across the street isn't a threat." Said the woman raising a fist in the air. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes for you to learn. So let's get better, Nakano-san!".
"Good!". At the little speech, Miku nodded fervently, rising from her place at the table across from Yotsuba to roll up the sleeves of her uniform and head straight for the kitchen with her boss following in tow.
"Courage Miku, you can do it!" Yotsuba shouted.
The problem before lay in the fact that the bread was practically a rock, something that was completely corrected on this second attempt. The problem now lay in the fact that perhaps Miku had taken said correction to the extreme.
"It looks like a dead bug."
The raw sponge cake bathed in its own juices certainly couldn't complain that Yotsuba felt that way about it.
How odd. She followed the recipe to the letter but but by some mysterious force it ended up like that...she has a talent for messing everything up...
Miku's boss slapped her cheeks a couple of times as she pulled herself together. Trying to keep her positive attitude by clearing those thoughts from her mind.
"Well, come to think of it the store across the street seems to be getting more clientele lately...". Well, she was doing her best at least.
"Maybe I'm just not talented." Hearing that, Miku's expression was shadowed with a black cloud.
"Y-You need to believe in yourself more!". Yotsuba encouraged her. "They're looking a little more and more edible. You keep it up!".
"Sure...". Resigned, Miku gathered what little desire she had left and walked back into the kitchen.
"A loaf of bread!" Honoring that the third try is usually the good one, in front of Yotsuba lay something that definitely looked like a proper loaf of bread. A beautiful, perfectly toasted biscuit, steaming with a rather delicious aroma. "So what I ate the other day wasn't a hallucination!".
"Hmm." Placing a smug expression, Miku placed her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest proudly.
"It's still not something we can sell yet. But I'm still very impressed with Miku-chan's progress." The shop owner said, removing her uniform beret to vent some of the sweat that had accumulated on her forehead, proud that her efforts finally paid off, or at least for this occasion.
"It's all thanks to you. Thank you so much." Miku said, bowing deeply and respectfully to her new sensei.
"It's nothing. It's always a pleasure." She said with a smile. Actually, she certainly had a soft spot for this girl.
"We must hurry and give it to Uesugi-san! I'm sure he'll be surprised." Yotsuba said, causing Miku to once again rejoin before gently shaking her head.
"No, it's still not that good."
"Hmm? Miku-chan, if I remember correctly you said you planned on giving this to that friend of yours on that school trip, didn't you?" The boss asked, once again arranging her beret on top of her head.
"Yes. The first lunch, to be exact. I still can't make up my mind, though. The Bridge of a Thousand and One Swords or maybe the Golden House of Joyo? What a difficult decision..." Miku's suddenly softer voice caused Yotsuba and the shop manager to glance at each other before smiling at each other.
"Young people these days. It's good to see that these things are still being done." Sighed the boss lady before turning to Miku. "I've only had a couple of relationships in my life, so take this with a grain of salt. But if I may advise, the location really doesn't matter much."
"Uhm, what do you mean Baker-san?". Yotsuba asked.
"You can call me Karin. And answering your question. There isn't really a special place, you know?". Karin said in a matter-of-fact tone. "A temple, a beautiful landscape in the middle of the mountain, a souvenir store, lightning, I guess even behind a dumpster. Any place can be special, but what makes it special is the person you share the moment with, and the memories you create together."
"The person you share...the moment with?". Yotsuba repeated in contemplation. "Memories..."
"Yes. Or at least that's how I see it." She said with a shrug.
"I see, yes, I suppose that makes sense. Again I really appreciate it." Miku said humbly bowing her head softly.
"Cheer up, Miku-chan. Your friend is a guy after all, I highly doubt he wouldn't be happy to receive something from a cute girl like you, you know?". She said before the bell at the front door rang, indicating the arrival of a customer to be served.
"I'm sure he'll be excited!". Yotsuba said, trying to inject some of her trademark positivity into the situation before something caused her attempt to dissolve a bit. "But there's a problem."
"What are you talking about?"
"The tour groups." Yotsuba replied. "There is a limit of 5 people per group."
"If we're not in the same group, we won't be able to have lunch together...now that's serious." Despite her bored look, Yotsuba could see a tinge of concern in her. "And I won't be able to walk around Kyoto with him either."
However, Yotsuba stood her ground.
"Miku, leave it to me!". She said pounding her chest with a determined fist. "As the class representative, I will pull my influence to make them be in the same group. Let's form a team consisting of Uesugi-san, you and me! In addition, we could also include Kuruma-san! I'm sure if we explain the whole situation to her she might be able to help us."
"Are you sure?" At the mention of that girl, Miku became suspicious, not very convinced of her involvement. "How do we know she'll help us?"
"She's Uesugi-san's friend." Certainly, Yotsuba could be categorized as the kind of person who didn't need a very complex reason to act. "She knows him better than anyone else and is is is just as smart as he is. I'm sure she could hatch a super evil plan to get the two of you together during lunch without any kind of interruption."
Miku had to admit that those were a very powerful deterrent to try to put aside any negative thoughts she had towards the girl. However, a warlord always had to remain cautious, more so when negotiating with the enemy.
"I guess it's okay then, just be cautious."
"Sure, what could possibly go wrong?".