After lunch, the husband and wife sat on the couch in the sunroom. It was a quarter to 5. The sun was still shining brightly outside. Tsubaki curled up comfortably as she laid her head on her husband's chest, her eyes looking at the scenery in front of them.
"Have you feel better?" Ren asked in a quiet voice, his dark eyes peered at her peaceful face.
"A bit," said Tsubaki in truth. She was still downhearted yet it wasn't as much as last night.
"That's good." Ren smiled in relief. He played with her long hair, quite tempted to braid it into a princess crown as he had seen in a picture before. "Once I finish my current job, we'll be going to the beach. Use this time to relax before we resume our wedding preparation, alright?"
"Okay," Tsubaki replied with a soft smile. Her eyes gleamed when she heard him mentioning the wedding. "Has Grandma called you? I remembered she said she wanted us to return to the old house sometime soon."
"She called once and I said we'll be going there after my inspection at Summer City Hotel. Without a doubt, she wants to talk about the wedding," Ren laughed lightly when he was reminded of his grandmother's nagging earlier. The old lady was adamant to tie him up and bring him to the old house if he continued to delay this matter. "Aunt Kasumi would come back soon. She said she has already prepared all the suggestions for our wedding. Ms. Noman has contacted her too."
It won't be long until he could see her in a white wedding dress, walking down the aisle to him.
"Darling?" Tsubaki tilted her head upward, meeting his softened gaze for her. "I want to meet Kanako before we go to the beach."
Ren frowned slightly, catching the meaning behind her words. "Do you mean... it's regarding Fujioka Masami? Do you really want to see her so soon?"
"Uhuh." Tsubaki lowered her head guiltily. She understood why he seemed reluctant to let her go and meet Kanako.
It was only last night when she once again broke down. She cried herself to sleep and the moment she woke up, she pleaded to him to leave the place as soon as possible. And now? Did she plan to meet Kanako and relive the pain?
"Sweetheart," Ren called out to her, he embraced her from behind. He pressed her back against his chest as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "You know I could say no to you, right? I don't want you to feel the same pain again but I understood why you want to meet her."
"So... can I?" Tsubaki breathed out the last words, feeling timid all of a sudden.
Ren grazed his lips on the soft skin of her neck, his warm breath tickled Tsubaki. "You can go and meet her. If you need to cry again, I'm here to hug you."
Tsubaki instantly turned her head around, their noses almost brushed one another. Her eyes were so bright as she tried to reconfirm with him, "Really? You won't be mad?"
Ren laughed lightly, his voice was clear and sounded velvety in her ears. He nodded, the smile in his eyes was still there. "How could I be mad at you? But, don't forget to call me once you get any news."
"Okay!" Tsubaki immediately agreed. "Thank you, darling."
Ren just smiled. His hand stroked her head affectionately.
Even though he didn't want her to cry her heart out again but he understood it was inevitable in their course to find the truth of her origin. There would be countless heartbreaks following his wife but he would always be there to mend the pieces and put them back together.
When Ren was taking a shower later at night, Tsubaki tried to call Kanako but it didn't go through. Kanako might be busy as Tsubaki was reminded of her complains regarding her job a few days ago. In the end, she sent her a message.
Camellia of the Spring: I'm back in the city! Could we meet tomorrow?
After waiting for a few minutes, there was still no reply coming from Kanako. Tsubaki placed her phone on the bed. She was getting ready to take a bath. The sound of water falling to the bathroom floor had gradually faded. Her husband would come out soon. In a moment, Ren emerged from the bathroom with a white bathrobe wrapped around his slender body. His hair was still damp, a white towel hung from his neck.
"You want to take a bath, right?" Ren smiled faintly when he saw her standing in front of the bathroom door. "I've filled up the tub for you."
"Thank you, darling," Tsubaki smiled sweetly. Before she passed by him, she squeezed his arm softly.
Ren looked at her disappearing figure. A soft sigh escaped his lips. Right now, she looked better but who knew when would she break down again. He needed to prepare for the uncertainty.
After he blow-dried his hair, Ren changed into a set of black pajamas. He headed toward his study, his slender fingers pressing a speed dial on the screen of his phone. Within a second, he heard Akashi's voice from the end of the line.
"Yo! I heard you've gotten back to the city. So, do you have any news?" There was a sound of crunching coming from Akashi. It seemed like he was indulging himself with snacks while doing his work since Ren could hear the sound of keys clacking too.
"Yes. A really big one if it's true," Ren answered heavily. He pushed the door before he stepped inside the darkness of the study. "I still need to clarify it before making a conclusion."
"Oh?" Akashi's interest was piqued up. "What it is? Tell me?"
Ren walked over to the big mahogany table. He had placed the tote bag containing the diaries and postcards on its wooden surface. He reached out for a diary, his eyes scanning its exterior.
"Tsubaki found her late mother's diaries and some postcards that we assume were sent by Nakamura Sumire," Ren sat on the swivel chair. He scattered all the postcards on the table. "The handwriting of the sender matched Nakamura Sumire's. But, there's no name or signature on any of the postcard. The postmarks came from different places too."
"Did you find anything interesting in the diaries?" Akashi whistled, he didn't expect the couple would find something like that. Since Yagi Takashi was still being careful with his surroundings, the findings could help them in the meantime.
"We've only read the diaries, Tsubaki couldn't hold back anymore. I don't think she would read the postcards soon," Ren sighed, suddenly remembered how she reacted last night after finished reading all of the diaries. "But, even from them I found something odd."
"What it is?" Akashi closed the documents on his computer. He paid all of his attention to what Ren going to say.
Ren took a deep breath. He rubbed his temples as a wave of exhaustion passed by him. "According to Tsubaki's late mother, her real father has already died."
"What?"
Akashi was so shocked till he coughed up the potato chips he had just swallowed down his throat. One of his hands was frantically reaching for the bottled mineral water. He cursed slightly when the cap was so tight. He quickly downed a few mouthfuls of water, a trickle of water escaped from the corners of his lips, falling down to his collars.
"You said.. what? Her real father has already died?"
"If it's according to what Nakamura Sumire tell Tsubaki's late mother, yes." Ren once again repeated his words. "If it's true, we have another thing to add for."
"But... didn't you suspect your wife's biological father is..."
"It's merely a speculation," Ren cut him off. "For now, try to find any missing person from that man's side, a man and a woman. I think Tsubaki's biological father too has a connection with him. And investigate how the current head of village of Tsubaki got the fund for his development project 5 years ago."
"Okay... but it'd take quite a long time since this matter happened more than two decades ago. Regarding the village head, please send more details to me," Akashi slumped his body on his bed, he had already forseen the incoming sleepless nights.
"Okay. And I'll tell you once I've finished reading the postcards," said Ren briefly before he hung up the call.
Ren swiveled the chair around, he stopped once he faced the glass walls overlooking the entire Spring Garden. His gaze was as dark as the night sky outside. No one could tell what he was thinking.