Tsubaki moved here and there in her attempt to pack her and Ren's luggage for the trip to the Summer City Hotel tomorrow morning. They had just returned from her village yesterday afternoon so the next trip actually made her a bit tired but it didn't dampen her excitement.
She had been looking forward to this trip so much!
"I think these clothes are enough," Tsubaki mumbled slowly, she placed Ren's three quarter chinos inside the large luggage. "What else should I pack?"
Tsubaki shook her head, she rubbed her temple. Her exhaustion had caught up to her. She didn't move around much when she was in the bakery this morning but somehow she felt listless. Her limbs and abdomen were aching slightly, making her felt uncomfortable.
"Ergh..."
Tsubaki groaned in pain as she landed on the bed. She smiled contentedly once she found a comfortable position to lie down. Her eyes went to the unfinished luggage, a red alert sounded in her mind but she chose to not respond to it. She would still have plenty of time to finish packing.
Or so she thought.
The sun hid below the horizon, allowing the moon to shine its light on Earth. The tranquillity brought by the summer night made her slept deeper as if she was detached from reality. Tsubaki curled up into a ball, she was sleeping so soundly she didn't even realize there was a pair of eyes watching her with love and adoration in them.
Ren glanced back over his shoulder to see the opened luggage on the floor. He smiled helplessly when he thought of how his little wife had fallen asleep before finished packing their items. Ren rubbed her head gently before he stood up and walked toward the wardrobe.
After changing his clothes, Ren took the luggage and placed all the necessary items in them. His wife was still sleeping, tucked under the blanket he covered her with earlier. Ren decided to let her sleep longer as he went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
The clock struck 8 PM.
As Ren was busy cooking, a call came through his personal phone. He slowed down the heat, letting the soup simmered before he took the call.
"Yes?"
"I just want to update you, so far I've found 6 men who were missing from that man's side," Akashi's voice rang clearly from the end of the line. "Do you think that one of them..."
"It's just a guess," Ren replied, cutting him off. "It's better than we do nothing."
"Do you find any clues in the postcards?" Akashi jotted down some of his new ideas on a note book. He spun his pen in a circle using his fingers as he added, "I've also searched for Mrs. Hanada's hospital records before she adopted your wife, trying to find any particular woman she came in contact with but since the matters were so old, nothing much could be found."
Ren sighed, he rubbed hid aching temple. "It's okay. Just do what you see fit. As for the postcards, I haven't read them."
"How about the letter? You said you went to meet Mr. Nagao to get the suspicious letter?"
Ren paused, letting his thoughts to take over him. He watched as the soup simmered down and thickened, hot air bubbles were popping on the surface. He suddenly reminded of his short meeting with Nagao Yuuto at a small cafe after leaving the company.
They didn't talk much. The younger man just handed him an old-looking letter, its opening had been torn by his late wife. He said he found it hidden in her treasure box.
"I'm not sure if this letter could help you or not," Nagao Yuuto said before he left the cafe. "But, I sincerely hope it'd help your wife."
He had placed the letter on the stack of untouched postcards in his study. His heart felt heavy whenever he thought of them.
"The postcards and letter would have to wait after I return from my inspection," Ren answered after a long period of silence. He turned off the stove and placed a lid on the pot. Turning away from the stove, he went to the other side of the kitchen island and arranged a few set of clean bowls on the surface. "Just focus on your current searching."
"Alright."
After exchanging a few more words, Ren hung up the phone. A thought flashed past his mind as his grip tightened around the phone. It was at this moment a pair of slender hands appeared from behind and wrapped around his waist.
Ren lowered his head to his back, he saw Tsubaki was rubbing one side of her face on his back with closed eyes. A soft chuckle escaped his lips. He pulled her hands as he turned around to face her.
"You're still so sleepy, sweetheart," Ren said in a light-hearted tone, one of his hands pinched her nose. "Have some dinner first before going back to bed."
"No... I'm not sleepy..." Tsubaki shook her head slightly as she was trying to free her nose from his fingers. "When were you got back? Welcome home."
Ren couldn't help but smile so adoringly when he saw her who was still in a sleepy state welcomed him home. Her eyes were half opened as she spoke softly, trying to look at him beyond her sleepiness.
"I'm home," Ren replied, he leaned down and kissed her lips. "And I missed you."
Tsubaki's lips curled up into a smile, she giggled before she tip-toed to return the kiss. "I missed you too."
Ren helped her to sober up by wiping her face with a damp towel. Tsubaki placed one hand over her mouth, trying to suppress the sleepiness from luring her back to the dreamland. Ren smiled helplessly, he gently stroked her head.
"You look tired, sweetheart," He said in a low tone, his eyes focused on her daze look. "Are you really okay going to the beach tomorrow? We could postpone it."
"No!" Tsubaki immediately refused, she shook her head repeatedly. "I want to go to the beach. It is okay?"
Ren sighed, he couldn't possibly say no to her. He brought her in his embrace, he rubbed her back as she nestled comfortably in his arms.
She seemed like she could sleep for days. How could she still want to go to the beach?
"I just don't want you to strain yourself," Ren added quietly over the top of her head, "We'll go but you shouldn't move around much."
"Okay..." Tsubaki replied with a smile, her voice was muffled over his shirt. In no time, she closed her eyes again.
Ren could only smile when he saw her, she had fallen asleep once again. He gently carried her to the long couch in the living room. He saw her smiling in content as she curled up in her sleep.
"Look at you sleeping so happily," Ren muttered slowly, he looked at her with fondness in his eyes. "You're so tired these days yet you still want to go play outside?"
Tsubaki just smiled, she had entered her dreamland.
It wasn't an hour later when she finally woke up. Tsubaki was startled when she saw her husband's face, apparently she slept on his lap while he was watching the TV.
"Darling?"
Ren lowered his gaze, he laughed when he saw her confused look. "Are you done sleeping? You should get up and have dinner now."
Tsubaki was just quietly staring at him before she looked at the clock hung on the wall. Her eyes widened when she saw where the hands stopped at.
Both of the clock hands paused at number 10.
"I've slept again, right?" Tsubaki said sheepishly, she covered her guilty smile with her hands. She did remember waking up in their bedroom, going downstairs to see him in the kitchen, talking for a bit before she slept while hugging his waist.
Ren propped up one of his elbows on the backrest, he looked at her with a crooked smile. "It seems like you've gotten enough rest. Should we do something interesting to help you sleep again?"
"No!"
Tsubaki wanted to jump from his lap but Ren had swiftly caught her with his long hands. Tsubaki yelped when he suddenly kissed the nape of her neck. The cool sensation coming from his lips jolted her wide awake.
Ren laughed freely when he saw her pouting. He tidied her messy clothes, his eyes were so full of love when he spoke again, "Let's have our dinner?"
Tsubaki nodded timidly, looking small in front of him. Ren laughed again before he enveloped her in a bear hug. Tsubaki yelped again when they fell on the couch, his hands tightly secured her in his arms.