The moon was still bright the moment he returned home. Ren dismissed the bodyguards and thanked them for their effort. The two male bodyguards and Kaede swiftly disappeared from the floor of their Master and Madam's home unit.
Even though Ren knew his wife was still sleeping, he was still mindful of his steps. He hung his black trench coat on the coat rack before he proceeded to change his clothes. A set of dark grey pajamas clung on his tall and slender body. With a careful movement, he slid into the bed. His dark eyes immediately went to Tsubaki's dreamy face.
She slept while facing his side of the bed. A faint smile tugged on his lips. He stroked her face as tender as he could, her skin was so soft under his warm touch. Ren leaned over and cradled her in his arms. One of his hands was lazily playing with her hair.
"Good night, sweetheart."
Her soft and steady breath answered him in the quiet room.
When the soft light of the dawn started penetrating through the small gap of the curtains, Tsubaki shifted slightly in her sleep. Her eyelashes fluttered while her brows knitted as she tried to wake up from her deep sleep. A familiar warmth enveloping her petite frame, making her smile instinctually even before she opened her eyes.
Once her sight became clear, his handsome face greeted her new morning.
Her husband was sleeping so peacefully, his warm breath brushed her temple. Tsubaki placed one palm on one side of his cheek. She could feel the stubble that had started growing on his skin. It was slightly ticklish as she held in her giggle.
By looking at his haggard face, Tsubaki knew he had returned late. She had a hunch that he was busy over an important matter but seeing that he kept it quiet, she understood that she shouldn't poke her nose into it.
It's okay, he would tell her once he was ready.
Tsubaki slowly lifted his arm that was encircling her waist. He frowned in his sleep as he felt his arms were empty. She quickly placed the big cat toy as the replacement. A soft laugh escaped her lips when she saw the adorable scene of him snuggled closer to the plushie.
Her feet brought her to the bathroom. It was a lie if she said she didn't feel nauseated but it was bearable, unlike yesterday. She took a quick shower before she headed downstairs to prepare their breakfast. By the time she stepped out from the wardrobe with a set of clean clothes on her body, it was already 6:45 AM. The sun had risen from its slumber, letting its golden light shone on each part of the Earth.
Tsubaki opened the fridge. She hummed gently as her eyes peered inside the double-door refrigerator. Everything inside was fresh and from high-quality plantations. She took out one piece of salmon together with some other ingredients to accompany with it. Her appetite wasn't good as her stomach was churning so she decided to make cabbage pancakes for herself while Ren would have his usual breakfast with rice.
As she was grilling the salmon, Tsubaki heard the sound of familiar footsteps coming from behind her. She turned around, her smiling eyes met her husband's sleepy ones. She took small steps toward him.
"You're still sleepy, darling. Why don't you sleep longer?" Tsubaki ran her fingers over his forehead, brushing his messy bangs aside. He looked so cute with his bedhair stuck out at various directions!
"How are you feeling this morning, love?" Ren ignored her question, instead, he immediately asked for her well-being. He lightly squeezed her hand that was stroking his head. "Are you okay?"
"I'm good," Tsubaki smiled sheepishly as she added, "Well, maybe a bit nauseous? But, overall I feel okay."
Ren nodded once. He smiled as he looked at the faint blush on her rosy cheeks. He dipped his head in and brushed his lips over hers.
"Good morning, sweetheart."
Tsubaki giggled happily. She tip-toed and kissed his chin. "Good morning, darling."
"Oh, right," Ren suddenly thought of something. He lowered his gaze to his wife's tummy. He gently rubbed it. "You behaved well, Mommy slept peacefully last night."
Her heart fluttered once she saw how fond his smile was when he was talking to the little bean inside her. Suddenly, she felt like she couldn't wait for a second longer. She was so eager to welcome their little one in their arms!
"Alright, go and have your shower first," Tsubaki pushed her husband out of the kitchen. Her tone was light and airy, sounding pleasant to his ears. "Breakfast would be done soon."
"Okay," Ren smiled faintly.
The husband and wife had a harmonious breakfast. Ren understood that his wife didn't have the appetite so he didn't force her to eat much. Tsubaki silently ate her cabbage pancakes. The shredded cabbage felt sweet on her taste buds. If she remembered correctly, the cabbages that were sent by Grandma were plucked from the old house's exclusive vegetable patch.
"Would you stay at the bakery till evening?" Ren placed a cup of warm milk in front of his wife. As he had done eating, he gathered all the dirty dishes and put them on a tray.
"Maybe. Why do you ask?" Tsubaki munched the last bite of the pancakes. She looked at her husband with a questioning gaze.
Ren smiled as his eyes softened. "If you're not busy, let's go and have a walk at Spring City later. The mall would organize a summer festival for a week starting today. The venue is the garden outside of the north wing. I heard the upper management of Spring City went all out this year so I guess the festival would be a good one."
"Darling, are you asking me out for a date?" Her smile was so sweet when she asked him the question. Her face was practically beaming with joy and anticipation.
Ren let out a laugh. He didn't expect she would look so happy. "Yes, sweetheart. So, how does a date with me sound?"
"Of course I'll go!" Tsubaki didn't need to think even for a second. She immediately agreed.
"Hibiki would come and pick you up first around 4. I'll be needed at Spring City in the afternoon for the festival so we would meet there." Ren brought the tray in his hands, he turned around to head to the kitchen. "I'd supervise the progress of the festival first so our date wouldn't be bothered by anyone."
"Alright, darling."
Tsubaki quickly finished her milk. She was so giddy in excitement at the prospect of having a date with her husband.
What should she wear later? Should she bring another dress to change into before the date?
En... She had a lot of thinking to do.
Ren glanced at her dreamy expression, a helpless smile spread on his face. He was glad that he could make her happy. After meeting Yagi Takashi last night, he knew the sad days would resume in the future.
For now, he would do his best to let her stay happy before she inevitably needed to face her past.
After sending Tsubaki to the bakery, Ren drove straight to the company. But, his journey wasn't with an eased mind. He tapped on the screen of the dashboard and dialed a number. The line rang for a few times before it was connected.
"Ren," Toshiro's voice greeted him. "Are you calling me to ask about the old man?"
"How is he?" His voice sounded distant, as if this call was made not out of his willingness.
"I've just done an examination on him but the result is favorable. He was lucky he didn't suffer from a severe concussion," Toshiro briefly reported about Yagi Takashi to Ren.
His private lab was situated outside his villa in one of the exclusive residential areas in the city. The privacy was top-notch so they could worry less about any leaking. Moreover, the transfer was done discreetly.
"I might not look for him tonight, I haven't told Tsubaki about him. Please direct any inquiry to Hibiki."
"Yes... yes..." Toshiro answered with a helpless sigh. "Well, that man called Kurosawa would come next month, right? You don't plan to have his head bashed too, isn't it?"
"He was the one who willingly bashed his head. I didn't do anything to him," Ren replied nonchalantly, much to Toshiro's dismay.
"Alright, alright. For the time being, I'd treat his malnourished body first. If this goes on, I'm afraid you can't keep questioning him. We should avoid him from fainting, right?"
"En..."
After he was done talking to Toshiro, Ren dialed another number.
"Mr. Fuse," A familiar voice of a younger man echoed in the car.
"Mr. Nagao," Ren squinted his eyes, his voice was layered with a hint of uncertainty when he asked him a question. "When you found the letter of your wife, did you see any necklace with it?"
"A necklace?" Nagao Yuuto sounded confused. "Why did..."
"Or have your wife mentioned or showed you a necklace before? It should be in a half hearted-shaped pendant."
"A necklace... ah!"
The man's surprised voice intrigued Ren's curiosity. He quickly asked, "Have you remembered?"
"If it's a necklace... my wife only has one in her possession. She showed it to me after we got married. It was a gold necklace. Well, since at that time we were in financial crisis, she told me to pawned it off. It's been years but..."
"You haven't got it back?"
"Yes..."
Ren let out a sigh. A pawn shop wouldn't keep the items for long if the original owner couldn't pay the loan. It had been years so without a doubt the necklace might had been sold to someone else, the same as Tsubaki's.
"Nevermind. Please tell me at which shop you pawned it. I'll take a look of it."
It didn't matter if the necklace had gone to another person's hands. As long as he got a clue, he would try to locate it as soon as possible.
"Alright... I think it's the one near our old address. I'll text you once I've confirmed it."
"Please do so."
"But, Mr. Fuse... why did you suddenly mention a necklace? Did you find anything?"
Ren hummed his acknowledgement. He tapped his index finger on the steering wheel. "We might find the next lead with it."
"Okay."
After exchanging a few more words, Ren hung up. He focused back on the road ahead of him. His eyes darkened as he was reminded of Yagi Takashi.