The husband and wife strolled together in the venue of the festival. Even though the area was spacious yet due to the increasing number of visitors, Ren carefully placed his hand around Tsubaki's shoulders. He was really mindful of their surroundings since he didn't want to invite any misfortune near them. Tsubaki could only smile sweetly at her husband's gesture.
While they were enjoying the festival, Tsubaki suddenly tugged at Ren's sleeve. Ren lowered his eyes to meet her brightened ones. He arched an eyebrow, silently asking her what was wrong.
"I want that!" Tsubaki pointed at one stall, her eyes didn't leave his face.
Ren followed where her finger was pointing at until his gaze fell on a dessert stall located not far from them. A queue of people was lining up in front of the stall, waiting for their turn.
"Taiyaki parfait?" Ren finally saw the cheery display of the stall. "Do you want one?"
"Yes! Yes!" Tsubaki replied eagerly. Both of her small hands were holding his arm. With a slightly pleading voice, she asked, "Won't you buy it for me, hubby?"
Ren curled up a smile. His gaze was filled with tenderness when he saw how hopeful her face was.
"Alright," Ren nodded. "Let's buy one."
The husband and wife patiently waited for their turn to arrive. Tsubaki chose a taiyaki parfait with toppings of slices of strawberry, whipped cream and nuts. Both of them went to sit on a long bench.
"Wow! It's so sweet and yummy!" Tsubaki exclaimed in surprise once she took a bite of the taiyaki parfait in her hands. The sweetness filled her mouth. Her eyes twinkled with delight as she looked at her husband. "You should try it!"
Ren laughed softly. His wife looked so happy with just a taiyaki parfait. How could she be so easily conquered by a dessert? He hoped their child wouldn't follow the extreme of her sweet tooth.
"Alright, I'll try it," Ren took the plastic spoon from Tsubaki's right hand and scooped the parfait with few nuts and strawberry slices. Once he tasted the cold dessert on his tastebuds, the sickeningly sweet flavor with a hint of sourness spread in his mouth.
"How? It's yummy, right?" Tsubaki laughed freely when she asked for his validation.
"It's good," Ren scooped another bite and brought the spoon to her lips. "But, I think your lips are sweeter."
"Wha..."
Before Tsubaki could say anything, Ren had pushed the spoon inside her mouth. She glared at him with her face reddening, her cheeks puffed out as she munched the strawberry and nuts.
Ren laughed lightly. He gently poked her nose with his finger, thus earning a pout from Tsubaki. The atmosphere around them was harmonious as if no one could intrude on their safe haven.
But, someone decided to step over the boundary.
"I didn't expect to see you two showing your love in this kind of place."
Tsubaki and Ren were interrupted by the hoarse voice of an older man. Both of them lifted up their eyes. A kind-looking older man was smiling at them, his hands were placed behind his waist. He stood straight and his presence carried the air of nobility.
"President Souma," Ren called out the man's name. His voice was imbued with a hint of coldness.
The husband and wife got up from their seats, facing the man dressed in a casual suit. The man's personal assistant stood behind them. He gave a respectful nod toward the couple which they reciprocated.
"Well, I didn't expect to see you here too, President Souma," Ren held one of Tsubaki's hand as he took a step forward, his broad shoulders obscuring her from the man's view. "Since this place isn't the kind of place we could easily see someone of your caliber."
"Don't flatter me, President Fuse," President Souma waved his right hand, his smile remained on his face. "If we could find you here, it's not impossible for an old man like me to enjoy this festival too. I could say that the management of Spring City has done a good job. This festival is so lively."
"So, what are you doing here?" Ren put on his fake smile as he suppressed the unpleasant feeling budding in his heart. The trace of it was nowhere to be found. An eerie calmness was emanated by his smile. "I heard your company is busy with the new tender from the government. Are you here to de-stress?"
"Well, I'm here to look for something," President Souma wasn't bothered by the man's icy-cool tone. He swept his gaze over Ren's shoulders. Tsubaki was hidden from his tall body, only the top of her head could be seen from his distance. "Or... to look for someone. Maybe, President Fuse could help me?"
Ren smiled yet he didn't look approachable. Moreover when the older man tried to look behind him. He firmly held his wife's hand behind his back while tracing circles at the center of her palm.
"I could help you if you are willing to share with me all the details on the something or someone that you're looking for," His eyes darkened even though his lips were still curved upward. "All of them."
President Souma paused as he eyed the man's threatening smile. From the way he looked at him, he could confirm one thing.
He had known about it. Although not everything.
While the two men conversed, Tsubaki couldn't help but feel that something was off especially from the way her husband was behaving. She noticed that it seemed like he didn't want her to have any contact with the older man. His behavior during her meeting President Souma during their beach trip the other day was suspicious too.
"Well, I think you look so happy, Mrs. Fuse," President Souma suddenly placed his attention on her, startling Tsubaki in the process. It was as if the cold exchange between him and Ren didn't happen.
"Oh! I'm good..." She answered perfunctorily. She was still clueless with the way these men interacted.
On the surface, they appeared polite with each other but she felt that some dangerous vibe came from her husband although President Souma remained calm.
What was it?
"I'm glad to meet you here again, President Souma." Tsubaki walked out from Ren's back and stood side by side with him. She felt the fleeting anxious gaze from her husband but Tsubaki fixed hers on President Souma's smiling face. "I hope we could meet again. My husband and I want to spend this time by ourselves so I hope you won't feel offended if we take our leave now."
A hint of amusement flickered in the older man's eyes as he heard the clear voice of the lady standing before her. The corners of his lips raised upward. Without saying much, he nodded.
"Oh, it seems like I've interrupted your time together. My apologies, Mrs. Fuse," President Souma averted his gaze toward Ren's indifferent face. "I'm the one who's supposed to take the leave. I just feel like saying hi to familiar faces."
The older man turned around on his heels without waiting for them to say goodbye. His assistant followed him closely from behind after bowing his respect to the couple. Tsubaki and Ren watched them disappeared in the crowd.
Once the man was gone from her sight, she wondered if the meeting earlier was real. It happened so fast.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Ren assessed his wife's expression with hidden worry. He placed one of his hands on her head.
"En?"
Tsubaki tilted her head to look at him. The bright light of the sun fell on his back, casting shadows over his overall appearance. In the dimness, she could only faintly see the heaviness his gaze held.
"I'm the one who should ask you that. You didn't look like yourself when you're talking to President Souma earlier. What happened?" Tsubaki carefully worded her question. She narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at him with unease.
Her words caught him off guard.
"I..." Ren suddenly felt like he didn't know what to say. He lowered down his hand from her head, he sighed in resignation. "It's just... I was bothered by something."
Tsubaki gently held his hand. His broad shoulders slumped slightly when he felt the comforting touch. His eyes were deep and profound when he returned her peering gaze.
It was clear that his mind was a mess. Seeing his eyes lost their usual luster ached her heart. When she wanted to say for him to forget it if he wasn't ready, Ren opened his mouth.
"I have something to tell you," Ren raised his free hand, he gently tucked her hair behind her right ear. Pausing for a moment, he arranged the words he wanted to let her know. He let out a sigh. "This is not a good place for us to talk. Let's return home first, shall we?"
"Uhuh." Tsubaki nodded obediently.
This festival that was crowded with people certainly wasn't a good place to talk about some secrets. When she recalled he went out to meet Akashi and Toshiro last night, she already had a hunch that the important matter didn't involve the company.
Well, she was glad she didn't have to wait long before he decided to tell her.
"But, before we go back..."
"En?"
Tsubaki saw that her husband was looking at her hand. She looked down and was stunned to find that her parfait had already melted. A part of the melted cream had dripped on her hand while the upper part of the taiyaki turned mushy.
"Ah!"
Tsubaki quickly brought the taiyaki to her mouth. She tried to lick the untouched part but her hands had turned sticky and made her felt uneasy. Ren couldn't suppress his laugh when he saw how adorable her face was right now.
"Darling! Quick! I need tissues! Ah! Take the wet wipes from my bag, hurry!"
Tsubaki looked pleadingly at her husband. Her lips pouted and her eyes were watery. She appeared like a little girl in his eyes.
"Okay, okay," Ren chuckled, he shook his head helplessly. His tensed nerves from meeting President Souma started to ease up.
Ren opened her handbag and fished out the wet wipes from the compartment. He took the soggy parfait from her hand before he placed it inside a small paper box provided by the stall.
"Open your hands, I'll help you wipe them," He said as he looked at her with a smile.
"Okay..." Tsubaki slowly showed her sticky hands to her husband. With her lips pouting and an aggrieved look on her face as if someone had stolen her cake, Ren found it hard to resist from kissing her. Especially when her eyes were misty from the moisture.
She was really something.
Well, only she could be his undoing.
Ren helped Tsubaki wiped her hands, his action was far more gentle than usual. A faint smile curled up on his lips and only tenderness could be seen in his eyes.