Tsubaki and Ren left the old house after breakfast. Grandma and Aunt Kasumi were still worried about her even though they didn't know what had affected her mood yesterday. Tsubaki found a good excuse and both Grandma and Aunt Kasumi quickly let her off after she promised to come back soon.
"When would you meet Miss Esumi?" Ren asked casually while he was maneuvering the car on the long road.
"In the afternoon," Tsubaki glanced at her husband's side profile. "She would come to the bakery."
Ren sighed inwardly, her expression full of sorrow from last night was still clearly embedded in his mind.
"Sweetheart, take care," He could only cheer for her.
Tsubaki curled up her lips, she placed her hand on his thigh and lightly squeezed it, trying to giving him consolation. "I'll be fine. Thank you, darling."
Tsubaki spent her day as usual during the morning. She walked back and forth in the bakery while entertaining her customers. The frequency of her coming here decreased significantly since she got pregnant but it didn't affect her momentum.
Kanako arrived shortly when the last batch of office workers exited the bakery once their lunch hour ended. Both of them looked at each other as a moment of silence ensued between them. It was like none of them wanted to speak.
In the end, Tsubaki just smiled and lightly nodded to Kanako. She jerked up her chin to her right, signaling Kanako to follow her. Kanako breathed a sigh of relief as pressure left her shoulders. She silently tailed behind Tsubaki.
Since their conversation might be controversial, Tsubaki opted to have Kanako sit in the resting lounge. She had prepared cakes and the tea was still brewing. One of Kanako's hands grasped the handbag hung over her right shoulder, she eyed Tsubaki's calm face with a complicated look.
"What are you standing there for?" Tsubaki laughed once she saw Kanako remained standing near the door. She waved at her, urging Kanako to come to her. "Come and sit here! I've prepared your almond tiramisu cake."
"Okay..." Kanako nodded. She pulled up a chair and sat opposite Tsubaki. She looked so awkward as if this was their first time meeting each other.
Tsubaki didn't point out the conflicted look on her face. She just smiled softly and began to pour the tea that she brewed herself for Kanako. The faint scent of rose started drifting in the air as the clear brown liquid gushed out from the teapot into the cup. Steam rose to the air, swirling in between the two ladies.
"Try it," Tsubaki pushed one of the cups toward Kanako. "It's rose-infused Pu'er tea, Old Yuuzo gave a can of these tea leaves to me. The taste of the rose is so delicate, I love it so much."
"Oh..." Kanako was still at a loss of words. "Thanks..."
Tsubaki smiled knowingly. She raised the cup to her lips and slowly sipping the tea. She let the tea lingered in her mouth, spreading its aftertaste on her tastebuds.
Seeing the calm look of Tsubaki, Kanako felt her tensed nerves loosening. She put both of her hands around the porcelain teacup, letting its warmth seeped into her skin. Once the taste of the tea expand in her mouth, without her knowing, her knitted brows relaxed.
"Tsubaki, you seem like you have already know what I want to tell you about," Kanako said, she placed her cup back on its saucer. Her eyes fell on the clear surface of the brown tea. "Am I right?"
"What do you want to tell me?" Tsubaki threw back a question to Kanako while she cut through the slice of cake using a dessert fork. Before she savored the sweetness of the cake, she added, "What it is?"
Kanako let out a heavy sigh. She unclasped her handbag and brought out a bundle of white envelopes. It wasn't hard to guess that all of them were cards that Kanako had mentioned before.
Tsubaki cast an indifferent gaze at the cards that were placed on the table. She reached out a hand and taking all of them in her small palm. The silence of the room grew intense as time passed. Kanako stared at Tsubaki who was now reading the card one by one. Her expression didn't change much even after she read the last card.
"Hurm..." Tsubaki gathered the cards together and put them in a neat position. "All of them were cards signed by Mrs. Souma. I reckon you've got a grasp of it?"
"Yes..." Kanako nodded, she was almost stuttering. "I was so shocked once I browsed through all of her cards. I thought I've just mistaken but... it's true her handwriting matches well with the one you're trying to find."
Kanako still remembered the surprise that got the better of her once she finally found the source of her blurred memory. She was right when she thought she had seen this handwriting before. Her memory was good and she loved looking at beautiful handwritings so whenever her mother showed her of any invitation card she received for tea parties, charity dinner and gala, she would always browse through them.
"I analyzed our wedding invitation to the Souma Household. Mrs. Soume has wrote back to us," Tsubaki glanced at the cards back, she didn't appear as disturbed as last night. "I was surprised too but over time I accepted it."
"So, what do you plan to do?" Kanako was nervous as if she was the one being involved directly in this matter. She didn't expect to find Mrs. Souma got entangled in this. "Do you want me to ask my mom?"
"I have my plan," Tsubaki was still calm, she poured more tea into her cup. "I can't act rashly by going to see her and demand explanations. I need to plan my ways first."
"I'll keep it quiet for you..."
Tsubaki stopped talking about it and encouraged Kanako to eat the cake. Feeling her friend's reluctance to discuss the matter, Kanako obediently savored the creamy and sweet cake. She was still nervous yet whenever she met Tsubaki's clear gaze, she felt her fear subsided in her heart.
"Eat them with your mother," Tsubaki handed Kanako a box of cupcakes as she walked her off to the waiting car outside of the bakery. "And don't ask her anything unless she would keep her guard up around you."
"Alright..." Kanako nodded with a dejected face. She took the box from Tsubaki. "I'll listen to you."
Saito Hajime opened the car door of the backseat once Kanako walked nearer to them. Tsubaki swept her gaze over the man whom Kanako had a secret love with before her body froze in shock. Her lips parted yet no words came out of them as she fixed her stare on the man's face.
He looks like...
"Bye, Tsubaki!"
Kanako's sudden cheer snapped Tsubaki out of her senses. She quickly retracted her gaze from the man's stoic face and looked at the waving Kanako. With a stiff smile, she waved back at her. Her movement felt robotic as she tried to keep her calm in front of Kanako.
Tsubaki didn't step away from the place she stood even after the car had disappeared at an intersection. Only after she couldn't bear the scorching heat blazed by the sun did she ran back inside the bakery. Her actions brought a surprise to her employees yet before they could ask anything, Tsubaki had got inside the resting room.
Where... Where it is?
Tsubaki rummaged inside her bag, looking for something. In her frenzy state, she didn't manage to find the item she was searching for. Frustrated, she turned her bag upside down, all the items scattered on the couch. Her eyes scanned all of her belongings before they stopped at the pair of necklaces.
It couldn't be... right?
Tsubaki took one of the necklaces. Her heart was beating furiously as her trembling fingers opened the locket. The photo of her father was displayed in front of her eyes. Once again, shock coursed through her entire body, rendered her frozen.
Father and Saito Hajime... have a resemblance...
Both of her hands flailed beside her, the necklace was hung loosely in one of her palms. A thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead as she was thinking of the possibility inside her mind.
No... I should look for Ren.
Afraid of doing anything in impulse, Tsubaki decided it was better for her to go and find her husband first. Even though she was afraid of disturbing his work yet she knew she couldn't stay still and waited until he came to pick her up after he knocked off later in the evening. Without dilly-dallying, Kaede drove Tsubaki to Fuse Corporation without asking much.
"Ma... Madam?"
Matsuzaki was shocked to see his Madam's sudden appearance in the company. She had always come here without informing anyone first yet when he saw the sullen look in her usual smiling face, he couldn't help but frown.
"Is my husband here?" Tsubaki asked with a guilty smile.
"The President is still in the quarterly meeting of the company. It'd take some time before the meeting ended," Matsuzaki reported to the young lady without feeling any need to conceal anything. "Please rest in the President's office first, Madam. I'll tell the President of you coming here. I need to go back to the meeting room anyway."
"Oh! No, there's no need!" Tsubaki quickly waved her hands. "I'll just wait for him there, you don't have to tell him lest he would worry. Just carry on with your work."
"Alright," Matsuzaki nodded in understanding.
After he instructed one of the secretaries to cater to his Madam's needs, he left for the meeting room. Tsubaki smiled softly to the secretary escorting her inside the office. She didn't pay attention before but she suddenly realized almost the people working in the secretarial department were men. There were only two women so far and although they appeared to be in their early 40s, their appearance was immaculate and brought a sense of professionalism.
Tsubaki waited in the office. She declined the secretary's goodwill when he said he would bring her some snacks and tea. In the silence of the office, her fingers were fiddling with the necklace of her father's photo nonstop. She didn't realize how many times had passed before she heard the sound of familiar footsteps approaching the closed door of the office.
Within a second, a tall and slender body of a man entered her line of sight.
"Sweetheart?" Ren was surprised. He didn't hear anything about his wife coming to the company.
"Darling," Tsubaki stood up from the couch. She smiled faintly at him as her emotions swirled into dangerous turbulence in her heart. "Sorry, I didn't mean to come here. I just..."
Sensing that something was wrong, Ren quickened his steps toward her.
"You've met Miss Esumi?" Ren asked in a low voice, one of his wide palms caressed one side of her head. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes... Kanako gave me the cards written by Mrs. Souma and everything matches the handwriting of Fujioka Masami. But, that's not important now!"
"En?" Ren furrowed his brows. His wife looked so urgent when she suddenly raised her voice slightly. "Why?"
"Sit first."
Tsubaki pulled Ren's long arm, urging him to sit on the couch. Once both of them were seated, Tsubaki passed him the necklace. Ren accepted it with a confused look in his eyes.
"Do you remember when I said I felt like I have seen a man who looked like my father?" Tsubaki asked hurriedly, trying to make her husband remember.
"Yes," Ren nodded. She mentioned it the night both of them first looked at the necklaces. "Did you recall who?"
"En."
Tsubaki pursed her lips, she was still in a surprise even though hours had passed from the time Saito Hajime appeared in front of her today.
Ren waited patiently for her to speak. He placed one hand at the small of her back, stroking her to offer her comfort.
"It's Kanako's bodyguard!" Tsubaki blurted out after pushing away her hesitancy. She looked directly into his eyes, his gaze was calm, unlike her edgy ones. "He looked like Father and he was there when I received the note!"
Ren knitted his brows once he had fully registered what Tsubaki wanted to convey. The calm in his eyes cracked, a faint trace of panic was imbued in his dark gaze.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!" Tsubaki nodded again. "He might or might not be related to my father but it's better if we checked!"
His wife's words made a sense.
"Alright, we'll check him. I will..."
Ren stopped speaking when his personal phone suddenly rang. In the tense moment enveloping both of them, the loud ringing unconsciously created stillness in the air. Ren and Tsubaki looked at each other before he regained his composure. He brought out the phone from the pocket of his jacket.
Akashi's name was displayed on the screen.