Spring Blooms When I'm With You

Tsubaki walked out of Dr. Sakaguchi's office. Her face clearly showed her complicated emotions. She had been very hopeful when the young doctor called her to discuss about Satsuki's condition. She thought they had finally found a compatible donour for Satsuki but apparently it was not the case.

Satsuki's condition was going to be further deteriorated if they only depended on dialysis. They needed to find a donour but sadly it wasn't easy. Dr. Sakaguchi had tried his best but his efforts were fruitless. There wasn't a single one who could match with Satsuki.

Please... Just a little more. Don't take him away from me.

Satsuki was her only family. After losing both of their parents at such a young age, Tsubaki worked hard to ensure his younger brother lived a healthy life. But his illness stood in his way. She was so afraid if Satsuki would leave her sooner than she could ever imagine.

Tears were brimming her eyes, threatening to flow down. She quickly rubbed the tears away. She had to be strong. For Satsuki. And for herself.

Steeling herself, Tsubaki took a deep breath before heading to the lobby. The rain had stopped. Visitor's hours had already ended. Most people had left the hospital. She quickly hailed a cab. Tsubaki was exhausted. She needed to recharge herself for tomorrow's activities.

And she still needed to mentally prepared to face Mr. Kitaoji tomorrow.

Tsubaki arrived home before 10 PM. She quickly took a bath and washed her face before going to bed. She had to be at the bakery at least by 7. After she baked Mr. Fuse's cake, she needed to rush to the meeting. She had a feeling Mr. Kitaoji would make things hard for her for her rejection tonight.

What a pathetic man.

Tsubaki didn't think much of it and went to sleep. By 5 AM, her alarm rang. She reached out to stop it from continuing harassing her ears. What deep sleep she had. She didn't even dream.

Tsubaki was a morning person from the years she practiced her baking during her part time jobs. She made her bed and went inside the bathroom. Half an hour later, she had already donned a light blue knee length dress and a long sleeve white cardigan. After completing her skin care routine with the sunscreen, she applied a cherry lip tint to make her look more presentable. Taking her bag from the bed, she quickly rushed to the subway.

She wished today would be a productive day and ordinary day without the extra drama.

The clock struck 6.30 by the time Tsubaki arrived. She went inside the bakery by using the back door. The smell of fresh breads came out from the ovens greeted her. The lights in the kitchen had been fully switched on. Two young girls barely hit twenty were concentrating on the doughs in front of them.

"Good morning, Ono, Kaori."

Two heads turned to her. "Good morning, boss."

Osaki Ono and Osaki Kaori were sisters. Both of them were born within the same year but they were not actual twins. While Ono was born in early January, Kaori greeted the earth around end of December. Tsubaki met them during her visit to one of the orphanages in the city. She was a part of a small charity organisation.

Both of the sisters lost their parents when they were just ten years old. As they didn't want to be separated, they refused adoptions. When Tsubaki demonstrated how to bake a bread, she saw they were clearly fascinated by it. Both sisters personally came to her and learned how to bake. They left the orphanage when they turned eighteen. When they heard Tsubaki was going to open her own bakery, they immediately came to ask for a job.

"Have you guys started with the mousse cake and donuts?" Tsubaki quickly tied her long hair into a bun. She wore a cap and put on an apron over her dress.

"Yes. We're going to start with the custard pie after we're done with the bagels and cinnamon twists." Ono put a tray of cinnamon twists into the oven.

"Thank you guys." Tsubaki smiled. She knew she could trust both of them.

After having a small chat, the three of them continued with their respective tasks. By 7.50 AM, Tsubaki cleared her work table and washed her hands. Kohana and Chiyo were sweeping the floor and displaying their products respectively. Yoshie was polishing the windows from the outside. The Close sign was turned to Open once the clock struck 8. Countless of customers had already waiting outside.

The luscious and alluring aroma of coffee and breads were enticing enough. Camellia Sweets was open for business.