Bake Shop Romance Chapter 23 7/11/12

[kuro808]

@oddy I wanted to add intrigue to the story as they were once friends but seemed to move away when they got older and the maids are like her watchdogs

Chapter 11


Erina woke up the next morning to Riho’s voice and saw a message on her cell.  She had the day off today because Sayu had an emergency and returned to her hometown for the day.  She rolled out and did her daily routine like all students do and came to the table to find breakfast only for her.  Except, she noticed in her father’s seat was a note.

Dear Erina,

I had to go on a trip for the week, I forgot to tell you that at the café as I was enjoying company with the two women.  Rest assured it isn’t with them but for a school function your classmates wanted to have for year’s end.  I hope to return next week.

Love, Dad

Eripon sat down and ate her meal in silence before heading into the car for school.  She closed her eyes as the driver headed to the school.  Her head was filled with thoughts of school and pondering over her day after school.  She woke up as they arrived in front of the school and headed towards her first class.

“Ikuta-san, there is a social tonight, would you like to come?”  Her classmate called out to her.

“I’ll pass for today.”  She said under her breath and pushed her way through to get to her seat.

The day seemed to drag with the classes progressing at a turtle’s pace, she felt that someone was there jamming the clock from moving anymore faster, and then she had realized that Fuku-chan would probably wouldn’t mind hanging out after school.  Eripon heard the bell ring and took out her cell to text Fuku-chan asking if she was free for the day.  After jamming her thumbs into the keys, she headed to her next class but was stopped by the crowd that was forming in front of the room.

The teachers were trying to pry off the girls from each other as they threw them away and started attacking each other again until they successfully pinned them against the locker and the crowd dissipate with it.  However, the girls were only a distraction as a loud pop came from the bathroom and flooded the floor.  The classes evacuated out of the building and declared school to be closed for the day after the incident got the school flowing out with water.

Eripon headed out to the nearest place she could relax and waste a little time away from people, the park.  It was slightly overcast but the sun was gleaming overhead and she could take in a little sun for the time being.

“Why aren’t you in school?”  The voice boomed in her head as she shot up to find Risa in front of her with a woman by her side.

“School got flooded, so we got out early.”  She replied which irked the bean and decided to escort her along with Ai to the shop to protect her from any trouble.

Eripon stayed in the back as the two were talking in the front cleaning up the store.  Eripon saw the load on the side and asked Risa if she could do it.  Since she was occupied in the front, Eripon threw the load into the washer, and waited for her next instruction.

Ai observed the girl from the front and skipped to the back to find a spare futon so she could nap.  She put down the futon and dusted it off as the girl positioned her body on top of it.  Few minutes later, Eripon was out cold sprawled out on the futon with the two admiring the cuteness of the girl sleeping.

Fuku-chan decidedly slept in until the afternoon and enjoyed every minute of her rest despite the sun beaming through her torn curtain.  The room was at a comfortable temperature with the slight breeze blowing through the window and the heat was warm enough to keep the room comfy.  She woke up when she had realized that sleep was escaping her and her grouchiness was giving her the heave out of bed.

She stepped into the shower and let the water hit her to freshen up her senses.  That time was like an eternity but she left the shower refreshed and dressed to seek the park artists just scraping by with their work.  The park was her second home as nature was the canvas she loved to draw on but always carried a sketchbook for the patrons in the park.

The afternoon was shaded by the large clouds covering the sun but it didn’t stop the other artists to take their place and draw couples walking by.  The intention was to have people buy it off the streets and promote their work by word of mouth.  Fuku-chan knew many had the talent to do this for no income on most days but they took on a stable job and failed miserably to earn a spot out here.

She sat away from the pond where she usually sit and sketched out the scenery of the artists and the pond beyond them.  Sketching was her stress reliever and she could calmly do it for hours, adjusting the picture to her liking or adjust the hues of the colors she likes using but with only a pencil on hand she had to make use of shading.  After an hour of intense use, the pencil gave way and she was searching for another one but quickly realized that was the last of the sharpened ones and left the park to visit the art store across the street.

“Welcome.”  The cashier greeted her as she headed over to the pencils.

She wanted to be a quick trip but she was amazed by the selection of sizes that she picked up the sharpener, a thicker lead pencil, and a thin graphite pencil.  She left after paying for her equipment and walked out to find the clouds were turning dark so she headed home with her new pencils in hand.

Risa woke her up when it was three o’clock and sent her home.  Eripon grabbed all her stuff and headed out to the street where she bumped into the baker who was in regular street clothes.  She stared at him for a while as the tight white shirt showed off his muscular build.  She smiled and walked away from him as fast as possible but he caught her from behind.

“I get no hello.”  He grinned as she bowed to him.

“Gomen, I just came from school.”  He laughed as she was guilty as charged in front of him.

“Well, I can’t say you were truant because your father would be disappointed in you but please don’t do this again.”  He smiled again before heading off the other way.

She hurried home to her maids were their arms crossed and realizing that she was not only late from school but stayed out on purpose because it gave the house a call and she wasn’t home from the emergency.  Eripon had the explanation ready for them but surrendered to the maids and walked up to her room to drop off her bag.  As she was ready to leave, a text came from Fuku-chan asking about her day off and gave a short reply indicating the trouble and headed downstairs to set up for dinner.

The maids were good at getting Eripon to do certain chores and it was open for her to try and succeeded.  However, it was also a mechanism for guilt and they use that to the best of their ability to prevent any problems that is related to her.  Eripon laid out the dishes and food for her dinner alone as the maids observed her but were surprised that she invited them to eat with her as appreciation for their hard work.

The three ate heartily with a meal of pork and vegetables.  Eripon learned many things about them and always apologized when she became angry for their lack of effort at times but they understood that it was mutual between them and her.  However, it bothered her that they were together often and rarely see them apart which gave her an eerie feeling of the obvious: kinship

Eripon finished her meal and headed for her bath without the maids prepping it for her.  She sat down after her shower in the bath thinking about Fuku-chan.  She regretted not asking about her day when she replied but was at ease that Fuku-chan  cared about her and at least in her thoughts she had a mutual thought about her co-worker.

[oddball]

Poor Eripon, she really just seems a bit down at the moment..... 

[kuro808]

@oddy: Eripon and Fuku-chan have those moments where they doubt themselves more than the relationship.

Chapter 12


The next morning Mizuki woke to the ringtone and seeing the millions of missed calls from Sayu, she rolled out of bed and answered the phone with her right eye closed.  The noncoherent ranting only made her sleepy so she hung up and got dressed to go down to the bakery where Sayu was in a pickle.

She had realized that the ovens were not turned on early enough to start baking.  Sayu wasn’t aware of the temperature so she blasted to the highest she could before the baker would check into work.  However, it warmed up the back and the lack of air circulation caused a heat wave.  When the baker finally arrived, he opened the back door to an exhaust pipe and blinded him.

The baker was washing his face when Fuku-chan arrived at the bakery and they were two hours behind their usual schedule for baking pastries.  She threw on an apron and prepped the dough for the pastries while the baker got his eyes back from the heat stream.  She started on the first batch while the baker did the second batch hoping one batch could relieve the crowd.

“I think it will be ready for service, go start on the tea.”  Fuku-chan threw the apron onto the door and got the two pots filled with water onto the stove.

She noticed that she would have everything ready for service at the moment but knowing that service will be a little late, she moved to the outside sign to draw up the menu for the day.  The people slowly moved from the entrance to the garden as they watched her draw up a bunny character representing Sayu and the two following her down a path with chalk.  The customers were in awe of her ability that all the items were ready for service.

“IRASSHAIMASE~”   Fuku-chan yelled out inviting the customers in as she dusted off the chalk from her hands.

Service was the best yet with everyone wanting a signature of the waitress’ work.  Sayu was bothered by the noise out in the restaurant and observed the crowd swarming around Fuku-chan.  The bunny pushed through the crowd and noticed the nice artwork outside as they were giving napkins to her.

“Sorry, we need to move this someplace else.”  Sayu announced to the crowd and diverted the traffic to the entrance as people had their autographs from the artist.

The crowd shrunk after the first surge of customers was served and Eripon checked in with dished piled high and Fuku-chan was juggling her pens in her hands as she threw them into the cup.  The younger girl peeked at the board outside and smirked at the drawing.  She knew that Eripon was not part of the picture but she had bigger plans for her when they had everything ready to leave.

The next group filled up the front quickly with orders flying through for afternoon snacks.  Two of them were working back and forth to serve everyone before they would get restless.  Then, as everyone was served Fuku-chan had prepared her gift for her fellow waitress.  Eripon was invited to the back and was given a sketch of the pond; it adapted the light and dark of the shadows on a beautiful afternoon in the park.

“Thank you.”  She mumbled as she folded the artwork in half and headed back to the front to seek the next customer.

Risa and Eri walked into the room and took their seats in the corner.  Eripon walked up to them and asked for their order as they were holding papers in their hands.  Both requested for tea but nothing else as Eripon got their tea cups ready to serve.  Fuku-chan froze at the person by the entrance, she escorted the celebrity to the farthest table with a fellow member following her.

“Reina-chan, nice to meet you in person.”  Fuku-chan trembled at the sight of the pop singer.

“Oh thank you.  Fans are far and few between.”  She spat out as her partner ordered a slice of cake to split between them and a pot of the mixed tea.

Fuku-chan composed herself after meeting them but she needed to stay composed in front of them.  First, she placed the cake onto the table between them followed by the teapot.  Fuku-chan moved away from the table after serving them and observed the duo talking to each other casually.  Eripon carried the two uniforms in hand back to baking area before returning to observe Eri and Risa in the back of the dining area.

“You know Reina is here with her bandmate, right?”  Eripon shrugged her shoulders.

“Who is she?”  She asked as Fuku-chan turned her head over to the table and Eripon wasn’t sure how she should react.

“She is one of the most popular pop singers in Japan.  She has come out with a few #1 hits these past two years and has become an idol for cute, tough women.”  Her praises were exaggerated to get Eripon interested however; she was concentrated on RIsa and Eri.

Fuku-chan left her fandom as she grabbed the receipt for the two.  Eripon walked over to the table to drop off another teapot for them and return the empty pot back to the washer as the other waitress held her camera up showing the picture of Reina and her.  She gleefully treasured the picture as it was on the display as Eripon started up the cleaning of the dining area.

The groups left quickly only leaving the two left on the table that Eripon had been waiting on.  Eripon swiftly removed the empty pot without them noticing and gave them another five minute before informing them of the closure of the café.

“Thanks for the information, maybe we can return tomorrow?”  Risa asked as Eri glanced back at the waitress.

“I guess so… but you will pay for your meal, right?”  Eri smiled and handed over 2,000 yen.

“The change is your tip, sorry for taking long.”  The two women apologized to the waitress as they scooted out of the area to let Eripon finish her cleaning.

Erina was happy for the big tip, this was the first time she had gotten a tip that was twice the cost of the meal.  Sayu never tracked the tips so they could keep it without acknowledging the amount they each had.  Mizuki was ready to leave until the bunny invited her into her office and said goodbye to her co-workers.

“I need your help.  The customers were raving about your chalk work before opening so I was wondering if you could come in an hour early tomorrow to prep the sign?”  She tilted her head and tried to calculate quickly the amount of hours she would need to be at work and silently agreed.

The baker was long gone leaving Eripon left to wait for Fuku-chan and she emerged with a dimple.  She paced past her without mentioning anything and Eripon had to halt her from going further to get an explanation.  Fuku-chan was tight-lipped about the new responsibility and Eripon knew that she had gotten something for her artwork.  Despite her begging, Mizuki won over the younger girl and quickly diverted the subject.

“You have been learning quickly.”  She praised as Eripon began to blush.

“Only a great teacher can give me instructions like that.”  The elder girl smiled as she held her hands together.

“I wanted to know how is school…?”  Eripon smiled nervously but couldn’t give an answer.

“I mean, has it changed from the teacher giving you a hard time if you don’t like doing the work?”  Fuku-chan prodded again but it came with an answer.

“It hasn’t changed dynamically.”  Fuku-chan nodded.

“I see.  I never liked school but I will need to come back if I do require a promotion.”

“Why not do art school?  You are skilled at that.”  Eripon’s suggestion gave her a great idea and ran home to start on her portfolio that was need for entry.

[oddball]

Nice to see Fuku-chans art apprciated like that and it seems as though Eripon has come up with a plan for her too with art School, I wonder how Mizuki will act....

Reina huh, wonder if she is gonna feature more in this story now too......

[kuro808]

@oddy: IDK if Reina will make another appearance but maybe occasional appearances at the cafe

Chapter 13


She looked into her closet as the book she had kept since she was little was filled with drawings to her liking.  However, she wasn't confident that they would take them seriously and looked deeper for a painting of the pond.

 After removing her old shoe boxes, the painting appeared in front of her.  It was dusty but still in decent shape to show her diversity in the field.  Now, she needed to find a school willing to interview her but without internet in the apartment, she was forced to go to the nearby café for research purposes.

 Fuku-chan grabbed her old school ID card and headed down to see if they would let her pass.  The manager was kind enough to let her pass by this one time hoping for an updated photo ID.  She jumped onto the computer and surfed schools that had interested her.  After an hour or research, she had six schools that had grabbed her interest, and paid the fee for the usage and extra for the favor.

 She ran back to her apartment to take a shower before sleeping and looked at the list in front of her.  Confidence flowed through her that at least one would take a chance but sleep was near and decided to wait for tomorrow to take on the challenge.

 Erina returned home to the two maids talking to each other in their non-working uniforms.  Eripon liked the fact that they could also be girls within the house as company for her and she let them eat dinner with her when her father went on trips.

 The smell of curry filled the room and the three sat around the table as the cook gave them curry rice.  They each had a smile as they dug into their meal without reservations of her father.

 "Ikuta-san. I mean Erina, how was work?"  Zukki took another spoonful to fill her mouth.

 "It's been good, I feel better outside of the house."  She replied as Zukki elbowed her partner as she was pouring cider into her cup.

 "Cider. I spilt some."  Riho whispered as she looked up at Eripon.

 "That's great.  I wish we could have a fun job."  She joked as her fist met Zukki's thigh for spilling the cider on the table.

 Eripon respected that they worked hard and earned the appreciation of her father.  However, they were being deprived of their livelihood and had secretly promised that they would have an outing if she could get the plans together.

 "I am jealous that you two have been great friends to each other."  Eripon took another spoonful to her mouth as the two maids looked at each other.

 "Don't you have that girl?  She is nice and kind-hearted.  Not many would be calm with you around."  Riho smiled at Eripon.

 "What do you mean?  I do my best."  Zukki turned to whisper to Riho as she nodded.

 "Yes, but you panic when something doesn't go right.  She has been helping you throughout the process so she has been covering for you.  You may not realize it now, but she does have deep feelings for you if she was willing to help as always."  Riho explained as Zukki nodded to her.

 Eripon began to figure out the intentions behind everyone.  Fuku-chan was relived that someone was helping her with the duties but it seemed unusual that her amount of patience was high for a person like her.  Risa was one to step up and make the uniforms for her despite her faher's intervention, she won out with determination.  Finally, Sayu, despite her demeanor as owner, was becoming an important part of the success.

 "I never realize I do panic at times but you guys laugh when I lose stuff and you guys know where it is."  The maids nodded in tandem.

 "We are all knowing."  Zukki signaled with her hands as Riho shook her head.

 "I'll prep my own bath.  Thank you for helping me."  The two maids washed their plates and headed back to their room as Eripon dropped off her plate in the sink and walked into the bathroom.

Erina turned on the water and ran her hand under the stream and gently turn the knobs until it was the perfect temperature.  She stripped down to nothing and stepped into the shower to wash off the day.  She thought about Fuku-chan for an instant and suddenly noted that she should send a text after the bath.

Eripon rinsed off the last of the soap and jumped into the hot bath to relax.  It was pleasurable to not have the maids to worry over her for a night but it felt lonely that they were not in the bathroom to talk to her which gave her a chance to dream about her future.

The time went by quickly as she finally felt the water loses its heat and exited the bath realizing it was close to bed time.  She rushed out and put on her pajamas to start on her homework.  It was the race against time before she could manage some shut eye for the next day.

Fuku-chan spent the next few days before work to get interviews but only could muster one of the schools she had selected.  It seemed many were unimpressed with her tone or declined because of the waiting list.  Luckily, she could afford to miss a day because of Sayu’s uncharacteristic kindness toward the waitress.

She stepped into the school with her portfolio under her arm as she began to admire the art work in the lobby.  The names were not familiar to her but the works were reminiscence of a museum of modern art.  She ventured up to the front desk and was escorted to the meeting room.

“Fukumura Mizuki?”  She stood up to shake the woman’s hand.

“I’m Iida Kaori and I run the Dream Academy.  Thank you for your inquiry.”  She bowed to Fuku-chan and took a seat across of her as she handed over her portfolio.

“Thank you for taking the interview, Iida-san.”  She bowed as Iida looked through the work and spread it over the table.

Iida analyzed each of the work with her keen eyes and held it up to the light for a while before moving onto the next piece.  She kept the same expression through all the works until the picture of the painting and she slid it over to Fuku-chan’s side of the table.

“You have this at home?”  She nodded to the headmaster.

“This will be used against you because I see a lot with people who paint for money.”  Fuku-chan understood the situation and accepted her decision.

Iida gathered up the works and took it out of the room leaving the girl to ponder over her decision to leave the picture in the portfolio.  She never realized many had been using their paintings for money.  She was guilty of it but everything else was treasured to her as it reminded her of the rough past.  Fuku-chan held her hands together and said as many prayers before she returned.

Iida returned after thirty minutes and placed the works back into the portfolio.  She returned the portfolio and placed a paper over it.  She glanced over the paper and saw her faith.

She was going to be passed over.

Fuku-chan wanted to beg but she felt she wanted an explanation and stood up to bow towards her as she held back her feelings.

“We decided that your art is excellent but we had concerns that you will sell your art while you are enrolled which is against school policies.  You have the right to file a petition to fight the decision.”  Fuku-chan shook her head.

“I won’t, I respect your decision.”  She bowed again and walked toward the door but a voice had stopped her.

“Apply again.”  She turned to find a student on the floor bowing towards her.

Before she could ask for the reason, the student turned toward Iida.

“She liked doing this.  You cannot go against her because it was a need for money.  She has talent to flourish in this school so please reverse your decision.”  Fuku-chan walked up to her and lifted her head.

“Don’t do that.  She is right and I am sorry for doing that in the past.”  Iida held up her hand and flashed a smile.

“You are a good person and I understand the situation but please do apply again because I can look over the selling as a one time occasion.”  Mizuki smiled and nodded to her as she left the facility with a new confidence in her work.

[oddball]

Aww Eripon wants to do something for her loyal maids!  Seems as though however much they tell her though, Eripon still can get Fuku-chan's feelings for her.....

So Mizuki gets into the art school if she applies again, I wonder who the student was who helped her out?

[kuro808]

@oddy We will find out soon enough

Chapter 14


Eripon woke up the next morning feeling drowsy and was burning up with a fever.  Riho noticed her walking like a zombie in the hallway as she felt her head.

 "Call the driver, she is ill."  Riho said in a soft voice to the other maid downstairs as the car drove away from the house.

 Eripon slid under the sheets as the maids grabbed the necessary items to lower her fever with the cook assisting with making a quick soup for the sick girl.  As she tried to keep her eyes open, she felt that she was admitted to a hospital.  Despite being conscious, she was in her own world and everything around her had grown slow.

 "Eri...pon... are... you... hungry?"  She moved her head slowly as Zukki came in with soup and a glass of water on a tray.

 "Thank you."  Eripon sat up and looked at the soup gently feeling the steam on her face before picking up the spoon for the first taste.

 The mix of saltiness and sweetness filled the mouth and gently flowed down to her stomach.  She let out a sigh as she scooped another spoonful of liquid for her appetite.  Eripon enjoyed the soup with the small bits of liquid going into her body.  She turned to find Riho with the phone in her hand.

 "Hello."

 "Are you okay?"  Her father's voice was slightly panicked which meant he knew that she was sick.

 "Just fatigue and a fever."

 "Good, Riho called to say you weren't going to school so I wanted to ask how you are feeling."  Eripon let out a sigh as her father's concerns were parental.

 "By the way, I'm coming home tomorrow.  The trip got cut short because of weather.  I hope you get better soon."  He hung up the phone and Eripon grabbed the glass of water for a sip before Zukki took the tray away from her.

 "Is your father returning home soon?"  She motioned to the maid as she nodded and left the room for her to rest.

 She began to start her rest but was interrupted by the cell phone ringing.  She pressed the button to take the call and could hear the other person as she held onto her phone.

 "Eripon, you sound sick."  Fuku-chan replied as she let out a exhausted sigh.

 "Yeah, sorry I can't go to work today."

 "Don't worry about that, your health comes first but does Sayu know?"

 "No, can you tell her for me?"

 "Sure, get well soon."  She hung up her phone as Eripon grew curious about Fuku-chan's day and texted a message of encouragement.

 She waited a few minutes before dozing off to sleep but at least she could give something for Fuku-chan's hard work and an appreciation message for her.  Eripon wanted to wait for the reply but was exhausted in fighting her sickness and slowly went to sleep.

 Fuku-chan flipped her phone and a message came up on her screen.  She scanned it once and then looked over each character with careful consideration.  She closed her phone to let the message settle into her mind and let out a few tears as she desperately fought back her emotions before calling Sayu as a late substitution but she decided to close for the day.

 Now with the rest of the day to herself, she decided to visit her co-worker at her home.  She dialed the number to Eripon's cell and it was quickly answered by the maids.

 "Fuku-chan, don't you have work?"  Riho asked.

 "Sayu closed shop for today."  The maids looked at each other before replying back.

 "You cannot come over today, sorry for the inconvenience."  They quickly hung up without Fuku-chan accepting the situation but she texted back a thank you before heading the other direction towards her apartment.

Fuku-chan began to think about the student who stood up to the headmaster and secretly she wanted to ask about the curriculum but she thought it was a one-time meeting and just accepted that she would never see her again.  As she approached the building, there was a girl standing at the gate with her bag under her arm.

“She knows where I live.”  Fuku-chan said to herself as she turned back to hide from her sight.

Fuku-chan never liked stalkers but this one was weird in particular because she knew who she was plus her location but also gave Iida a reason to give her another chance.  Weighing between the two choices, Fuku-chan felt her weight go forward and fell onto the pavement as the girl approached her.

“Hey, I was wondering why you were hiding out.”  She smiled at her as she extended her hand.

“You followed me one day and I never could leave that thought out of my mind but I heard it was a girl who admired my work, so I tried to figure out her.  I guess you went to the Dream Academy to pursue your dream.”  She shook her head.

“My name is Iikubo.  First name Haruna.  It is a pleasure to meet you.”  She bowed toward the younger girl and took out a comic that inspired her to do manga as her specialty.

“Manga is a great art form, although you bought the only work I ever sold.  Does Iida know that you have the art work?”  She shook her head.

“Iida has no idea that the artwork is in my possession and was given off to an appraiser.”

“How much would it cost?”

“It was an appraiser to help you get into the school because he is a top-level critic.  I hope Iida will hear from him soon.”  Fuku-chan nodded as she realized that the second-chance was much closer than she thought.

“Thanks… why are you helping me?”  She looked up with a sly smile and grabbed the cell phone out of the younger girl’s hand.

She punched in a few things and gave it back to her thinking that it would be here number but it was something different.  Haruna wanted pastries and typed in her number for pick up.

“You know I work for a café?”

“Sayu is my cousin so she is angry that you took off.”  She smiled with Fuku-chan putting her head down hiding her smile.

“Okay, deal.  I will give you a dozen whenever you are in the neighborhood.”  She agreed to the terms and went on her merry way.

Fuku-chan returned to her apartment happier than before but a little irked that the stalker was the one who ended up helping her.

[oddball]

so it was Haruna at the art collage, hmm seems she is really keen to hep out Fuku-chan.

Aww poor Eripon is sick? no wonder Fuku is worried! 

[kuro808]

@oddy Haruna will be interesting to follow up

Chapter 15


Eripon woke up to find her father by her side running his hand over her forehead.  His smooth, warm hands were a welcoming feeling as he was halfway between changing to check on his daughter.  His mouth started to quiver as he wanted to say something to hear but his  lips wouldn’t  let him speak.

“Welcome home.”  She said in a weak voice.

“Thank you.  Are you okay?”  She nodded slowly as he looked at the clock in her room.

“You’re still a little warm, I will call to say you won’t make it in today.”  Eripon agreed as she turned over to get more rest.

Riho and Zukki walked in with another bowl of soup but were stopped by her father blocking the doorway as he stung them with his eyes and reversed course as he shut the door to talk to them in the hallway.

“Thanks for taking care of her when I was gone.  This was the first time I was gone and she has gotten sick.”  His tired voice said everything about his concerns.

“You’re welcome; Eripon has been great until yesterday.  I don’t know what happened.”  Riho looked up as he started to rub his chin.

“Has she mentioned that the work has been overwhelming her?”  She shook her head.

“There has been no complaint as of yet… Maybe she was just exhausted or caught a cold in the air.”  He looked down at the floor as the dust was at a minimal.

“I am happy you have been taking care of her with Zukki.  She likes you two a lot.  Have you considered a decision?”  Eripon sat up and leaned toward the conversation.

“If you let me take the test, I will consider looking for another place to work.”  Eripon took a few steps to the door and heard more of the conversation.

“Well… I never considered taking you out of the running to be qualified but we can always keep it a secret.”

“What about Zukki?”  She took a step closer as the younger girl stood behind Riho.

“We can always try another school within the area but would you be okay if you go to cram school?”  She looked dejected at the option but maybe it was an opportunity to be away from Riho during the day.

“I’ll do the test too.  I think it might be a goal to get in but if I don’t I’ll be fine with whatever is given to me.”  Zukki politely smiled and headed into the room where she saw Eripon standing listening to the conversation outside.

“I guess you heard that we may be transferring out if we get accepted to your father’s school.”  Eripon slowly nodded her head.

“I’m happy that you and she have been considering it, however, I am still saddened that it may result in forcing you guys out of a job.”  Zukki smiled.

“It was considered by everyone and it was best if we left to prevent any confusion, however we would need to move soon.”  She paused and shook her head.

“Good luck.”  Zukki bowed as she left as her father came into the room and closed the door behind him.

He glanced at his daughter as she knew what the situation was and she understood that it would be great if they stayed but the issue still lies with preparation.  He had his resignation papers ready in case of any problems which made him fearless.  He understood that the best opportunity is to get them accepted and into the dorms before any connection would be made.

“You seem at ease.”  He smirked as he took a seat at the edge of the bed.

“They deserve a chance.”  She replied.

He nodded as maturity was showing up quickly in his daughter.  Despite his concerns, it might be good to get a new pair if they do move on but it was no guarantee they would be accepted so he felt confident in them working hard to get into the prestigious school.  Eripon acknowledged the problem and if they were going to become better people, they had to risk achieving a bigger goal.  She wanted to let out her frustrations on them but she couldn’t let herself show weakness or at least not yet.

Fuku-chan was awaken by a knock on her door and as she yawned, a red-eyed bunny bolted into the apartment ready to choke out her waitress but was stopped by a woman with sunglasses on.

“Oi, is this the waitress who greeted me warmly couple days ago?”  She asked Sayu with Fuku-chan glancing back at her.

“Yes, I employed her.”  Sayu replied as she crossed her arms and the woman slid past her and lowered her sunglasses.

She went into paralysis as Reina was inches from her as she grabbed the celebrity’s hand and shook it for a minute before getting it pried off by her assistant.  Sayu walked out of the room as she grabbed a box and dropped it on the table between them as she flipped them open to fresh pastries.

“I wanted to thank you for being a good worker at the café.  I was impressed by your service that I wanted to personally invite you and a friend to a concert.”  Reina flashed the two tickets but held them out of reach as her assistant pulled out a piece of paper.

“This is for backstage passes.  We need signatures to remove any liability from my part, so where are your parents?”  Reina looked around as Fuku-chan’s smile turned southwards.

She wanted to explain that she was left alone to fight the world by herself or tell the truth that she did drop out of school.  However, it wouldn’t explain not living with anyone else and seeing the two passes, she looked to Sayu, who tried avoiding contact, to sign for her. In the end, Fuku-chan had to push the paper back, declining the offer.

“I guess it leaves me in a pickle.”  She said to her as she flashed the passes again.

“Sorry, I cannot get my parents to sign off as they live someplace else.  I would love to take the offer but I cannot allow myself to lie to you.”  The idol smiled and slipped the passes into her pocket and handed over two tickets.

“I never had stable parents either.  They were busy with their own business that they forgotten about me and I continued on with singing until someone found me during school time.”  She explained.

Reina turned emotional after learning her father died without realizing that it was how much she had forgotten about them.  She asked a songwriter to portray her message and it became her hit song.  She credited her mother for allowing her to visit him and apologizing for being a bad daughter and her mother finally released her as a true adult touring Japan.

“You should find them when you have time.  I regret not seeing him passed on but I want to make sure no one else feel the same type of remorse I did.”  Fuku-chan nodded her head as Reina put her sunglasses back on and left her apartment.

She was excited enough that she dialed the number twice wrong before getting it right to her partner.

“Are you free Saturday?  We can go to the concert together.”  She left the message as she began to start her celebration of meeting her favorite idol face to face for the first time in a private setting.

[maikeatoot]

 haha please update fast.!they're going to watch concert together?! haha

[oddball]

Aww! Eripon's dad cam back to check up on her.

Hmm, so Riho and Zukki are thinking of getting some more education, though Eripon seems happy I wonder if she will really miss them if they do go.....

Reina back in the story, with free tickets for Fuku-chan, of course she is taking Eripon, want to see what happen!

[kuro808]

@maike I shall do that soon enough although I wonder how quickly in the cycle

@oddy well with two exiting, I needed another entrance

Chapter 16

Eripon snickered as she heard the news over the phone as her maids popped in seeing her happy in a long while.  In containing her excitement, her father looked at the maids indicating they had no idea what it was about and he walked in with a concerned look on his face.

 "Who called?"

 "My friend, she got tickets to a concert."  Her father looked back at her as he thought about letting her go by herself.

 "You need a chaperone before you can go."  Her smile disappeared as she realized that they needed another ticket for them to go.

 "Awww, do I need one?"  He nodded as she dialed her partner's number explaining the situation and she quickly understood.

 "I need some time, if I do get one, can I go?"  He paused for a minute as he considered the option and came up with an idea.

 "I'll let you go if you take my choice as chaperone."

 She began to think who he would be talking about and she looked outside the door to find a woman with a purse on her shoulder.  She stepped into the room bowing to both her and her father and took a seat on the chair by the mirror.

 "This will be your new personal maid, Kusumi Koharu.  You must have thought she was my new girlfriend, right?"  She shook her head cautiously.

 "Nice to meet you Erina-chan.  I will take over the responsibilities as your maids study for school."  She bowed again.

 Eripon analyzed Koha briefly as the slight accent bothered her as she sounded country but she covered that well with her words.  She knew that she had to hide the secret relationship as she was closer to her father than her but she wasn't the type to hide her items well behind the veil.

 "Anyways, I will take Riho and Kanon to the library to study for the exams, so you can stay here to talk to Ai for as long as you want."  He exited the room leaving the two females glaring at each other.

 "So, do you have a handsome boyfriend?"  She smiled as Eripon slanted her eyes.

 "I guess not.  It's okay to not have one, you are still young yet."  Ai looked away from her noticing an apron on the corner.

 "Do you have a part-time job?"  She nodded.

 "I work at a café."

 "Cool, I like the one near here.  The owner is nice and likes to greet her customers."  Eripon know she wasn't talking about Sayu so it wasn't coincidence that they met before.

 "I see.  Do you like going to concerts?"  She nodded as she flashed a ticket stub from her purse.

 "Tanaka Reina's concerts have been great to everyone I could attend except for this one next Saturday."  Eripon heard the message from Fuku-chan about that concert and looked up at her.

 "I saw her once and she was really nice to my co-worker."  Koha's face lit up.

 "Uso!!!!!! She came into the café you work at.  I'm so jealous but I don't have money to go to another concert but lucky you have a responsible adult like me."  Eripon laughed as Koha swung her head around.

 "You're not twenty yet."  Koha's excitement turned into one of misery as she was shot down by the truth and was surprised that she knew her age.

 "At least you have someone watching over you."  Her verbal barb made Eripon smile as Koha placed her purse down.

 They started to learn more about each other as Eripon began to explain about her father and her feelings towards him and mother's role in her life as she was currently away from Japan.  Koha slowly took it in as she asked questions about her likes and dislikes from every possible angle.  The older female decided to take the information and leave before her father had returned from the library.

 Fuku-chan was bummed that Eripon was going to bring a person with her but if it meant not going, she would have to accept her faith.  She stared at the tickets for a few minutes as she replayed the conversation in her mind.  It was the part about her parents that she couldn't shake off and she lay back thinking how much her parents would hate her if she lived in a dump like this.

 Then, she heard the phone go off and it was an unknown number displayed on her screen.  She decided to take it anyway as a mysterious voice came through the speaker.

 "Please meet me in the park."

 Before she could ask who it was, the person hung up and she looked outside to see the sun peering through the thick, white clouds.  She wrapped a jacket around her body and headed to the location filled with questions about who it was and maybe it was her parents trying to talk her back to come home.

 Fuku-chan walked into the park seeing the people walking around enjoying the sun and then a person approached her from the east.  The person was in plain clothing and holding an envelope in her hand as she was getting closer.

 "Excuse me, are you Fukumura Mizuki?"  She nodded.

 "I am a private spy on behalf of your parents to look for you and asked you to come out here to discuss something important."  Fuku-chan gave her an awkward look and headed for a shady area to gain some privacy.

 "Your parents have asked to look for you.  However, they requested that I speak to you about their pending divorce and they will give you whatever residual or items they cannot agree upon to you as a gift and an apology for being bad parents."  Fuku-chan nodded.

 "There are about 10-20 items that are in this group and you may consider declining them as you wish."

 "How are they?"  She looked away for a second and turned her attention to her.

 "They are saddened that you left school and made a life out here.  However, they feel that you shouldn't have dropped out and gave a school a chance even if it meant taking an extra year to graduate."  She nodded slowly as she thought about what they might give her.

 She opened a catalogue of the items and Fuku-chan immediately took ten off the board as they had relatively no meaning to her.  The next picture was a stack of old coins yet to be appraised and she began to consider taking it but insisted on the appraisal but it would not guarantee it would come back to consideration.  After a few more declinations, she had settled on a vase and a book of painters.

 "If that is all, then I will leave and will return a call to you when you can receive your items."  She closed the catalogue and left Fuku-chan.

 Learning of her parents' divorce wasn't as shocking as she thought it was and to consider they still cared for her despite leaving only a few months earlier.  She looked at the time and walked back to the apartment to start work assuming that Sayu would be there.  Unfortunately, the baker had to crack his way into the door to start baking before the rush would come.

[maikeatoot]

 haha i cAnt imagine koha as a personal maid!

[kuro808]

 haha i cAnt imagine koha as a personal maid!

that was kinda the idea

[oddball]

LOL Koha the maid, this could make things more interesting for Eripon than the Zukki/Riho combo!   

Hmm, Fuku-chans parents are trying to track her down...... interesting!

[Shiawase_Honoo]

Well, I hope that Koharu won't make Eripon feel dizzy
Oh...Mizuki...kind of interesting

[kuro808]

@oddy will it be positive?

@shiawase thanks for the thanks and the addition of Koha will be an interesting addition although I will use an "asset" in her favor

Chapter 17


Fuku-chan kept her eyes on the kettle as she thought about her parents.  On one end, she wanted to blame herself for causing the divorce.  On the other side, she cared less that they were going to be separated but the fear was if they were going to find her in the city.  She thought about cleaning up her apartment one day, when she wasn't working or ask for outside help like Eripon's maids to assist in the cleanup but the cost started to linger.

 "Wake up, the kettle is boiling."  The baker alertly took it off the stove as she awoke from her daze.

 "Is something a matter?"  He asked as he leaned on the counter with a cup of coffee in his hand.

 "My parents are getting a divorce."  He tilted his head as he began to think about trying to comfort her.

 "Hard luck.  People these days think they are in love and they drop everything at the first sight of danger."  He took a sip of his coffee as Fuku-chan put her hands on her face.

 "Don't blame yourself for it.  We don't know what they are thinking sometimes."  He patted her on the head as Fuku-chan tried to wipe the tears with her hand.

 "It's... it's that I left home because I dropped out of school.  I was thinking that I could achieve my art somewhere but ended up roughing it out here."  She explained as the tears were falling gently from her eyes.

 "I faced it for myself as a high school dropout but someone gave me a shot to learn and if there was something I did learn.  It was apologizing for being a bad child.  My parents were still open for my return so I was lucky that they forgave me."  He threw her a clean dish towel to wipe her face and took another sip of his coffee.

 "Thanks."  She walked to the dining area still heavy with thoughts as Sayu walked into the door with someone trailing her.

 "Where's that waitress?"  Sayu called as she headed into the dining area to find her staring at the towel.

 Fuku-chan turned to the bunny with her hands on her hips with a disgusted look on her face and Reina's assistant who held out three tickets in front of them.

 "Reina had asked if you needed more, you know just in case this one wanted to go."  She shrugged toward the bunny indicating one more needed to be added.

 "I guess four in total."  She said in a low voice as Aika slid on the other side of the booth.

 "Reina actually would give you up to eight for great service here; she likes you a lot as a fan.  However, she does have a favor."  Fuku-chan perked up her head as Aika smiled with her eyes concentrating on Sayu.

 "Would you also consider dinner with her?"  Fuku-chan turned her head seeing a dream coming true but then popped in her head her friend.

 "With her alone or other people can come in?"  Sayu kneel between the two.

 "Double date."

 "Double date?  I... I mean I don't have someone to bring with me."  Sayu bonked her on the head with her fist.

 "Take Erina with you.  She seems nice and you two have been working together for a while now so take her out as a token of your appreciation."  Sayu said in a monotonous manner.

 Fuku-chan had a feeling that going to have a meal after the concert wasn't in her plans but with Reina being generous, she had to consider that maybe she could enjoy a meal while still being with her.  Then, a realization came to her and slowly slid from her seat onto the floor below.

 "Fuku-chan, are you okay?"  Aika asked as Sayu waived her off as she grabbed the waitress from the floor and shake her violently until she was able to stand on her own.

 "I'm fine.  I just need some air."  She smiled as she rushed out and felt her heart beat once again as she wanted to calm down but it seemed surreal that it might happen.

 "She looks pale; maybe you should send her home."  Aika suggested.

 "I think she saw how her night might end up."  Sayu grinned as Aika looked at her clueless to the bunny's thoughts.

 Eripon walked back onto the school grounds with little change to the environment as she was neglected as the headmaster's daughter.  As she walked into class, the teacher flashed a smile at her which made her happy and found her seat with ease.  She felt lucky that her classmate were mild with the torture as being special and rarely asked for special treat even if the majority disagreed with that statement.

 "Class, sit down."  The teacher yelled out as class began smoothly and Eripon looked at the board as she noticed that she had missed quite a few classes and needed to catch up.

 She was fully concentrated on the board until there was an interruption outside and the teacher looked outside to find out the cause of the interruption.  The teacher gasped as she ran outside and found a body hunched over in the middle of the hallway.  Another teacher came and called from his cell phone.  The nurse came and assisted with its breathing as the students came running out to witness the person leaving Eripon left writing down notes.

 The bell rung and she stepped outside to see a person on the ground.  She moved in closer and began to recognize the face.  Eripon ran the other way to her father's office as he came out to hear that a student was on the ground.

 "Erina, who is on the ground?"  He asked as he fixed his glasses.

 "Riho.  Riho... “She couldn't say anything more as she took a seat and dropped all her books.

 She put her hands together and started to pray for her safety as the ambulance came into the school and helped her to her feet.  She was transported to the nurse's office to get observation before they decided to take her to the hospital for further treatment.  Zukki ran into the administration room to find Eripon with her hands together saying a prayer.

 "Eripon, I don't know what happened.  She was feeling okay as we walked to the practice testing room and a second later a saw her on the ground not breathing.  I ran to find the nearest faculty member but when I came back people were around her."  She explained.

 "Was she studying with you?"

 "We were but... she seemed okay after we left the library."  Zukki began to track their steps back and realized the mistake.

 "She had a small breakfast and maybe the stress got her."  Zukki theorized.

 "I don't know but once we figure what is wrong, we can discuss it to Riho.  I gotta get to my next class."  She zoomed out of the room and headed for history class.

 Eripon hoped that she would be alright.  The image replayed in her mind a few times and she tried to eliminate the concern out of her head for a few hours and managed to survive until study period where she walked over to the nurse's office where Zukki sat patiently as Riho was laying down in the bed.

 "Hello."

 "Are you okay?"  Riho looked away for a bit before looking back at her to answer.

 "Yeah, just tired."  She nodded as Zukki smiled at her friend.

 "Your father came by and asked about the conditions.  I was comfortable until the heat came from the opposite direction and gave me a headache.  That was the last thing I remembered before being in this bed."

 "I see.  I think he will adjust the doors to not allow the warm wind to come in too quickly."  Eripon looked outside the door before coming back inside.

 "Fuku-chan is taking me to a concert."  She said gleefully.

 "Reina?  I wanted to see her live."  Zukki imitated the idol to Riho's discontent.

 "That's great to hear but the new maid...  How is she?"  Eripon shrugged as she had to go through training while they were out of the house.

 "I guess you might have some fun with her."  Riho giggled as they all joined in.

 "Maybe, but you guys did a great job."  Eripon tilted her head forward in appreciation as she left the nurse's office to head home before work.

 Upon her arrival, her phone rang and it was Koha asking about pink clothing.  She let out a loud sigh as her walk now became a sprint to save her from herself.

[oddball]

Well I think we can say that Fuku-chan is excited about the concert and the dinner date, even if she is having trouble with her parents.

Hmm, I hope Riho is Ok........ and that Eripon dosn't end up with too much pink.......

[kuro808]

@oddy: well you get to know how the clothes turn pink

Chapter 18

Upon stepping on the porch, a light drizzle started to fall outside as Eripon entered into the house with dinner prepared.  Koha swung from the corner and greeted her with a basket of pink clothes in her hands.

 "Gomen, I forgot to separate red and whites."  She let out a sigh as most of her white clothing was of a light pink.

 "It's fine."  Eripon looked at her phone seeing a text from Fuku-chan and immediately dialed her number.

 She held the speaker up to her ear as she started to slowly walk away from her maid as she waited for her to pick up.

 "Hello, are you feeling okay?"

 "Yeah, I'll be back at work tomorrow."

 "I was wondering if you can stay a little longer after the concert."  Eripon bit her lower lip as she pondered over the idea.

 "Before you answer, I asked because Reina wanted to have dinner with us.  It may be a little later than usual but if you can, it would help me out."  Eripon removed the phone from her ear and tried to think about if she would to do it with Koha around.

 "The only problem is the maid, she is my chaperone."  She answered.

 There was a slight pause before Fuku-chan went back to the phone.  Eripon anticipated a definite no and even if Koha was willing to, how could she not see Reina.

 "... I guess we can do it with her around but I don't know how Reina would take it."

 "I'll try to distract her somehow."  Eripon hung up the phone as Koha came around the corner trying to find her.

 "Important phone call?"  Eripon nodded.

 "I guess it is about the concert.  Am I not invited?"  Eripon resisted to give away the secret and just walked away to her room.

 Koha looked at the pink clothes and threw them back into the basket as she tried to make them white again for the third time today.  She didn't like people holding secrets and would bug them until the person would give in or angrily shove her away.  However, her father had explained that it took her a while to open up to the previous maids.  Koha wanted to be close but it was how to approach her that seemed tricky.

 Eripon closed the door behind her and designed a plan to rid of Koha for a while and have dinner before she would notice that she was gone.  First option was to tell her the truth but not knowing her personality would create difficulties.

 Second, she would have to divert her attention after the show.  That would have to take luck and skill to do that and to find something that can drive her attention away would be miraculous.  It seemed the best of the options as she would let her take the responsibility when she would make the mistake.

 The final option was to decline the opportunity and that would be the final of the choices if two didn't work out or option one came to life by accident.  She didn't want Fuku-chan to see her as sheltered although she had seen her house.  But, she wanted to be free from any control by her father.

 Just as she felt confident in what the plan should be a call came from her father.  She looked at the number and noticed he was still working at school.

 "I have to go on a trip.  There is an emergency meeting with the headmasters, so I don't know when I'll be back.  Koha will take you to the concert."  Eripon nodded as the father hung up.

 She had three days to think of a plan without her father's direct interference while still training Koha who was soaking wet from the laundry.

 Fuku-chan pulled through her shift and decided to walk home with the raindrops slowly falling on her head.  She tried to cover them with her hands but it didn't protect her enough and decided to take shade when it got heavier.  She stood under covering until she saw a person handing over an umbrella.

 "Take it."  The umbrella tip poked her causing her to turn.

 "Thank you, Niigaki-san."  The bean smiled at her as Ai lifted her big umbrella for both of them and left the covering.

 She opened it up and continued her path to the apartment.  As she reached the front gate, she had noticed a light was on in her apartment.  She rushed to the landlord below and knocked on his door furiously as he opened it to see the girl partially soaked from the rain.

 He had explained that she was her mother and was forced to give up the apartment because Fuku-chan was a minor.  She ran up to the apartment to find her lay out with a cigarette in her mouth as she was dozing off after a few drinks.

 "Welcome home."  She greeted with a drunken slur.

 "Why are you here?"

 "Your father kicked me out.  So, the private detective told me you live here and I decided to explain myself as a mother should and got the keys to the room."

 "Get out."  The woman stumbled out of the couch and waddled over to the girl.

 "You need me because I'm an adult."

 "I don't need you, just get out."  She yelled as the woman lifted her hand and slammed it against her cheek.

 "You better listen to me before I sell you out."  Fuku-chan pushed the woman to the door before she managed to get her feet anchor her position.

 The woman turned and slashed Fuku-chan across the face.  She fell onto the ground outside and she quickly closed the door and locked it.  She felt her face stinging from the scratch from her nails.  The red marks on her face were slowly coming down so she washed off before she had a chance to come into the room where se started to kick the door with her feet.

 Minutes later, there was a knock at the door and she looked outside to find the landlord with her mother.  She slowly opened it to let the landlord come in leaving her mother who was scratching at the door outside against the landlord's strength.

 "Looks like you got into a fight."  He commented as the scratch was still raw.

 "You have to kick her out.  I know her well enough that she will get violent if she doesn't sober up."  The landlord took out his phone and called the police.

 It took an hour to get her mother out of the building and the landlord had asked Fuku-chan to move out because she needed an adult to be with her.  She flipped through her book and asked Sayu to stay over for the night.  She explained the situation and the bunny hesitantly let her stay.

 Fuku-chan felt the scratch again on her face and closed her eyes as the pain was unbearable.  Sayu came to pick her up and took her to the hospital to clean out the wounds before arriving at the bunny's one room apartment.

 "Sleep on the floor for now, you had a long day."  She greeted as Fuku-chan dropped her stuff and immediately slept.

[oddball]

lol poor Koha, not having the best of times with the laundry!  And Eripon is plotting of a way to get rid of her for a few hours!!!

Hmm, poor Fuku-chan, it's sad her mother would do that to her, I hope she will not suffer to much through this.......