Farewell and Goodbye (1)
Chapter 8: Episode 4 - Farewell and Goodbye (1)
Henri Lucas handed me a light brown school uniform with a short skirt. Dark crimson red outlined the uniform with an "M" embroidered on the left chest. He gave me the chef uniform with white pants, a red apron, and a ruby red, thick bowtie that hung around the neck.
"You have earned your school uniform and patissier suit. You will go home and pack up your belongings and begin school here in two more days. We will have your classes and dorm room ready for you when you arrive. We have a lot to look forward to in your work," Henri Lucas praised and I nodded my head.
"Thank you, Mr. Moriyama and Mr. Lucas," I bowed my head respectively and walked out of the kitchen. Right outside the kitchen was a sofa where Father and Kaori sat in the grand hallway we walked through.
They'd been waiting for 2 hours, anticipating this moment.
Once they saw me holding the school uniform, they ran up to me and both gave me a hug.
"You did it, Keiko! Congratulations!" Father exclaimed in glee.
"I knew you could do it, Keiko! Great job!" Kaori praised and I shot them a small smile.
"Thank you for your support," I said, lightly hugging them back.
They'd asked how I did on the entrance exam to pass and so, I explained to them what the judges were truly looking for.
They'd asked the guardians to get the recipe and the picture of the finished product to test if their child could think up an idea quickly without using the recipe they focused on during that week.
Once I explained it to them, they were shocked that I could quickly think of this. I knew they were told to retrieve the recipe from me and send a picture so that they could expect what my original idea was, but I assumed that they didn't know anything about what the judges were really planning.
They were relieved that I passed the exam and that I could attend school soon.
~
"See? Didn't I tell you that coming here to observe for yourself would be worth it?" Chairman Moriyama said to Henri Lucas as both watched Keiko exit the cooking lab kitchen. Henri's face still seemed astonished by the amount of skill possessed by the young yet serious girl. He'd never seen anyone move as gracefully or as calm as her at that age and it appeared as if she had gotten some training from an expert.
He couldn't help but be reminded of his late teacher that taught him a variety of things that helped bring him to where he is today. Her teachings made his name was well-known all over the world, especially in both France and Japan. Not only did the young girl's skill remind him of the late world-famous pastry chef, Ella Fournier, she also looked a bit like her as well.
A smirk formed on his lips and he combed his bright blonde hair to the side to get it out of his baby blue eyes. To him, she was mysterious. Calm and collected at a young age with one of the two most prestigious men in the pastry world—she didn't look the least bit intimidated.
"Chairman Moriyama, let me see her files," Henri Lucas said, having a smug look on his face.
~
Michiko Keiko's POV
We arrived back home and delivered the news to Haruto and Eiji who anticipated the outcome. Eiji was excited for me, supporting what I wanted to do while Haruto stood around quietly. Haruto's face wasn't exactly pleased and it wasn't like him to express his dissatisfaction so quietly. I knew he didn't want to offend me which is why he kept it to himself, so I decided to talk with him alone in the living room.
"What's wrong, Haruto?" I asked, noticing his quietness and his distaste for the news I relayed.
"It's nothing, why?" Haruto tried to pretend that nothing was wrong.
"Are you not happy with me going to another school?" I asked a bit guiltily and he looked at me with his eyes widened in shock.
"No, no, no! That's not it! It's just that I...I…" Haruto struggled to answer so I placed my hand on his black hair.
He was already taller than me from what I remembered before we became a family.
'He really did grow up a lot…' I noticed, patting his soft black hair.
"When I'm at this school, I won't be able to visit you guys as much as I'd like to since it's private. But anytime I get a break, I'll come over and see you guys first before anything else. I'll be gone for a while but I'll always remember you guys. If you want to talk to me, just call or text me and I'll respond back. But don't worry, I won't leave you guys and I'll never forget you, Haruto," I said with a small smile.
His dark brown eyes finally looked at me and a faint smile also showed on his face.
"You better not," Haruto claimed and so I removed my hand from his head.
* * *
Two days passed and I had packed up my belongings, ready to enter the academy. My father, Kaori, Eiji, and Haruto dropped me off at the academy themselves to give me a proper farewell.
They parked outside the school gates and we all got out of the car.
I already had my school uniform on and my father helped get my suitcases out of the car.
'I'm here again… Not just as an outsider trying to get accepted into this school, but as a student of this elite academy.'
The realization hit me hard and I couldn't help but feel a little bit nervous.
"Keiko, we'll miss you," Father said endearingly, giving me a big hug.
"Goodbye, Keiko. Make sure that you take care of your body and not to stress yourself out too much," Kaori advised heartily with a kind smile, also giving me a hug.
"Onee-chan, I'll miss you! I hope you can visit us often and say hello once in a while," Eiji said sadly, tears welling up in his eyes. I decided to give him a hug to calm him down.
"It'll be okay, Eiji. You can call or text me whenever you feel like it so that I'm right there with you," I reassured him as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
"Don't forget us," Haruto said briefly and I shot him a small smile.
"Of course I won't," I assured him, giving him a hug that he seemed shocked to have received.
I'd never hugged Haruto since the day he entered this family. He still hesitated to accept my dad since he'd always thought my dad would leave them just like theirs had in the past. I comforted him when we were younger to accept this new change although it might be hard to adjust at first. When I'd learned why he kept quiet all of the time, I hugged him to reassure him that my father would never leave us and we slowly but surely got closer as brother and sister.
"Goodbye!" I waved them farewell and I walked toward the black school gates. I could still see their figures in the distance waving goodbye.
I stood right outside the gates and, as if it sensed me, the large black gates opened up just for me.
'Finally. It's my first day as a student of the St. Marie Academy.'