Something Strange (2)

Chapter 62: Episode 30 - Something Strange (2)

The group of middle schoolers left the family's wagashi shop and Andou's mother turned to face her husband and father-in-law who watched the four kids leave.

"They would make a good pair, right?" Andou's mother asked her husband and the grandfather. She was obviously hinting at her son and Michiko Keiko, but all Andou's father could do was let out an awkward chuckle.

"Hehehe…they're still young so I don't know," Andou's father responded as he scratched the back of his head.

"She's a nice, polite, and talented young girl but… something about her bothers me for some reason," Andou's grandfather spoke up once the figures disappeared from their sight.

Both of Andou's parents were shocked to hear what he had to say so they began to question him.

"What do you mean? What about her bothers you?" Andou's mother asked curiously, tilting her head at her father-in-law.

"It's just… I said she looked familiar but I actually meant it. It's scary how much the resemblance is, really... Doesn't she remind you of someone that we've seen before?" Andou's grandfather asked them but the two looked at each other to see if either one knew what he was talking about. They looked at each other in confusion and so he expanded upon his words.

"I don't know… I feel like I'd seen that face everywhere a few years ago. They were on magazines, TV, and just about anywhere on the media. I think… it was a famous woman who was a pastry chef," Andou's grandfather pondered as he rubbed his chin.

"You don't mean—Ella Fournier?!" Andou's father raised his voice in surprise.

"Ah, that's her name!" The grandfather snapped his fingers at the realization. "Yes, that young girl reminds me of her!"

"I mean, they do look similar, but Ella Fournier was never married, let alone had a child from what I knew," Andou's mother interjected and the three adults pondered deeply.

"B-but didn't she die due to a traffic accident 6 years ago?" Andou's father spoke.

"I'm not one to speculate things but… I think the case of that woman was wrapped up too fast. I heard there wasn't even a trial for her death," Andou's grandfather added which caused both parents to widen their eyes in shock.

There was no trial held for the world-renown patissiere, Ella Fournier?

"Now that you mention it, I did find something strange about Michiko Keiko when she fell asleep. I changed her into a nightgown the other day and I noticed a deep scar on her stomach…" Andou's mother brought up with disturbance in her eyes as she recalled the past day.

She hadn't planned on mentioning it, but she found it quite weird for a young girl to have such a deep scar on her stomach. At first, she thought that she'd probably really hurt herself from playing when she was a child, but the wound seemed way too deep to be anything else.

Did it seem like a… knife wound?

"Was it deep?" Andou's father questioned and his wife nodded.

"Yeah. It was to the point where it had healed but the marks were really ingrained into her skin. I've been worrying about that since I noticed it but I didn't want to question her," the mother replied.

"Alas, she is a nice young girl, but a bit peculiar," the grandfather concluded.

The three adults nodded their heads in agreeance and walked back into their wagashi shop.

* * *

It'd been a few days since we said goodbye to Andou's family and when I heard I got mail, I was surprised.

A letter addressed to me was delivered to my room and I opened it to read the contents:

To: Keiko

The moon cake was delicious. Please come and play again. I really want Onee-san and Sen-nii to be together so you can visit more often (・ω<)

-Ichita

I widened my eyes at the contents of the letter. It was both cute and embarrassing for me to read.

'Geez, this kid is really hoping for something to happen…' I rubbed my head and covered my face in embarrassment.

'Maybe I can brag to the others that Ichita sent me a letter?'

* * *

It was time for our cooking class and I walked into the kitchen with the letter Ichita wrote in my hand. The Sweets Princes noticed me entering the door and watched me walk over to them. I walked over to them in a rush, ready to reveal the letter to them.

"Isn't this cute?" I said, showing them the letter Ichita sent me. "I got a letter from Ichita!"

Kashino, Andou, and Hanabusa looked at me who held the letter.

"He's taken quite an interest in you, Michiko," Andou said with a proud smile. "He's pretty annoying, always asking me, "When will Keiko Onee-san come again?"

They all came closer to read the contents of the letter and their eyes widened in shock.

"Wow, who knew Ichita—" Andou began but Kashino interrupted.

"—You call this, cute?" Kashino scoffed after reading the letter.

"I've seen cuter things than this," Hanabusa plastered a smile that seemed fake.

"Well, the first half is cute while the other part is… but still…" I looked at the letter again with a smile. "This kid's like a little brother."

"A little brother? Does Michiko have any siblings?" Hanabusa asked curiously.

"Oh… Yeah, I do. I have two younger brothers, but we're not related by blood," I responded as I thought about Haruto and Eiji.

"So, they're your stepbrothers, huh?" Hanabusa replied and I nodded my head.

"Yeah… but I consider them to be my real brothers. My father remarried and my stepmother introduced us to her two children that she had in a previous relationship. The youngest one is a bit more outgoing and the older one is quieter," I explained with a small smile.

"What happened to your mom?" Chocolat asked but Fraise shot her a glance that told her not to question any further. I hesitated to answer but decided that it was fine to say a few things.

"My mom… she died when I was younger… She was a warm, cheerful, and inspiring woman," I reminisced as I thought about her.

The Sweets Princes and their sweets spirits looked at me apologetically but I didn't mind saying this much.

"Although I miss her, I'm also happy with the family I have now."

Noticing my sad expression, Andou quickly followed up.

"You know, my parents are simple. Even though we just won the first round, they make such a fuss like we've won the Grand Prix all together," Andou explained nervously which made me smile.

"Hehehe, that seems just like them…" I chuckled. "But someday… we will win the Grand Prix."

'I wonder how my family's doing… I think they should be back from vacation now, huh? Maybe I should call them…'