Even after Tsubaki had finished bathing, there was still no reply from Kanako. Worry started to fill her heart as she felt uneasy. Tsubaki decided to wear her nightgown first before trying to contact Kanako again. Her friend might have something urgent to do till she couldn"t reply to her. Once she was done with her skincare routine, she dialed Kanako"s number.Ring...
It rang for a long time before the recipient picked up the call.
"h.e.l.lo? Kanako?" Tsubaki quickly greeted her, her voice was a bit anxious.
"Tsubaki!" Kanako"s voice sounded suspicious as she whispered through the call. "I"m with my parents now. Please wait for a moment. I"ll call you later."
"Oh... okay," Tsubaki was a bit confused but she agreed with Kanako. She ended the call.
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Tsubaki stared at her phone. From the way Kanako answered her, it seemed like she was hiding something. The budding seed of uncertainty started to sprout in her heart, making Tsubaki anxious. Her fingers fiddled with the phone, her worried expression was reflected on the dark screen.
After waiting for almost 10 minutes, Kanako finally called her back. Tsubaki quickly accepted the call, she pressed the sleek phone against her right ear.
"h.e.l.lo, Kanako? Are you okay?" Her voice was low yet it carried a sense of urgency.
"I"m so sorry!" Kanako wailed. "I wanted to reply to your message as soon as possible but... my Mom was watching me so... aiya, something has happened, Tsubaki."
"Why?" Tsubaki frowned. "Did anything happen to your family?"
"No! No! Not me!" Kanako immediately refuted Tsubaki"s claims. There was a silence at the end of the line as she was thinking. Her sigh was audible against the speaker. "It"s just that... do you remember the cards I"ve promised to bring to you the other day?"
"Yes?"
Kanako sighed heavily. "I casually asked my Mom about the cards and the name of Fujioka Masami but... she looked weird after I mentioned the name. She didn"t want to answer my question and she said she didn"t allow me to take the cards with me."
"What?" Tsubaki was stunned, she unconsciously tightened her grip on her phone. "Why?"
"I don"t know." Kanako sighed again, she sounded helpless. "She forbids me to ask about that name again and now I don"t have anyone to ask. Mom was pretty strict when she decided that."
"Oh..." Tsubaki"s shoulders slumped as one of her hopes vanished. She could only mumble quietly, "That"s okay. I don"t want to bother you, Kanako. I"m thankful enough when you said you wanted to help me."
"Tsubaki, you have something you"re hiding, right?" Kanako asked in a low voice, her tone was calm as she didn"t want to startle her. "Maybe, if you would tell me I could persuade my Mom to help?"
"That"s..." Tsubaki trailed off, she didn"t know how to answer her. Kanako"s request was a hard one. In the end, she bit her lower lip before saying, "It"s a tough subject, Kanako. Please give me some time to think, it is okay?"
"Alright," Kanako swiftly agreed. "Whenever you wanted to tell me, please don"t hesitate. I"d always be a good listener to you."
Tsubaki hummed, the corners of her lips curled up. "Thank you, Kanako."
"Of course you have to treat me with your new cakes!" Kanako laughed, trying to ease the tension. "I"ll try looking for the cards again, okay? I"ll contact you if I found anything and then... oh no! My Mom is outside my room! Gotta go!"
Before Tsubaki could say anything, Kanako hung up the call, leaving her speechless.
Kanako"s words from earlier made Tsubaki thought a lot. It was positive that Mrs. Esumi knew Fujioka Masami and from the way she acted, the older lady also knew that it was she who asked for Kanako"s help. But, why did she have to hide that person? Was it related to something unknown to her?
As Tsubaki was lost in her thoughts, she didn"t realize that her husband had already stood behind her. Ren smiled softly when he saw her face full of concentration. He bent his tall body down and wrapped his long arms around her neck. Tsubaki was startled, she lifted up her head and turned around slightly to look at him.
"What are you thinking? You didn"t even notice I"m here," Ren asked in a gentle voice, the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. "You"ve called Miss Esumi?"
"Darling..." Tsubaki pursed her lips, her eyes downcast. She was unsure of where she should start.
"En?"
Ren shot his brows upward. He straightened his back before he pulled her to stand. Ren sat on the vanity chair and placed her on his lap. One of his hands was securely encircled her waist as he stared at her complex gaze.
"Did something happen?"
Tsubaki nodded. After thinking for some time, she finally recounted what Kanako had told her as well as her own suspicions. Ren listened intently to her, paying attention to how she worded her thoughts. Inside, he smiled in relief when he saw the clarity in her eyes.
It was totally different from last night.
"So... I don"t know why did Mrs. Esumi act that way," Tsubaki hung her head low, she was dispirited as she was antic.i.p.ating her meeting with Kanako. "Should I go and meet her?"
Ren returned her gaze, he was still as calm as ever even after listening to her worry. Tsubaki wondered if this was how he acted when he was in the office, leading the company from the top position. She really needed to learn from him how to manage her emotions, Tsubaki thought.
After a long period of silence, Ren"s deep voice echoed in the wardrobe.
"We"ll have to wait first but I agree with your point, Mrs. Esumi knows Fujioka Masami and even though we haven"t gotten any concrete evidence, I think it"s the same person we"re searching," Ren voiced out his opinions. "I don"t think Miss Esumi was lying when she said she was familiar with the handwriting. Maybe she remembered it from the subconscious part in her mind, we shouldn"t rule out the possibility."
Tsubaki nodded, agreeing with him. Since Kanako herself was eager to help, she shouldn"t doubt her. For now, she could only pray for Kanako to successfully prying the information from her mother.
If not, maybe she would really go and meet Mrs. Esumi by herself.
"Alright, let"s stop thinking about this," Ren glanced at the white clock hung on the wall. It was 10 minutes past 9 PM. Although it was still early, he was already sleepy. "It"s time to sleep, sweetheart. We"ll think about it later, alright?"
Tsubaki stared at his face, even though it wasn"t apparent but she still could see the bluish mark under his eyes, marking his lack of rest. His eyes were slightly drooped and his smile was scarce from its usual l.u.s.ter.
He had pushed himself to his limits for her.
"Okay," Tsubaki smiled, trying to comfort him.
Ren returned the smile. Before he stood up to carry her to bed, Tsubaki suddenly placed her palms on his cheeks, her bright eyes were staring openly at him, conveying her love and adoration to him.
"Sweetheart? What"s wrong?" Ren asked in confusion.
Tsubaki smiled, she shook her head. Before he could say anything, she pulled his face down and pressed her lips gently over his. Ren was a bit shocked but he quickly regained his composure as he deepened the kiss.
After some time, he let her go. Tsubaki"s face was flushed red, she smiled shyly at him. "Thank you for everything, hubby. If not for you, I couldn"t go through this. You"ve even exhausted yourself."
Ren laughed softly, understood what she wanted to say. He rested his forehead on hers, his voice was so gentle and calm as he replied, "Anything for you, sweetheart."
Tsubaki smiled sweetly. She should make something extra nourishing for him tomorrow as a reward. He needed to replenish himself. After all, he would go straight to work and then went for an inspection soon. She didn"t want him to be sick.
"Let"s go to bed?" Ren stood up, he carefully carried her in his arms.
"Okay."
Unlike last night, Tsubaki slept peacefully in his arms without a nightmare came threatening her.