Spring Blooms When I'm With You

"Book two tickets to City S. Now!"

"O... okay..."

As quickly the instruction entered his ears, the call was hung up abruptly. Matsuzaki was in a daze before he sprung into action. He didn"t know what made his Boss sounded so agitated but to be on the safe side, he should work on it as soon as possible.

Inside the office, Ren was comforting the tensed Tsubaki. Akashi"s phone call shed some light on them before the fear once again overtook them.

"Do you think she would tell everything to me?" Tsubaki asked while clutching the front of his shirt. The pristine material wrinkled in her fingers.

"She would. Trust me," Ren crooned by her ears. He calmly stroked her head as he buried her face on his chest.

Akashi called to say that Ms. Nakamura has agreed to meet Tsubaki and convey what she knew to her. Tsubaki was so elated and nervous at the same time. Ren tried to persuade her to go to meet Ms. Nakamura tomorrow but she couldn"t stay still. In the end, he relented to her wish after she compromised that they would just rest in the hotel first before going to Ms. Nakamura"s home tomorrow.

Their flight wasn"t a pleasant one. Tsubaki had kept quiet while both of her hands grasping tightly on the necklaces. Seeing the fear in her eyes, Ren reached out for her hands. He pried them open and frowned when he saw the red marks on her palms due to the tight clutching.

"Sweetheart, calm your heart," Ren whispered softly, he didn"t want to use force as it would backfire to both of them. He traced the red lines, his heart ached again for her. "Ms. Nakamura has agreed to see you so please, don"t be too alarmed, alright? It"s not good for you and our baby."

"I... okay..." Tsubaki nodded, she lowered down her gaze to her palms. They were not painful. But, seeing the red marks made her wanted to cry.

Ren was the one who handled everything once they reached the hotel at dusk. Tsubaki was too exhausted by the time they arrived in their hotel suite. She quickly went to lay down on the s.p.a.cious bed while her husband made a few phone calls. Since they left in a hurry, he needed to adjust his schedule for tomorrow and made preparations for their stay here.

Once he was done calling Tak.u.ma, Ren left the lounge and entered the bedroom. He stared silently to the curled up figure on the bed. Without him noticing, his wife had fallen into a deep slumber. He approached the bed with quiet steps.

Even in her sleep, her brows knitted together as if she was dreaming of something unpleasant. Ren heaved a sigh. He really didn"t expect to finally be here.

Whatever Ms. Nakamura would tell them, it might change the course of whatever they were searching for.

Another thing that troubled him was what Tsubaki said regarding Miss Esumi"s bodyguard. Hibiki had done a quick background check while they were on the flight earlier. From his checking, Saito Hajime was an orphan adopted by a Saito Family living in the suburbs of the city center.

Whether the man had a connection with Tsubaki"s father was still unknown.

Tsubaki woke up when the clock was a quarter to 9 PM. She blinked a few times. As she was still in a daze, she was confused when her eyes met the unfamiliar room. She stared blankly at her surroundings before the sound of the door opening caught her attention.

"You"ve finally woke up, sweetheart," Ren said with a smile hung on his thin lips. He had changed into a set of casual clothes instead of his formal office attire.

"Darling..."

It was then Tsubaki remembered that they were not in their city yet in another place. Her mind was still fuzzy when Ren sat at the edge of the bed, his hands reaching out for her shoulders.

"I"ve asked the kitchen to deliver our dinner soon. Do you want to wash your face first?" Ren tidied the collars of her nightgown that slipped over one shoulder, revealing her delicate collarbones. After changing himself, he took a nightgown from the suitcase and helped her change into it.

"Oh... okay," Tsubaki nodded.

Ren picked her up from the bed and with steady steps, he strode toward the bathroom. Tsubaki didn"t say anything about her nightgown since she was already used to her husband helping her changing clothes. She was still sleepy as he gently dabbed her face with the wet towel so she just leaned on him like a doll.

"We"ll move after breakfast. The place where Ms. Nakamura lives is quite far from here so we should go as soon as possible," Ren placed the wet towel on the countertop. His eyes exuded tenderness as he chuckled softly. "For tonight, just rest. Alright, sweetheart? Tomorrow is going to be a tough day for you."

Even while he was coaxing her, he didn"t hide the harshness of what would come.

"Alright..." Tsubaki reluctantly agreed but since her husband just wanted the best for her, she would just follow his advice.

Their dinner was served on a table beside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the lounge. Both of them could see the nightlife of City S through the vast gla.s.s walls. All of their dishes were lightly flavored as Ren was thinking of his pregnant wife. They ate quietly before both of them retreated to bed.

Tsubaki was yet to feel sleepy as she had slept right after they arrived at the hotel and Ren was dealing with his work. They leaned against the headboard while doing their own activities. Tsubaki selected a movie and watched it on the LCD TV displayed in front of their bed while Ren was working with his laptop.

Feeling bored with the movie, Tsubaki turned her head toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was like in their city. Tall buildings obstructed the view of the night sky with countless neon lights in a variety of colors projected by them. She was lucky because their suite was located on the topmost floor so she could still see the brightly lit moon from her bed.

Ren glanced at his wife, she was entranced with the view outside of their suite. He quietly switched off his laptop and put it down on the bedside table. Ren scooted closer to Tsubaki who was still looking at the moon.
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"Aren"t you sleepy, sweetheart?" He encircled her waist before he lowered his chin on her shoulder.

"Not yet," Tsubaki answered with a quiet voice. She turned around and looked at her husband"s droopy eyes. Her soft palm stroked a side of his face, feeling the roughness of his features. "Go to sleep, darling. You haven"t taken a rest since we arrived here."

"Accompany me to sleep," Ren smiled, he leaned over and pecked her lips a few times. "It"s rare for us to have a quiet night like this in another city. The view outside is beautiful but isn"t my face more dazzling than everything?"

Tsubaki burst out into laughter. The tension in her heart started easing due to his shameless joke.

"Alright, let"s go to bed," Tsubaki who was sympathizing with her husband, concurred to him.

If she continued staying awake, she couldn"t help but think of various kinds of possibilities that would happen tomorrow. It was better if she just enjoyed her husband"s warm embrace in this spectacular suite reeked of money.

The bright sun greeted the husband and wife the moment they stepped out of the hotel. Ren drove the car rented from the hotel to the district Akashi had sent a map to him. Their journey was filled with silence as none of them had the mood to talk. But, the man didn"t forget to gently hold the lady"s hand to soothe her feelings.

Their ride took almost two hours. Since their journey wasn"t planned, Ren just told Matsuzaki to book any hotel nearest to the airport. If this day wouldn"t end well, he would just book another accommodation within the suburbs vicinity to avoid putting a strain on his pregnant wife.

"Akashi said he would meet us at this intersection," Ren glanced at the GPS screen on the dashboard and pointed at one red dot. "Ms. Nakamura lives in a secluded place, it would be hard for us to find it."

"En." Tsubaki just nodded. She didn"t know what else to say to him.

Ren smiled faintly seeing her troubled face. He squeezed her hand, rea.s.suring her with his presence.

"Ren! Sister-in-law!"

Once Akashi spotted their car, he waved both of his hands up high in the air through his car windows. He appeared so happy to meet them.

"Lead us to her house," Ren said after winding down his side of the car windows. Both of them talked without getting off their cars. "Is it still far from here?"

"Nah," Akashi shook his head. "It"d only take 5 minutes. Let me reverse my car first and then you guys follow me from behind."

Ren nodded wordlessly.

Akashi"s car entered a road, green bushes trailed at each side of the narrow road. Ren carefully maneuvered his car as they occasionally met b.u.mps. Tsubaki was still keeping her silence as her eyes nervously darted to her right and left.

A row of small and old houses appeared yet Akashi hadn"t shown any sign of stopping. They turned at another intersection before Akashi gradually slowed down his car in front of a yellow house.

"This is Ms. Nakamura"s house," Akashi said with a laid back manner after the three of them gathered beside his car. "She"s been waiting for you guys. Come."

Ren looked at Tsubaki who was now biting her lower lip without realizing it. The light in his eyes dimmed. Seeing her so nervous like this made him wanted to take her away from this place yet he strengthen his resolution.

They had been waiting for a long time. Who was he to deny her the moment of truth?

"Let"s go," He softly whispered by her side. "I"m with you."

Tsubaki was lost for a while in the way he was looking at her. The darkness in his eyes deepened, it could suck her dry if she continued looking into it. She snapped out of her daze before she nodded.

Both of them walked toward the door.

Even though the house was small yet it was clear that its owner took great care of it. When they walked alongside the short hallway, Tsubaki saw framed photos hung on the wall. Most of them looked old yet they carried a sense of nostalgia.

Akashi was standing at the end of the hallway, his eyes were directed at them. Once they got nearer, he turned around and gestured at the living room.

"Ms. Nakamura is here. I"d leave you guys to talk," Akashi patted Ren"s shoulder before he walked toward the front door again.

Ren gave him a faint smile. Tsubaki was standing behind him, he could feel her slender fingers lightly gripping the back of his shirt.

In the living room, an old lady was sitting on the couch while silently looking at them. Ren straightened his back before he gave the old lady a bow of respect.

"I"m sorry for disturbing you, Ms. Nakamura. My name is Fuse Ren. I"m here to accompany my wife to meet you."

The old lady smiled and gave a bow in return. She looked so frail, reminding him of his own grandmother. When she spoke, her voice was clear as a stream.

"I"m Nakamura Sumiko. I"ve heard from that young lad that you want to inquire about the family I worked with before?"

"Yes," Ren answered briefly.

Ms. Nakamura smiled faintly. Her eyes went to the pet.i.te lady who was still standing behind the man"s back. The young woman"s silhouette stirred an inexplicable emotion in her as they appeared so similar to someone she knew.

She had seen her picture shown by the young man yet she wanted to confirm it with her own eyes before believing it.

"Your wife is..." Ms. Nakamura held back her curiosity. Her eyes never wavered from Tsubaki"s direction. She unconsciously held the hem of her shirt while her heart was antic.i.p.ating to meet the young lady.

Ren glanced back through his shoulder. He caught sight of his wife"s anxious gaze. He gave her an encouraging smile before he said, "Sweetheart, we"re finally here. It"s time for you to talk. Come."

He gently pulled her out from her hiding. Tsubaki silently obeyed him as she walked forward to stand beside him. She slowly raised up her eyes from looking at the floor, they were now staring at the old woman sitting a few feet away from her.

She saw how the old eyes widening as they looked at each other.

Ms. Nakamura stood up as shock enveloped her heart. Her mouth gaped open, her eyes were looking at the familiar face to her. It was hard for her to speak. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before two words spat out from her mouth.

"Se... Second Miss?"