Reminiscing Memories (2)

Chapter 53: Episode 26 - Reminiscing Memories (2)

"You can't throw it away!" I ran out to Hanabusa who was getting ready to toss the bottle. Andou and Kashino ran after me toward the pond but Hanabusa looked back at us in surprise as if never expecting that we'd be there.

Unexpectedly, my sudden appearance seemed to have shocked Hanabusa, and the rose water he held slipped through his hands, falling towards the pond.

I ran to the pond at full speed, reaching out for the rose water.

"Whoa! Michiko, in front—" Kashino warned from behind me but I grabbed ahold of the bottle.

SPLASH!

I fell into the pond while holding onto the rose water in my hands. I was submerged in the water before I felt somebody's hands help me up towards the surface.

"Michiko! Kashino!"

"Bwah!" I resurfaced and caught my breath with their hands still holding onto me as I held the rose water tightly in my hands.

"Who is—" I began to say as someone's hands held onto my arms. I caught a glimpse of their face as they held me up. Dirty blonde and wet hair popped out of the water and a figure that was only a bit taller than me held me at my waist.

"Kashino?!" I said in surprise once he resurfaced as well. My bright blue eyes and his chocolate brown eyes met, and for some reason, I could feel my heart pounding.

His hands still held onto me but I looked away in embarrassment.

"I think I'm fine, Kashino. The water's shallow enough where we can stand so you can let go of me now…" I explained and he hesitantly released his grip on me.

"O-oh…" Kashino stuttered and we both avoided eye contact.

"Why'd you follow after me when you knew I was going into the water?" I asked nervously, looking back at him but he continued to look away.

"You didn't force it on me… More importantly, the bottle." Kashino's face flushed red when he avoided my gaze.

"It looks okay and the lid is closed shut," I said as I glanced at the state of the bottle.

"You two aren't injured?" Hanabusa directed at us nervously and we glared at him in the water.

Kashino and I finally got out of the water while Andou went to go retrieve some towels so we could dry ourselves off.

When I received the towel, I began drying myself off.

"We were worried that you suddenly left, so we chased after you. To think this would happen when we came for you… Why?" I asked him, angrily handing him back the rose water. Hanabusa seemed a bit intimidated by my glare and hesitantly received the rose water back.

"If it can't be used, it has no significance," Hanabusa said depressingly. "The first round is tomorrow, I can't cause any more trouble. I have no tie to this…"

I furrowed my eyebrows at his words and gritted my teeth.

SLAP!

Without thinking, I raised my hand and slapped his face. Kashino and Andou seemed surprised at my sudden actions but I didn't feel sorry.

"Just because of that, it doesn't make it okay to throw it away! It's a perfume your father got a hold of for you, Hanabusa! You're still lucky that you even got a memento from someone that you lost!" I scolded him while thinking of my mother who hadn't left me anything. Kashino and Andou's face turned to confusion but Hanabusa looked at me apologetically.

"Michiko, I'm so—" Hanabusa began but I interrupted.

"—It doesn't matter anymore! Whatever happened, happened! We can't do anything to get the ones we lost back. Because of Ella Fournier… because of your parents, you're going to make a cake with it—ACHOO!" I sneezed but continued. "I don't want you to give up so please continue… for your father's sake…"

Hanabusa looked at me sympathetically as if I was a cute dog, and he grabbed my towel.

"I'm an idiot for making you that worried about me… You're probably going to catch a cold." He began gently drying my hair out.

I was caught by surprise when he began drying me off, but the smell of bog moss continued to linger in my nose.

'Gosh, I smell disgusting and I'm still soaked. How am I going to remove this smell off of my clothes?'

I felt my clothes and they were still damp from the water.

'Wait… damp, smell, soak…' Suddenly, those words remained in my mind. 'What exactly did Mom do to get the aroma to stick on the outside?'

I tried thinking back to one of my mom's bakeries that I went to. I remember sitting in the kitchen and watching my mom and other patissiers making desserts.

The memory of my mom's long blonde hair and bright blue eyes was engraved in my mind. She stood at a table, making a pound cake~

"Mom, what are you making this time?" A young me asked my mother whose attention turned to me.

"I'm making a rose pound cake, Keiko," Mom happily explained to me, continuing to work on it.

"A rose… pound cake? Isn't it strange to make a cake inspired by flowers?" I asked her and she gave out a chuckle.

"Hehehe, yeah, it's a bit weird to make a flower cake, but I swear it'll turn out delicious!" Mom assured me who was still suspicious of the whole idea.

"How is it going to smell like roses? Won't the aroma be cooked off once it bakes in the oven?" I asked curiously and she nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"That's right, isn't my daughter smart?" Mom complimented me with her warm smile and gestured for me to come closer to see the process for the rose cake. I walked over to her as she held a cooked pound cake in her hands.

"For this cake to get that rose aroma, we use a rose syrup mixed in with rose water and soak it all around. That way, the cake is juicy on the outside from the syrup but still moist and fluffy on the inside…" She explained and my eyes widened in amazement from this explanation. She'd finished soaking the cake in the rose syrup/water mix and cut me a slice. I had a bite and reminisced about the juicy and moist texture it had.

I'd only had it once, but I remembered that this was one of my favorite cakes in the past.

'She even showed me how she did it, but how could I forget?'

As I remembered the memories of her showing me how to make the rose cake, I suddenly stopped Hanabusa from drying my hair, grabbing onto his large hands to stop him for a moment.

"Hanabusa, I remembered you were inspired by Ella Fournier to make a rose cake, right? Actually, I remember that I had that cake as well," I explained to him and Hanabusa's green eyes widened in shock.

"You had it as well, Michiko?" He questioned and I nodded my head.

"Yeah, I remember that that specific cake was juicy on the outside but fluffy on the inside… Maybe… you should take a bath for it?" I suggested an idea but Hanabusa looked at me in confusion.

"A bath… for what?" Hanabusa reiterated in bewilderment.

"Think about it. The pound cake was sweet yet juicy on the outside and it still had a rose aroma to it," I explained and he pondered for a second.

"A bath for the cake…" He thought again until suddenly, a spark showed in his green eyes and he snapped his finger. "That's it, I get it!"