A Kidnapping?

Chapter 112: S2 Episode 11 - A Kidnapping?

After I handed Yui and her father a small box of the donut holes and the recipe, they left and both teams had finished serving the children their cakes.

"That girl will never be able to forget the taste you made, Keiko," said Tennouji Mari, who stood next to me and watched Yui and her father leave happily in the distance.

"I, too, have an unforgettable taste… It's a honey pie Mr. Henri gave me when I attended a hotel party as a child…" Tennouji Mari began as she recalled those memories.

"I was brought up around a bunch of adults; I was a cold child. But when I had a bite of Henri Lucas's honey pie, the world… changed. My monotone world was bathed in colors after I ate his honey pie and I found a love for making sweets. I never thought sweets would have that kind of power. And then, I thought I wanted to give birth to those kinds of sweets too, by Mr. Henri's side…" Tennouji Mari said with a small trace of a smile on her pretty face.

'Because of Henri Lucas, Mari found her love for baking… but she wants to work by his side? Isn't this… kind of like a confession?' I tried to wrap my head around that idea, and at first, I thought that I was going crazy because of my weird thoughts, that was until I saw Tennouji Mari peeking over at Henri Lucas who was surrounded by people.

'Um… really? Is it true that the serious student council president admires an esteemed French guy who's probably 28?'

"I mean, that's good for you, isn't it? Mr. Henri Lucas came back to Japan so you can surely—" Before I could continue, she interjected.

"—No. It seems like he'll be returning to France after judging the Grand Prix Finals," Tennouji Mari admitted with a cold voice and turned her head away from Henri Lucas.

"R-really?" I asked, a bit stunned at that news.

"I still have many things to learn from Mr. Henri. That's why I *will* win the Grand Prix and go to France. That's why, even if you're an underclassman, I won't go easy on you. I'll fight with all of my strength to get this opportunity," Tennouji Mari claimed with determination all around.

The three boys from my team and the three boys from Tennouji's team stood by our sides to watch the scene unfold.

Though usual people should've been taken aback by this claim from the genius student council president, a smirk formed on my face after hearing her words.

At this moment, I looked at her without a hint of hesitation in my bright blue eyes, and she took a step backward with a confused look on her face; as if she expected me to be threatened by her intimidation.

'Hahahaha… There's no way in hell I will lose to you and your team, Tennouji Mari. If it's a call for war you want, then I'll do my best with my team to fight you off!'

I could feel the blood rushing inside my body and a new level of courage spoke out of my mouth.

"Of course, Mari. I don't expect you and your team to go easy on us. Team Michiko will not lose either because, just like you, we'll definitely make our dreams come true and fight till the bitter end for it," I said with a beaming grin on my face.

As Team Tennouji stood in silence, they regathered their wits and spoke their last words to Team Michiko.

"Hehehe… I look forward to the finals, Team Michiko," Tennouji Mari said as she whipped her long honey-blonde hair around and walked away with the rest of her teammates. The sweets princes and I watched as Team Tennouji left the scene.

* * *

"Haa! The party's finally over—" Andou said in relief as we had changed back into our normal school uniforms and walked back to the middle school division.

"We should have a meeting right away," I claimed with sincerity as we walked.

"Yeah! Team Tennouji is a strong force after all," Hanabusa added.

"Not to mention that they're practically the four best students in the high school division," Kashino scoffed while he walked ahead of us.

"Then, wouldn't we technically be considered as the four best students in the middle school division?" Andou pondered and I thought about it as well.

'Although I don't want to sound arrogant, that does seem to be the case. After all, we managed to go straight into the finals despite some bumps in the road, but our opponents are proclaimed to be the best in their division. It'd be brash to take them lightly.'

"But you were really gutsy back there, Michiko. You seemed really serious," Hanabusa said light-heartedly to which I halted in place. Seeing that I stopped, they did as well.

I earnestly looked all three of them in the eyes and I could feel the cool air around us get colder.

"Did you think I was kidding? Nothing I said back there was a bluff. I can't waste my time leisurely enjoying everything around us. If we plan on winning against Team Tennouji, we really need to start practicing."

After I said that, I could see a sense of distance in the boys' and their spirits' eyes as if they were rethinking some things.

I didn't want to be the one that broke the ice, but to make sure that we were putting our energy towards our goal, we needed to prioritize what was important here and now.

I could tell that from their struggling faces they saw just how good Team Tennouji was and just how much we were lacking in comparison. Even though I could see that Mari and I were similar in speed and technique, I also noticed how much I lacked in comparison.

Whereas she has many more years on than me, I'm still a girl who transferred not too long ago who only picked up on baking again. All those years I could've spent baking, I spent them mourning, trying to forget the loss of my mother.

Truthfully, if only I'd spent these past 6 years getting my head straight instead of distracting myself on how to forget, I probably would've been a lot happier than I was now. If only I could go back in time and try to shake some sense into the past me, I'd be so much better right now.

'Why… Why am I so useless…?'

"Keiko, what are you thinking about?" Fraise interrupted my thoughts as she sat on my shoulder. I was probably zoned out for a while since I could see that she had a worried look on her face.

"I-it was nothing. I was just thinking about an idea for the final round."

I hurriedly changed the topic and regathered my composure. We all continued walking again.

"Oh, so you already have an idea for the "Dream Cake"?" Kashino asked curiously.

"Kind of. You see—"

*SCREEEECH!*

Just as I was about to explain, a black limousine quickly whipped up right in front of us as its tires loudly rubbed against the road. A mysterious adult man who wore sunglasses that covered his eyes and a fine long trench coat got out of the car and caught us by surprise.

"Pardon me, Young Master," the man spoke in a low voice as he ran up to Kashino, which obviously caught Kashino by surprise too.

*PUNCH!*

Unexpectedly, he punched Kashino hard enough in the stomach and knocked him out. He carried Kashino's unconscious body to the limousine and I could see Chocolat beginning to freak out.

"Open the door!" He ordered the driver who got out of the car and quickly opened the door, only to allow the man and Kashino to jump into the car. Just as he was about to close the door—

"Wait! Kashino—" Chocolat entered just in time to follow them.

VROOM!!!

"What—HEY!!!" All of us said in a panic as the car quickly drove off, taking Kashino and Chocolat with them.