Everything Has Changed

Chapter 145: S2 - Everything Has Changed

["It is now 8:25, signaling the start of the final round of St. Marie Academy's Cake Grand Prix. The final match between Team Tennouji and Team Michiko will take place. The theme of this round is "Dream." We will require the teams to have an entremet* (*whole cake), petit gâteau* (*small cakes), chocolate, and candy sculptures. All four will be used in their representation of "Dream,"] an old man with grey slick back hair and glasses spoke to the audience and the cameras.

["All four categories are worth 100 points along with assembling the cake. In total, the grading scale is 400 total. The time limit is 10 hours starting from 8:30 A.M. until 6:30 P.M. For our judges who will be judging this round, we have myself, the chairman of this academy,"] the old man pointed to himself until he directed his hands at a long empty table that sat in front of the eight stations where the eight students of both teams stood.

With his movements, the camera followed him as he sat down at the far left end of the table and focused on the four empty seats.

["Our next two judges are our professors of this academy, Teacher Ameya and Teacher Karashima,"] the chairman said, and as if on cue, the two teachers walked up to the stage and sat down in the two farthest seats on the right from him.

["Next up, we have the famous French patissier, Henri Lucas judging this round with us!"] The chairman announced, and with that, screams filled the entire room.

[*KYAAA—A!!!*]

["Oh my god! Henri Lucas will be judging this round?!"]

["Isn't he that really handsome chef?"]

["I didn't know about this!"]

Seeing the live audience's shock, Michiko Kenji was just as surprised.

'Henri… Lucas?'

As if hearing that name rang bells in his head, Kenji did his best to dig through the memories of when he had heard that name before.

A tall, blonde foreigner with baby blue eyes walked onto the stage, and the camera focused entirely on him as he waved his hand to everyone with his sweet, melting smile. He sat right next to the chairman, who sat on the far left of the table.

After seeing the handsome French man walk onto the stage, Kenji recalled where he heard that name and saw the man's face.

'Isn't that… Ella's student?'

Kenji remembered that his late wife showed him a photo album of when she was in France. After he'd proposed to her when they were 22, she left her job as a professor at St. Marie Academy to get married to him. She showed him a picture she had taken with her student, about 13 at the time. In it, *that* man was right next to his beautiful wife.

["Lastly, our 5th judge that will be joining us today is none other than… Hisashi Ito!!!"]

Another name struck a nerve in Kenji's ears as he saw a man, around his early 40s, with short dark brown hair and jade green eyes, walk onto the stage and wave to the people.

The live audience cheered after this man walked in and sat down in the middle of the judging table.

'Hisashi Ito… he worked in Ella's bakery in Sweets Garden called "Fournier Sucre." Who would've thought I'd see him here?' Kenji reminisced.

From what he recalled, Hisashi Ito had been a kind man when he had met him a few times with Ella and Keiko. He remained loyal and true, which made Kenji believe in him to take over one of Ella Fournier's bakeries after she died.

["Are you guys ready?"] Keiko asked her teammates, trying to encourage them.

["Yes!"] Her three teammates responded in unison.

The cameras looked at them, who tried to pump each other up. The entire room's spirit was uplifted.

["Good luck Team Michiko!"]

["We're with you all the way!"]

["You can do this!"]

Many people from the audience seats cheered them on, which made Keiko's family proud to know that they had many followers and fans cheering for them there when they couldn't.

Cheering for the opposing side also began.

["Let's go, Team Tennouji!"]

["Win this!"]

["You guys can do it!"]

Finally, the clock hit 8:30.

["Get ready, competitors! START BAKING!"] The broadcaster guy announced. On cue, a clock showed at the front for both teams and the audience to keep track of the time.

For those who watched at home, the clock was placed at the corner of the screen.

Automatically, the eight students from both teams hurriedly grabbed pots and pans at their stations and measured each of their ingredients before they started making things.

"Finally! It's starting!" Eiji erupted into a cheer after the round finally began.

"I hope they win this," Haruto said shortly.

"Me too," Kaori added.

Kenji was the only one who remained quiet, watching how his daughter moved in the kitchen. She was so light-footed and elegant—as if dancing around.

Keiko spared no unnecessary movements as she got her things together, but as she saw how calm her face was, he could only be reminded of *her*.

'Oh, Ella… I really miss you… If you were here today watching our daughter, I'm sure you'd be proud…' Kenji thought sadly to himself as he saw his late wife's face on his daughter, who looked similar to her, besides the hair color.

Although he tried to move on from the past, he struggled. After all, Ella was his first "true" love.

They believed that they would be happy together forever. Although they had busy jobs, they still loved each other no matter what and the beautiful daughter they brought into the world.

Keiko was a product of their love. He was always happy yet sad that she took after her mother. Because they looked so much alike, that was the main reason why he couldn't truly move on.

Even though Ella was gone, he could see her within his daughter, but even he would have to remind himself that Ella was no longer living in this world.

He questioned what would've happened if Ella were still alive. Would they have had more children? Would they still be together? Would they have been happy?

Honestly, there was no doubt in his mind that he and Ella would still be madly in love. There was nothing that could separate them unless…

"Till death do us part."

The only thing that did separate this ever-loving couple was "death." He was completely devastated that his first and only love died in such a brutal way. He didn't want to believe it, but he had to.

After *that* day, Keiko was never the same again. She struggled to get back on her feet, but there he was…

After the death of his lover, he found someone else who gave him hope that everything was going to be okay. This woman he found was none other than his second love, Kaori.

She had two sons with a man who left her for some other woman, so he believed they were in a similar situation—the "Widow" and the "Discarded"—They would be the ones to fill up the empty holes caused by their previous relationship.

He always felt like he had betrayed Keiko and her mother, but he couldn't forget those words Ella said to him *that* day…

Although he didn't dare to move on, he finally did, but that hole in his heart remained. But, after finding another family to unite with, this was the only ray of hope that could get his depressed daughter back on her feet again.

When her mother died, Keiko never returned to the happy, cheerful child he once knew. She dug herself into such a deep pit, grieving for her mother, whom she looked up to.

A once happy child turned into a despondent, pessimistic, and gloomy girl. She grew thin and weak after refusing to eat for several weeks, and he felt broken to see his daughter like that. She was bleeding from the inside and indirectly inflicted damage onto her body. She hid her tears and agony under that pale and shrunken face she developed because she hated to feel pitiful of herself.

When he saw his daughter get to that point, he couldn't help but blame himself. Wasn't it his fault that he didn't do anything? No—it wasn't that he didn't do anything; he *couldn't* do anything.

As he watched his daughter on the screen before him, he couldn't help but be reminded of how his daughter once was. How bone thin she'd gotten, how her bright blue eyes appeared lifeless...

Wasn't this a repeat of what happened before?