Ojamajo Doremi 16 - Volume 2 - Chapter 7.4

CHAPTER 7 – CHASING THE MOON

PART 04

——

After Kogure-senpai’s graduation from high school, it was finally my turn to shoulder all responsibilities of managing the the soccer team, so it was a busy spring break for me. On such a day, while on my way to the MAHO-do—

“Huh? Didn’t this place use to be an empty plot? I wonder what they’re building now.”

Construction had begun on an empty plot along a small road, just a short distance away from the MAHO-do. Though I traveled along this path everyday, it had been a long while since I’d had the time to stop and take in my surroundings. Hazuki-chan and Ai-chan would be coming to the MAHO-do later in the day, after their morning lessons and trainings.

“It’s quite a large building, so maybe it’s a store? But it looks so luxurious.”

So Momo-chan had noticed it on her way here too. We had a busy day ahead of us, preparing desserts for the coming spring, so I quickly changed into my patissiere’s uniform.

Hazuki-chan hurried in just as we opened the store for business.

“I’m sorry. I tried my best to come in as early as I can.”

“It’s alright, Hazuki. No worries,” Lala assured her.

However, there was a reason why Hazuki-chan had rushed all the way here.

“Just before I left home, I received a call from Tamaki-san. Did everyone notice the construction site just a short distance down the road? Tamaki-san told me that it’s going to be a new bakery. What’s more, it’s opened by the famous patissier Ikoma Arihito!” Please read this at the original site: lightnovelswithmisachan.wordpress.com

After finishing her rant, Hazuki-chan downed the tea Lala had poured for her in a single gulp. Wow, Tamaki seemed even better than Shimakura Kaori-chan at gathering the latest news.

“Whaaat, really!? But why didn’t Tamaki just come here to tell us face-to-face?”

I nodded in agreement to Momo-chan’s question.

“Well, Tamaki-san’s boyfriend recently passed his college entrance exams, so he has been really busy recently looking for a new apartment with his mother. She’s busy helping him now.”

So Tamaki was busy with her boyfriend’s family. I’d seen him, Tachibana Kyouhei-san, at our school’s graduation ceremony, and I thought he looked less intimidating than I remembered. Not that I dared to go talk to him.

“His mother is a skilled beautician, so apparently she’s being scouted by the branch manager of a beauty salon chain in the city. Once Tachibana-senpai decides which university he’d like to attend, they would aim to find an apartment that’s convenient for the both of them,” Hazuki-chan continued. Please read this at the original site: lightnovelswithmisachan.wordpress.com

Lala’s eyes lit up at the mention of ‘beautician’. She probably really loves hot springs and spa sessions. I made a mental note to ask Tamaki more about that next time I saw her.

In an instant, Hazuki-chan had transformed into her patissiere’s uniform. Just then, we heard running footsteps, and Ai-chan burst through the door.

“I’ve got big news. On my way here-”

“We’ve already heard it all from Hazuki-chan. A famous bakery is opening nearby, right?”

It seemed that Ai-chan had also caught wind of the news about the new building. Please read this at the original site: lightnovelswithmisachan.wordpress.com

“That’s right! Dad remembered ferrying a passenger from the train station to this site just last week. He was really shocked when he saw the same man featured as a patissier on TV last night.”

“So he came to inspect the grounds,” Hazuki-chan murmured, a worried look on her face. With so much new concrete information, even I was starting to feel nervous. It was horrible, a bakery opening just a stone’s throw away from the MAHO-do.

“That’s strange. It’s not that far a walk from the station to here. It’s such a waste to take a taxi for such a short distance.”

Everyone stared at Momo-chan. She was usually the airhead, so nobody had expected her to come up with such a retort.

“That’s not the point, Momo-chan. We’re gonna have a rival. Will we be alright?” I asked.

“Yeah, and this Ikoma Arihito person is a really famous patissier who’s even been on TV,” Ai-chan added. Please read this at the original site: lightnovelswithmisachan.wordpress.com

“And just when Momo-chan’s desserts are getting popular. Even Tamaki-san was shocked that another bakery would choose to set up shop near here,” Hazuki-chan sighed.

That’s right. Why didn’t they choose to open their new bakery near the train station? It was evident from everyone’s faces that we all felt confused and frustrated.

“By the way, we’ve had lots of new customers lately. Maybe they were spies sent to check us out?”

“That’s right. I remember seeing a man who looked like he came from a faraway city.”

Even Majorika and Lala were concerned now.

“But that may be because Yamaki-sensei’s wife, Mrs. Tachibana, and GB-san’s wife have been spreading word about us.”

Usually, Onpu-chan would be the one to make such a logical observation, but since she was absent, Hazuki-chan took over her role instead.

“Besides, we’ve never really tried to conceal the fact that Momo-chan is in-charge of creating the desserts here. Maybe they came here to check her out?” Ai-chan mused. Please read this at the original site: lightnovelswithmisachan.wordpress.com

It would be amazing if Momo-chan’s desserts were so delicious that it caught the attention of a famous patissier, but the location of the new bakery was still too suspicious.

“What should we do, Momo-chan? Shall we create some new desserts in protest? I’ve gotten better at baking, so I’m sure I can help out a little,” I offered.

Momo-chan placed a madeleine cake mould into the oven, adjusted the timer, and turned to face us.

“I really love Mr. Ikoma Arihito’s desserts. Since he’s opening a bakery nearby, I’ll be able to buy his new creations whenever they debut. How lucky!”

We were all so gloomy, so Momo-chan’s excitement stood out even more starkly.

“Momo-chan’s not worried at all,” Hazuki-chan commented.

“Yeah, maybe with two bakeries around, there will be friendly competition and the MAHO-do will get even better,” Ai-chan suggested.

I see. That’s right. It was just like Hazuki-chan, Riko-chan, and all the violinists in their school. Like all the athletes trying to break Ai-chan’s record. Maybe having a worthy rival who is striving towards the same goal was a good thing. Furthermore, we had a professional as a rival. It might not be coincidence that he had opened up a store so close to ours, but it didn’t mean Momo-chan’s desserts would get worse. Please read this at the original site: lightnovelswithmisachan.wordpress.com

“Let’s continue to make delicious, cute sweets like we’ve always done. Lots of sweets that would make everyone happy. Right, Momo-chan?”

Momo-chan grinned as she flashed us a peace sign. It was still to early to prepare for battle, but it wouldn’t do any harm to gather more information from Tamaki in the meantime.

Soon, all the desserts were completed, and we opened the store. We hurried to keep the display cases loaded with goods.

~~~~~~

The London shows for Onpu-chan’s musical concluded with much fanfare. I really regretted not being able to attend even a single performance, but I hoped the shows in Paris would be a success too.

[I’ve grown close to the cast and staff members, and the host family treats me just like their daughter, rather than as a celebrity. That’s why it feels a little sad now that I have to pack up and leave.]

That was the e-mail I’d received from Onpu-chan. Since there would be less shows in Paris, the troupe would be staying at the hotel instead. Since it was a tiny place, they managed to book enough rooms to take up an entire floor. It sounded really fun.

It was already the end of March. I was ready to start the new semester at school, and studying really hard to take up my role as the soccer team manager. Today, we would gather at the MAHO-do to prepare for the release of our new cake creations tomorrow. It had been almost a year since we started working again. Ever since Momo-chan’s arrival and our switch to a desserts house, things had gotten really busy. Since I worked nearly every day, I now had quite a bit of savings. It was fun thinking of how I would spend all this money. Please read this at the original site: lightnovelswithmisachan.wordpress.com

The cherry blossoms had started blooming too, and it was gradually getting warmer. While it was hard getting out of bed in the cold winter, it was no different now. Just as I was rolling around in bed, my phone rang with an incoming call. It was Onpu-chan.

What’s wrong, Onpu-chan? Wasn’t it midnight now where you are?

It was rare that she called, since we always kept in touch via messaging. I mean, she should be resting in preparation of her journey to Paris tomorrow.

“Hello. I’ve sent everyone in MAHO-do an e-mail, so please check it.”

“What? What is this about?”

Onpu-chan’s voice sounded relatively calm over the phone, and I was relieved that she wasn’t calling because of any trouble or homesickness. However, it was still totally unlike Onpu-chan.

“There’s a video that’s been going viral in London recently, and it’s caught my interest. I think everyone, including Majorika and Lala, should see it too.” Please read this at the original site: lightnovelswithmisachan.wordpress.com

What a vague request. I couldn’t tell what she was getting at, but maybe it was because she didn’t totally understand the situation herself either.

“Ok, I get it, Onpu-chan. I’ll be heading to the MAHO-do soon, and I’ll let everyone know what you said.”

We continued to chat for a while. She would be traveling to Paris in the morning, and there would be a meeting before the first performance on the following day. I wondered if they would be alright putting up a show without any prior rehearsals.

“We rehearsed for the Paris shows on our days off in London, so there’s no problem,” Onpu-chan assured me.

She promised to keep us updated via e-mail due to the time difference, and the fact that she would be spending most of the time with her manager. After ending the call, I quickly got ready to leave the house. I fired off messages to Hazuki-chan and Ai-chan to tell them to gather quickly at the MAHO-do. Momo-chan was most probably already on her way, so I left her out.