Of Sweets & Secrets (Yumeiro Pâtissière)

Sweets royalty?

❝Miss, we've arrived.❞

The car was pulling up to the Japanese branch of St. Marie Academy. Sakurako landed in Japan a half hour ago, but Henri left her in her chauffeur's care as he left to attend this year's Sweets Festa. She was still trying to refamiliarise herself with the surroundings.

It's changed, but at the same time, it feels the same. I've almost forgotten what it was like living here.

❝Please greet the two staff members over there.❞ he said, gesturing at two adults that stood near the open gates. ❝Should you ever need my services again, my number is on your speed dial.❞

"Thank you v—" she uttered out, but hurriedly fixed her mistake. She didn't know whether or not he was affluent in Japanese. ❝I mean—❞

"You're very welcome."

"Thank you..." she trailed off so he could introduce himself.

"Kagamine. Kagamine Ichirou."

They came along with a handcart which Kagamine loaded with her luggage. There was a mustached man and a glasses-wearing brunette. The man opened her car door.

❝Good day, Ms. Honoka. I trust your flight went well?❞

❝Good day to you both as well.❞ she began. "And yes, it went very well."

He belted out a hearty laugh. "I see my presence isn't needed here. I am the French teacher, Bouchard Alphonse."

"I'm your cooking instructor, Ameya Noriko. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Honoka-san."

She shook both of their hands. "The pleasure is mine. Thank you for the warm welcome."

The first order of business was to show her around the campus and that began with her new private dormitory. It was two stories tall, yet seemed smaller than her previous one.

"Here's the key." Ameya said, placing a silver key in her palm. "Take care not to lose it. After our tour, you can see inside for yourself."

When the tour reached its conclusion, night had fallen, turning the air chilly. Sakurako wrapped her arms around her and rubbed them against her shoulders, trying to hurry back to her dorm. Strawberry was a little more comfortable being wrapped in her hair like a baby in a blanket.

A blast of warm air greeted them as she opened the door. Once inside, she practically threw herself on the red loveseat in the living room, her energy completely depleted. "What a day."

"You must be exhausted, but we should take a look around before going to bed." Strawberry suggested. Sakurako nodded and collected the energy to stand up.

With a quick glance, she saw most of her luggage were placed in the correct areas, but one sight caught her eye. A trophy case stood between the living room and dining room and inside were her trophies, neat and unscathed. She reread the inscriptions and felt a dose of confidence each time.

"That one is my favorite!" Strawberry pointed to one of the largest trophies out of the fourteen.

"I can see why. It's my favorite too." She reminisced back to that time where her team won first place at the Cake Grand Prix. "The first big step to accomplishing our dream of being pâtissières."

"With the two of us combined, we'll be there in no time."

"Now, now, Strawberry, it isn't wise to underestimate the competition."

"Ah, you're right." She chuckled awkwardly. "I guess I got ahead of myself."

"But you do have the right attitude. If we continue this streak, we'll be successful for sure." After that little pep talk, they resumed exploring the place.