Hello everyone. I've decided to start writing again. I don't know if this story will lead to an interesting place, but I will do my best to put my heart into it and see where it goes. Please let me know what you think. I hope it is enjoyable to read.

The Boys at the Bakery II

The wind whirled around, dry leaves rustling in the courtyard in front of Chitose Hibiya's apartment building. She looked up at the crisp morning sky. It was going to be a sunny day. People walked by but none waved or paid any mind to her as she raked. It had been two years since her career as a graphic artist began. On days when she didn't have to work, Chitose took pleasure in maintaining her apartment business. It wasn't much, but she enjoyed having young people around. Most of them were college students.

When raking and trimming was done for the afternoon, Chitose freshened up and hopped on her powder blue moped and rode over to the grocery store. She only cooked for herself. She bought half a pound of chicken and a few apples. The cashier that worked weeknights was a young woman that admired Chitose for her beauty and independence. "Yumi" was printed on her nametag.

"Good evening, miss," said Yumi.

"Hello," Chitose replied with a small smile.

After the groceries were rang through and paid for, the cashier said: "Thank you…Come again!"

Chitose would nod as she picked up her shopping bag, and that was always the extent of the exchange. When she got home, she filled her kettle with water and put it on the back burner. Chitose had a cup of elderflower tea with dinner sometimes. While eating her chicken sandwich, she listened as her tenants trickled back to their apartments from school. Some would bring friends, some would come home and then go out, and others played Frisbee in the courtyard if the weather was nice—that's partly why she made the effort to keep it tidy. Listening to bits and pieces of their conversations kept Chitose up on the latest trends. Sometimes she would chuckle to herself, almost as if she wished she were able to join them. Mainly, she felt this way because she missed her friend and former tenant, Hideki Motosuwa. He'd gone off to school and seldom contacted her anymore. He was busy with school. She kept up on what he was doing through a certain baker…

Chitose and Hiroyasu Ueda, the owner of Chiroru Patisserie, had become fast friends in Hideki's absence. They both missed him dearly; for slightly different reasons, of course.

The telephone rang. It was Hiroyasu: "Hello Hiroyasu," Chitose said, rhythmically.

"How's it going? It feels like I haven't talked to you all week," said the baker.

"Everything is just fine," said Chitose.

"You are always by yourself, so I can't help but worry if I don't hear from you. I know how it is, must I remind you."

The woman paused for a moment. She was thinking about how to put her thoughts into words.

"I have been thinking, now that Hideki is used to the whole college thing…why don't we go visit him together? I would go, myself, but I know he'd especially like it if you came along. I'm sure he's thoroughly pent up by now…it's halfway through the semester!"

Hiroyasu couldn't help but laugh. "Of course he is! But oh, he does have a roommate…"

"I'll politely excuse his roommate and myself for a little while if he has any problems getting the place to himself," Chitose suggested.

Hiroyasu was blushing from head to toe on the other end. He couldn't believe the level of tension Chitose could simply cut through with her words.

Hideki was studying formal Japanese at Piffle University. Hiroyasu picked up Chitose on Friday afternoon, after closing up the patisserie. They cranked up the radio like they were two teenagers and set off. Although they looked good, they were both holding onto their youth by the skin of their teeth.

"I hope this is a good idea," Hiroyasu said.

"I'm sure he will be happy to see us," Chitose smiled.

When they arrived at Piffle University, Chitose was marveled at the size of the campus. Hiroyasu had been there before (to drop Hideki off), but she'd never been. They pulled up in front of Hideki's dorm after a few minutes of stopping and going at crosswalks. Most of the college kids paid no mind to the fact that a main road ran through their school.

"How do we get in?" Chitose asked.

"We have to have a card key to the building, I think," said Hiroyasu.

They ended up following a large group of students in, as inconspicuously as possible. No one seemed to notice. Hideki's room was on the fourth floor.

"He must be in good shape with all these stairs."

Chitose laughed. "Who is going to knock? You or I?"

When they reached Hideki's room, the door was actually open, so they walked in. Hideki was sitting at his desk with his back turned to them, and his roommate was listening to music on a big chair.

Chitose put her hand on Hideki's shoulder, startling him slightly. He whirled around in surprise. "Ch-Chitose? Hiro?! Why are you both here?" Hideki asked in shock.

"We wanted to visit…or well, I did. I made your boyfriend come along though. I miss you," the woman said, with her big kind eyes.

Hideki's roommate just sat there, paying the two older adults no attention.

"Oh, him? His music probably blasting in his headphones," said Hideki.

Chitose approached the other boy while the two lovebirds went out into the hall to sneak a kiss whilst no one was looking. She lifted the headphones off of him.

"Hello, I'm Hideki's mother. Would you mind leaving the room for a little while? We would like to speak to him in private for an hour or so."

Without saying anything, the boy sat up. He threw a few things into a bag and left the room, slamming the door behind him. A minute later, Hideki returned with Hiroyasu.

"How did you get him to leave?! He never moves from that spot!"

Chitose grinned, glancing down at her watch. "You have one hour…"

It's nice to know that Hideki is doing well…Chitose thought, as she strolled through the expansive campus. She soon found herself sitting down in a café. It was oddly quiet. There was no one sitting down except a girl in the far corner. She appeared to be sketching. She ventured closer, to get a glimpse of what the girl was working on. Oh my goodness…

The girl turned around upon hearing someone gasp.

"I'm so sorry for intruding on your work, but your drawing looks a lot like someone I know," said Chitose.

"Oh really? It's a portrait of my boyfriend," the girl replied.