"Honoka, wake up."
The room shifted into focus as the gingerhead opened her eyes.
"Eh? Yukiho? Another...five..minutes..."
"Wake up, idiot. It's me, Hoseki."
"E-eh?"
"I've got something important to tell you."
"Wh...what?..."
"You suck."
...........
.......
.....
....
...
..
.
"Thanks."
Hoseki rolled her eyes, and started tugging at Honoka's legs, pulling her off the bed.
"Ow-ow-ow, okay, okay I get it. OW. I'm getting up."
Hoseki let go of Honoka's legs and let them fall to the floor, staring at her with bronze eyes.
Honoka propped herself up on the bed with her elbows and faced Hoseki.
"What do you really have to tell me?"
"Get ready for work, duh. You're going to make your customers wait for you all day?"
"Fine..."
She finally stood up, and pushed Hoseki out of the room.
"He-hey!"
"I need to change, Seki-chan,"
She closed the door behind her and sighed.
Turning her head, she saw a picture of nine girls embedded in a pink photo frame she had placed on her night stand.
Letting go of the doorknob, she reached for the frame and held it at arm's length.
"I miss you guys..."
She wondered what everyone was up to now, besides Kotori, who she had kept in close contact ever since Umi had mysteriously disappeared.
By close contact, she meant letting Kotori stay at her bakery for possibly the rest of her life.
Still, Umi's disappearance was not the only strange occurrence.
Shortly after, Nozomi and Nico had proclaimed both Eli and Maki missing.
She still remembered the day exactly as it happened.
The only thing she had ever remembered besides the memories they had shared as a school idol group.
XXXXX
[2 years ago]
A knock resounded on the door, and Honoka stood up to answer, her eyes still on the television.
"Kousaka Bakery---Kotori-chan?"
The grey-haired girl was panting slightly, her hand on the door frame, dressed in her night gown and hugging her favourite yellow pillow, her chest heaving up and down with the effort she had put in to rush there.
"Ho-Honoka-chan..."
She raised her head and stared at Honoka with panicking golden eyes.
"Umi-chan..."
"What happened, Kotori-chan?"
After bringing her in the bakery to have a seat on the sofa, she brought out a cup of hot tea for Kotori and handed it to her.
"I...I woke up to have a drink of water but when I got off the bed...I realised that Umi-chan wasn't there..."
Honoka just sat in silence, listening to whatever Kotori was saying, while slowly grabbing her house phone off its place on the mantle.
"Normally, she would be sleeping face up, but there was just a depression in the bed, and I couldn't find her anywhere in the house...so I came..."
"I know that she came home, because I waited for her to come back and we went to bed together, so it's impossible for her to be anywhere else unless..."
Unable to bear it anymore, she broke down into tears and Honoka patted her back comfortingly.
"I don't think that she ran away, Kotori-chan. We know that Umi-chan won't ever do a thing like that,"
Kotori nodded slowly.
"Besides, I think she loves you too much to do that."
She nodded again.
"I guess you can stay here for tonight, Kotori-chan, or probably until we find Umi-chan. Seki-chan is here, so everything will be alright. If you need anything, just call any one of us."
Honoka then escorted Kotori up the stairs to the spare room she kept for Yukiho whenever she came for a visit.
She tucked the scared girl in and turned off the lights, closing the door softly behind her.
She had to stay strong for Kotori, moreover when Umi's whereabouts were unknown.
"Honoka? Why are you up so late?"
Hoseki had come out of her room, clad in a turquoise singlet and shorts, clutching a mug of milk.
"Kotori-chan just popped in, and she told me that Umi-chan disappeared,"
Hoseki's bronze eyes widened and her face paled. Sweeping her hair behind her back, she straightened.
"We'll have to tell the police."
"I was planning to,"
Honoka held up the cordless phone.
XXXXX
A few days afterwards, the same thing had happened to Eli and Maki.
Both disappeared without a trace like Umi.
Weirdest of all, the disappearances occurred at night, and all the clues had pointed to them just stepping off the bed for a breather, but then vanished shortly afterwards.
She rubbed the picture between her thumb and her second finger.
This picture is getting old...
Holding it with a delicacy unknown to her, she gently placed it inside the pocket of her apron and slid it on.
She would keep them close to her heart, the most precious thing that ever happened to her.
XXXXX
"Zoom in on target."
"Target is acting as predicted."
"Good, tell the boss that we've got it under control."
XXXXX
"May I have two loaves of the Sakura Mochi bread, and one packet of Homura biscuits?"
"Coming right up,"
Honoka straightened her apron and approached the kitchen at the back.
"Seki-chan? We've run out of the Sakura Mochi bread!"
"Got it!"
She walked out again, and proceeded to check on Kotori.
Pushing open the door gently, she caught a glimpse of the grey-haired girl sleeping peacefully on her yellow pillow, hugging a plushie of Umi.
Honoka smiled at the sight and closed the door slowly.
"Honoka? I've already served the customer up front."
Hoseki walked up to the ginger-haired girl and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"She's going to be fine, Honoka. It's been two years, surely she would have gotten over Umi by now."
"You don't understand, Seki-chan. Kotori-chan loved Umi-chan unlike anyone else, and Umi-chan treated her the same. Kotori-chan will never be the same with Umi-chan gone, I'm definitely worried for her."
Being slightly taller than her, Hoseki flicked her forehead gently.
"Wake up, baka. Umi is never coming back and that's final."
"Seki-"
"Hurry up, there's already another customer at the counter."
Honoks sighed, and pushed back her ginger hair, casting her gaze downwards.
Some people just don't understand the connections, the deep and strong bond that was forged in between every single one of the M's members.
How can she not be worried about the people most precious to her?
XXXXX
"Hanamaru-chan? Have you gotten your bread yet?"
"Not yet, Ruby-chan. The baker's taking a long time, zura."
The caramel-haired girl turned to look back at her best friend patiently waiting for her to collect the bread that she ordered from the baker a while ago.
"Kousaka Bakery though? It sounds familiar..."
Ruby trailed off, her red hair in two pigtails, flowing gently in the autumn breeze, thinking deeply.
"Sorry to keep you waiting,"
Honoka set the bags of bread down heavily on the counter.
"That will be 1,176¥, thank you for buying-"
"PIGI!!"
Ruby dashed forward like a rocket, zigzagging towards Honoka.
"I've never seen her run this fast, zura."
Hanamaru commented, her golden eyes twinkling.
"Kou-Kousaka Ho-Honoka-san ri-right?"
Ruby was standing in front of the gingerhead, who was making confused expressions.
"Yes..."
"I knew it!"
Ruby jumped up and snatched Honoka's hand excitedly, surprising the baker and herself mostly.
"A-ah!! Sorry...I'm just a huge fan..."
The smaller girl scratched the back of her head nervously.
"That's okay! It's just been four years, how do you know us? Plus, we are currently in Uchiura, literally the most secluded island off Japan-"
"You are still very popular!!"
"Nice to know,"
Hoseki stepped out of the kitchen, drops of perspiration rolling down her face and neck.
"Honoka, something seems to be wrong with the oven-"
Ruby turned to look at her, and took in her features, then looked back at Honoka.
"I'm-I'm assuming that sh-shes your sister?"
Honoka put up her hands in front of her in defence.
"No! She's just a girl that I found on the street, and I decided to bring her up,"
Hoseki rolled her eyes and went back to the kitchen.
"She's taller than me, but to be honest, she's 12,"
Ruby gaped.
"Ruby-chan? We have to go, we're going to be late for school, zura!"
"Sorry, Kousaka-san! I'll come back later to talk!!"
She called out while being dragged away by her caramel-haired friend.
"Ah...it's sure nice to talk to people who remember us, especially in this desolate place. Didn't get to know her name though. Maybe I'll find out later."
Honoka sighed, supporting her head with her right hand on the counter, staring out at the glorious blue of the sea opposite her bakery.
"Honoka, we have really have to do something about that oven,"
Hoseki poked her head from behind the kitchen door and stared at the back of her "foster" mother.
Technically not really her mother, but Honoka had sort of been a supporting pillar for her throughout the three years she had known her, more of a big sister to her than a mother.
But she wasn't too sure now.
Not after what she had told her.
Especially when she didn't know a single thing about her past.
Try as hard as she liked, but she couldn't bring herself to remember her true mother's face.
Hoseki continued staring at Honoka, taking in her dark blue eyes that were sparkling, reflecting the glow of the sea, and at her silky ginger hair resting on her back.
It would be nice to know what my mother looked like.
She retreated to the kitchen again, leaving Honoka in peace.
She did deserve that much at least.
XXXXX
Thanks for reading :)
Sorry if this didn't contain that much story progress, but I just wanted to show how life is currently like at Honoka's side.
Thanks again for reading!
[joyfulweirdo]