The birds were chirping away harmoniously, moments before the sun was about to rear its head over the horizon. Despite being in the latter parts of summer, the orange hue of the sun still brought with it the promise of heat.
The moment the clock struck 5am, music began to play from the first floor of the house, 90’s hip hop with its catchy beat and frenetic lyricism.
Bouncing along to this beat was a man in his early forties who wore a blue bakers apron and a white singlet underneath, showcasing his muscular arms. If it weren’t for the rolling pin in his hands and flour dusted upon his body, one might confuse him with a blacksmith.
Of course, depending on who one asked, Bakers could also be classed as forgers.
Tetsu started his day the same as any other, blasting his music and preparing the baked goods that they’d be selling for the day. Yet there was a hint of excitement in his movements that one might not usually see.
His movements were crisp, forged through countless years of kneading and baking. This time of morning was his happy time, where he got to create and perfect things that others enjoyed eating.
At 6:30am the doors opened, bringing with it the rush of what Tetsu would refer to as the old farts with nothing better to do. These people were known to gasbag about anything and everything, taking up his precious time.
After placing the last tray of baked goods out for display, Tetsu quickly left the area as he usually did, leaving his wife to deal with the horde of oldies.
Naomi didn’t have a problem with this, considering her husband had a hard time biting his tongue. This setup had worked for them for years, with Naomi’s warm and gentle smile up front, and Tetsu’s Iron chin in the back.
“Naomi-chan, it’s such an exciting day today right? I heard that our Yokohama team are playing in the semi-finals at Koshien.”
An old lady who was a known gossiper spoke up while taking her picks from the displayed goods.
“Eh? Too bad they’re facin’ our Osaka team.” An older man interjected, his Kansai accent made it clear he was from Osaka.
“What do you mean you old fart? Yokohama is gonna win today.” The old lady didn’t pull any punches, backing her local team with pride.
“Bah, yer just a bunch of lucky buggers who were given easy rounds to the semi-finals.”
“Eh!? Whose yappin’ out their ass?”
A deep voice came from out the back of the bakery, causing everyone to turn their head in shock. Naomi’s expression turned blank as she hadn’t expected the outburst.
The old man who had been insulted stood his ground.
“Tetsu, don’t tell me yer rootin’ for the enemy now?”
Since they shared the same accent, the old man had obviously thought that Tetsu would be on his side in the matter. But it was clear that he did not know the background story.
“Tell me how they’ve had an easy path to the Semi’s old man. If ya don’t stop talkin’ crap I’ll send ya home with some toilet paper for yer stinkin’ mouth.” Tetsu walked in front of the old man with an intimidating gaze.
Yet despite getting verbally abused, the old man stood his ground.
“Shinjuku and Uruwa were both duds who hadn’t been ta nationals in over 10 years. Ya can’t tell me they weren’t easy matches.”
Tetsu nodded along, yet his gaze was fiery.
“So how do ya explain them thrashin’ Sendai? That team was runner up 2 years ago and was best 4 last year.”
The old man’s face got a little red and was about to retort, however Tetsu didn’t give him a chance.
“Our boy Ken has 54 strikeouts and 5 home runs in only 3 matches. Not ta mention the perfect game he threw, the first ever in Koshien history!”
“T-That’s beside the point. Osaka have a better team overall, and Yatsuo has only given up 2 runs in 3 games!”
“Hah! 2 runs!? Ken hasn’t even given up 1!”
Tetsu stood akimbo as he berated the old man, a victorious grin creeping up onto his face.
The others in the bakery did not expect such an intense argument so early in the morning, yet the old lady who was interrupted before had her fists clenched as she silently cheered Tetsu on.
“D-Damn it Tetsu. Why are ya goin’ for that team anyway? Aren’t ya from Osaka?”
The truth was, he really was born in Osaka, but his parents had been forced to relocate since he was a delinquent in school. Eventually they decided on Yokohama and he started High School at Zama High.
While he still ran with an unsavory crowd, they were a lot more organized and didn’t get caught. Yet he wasn’t about to explain all of his back story to some random old fart who just like to talk.
“None of ya damn business. Now buy yer baked stuff and get out, ya bastard.”
After saying his peace, Tetsu walked back to his baking cave and went back to work. His eyes shifted to the clock in the corner and lamented seeing that it was not even 7am yet.
“Just 5 more hours…” He muttered.
Naomi was speechless as she was left with the oldies on the shop floor. However, a small grin formed on her face in the next moment.
‘Looks like he’s warming up to Ken in his own way.’
***
In the Takagi household, Yuki was doing her best to stay busy in order to keep her mind off what was coming up that day. Despite this being her kids goal of meeting each other at Nationals, she knew that only one of them could win.
Whenever she thought about the conclusion of the match, her eyes would begin to tear up, filling her with emotion.
Yuki had been invited to watch the match with Naomi, but she wasn’t sure if she would be able to hold in her emotions in other’s presence.
BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ
Just as she was deep in thought, her phone vibrated.
“Hello?”
“Hi honey, how are you holding up?”
Hearing the sound of her husband’s voice calmed her down significantly, eliciting a smile.