AFTER RANPO AND Y/N had parted ways for the evening and Y/N began the walk home, she came to realise just how much the day had tired her out. The heels of her feet ached with every step she took—carrying a giant, stuffed bear wasn't helping—and all she wanted to do was run herself a nice, hot bath—maybe throw in some essential oils and light a candle or two—and relax.

But it seemed that the universe had other plans for her, and some peaceful relaxation time was not on the agenda.

Upon stepping into the two-bedroom apartment she called home, Y/N was met with her sister who sat on the sofa, holding a paper in her hands.

She'd seemed to be in deep thought with her gaze directed towards the words on the page, but when she heard the light creaking of the front door as it opened and then closed, she glanced over her shoulder and hastily tucked the paper into her pocket at the sight of her younger sister.

Y/N had been too busy taking off her shoes to notice S/N—or the paper she'd quickly hidden—so when she looked up and finally saw her sister, she couldn't help but wonder why she was home so early. There was always the possibility that her shift at the office she worked at had ended quicker. Still... S/N was home two hours earlier than normal. Was there, perhaps, something important going on?

There was no use pondering over it. Y/N could just ask her herself.

"S/N, hey," she greeted as she made her way towards her sister and plopped down on the sofa. "You're home early." She placed the teddy bear between her and her sister, excitedly saying, "Look what I got!"

Her sister gave her a small smile, though maybe the exhaustion was just messing with Y/N, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"It's adorable," S/N mused. "Did you have fun?"

Y/N couldn't keep the smile off her face as she nodded eagerly in response. "Oh, S/N, I have so much to tell you. It was amazing!"

S/N looked up, a little more nervous than usual, "Actually, could it wait...?" She released a heavy sigh. "The thing is... we need to talk."

Her sister's tone caught Y/N off-guard, and those four dreaded words... In all the movies she had watched and books she had read, they never promised anything good.

She straightened her posture, an odd feeling in her gut. Despite being slightly hesitant, Y/N wanted to hear S/N out. "Go ahead."

S/N nodded. "Then, I suppose I'll get straight to the point." Her gaze met her sister's. "The bakery isn't running too well, is it?"

Y/N's brows rose in surprise. Was this what S/N had wanted to talk to her about?

"Well, it's true that we don't get as many customers as we used to before all the huge restaurants filled the street." The girl laughed nervously. "I wouldn't say it's not running at all, though."

S/N sighed, shifting her weight so that she was facing Y/N directly, elbow leaning against the top of the sofa. "Y/N... you do get customers—I'm not saying you don't—but let's face it: The bakery's becoming a liability. We're barely making any profit from it, and every so often, days come by where we actually do lose more money than we gain."

Y/N didn't know how to respond because everything S/N was saying was true, and in her heart, she knew that this conversation had been long due.

"Y/N, there's only one solution..." Her sister leaned forward, a faint frown on her features. "We have to sell the bakery."

Y/N had expected S/N to say many things after that long pause, but bringing up the idea of selling the bakery was not one of them.

"You can't do that!" Y/N blurted out in response. "The bakery—it's been passed down from so many generations. Our great grandfather opened it—he poured his life's work into it, I'm sure. And now, you want to sell it?"

S/N had known her sister would get defensive when it came to this. It wasn't like she wanted to sell the bakery either, but it was more important that they got rid of that burden before it got them stuck in a financial situation of some sort.

"Y/N, listen to me," S/N said calmly. "You know I love you and I only want what's best for you—for us. As your big sis, my very first responsibility is to make sure the two of us are okay." She placed a hand over her sister's. "I don't want to do this either, but our finances will run out if we don't sell the bakery while we still can."

Y/N couldn't argue with anything S/N had said. Because her sister was right, and Y/N was wrong, and Y/N hated that fact more than anything.

The bakery was more important to Y/N than she could ever put into words. Most of her memories were made with the smell of freshly-baked pastries wafting around her, in the small building that eventually became her haven, and her home away from home.

When she was as young as one, her father would bring her and S/N, who was three at the time, with him, and the two would quietly play with their toys in the corner while their father handled the customers. When she grew up and started school, oftentimes, Y/N would even do her homework there, because the sweet aroma would help her concentrate.

And when her father tragically died in a Port Mafia shooting—an innocent bystander who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time—the booths by the window became Y/N's bed and she'd sleep in the bakery, unable to go home to the house that would be too quiet.

All in all, the bakery meant a lot to her. She couldn't possibly imagine selling it...

"Think it over, Y/N," S/N said softly, giving Y/N's hand a gentle squeeze. "If you want, we can wait till the end of the month—two weeks from now, so you can wrap everything up."

We can wait, but not forever.

It was clear that S/N wasn't going to give her a choice in this matter, and even if she did, Y/N knew the inevitable fact—she would have to sell her safe place eventually.

Unable to say any more on the matter, Y/N quietly stood up from her seat on the sofa. Without saying a word, she slipped out of the lounge and into the hallway, leaving both S/N and her bear behind as she half-heartedly walked to her room, feeling as though that conversation had drained the last of her energy.

How did such an amazing day go to shit so quickly?

Just a few hours ago, Y/N had been at the Yokohama Fair with Ranpo, having the time of her life. And now, she was undoubtedly heartbroken.

Crestfallen, she entered her room and collapsed onto the bed, a long, tired sigh escaping her lips.

She would have to start looking for a new job soon, but she knew it was easier said than done. She'd only completed high school before she'd given her full attention to the bakery. S/N had tried to convince her to at least complete college, saying that the degree would be helpful in the future, but their father had laughed and wrapped an arm around Y/N protectively, pulling her towards him with a light squeeze.

"If my little girl wants to give her all to the bakery, there's nothing wrong with that," he'd said.

But looking back now, S/N had been right. S/N had always been right.

Y/N sighed again, turning onto her side as she stared out the window.

The night outside was dark, and the thick clouds covered each and every star that tried to gleam down on the world below. The only natural light was from the full moon as it cast its glow high in the sky, contrasting starkly against the black sky.

The weather reports had promised it'd rain for the night. Hard. Y/N almost laughed as she thought about it—even the weather was feeling just as miserable as her.

As if on cue, a flash of lightning tore the sky in half, thunder rumbling lowly in the distance, promising a storm that would surely last all night.

The sudden ringing of her phone distracted the girl from her thoughts, and she hustled to pick it up. The caller ID read the name of her best friend, and Y/N almost sighed in relief at the sight.

Perhaps she could finally vent a little.

"Hey, Yuri," she said the moment she picked up.

"Y/N, hi!" The girl could hear the grin in her friend's voice. "Did you have fun at the fair without me?"

"Yeah, I did," Y/N replied, a small smile pulling at the corner of her lips despite her being a little down in the dumps. "Your company's growing overrated."

Yuriko mocked an offended gasp. "How dare you!" Then, she laughed, her voice like thick honey. "Well, it's natural that you'd have more fun with your boyfriend."

Y/N spluttered, heat rushing to her face. "He's—he is not my boyfriend!"

"But you wish he was," Yuriko pointed out.

Y/N was about to deny it, when she realised... Yuriko is completely, 100% right.

She couldn't stop the keep the blush off her face at that realisation. Ah... what had she gotten herself into?

"Ha! You went silent. That means it's true!" Yuriko was on the verge of laughter as she began to sing, "Ranpo and Y/N sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S—"

"Yuriko Tamako," Y/N hissed, face uncontrollably red. "Shut up!"

Her best friend paused to compose herself, giggling silently. "Alright, fine. I'll stop bullying you. So, how did the rest of your day go? I presume it went well?"

Y/N sighed. "About that..."

Yuriko sensed the rant that was about to follow. "Uh oh. What happened?"

Y/N slowly began to go over the conversation she'd had with her sister, explaining the situation to her best friend. By the time she'd finished, Yuriko's tone had changed to a much more serious one.

"She's seriously forcing you to sell the bakery?" Yuriko asked in disbelief. "Are you kidding? She knows how special it is to you." Her best friend scoffed. "What kind of a sister—"

"Yuri," Y/N interrupted softly. "It's... it's not her fault. Truth be told, this was a long time coming..."

"There has to be something we can do, no?" Yuriko asked, concern lacing her voice. "Or are you going to sit back and just let it happen?"

Y/N opened her mouth to reply when a knock on the door sounded, followed by her sister's somewhat muffled voice.

"Y/N," she heard S/N say. "I'm gonna go put towels under the bakery door. There's a storm tonight." There was a short pause before she gently added, "If you have the energy, we can talk about this a little more once I'm back..."

"Okay," Y/N replied, voice devoid from her usual enthusiasm. Usually, she would've offered to do it herself, but Y/N simply didn't have the energy to even get up right now.

"Is that S/N?" Yuriko asked, reminding Y/N that her best friend was still on the line.

"Yeah," the girl replied. "She's going to the bakery to make sure water doesn't leak in with the storm and all."

There was a pause that was long enough for Y/N to wonder whether the line had dropped.

"Yuri, you there?" Y/N asked, just to make sure.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I was just thinking about what could be done," she replied. "I've got nothing right now, but I'm sure we'll figure something out—I know it."

Though she didn't believe her friend, she appreciated the effort she was putting in to make her feel a little better.

"I've gotta go now," Yuriko continued, "but everything will be fine, Y/N. Don't lose hope."

"Thanks, Yuri," Y/N sighed. "I'll talk to you later, then." The two bid each other farewell before the line dropped.

Just then, a knock on the door sounded again. "Have you seen my keys?" S/N called out. "I've been looking for them for five minutes now."

"On top of the microwave," Y/N called back, her memory good enough for her to remember the silver glint of said keys as she'd walked past the kitchen.

"Thanks," S/N replied. "I'll be off now."

Y/N didn't bother to say goodbye. Her sister would be back within twenty minutes. She might as well have begun to get ready for bed, her energy entirely drained out from the long day.

But that night, the storm that devastated the skies wasn't the only one, and if Y/N had stayed awake just a little longer, she would have realised that her sister didn't return home.

─── ⋅✧⋅ ───

[edited, 26/11/22]