A new week began at Misora Town. After a somewhat lonely weekend, Seiko began the classes again with excitement. Meeting Doremi and Momoko again made her happy and she enjoyed her time with them. Also, she spent more time with Aiko, Hazuki and Onpu from the other class and got to know them a bit more. Still, even though Doremi walked home with her sometimes, Seiko longed to meet them outside of school. However, all the girls seemed to leave quite quickly after class and she didn’t know how. The girl talked about this with Ms. Seki one night during dinner.

-Maybe it’s time that you ask them to hang out- said Ms. Seki while eating some steak.

-Are you sure?- asked Seiko dubiously. -What if they don’t want to hang out with me? Or what if my plans are boring…

-Look, if you want to see them more, you have to talk to them. They have been including you this last week, I don’t think they will have any problems- explained Ms. Seki. -About the plan, you can think of something easy like playing in the park or you talk it out all together. What matters is that you show that you want to include them in your life as well.

Ms. Seki’s advice was right, but it was easier said than done. The following day, at the end of the classes, Seiko was nervous as she thought about what she wanted to say. She saw Momoko and Doremi getting ready to leave, she wanted to talk, but words couldn’t come out. Then, Aiko appeared at the door.

-Hey, are you two ready?- asked Aiko to Doremi and Momoko.

-Yeah, let’s go- said Doremi. -Sorry, Seiko, I can’t go home with you today. See you tomorrow!

Seiko waved at her, but deep inside, she was scared. Seeing her friends leaving made her anxious.

-Come on, come on… You can do it, Seiko!- thought Seiko to herself to cheer up.

Seiko picked up her bag quickly and rushed through the door. The group of girls was close to the stairs.

-Wait, please!- exclaimed Seiko as she caught up to them.

-What’s wrong? Did anything happen?- asked Hazuki worried as Seiko gasped.

Seiko caught up her breath and looked at the other girls. She was still nervous, but gathered all her courage.

-You see… I… I wanted to ask… You know… If you are free, would… would you like to do something together?- finally asked Seiko. -We can go play in the park or… yeah! I found some stores that we could visit or… if you prefer anything else, that would be OK too…

The other girls looked at each other with sad faces.

-We’re sorry, Seiko. We can’t- answered Doremi sadly.

Hearing those words, Seiko smiled nervously, but she was sad deep inside.

-Oh, oh… OK… Don’t worry, I… I get it…- said Seiko sadly. -Sorry for bothering you… you… you probably have better plans.

-The other way, we’d love to!- exclaimed Aiko. -Yours are better plans than going to work now…

-Yeah, sure… Wait, work?- asked Seiko as her sadness was replaced with confusion.

-Doremi, didn’t you tell her what we do in the afternoons?- asked Onpu in the back.

-Ah, you’re right!- exclaimed Doremi shocked. -I’m so sorry, Seiko, but we work at a patisserie some afternoons and the weekends. That’s why I never asked you to play!

As Doremi apologized, Seiko was more confused, but relieved at the same time.

-Work? Patisserie?- asked Seiko.

The girls cheerfully invited Seiko to go with them, but without telling her anything as they wanted to surprise her. Seiko was still confused, but seeing how happy the other girls were, she felt relaxed. She knew that she could trust them. The group walked for a while until the got to a street that the dark-haired girl had never seen before, and that was when she saw it.

-Woow...- was all Seiko could mutter.

In front of her there was a big café with a terrace, some balconies and big windows. The store seemed to have a garden as well, because a big tree could be seen coming out behind a big dome. For Seiko, it felt that place didn’t belong to the city, as if it was taken from somewhere really far and put there.

-Welcome to the Magical Patisserie!- exclaimed Doremi and her friends in unison.

-Magical… Patisserie?- murmured Seiko in awe.

-I’ll go ahead to… check on her- said Aiko while rushing inside the store.

-Check on who?- asked Seiko.

-Nothing! It’s just… a kitty!- exclaimed Hazuki nervously. -There’s a kitty in the store and she gets nervous with strangers!

A few seconds later, Aiko came out of the door and made a sign to everybody else to go inside. The interior was even more amazing, as Seiko looked around, marveled with the scene in front of her. Wooden furniture around her, beautiful tables and chairs, plants everywhere, a big kitchen… Seiko was speechless, but the girls knew she was enjoying it.

-Are you alright, Seiko?- asked Momoko.

-Yeah, it’s just… I don’t what it is, but… this place makes me feel so… calm… and comfy…- explained Seiko with a smile. -Still, we are children. How are you working in such a place?

-Well, the store is run by an old lady, but she can’t do anything by herself, so we come here and help her- explained Doremi. -When we began a time ago, we tried to keep it a secret, but our parents and Ms. Seki found out. We explained the situation and they allowed us to work here sometimes.

-And you make sweets? That’s amazing!- exclaimed Seiko. -I can do some cooking by myself, but I have never tried making sweets…

-Well, as an expert, I can tell you: it can be hard at first, but when you get the techniques right, it’s really fun!- exclaimed Momoko proudly.

-Yep, Momoko here worked in a patisserie in the US and she taught us! We had sum’ problems then, right?- added Aiko, causing the other girls to laugh.

Then, the group showed Seiko around the store. While Momoko and Onpu showed them their tools and how they made sweets, the others changed outfits in a different room. Seiko was amazed at the beautiful white aprons that the girls used for cooking. As everybody talked together:

-Do-e-mi!

-Aaaaaah! Hana!- exclaimed Hazuki.

As she turned around, Hazuki was holding a small child in her hands. She probably was around 2 years all, with a round, softy face and two short blonde pigtails adorned with gems of different colors.

-Oh my gosh! What a cute little baby!- exclaimed Seiko.

-Yeah, this is Hana!- introduced Hazuki nervously. -Hana, say hi to Seiko!

The little girl was silent for a few seconds, looking at Seiko’s eyes with attention. Then, she began moving her hand, pointing at Seiko’s hand. The dark-haired girl approached a finger to the baby slowly, who grabbed it quickly. Then, Seiko saw the small baby smile. It was the purest smile she had ever seen before, and that made her smile as well. Suddenly, the girl noticed that the baby’s pigtails seemed to move weirdly, and one second later, Aiko and Momoko exclaimed behind her.

-What? What happened?- asked Seiko as she turned around and saw Aiko holding a pink flower on her hands.

-Oh, eh… This flower just… fell from a pot over there!- exclaimed Aiko pointing at a pot from the ceiling. -I think Hana was pointin’ at it because she wants to give it to you! Here!

Seiko took the flower and blushed a bit.

-Wow, really?- said Seiko shyly. Then, she turned again to Hana. -Thank you, Hana! But… why is there a baby here?

-Oh, well, she is the grand-child of the old lady who runs the store- explained Onpu. -Her parents are usually away for work and we take care of her.

-You do… all that? That sounds like too much work. You have a lot on your side...- said Seiko with sadness.

Doremi and her friends saw how Seiko turned really sad out of a sudden, but they couldn’t understand why. She was happy just a second before that.

-Hey, Seiko, are you alright? You can tell us- asked Doremi worried.

-Oh, well… It’s just…- stuttered Seiko dubiously, but then, she looked at the other girls around her. -Well, the truth is… I wanted to spend more time with you all… I wanted to hang out and do things together, but… you have to study, and then you have to work here and take care of Hana… You have so many responsibilities… I don’t want you to waste your precious time… I would just be a… bother to you all…

-Don’t say that, Seiko- said Doremi placing a hand on Seiko’s shoulder. -It’s true that we do all this, but we also find time to play and do other things. It’s my fault for not explaining you what we do and I’m happy that you want to spend time with us. We are friends, right?

-Friends...- murmured Seiko. Then, she smiled and said: -Thank you, Doremi. And… the truth is… there was something else I wanted to ask you all… Doremi just said it, but… I… you… would you like to… be my friends?

The other girls looked at each other in silence, and out of nowhere, they began laughing.

-Come on, there’s no need to ask that!- exclaimed Momoko.

-That’s right. We are already friends- said Hazuki.

-Really?- asked Seiko, surprised by everybody’s reaction.

-Yeah, can’t blame ya- said Aiko as she got closer to Seiko. -I came from Osaka a while ago, and I was nervous too. Not everybody get my sense of humour, ya know? But then I met Doremi and Hazuki and we’ve been friends forever. And then Onpu arrived, and Momoko as well… Our group grew over time, and we want you to be part of us.

-So you don’t need to ask. Whenever we plan something, we would like you to come with us- added Onpu. -And of course, you are welcome to visit us here at the store any time you want.

Seiko’s face turned red as a big smile appeared on her face, full of happiness. After that, the whole group spent a while showing Seiko around the store and Hana’s room and showing her how they prepare some sweets. As some customers arrived, the girl said goodbye to her new friends and walked outside the store. She stopped for a moment and hopped with excitement.

-Yes! Yes, yes! I did it!- exclaimed Seiko.

As she hoped around, a white cat appeared behind her. Seiko stopped her celebration and got close to it.

-Are you… the cat of the store?- asked Seiko, receiving only a purr from the cat as she walked around her leg. The girl grabbed the cat. -Can you believe? I have friends! I finally made friends!

The cat meowed at Seiko as it was hanging on her hands. Still, Seiko was immensely happy.

-You know? I was scared. I wasn’t sure this would happen… but it did! I’m so happy!- exclaimed Seiko smiling.

Then, she left the cat on the path and run towards the gate. After climbing the stairs, she turned back and took a look again at the store. Seiko didn’t say anything, but her smile was enough, and after that, she went home running. Meanwhile, the cat remain for a while on the path, but then turned around and walked towards the side of the store. Suddenly, a white glow covered it and it turned in a beautiful, but small lady, the size of a jar. She dressed in white, with a long blond hair and a pointy hat. The mysterious girl floated up at to the dome, where Witch Rika was looking.

-That girl seems nice, but as dumb as the group down there- said Witch Rika mockingly. Then, she looked at the lady. -What’s wrong?

-Yeah, she’s great, but...- said the tiny lady with a worried face. -I felt pain. That girl has suffered and is trying to heal those wounds.

-Well, that sounds hard- answered Witch Rika. -I wonder if the girls can help her.

-Me too. If there are someone who can do it, it’s them- said the lady. Then, she looked through the window and said: -Good luck, Seiko.