“Marie’s Bakery,” which had undergone extensive renovations, reopened for business today. The renovation work itself was completed quickly, so there was no real period of closure for refurbishment.
Kent, Caro, Marie, and Catherine woke up early as usual and got ready to enter the shop.
“Good morning, Emily. Please take care of me today too.”
“Yes, Master.”
The five of them began their respective tasks. Until the first bread was baked, Caro, Catherine, and Emily had no work, so they focused on cleaning the store and checking equipment.
“Well then, from today we’ll be mass-producing, so let’s do our best,” Kent said to Marie.
“Yes, let’s do our best, Kent,” Marie replied, holding Kent’s hands.
The oven had been converted to electric, eliminating the need to fuel and preheat it with firewood. Now, merely switching it on would begin the heating process and bring it to standby. In parallel, they kneaded the bread dough, placed the risen dough into the fermenter for a secondary fermentation, and then arranged the finished loaves on trays. Once arranged, they were placed in the oven and baked within minutes. During this time, they also prepared savory and sweet breads, repeating the process. With the increased efficiency, bread was being baked at an astonishing rate compared to before. Caro and Catherine carried the finished products into the shop, and together with Emily, they arranged them on the shelves. Rachel, however, would be working part-time from the afternoon due to the dormitory’s gate opening hours, making her unavailable at this time.
The shop’s opening time arrived just as all the shelves were filled with bread. Customers rushed in eager for bread but were surprised by the different atmosphere. Previously, their favorite breads would sell out quickly, but today, they could see that there would be enough for a while, with popular breads abundantly stocked. The customers, realizing they didn’t need to rush, made their purchases with a sense of relief. Even as bread began to run out, it was quickly replenished, ensuring no bread sold out completely.
Emily, standing at the register, processed orders at an incredible speed, never keeping customers waiting. The morning rush ended, and bread making settled down.
“Good work, everyone. It’s almost time for school, right? Good luck with your studies.”
Marie saw Kent and Caro off as they got ready to head to school. June had begun, and it was time to change into summer uniforms. Kent would typically just remove his jacket, and as it got hotter, he would switch to short-sleeved shirts. However, it wasn’t hot enough for that yet, so he wore a long-sleeved shirt. As they approached the school, the number of students walking also increased. The male students walked as usual, but the female students’ demeanor was odd. A significant number of them walked while holding their school bags in front of them. Of course, there were also female students walking normally.
“Kent, it’s rude to stare so intently,” Caro, walking alongside him, cautioned.
“I just noticed many people walking in a strange way,” Kent replied.
Caro, as usual, carried her bag in her hand. She happened to look at a female student also carrying her bag in her hand. She was a girl with a reasonably large chest, and her bra was clearly visible through her shirt, revealing her nipples.
“It’s embarrassing when your chest shows through your shirt. While it might be unavoidable inside the school, I don’t want to be stared at like this during my commute. Though, I hear a very small minority don’t mind,” Caro said.
The female students holding their bags seemed to be from commoner families who couldn’t afford innerwear. The male students clearly averted their gazes towards their chests, showing obvious interest. The normally walking female students, with few exceptions, appeared to be from aristocratic families or wealthy commoners who could afford innerwear.
“Well, I don’t mind if you look, Kent, but I don’t want other men to see me.” Caro was wearing the underwear Kent had given her yesterday, which provided good coverage for her chest. She felt relieved that male students weren’t looking at her.
“But why is this the uniform, I wonder?”
“I’m not quite sure myself, but perhaps it’s the intention of the person who established the school? The design is also very different from other clothes, which is strange.”
As Caro said, the school uniform was completely different from the clothes worn by people in town. This made them stand out. However, at their age, uniforms were provided by the country, and everyone was required to attend school, so no one seemed to find it strange.
Upon arriving at the school, Kent and Caro headed to their respective classrooms. When Kent entered his classroom and sat down, he found himself at a loss for where to look.
“Kent, your nose is practically to the ground,” a voice suddenly said, surprising him. It was Josette, who had uncharacteristically spoken to him in the classroom.
“Ah, good morning, Josette.”
“Good morning. It’s nice for you men to have something to feast your eyes on.” Josette, of course, was wearing a thin white inner garment that provided ample protection.
“Oh my, were you hoping to see mine? Too bad for you.”
“N-no, it’s not like that, but…” Kent was actually interested in Marie’s ample bosom, similar to his own, but he replied without letting it show.
“I could show you in a more secluded spot later?” she whispered in his ear.
“Eh?”
“I’m joking.” He regretted being fooled for a moment. The morning classes then began.
It was lunchtime, and as Kent headed to his usual spot, he realized something. “Damn. I didn’t prepare lunch today.” In his haste due to the busy reopening of the bakery, Kent had forgotten to arrange for lunch. “They must all be looking forward to it. I messed up.” He proceeded to his usual meeting spot behind the school building, assuming everyone would be there. However, only Josette was present.
“Are the two of them not coming today?”
“I hadn’t heard anything to that effect, so I assumed they would be here.”
“That’s a bit concerning. Let’s go see the first-year classrooms.” Pulled by Josette, Kent headed towards the first-year classrooms. During their walk, Josette held Kent’s hand tightly.
“Oh my, it seems impossible today.” Caro and Rachel were surrounded by female students, unable to move.
“Rachel, where did you get that innerwear?”
“Caro, please tell me where you bought it!”
It seemed the innerwear was the main point of interest, and they were being bombarded with questions by the other female students. A large crowd had gathered, making it impossible for Kent and Josette to get close.
“Josette, I’m sorry. I didn’t prepare lunch today.”
“Oh, was that so? In that case, let’s go to the school cafeteria. The food isn’t great, but it’s better than nothing. I’ll treat us today since you always treat me.” The two of them headed to the cafeteria, hand in hand, leaving Caro and Rachel behind.
Kent and Josette arrived at the school cafeteria.
“Oh my, there are few customers,” Josette remarked after observing the interior. Kent, entering the cafeteria while it was open for the first time, didn’t know how busy it usually was. Glancing around, he saw Gordon, Cedric, and Marc each holding court surrounded by numerous women.
“Kent, let’s sit over here,” Josette said, choosing a table some distance away from the three men. Kent sat opposite her.
“This is the first time we’ve sat across from each other like this. It feels like a date, and I’m a little embarrassed,” Josette said shyly. Kent’s heart skipped a beat at her appearance.
“Oh my, Kent seems quite pleased as well.” The cafeteria had two areas: self-service and full-service. The seats where Josette and Kent were sitting were in the full-service section. While the full-service area, including the aforementioned three and their entourages, had a decent number of people, the mostly self-service seats were deserted, with only a handful of customers.
“Welcome. What can I get for you today?”
“Two of the usual, for him and myself, please.”
“Certainly. Please wait a moment.” A waitress came to take their order, and Josette placed it.
“You know the usual? You’re like a regular.”
“Since I started eating with you, I stopped coming. Before that, Caro and I came here every day.”
“Speaking of which, didn’t you also have another companion, Prim? Did she not join you for meals?” Josette often had two followers with her. One was the short Caro, and the other was the tall Prim. Based on his prior knowledge, Kent knew Caro as Follower B and Prim as Follower A. He suspected she would cry if he said that to her now.
“She is the daughter of the merchant guild that runs this cafeteria and was in charge. She works behind the scenes during lunchtime. Noon is her only chance to earn money.”
“Here are your orders. Josette, it’s been a while.” Prim brought their food. She wore the same uniform as the waitress who had taken their order.
“Oh, it has been a while. Prim, you haven’t come to visit me recently?”
“I apologize, I was busy with my main job and couldn’t make time. Ah, here are your orders.” Prim quickly placed the ordered meals in front of Josette and Kent.
“It’s wonderful if your business is thriving.”
“…No, it’s not exactly like that…” Prim’s face seemed a little down. Kent only had a vague feeling about it since he had no prior acquaintance with her.
“Is something troubling you? If I can help, I’d be happy to listen.”
“Thank you. Please listen after we’ve finished our meal.”
“Understood. Well then, Kent, let’s eat.”
“Please enjoy your meal.” Prim bowed and returned to the kitchen.
Kent and Josette ate their lunch. Honestly, the taste, as Josette had said, was not good.
“Kent, how was the taste?” After finishing their meal, Josette asked Kent.
“First, the bread is mediocre. Once you get used to fluffy bread, the flat, unrisen bread from before just doesn’t taste as good. And the ingredients… they use perishables, but the freshness is questionable. They might be reusing ingredients for days. Even with good ingredients, this won’t do. Especially as it gets hotter, there’s a risk of food poisoning, so they should be careful. Also, the cooked dishes lack sufficient heat. They might need to use something more powerful.”
“Is that so?” Josette turned around and said. Prim was standing behind her. Kent thought he was talking to Josette, but Prim seemed to have been listening intently.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to criticize the shop…” Since she was the daughter of the owner, Kent hastily tried to backtrack.
“It’s frustrating to be criticized directly, but I understand what you’re saying,” Prim said. “Regarding the ingredients, I instructed them to use up any leftovers the next day, so from now on, I’ll prioritize freshness. I’ll also consider improvements regarding the heat. These two points can be managed, but the problem is the bread.” Prim devised an improvement plan based on Kent’s feedback. However, she was stuck on securing the bread. Kent knew about this because he had overheard a cafeteria meeting about it before.
“Is the bread the problem?” Josette asked Prim.”Yes, I believe what he’s referring to is the fluffy bread that even students here are eating for lunch these days. However, we cannot obtain it.”
“Why is that? It seems like there are ways to learn the recipe or have the bread supplied,” Josette countered Prim’s response.
“If we knew the recipe, we wouldn’t be struggling. Various bakeries are researching it, but so far, only one small bakery can make it. Even if we wanted them to supply it, they are a small bakery with limited production, so they said they can’t spare any for others,” Prim explained.
“Kent, can’t you supply the cafeteria with bread?”
“Thanks to Josette, our production capacity has increased, so I think it will be fine. However, we’re short on staff, so you’ll have to come and pick it up.” Kent replied.
“Is that so? That’s good news, Prim,” Josette replied with a smile.
“Huh? What do you mean?” Prim asked Josette, looking confused.
“Kent here works at Marie’s Bakery.”
“Is this something a student part-timer can decide?”
“Normally, no. However, unlike other part-timers, Kent is heavily involved in management, so I believe they can be flexible.” Josette spoke as if it were her own business.
“In that case, we’ll need to discuss quantities and prices. Could someone from your shop come to ours after school today?”
“Understood. We will send someone in charge after school, so please be there.” Kent agreed, and Prim accepted. Thus, a major business deal was arranged for the newly renovated “Marie’s Bakery.”
