The new type of bread was released, but sales weren’t looking good.
For now, I made about five and put them on display, and although customers seemed interested, none had sold yet.
“Mr. Kent, looks like we failed this time, doesn’t it?” Marie said, sounding a little disappointed. Marie had started selling it under the assumption it would sell, but the customer engagement was unexpectedly poor.
“Perhaps just having bread available isn’t enough. How about we try something like this?” Kent quickly wrote a panel with recipes using the bread (purchased with company funds) and posted it near the bread. Customers looked at the panel with great interest and seemed to understand. Here, the bread was basically sold as a finished product, but the sliced bread was, in a sense, unfinished. The panel explained that it could be transformed into various kinds of bread according to the customer’s preference. As a service, we also offered to cut the bread to the number of slices requested by the customer. Along with that, we also displayed sandwiches made with the sliced bread so customers could see examples of how to prepare it.
After seeing this, customers became interested, and the five loaves on display were immediately sold out.
“This panel is amazingly effective. It seems like we should add them to other breads too,” Marie said.
“Really? In that case, I’ll get the materials for procurement, so why don’t you try writing one, Ms. Marie?”
“That sounds interesting. Please do.”
“I want to try writing one too!” Marie seemed eager to write. Catherine also wanted to write.
“This looks fun, can I try writing one too?” Caro also seemed to want to try writing.
“Alright, I’ll go get the materials,” Kent said, and returned home to quickly purchase POP advertising materials and stationery from a terminal (of course, using company expenses) before returning to the shop.
“I’ve got them! Now, let’s write various things on these and put them on the walls or in front of the merchandise.” Kent, who had experience writing POPs at the home center where he worked, wrote product introductions with practiced ease. Caro was also surprisingly good, drawing cute pictures and writing well. Marie, though her hands were unaccustomed, was writing to convey the product’s appeal. Catherine… seemed to be struggling, as she couldn’t write her letters well.
They attached the POPs they each wrote to the bread shelves and walls. The addition of various colors made the interior of the shop look much better.
“It feels like it’s become a stylish shop, even though it’s a bakery,” Marie commented frankly.
“If only we could use electricity, we could really go all out with the decorations,” Kent murmured to himself.
“Um, what is electricity?” Marie asked Kent.
“Well… electricity is…” Kent decided it would be better to show her than to explain.
“Would you like to come to my house after the shop closes today? I think I can show you what electricity is.” Kent invited Marie.
“Eh? You’re inviting creepy old ladies like me to your house? I’m getting excited!” Marie’s face turned red. He had a feeling she was misunderstanding things in a strange way.
“I want to go to Older Brother’s house too!” Catherine also seemed to want to go.
“Mr. Kent. It looks like tonight will be lively,” Caro said, smiling at Kent.
Then, the morning part-time job ended, and Kent and Caro headed to school.
“Well then, Caro, see you later.”
“Yes, let’s both do our best.”
Kent and Caro parted ways in the hallway and headed to their respective classrooms. Before class started, Kent went to see Josette.
“Josette, can I have a moment?”
“Yes. It’s fine. What is it?”
“I wanted to thank you for all your help, so please accept this.” Kent handed her a notebook and writing utensils.
“Um, what is this?”
“Josette, you always study diligently, so I thought this might be helpful,” Kent explained how to use the notebook and writing utensils.
“Oh, this is very helpful. I will gratefully accept and use it.” Josette seemed pleased.
Then it was lunchtime, and Kent headed to the usual spot behind the school building. Caro was already there.
“Mr. Kent! Over here!” Caro waved happily. Kent waved back, feeling a little embarrassed. Then they both sat down on their usual bench. Today’s lunch was the leftover sandwiches Kent had made as product samples.
“It seems like you can enjoy various things with this sandwich just by changing what you put inside.”
“Yeah. Putting in something like a cutlet might be good too.”
What we have prepared today are tuna sandwiches with tuna filling and egg sandwiches with egg filling. They are two standard types.
We prepared a considerable number of them, so there should be enough for the people who will come later.
“I get to eat Kent’s new bread again. I’m looking forward to it,” Caro said while eating a sandwich.
“So, for today’s drinks… I made iced tea.” A chilled, standard bottled lemon tea was in a stainless steel mug. He poured it into a cup and handed it to Caro.
“When you said tea, I imagined something warm, but it’s cold? It’s sweet and delicious.” Caro drank the lemon tea with a happy expression.
“Hey, what are you doing, acting all lovey-dovey with your boyfriend?” Rachel said, approaching them.
Recalling his memories, he couldn’t think of any events in the game where the protagonist was involved with a groupie.
Caro’s expression turned a little displeased. “It’s none of your business, is it? Please leave us alone.”
“I can’t do that. Your strange actions are ruining my plan,” Rachel said angrily.
“We are eating lunch now, so could you please wait until later?” Caro said coldly. Come to think of it, the Caro that Kent knew originally had this kind of tone. However, after living together, he realized that Caro, who was different from that impression, was a very good person.
“Because you two don’t bother me, things are going in a weird direction. What are you going to do about it?”
“That’s none of my concern. Aren’t you having fun being doted on by princes and such?”
“What!” The argument between the two continued.
“What are you saying, you mere attendant?”
“H-how can you talk to me like that, calling me your attendant?”
The atmosphere was getting so tense that it looked like they might start wrestling, so Kent intervened.
“Now, now, both of you, calm down.”
“Can you shut up, you background character?”
“How dare you speak to Mr. Kent like that!” Caro became truly angry. She then slapped Rachel across the cheek.
“Apologize to Mr. Kent. Apologize.”
“F-fine, I’m sorry. My apologies.” Rachel, pushed by the momentum of Caro’s slap, became quiet.
“Excuse me for interrupting,” Rachel said, seeming uncomfortable, and left.
“Kent, I’m sorry. I got a little carried away.”
“Thank you, Caro. For getting so angry on my behalf.” Kent hugged Caro.
“Kent…” They looked at each other in a good mood.
“As always, you two are on such good terms.” Startled by the voice, they immediately separated. The speaker was Josette.
“I’m sorry. It seems I’ve involved you two in my affairs.” Josette apologized to them.
“It was her fault. Josette, you don’t need to worry about it,” Kent said, deciding to ask boldly.
“Josette, you used to interfere when Rachel tried to interact with the prince and others, right?”
“Eh? …Well, yes.” Josette replied sheepishly.
“That itself is fine, but why did you stop doing that recently?”
“You’ve noticed, haven’t you… Even though I am a Duke’s daughter, I am only the thirteenth. I have many older brothers and sisters. Of course, the eldest brother will inherit the family, and the thirteenth child is essentially an insignificant existence to the family. I thought that the quickest way to assert my own presence, even slightly, was to be with someone of a certain status. Coincidentally, there were princes and others who had guaranteed status at the same school, so I wanted to get closer to them and took action, but it ended up with Rachel taking all the good opportunities.” Kent knew that Josette was a Duke’s daughter from the game’s setting, but he had never known she was the thirteenth. He didn’t think there were such settings in the game.
“So, I started interfering like that, but recently I’ve come to think that I should just do as I please, without needing to assert my existence. When I thought about it that way, I lost the urge to force myself into things… I guess that’s about it.”
“Is that so?” Kent asked again about what Josette had said.
“I’ll tell you the rest of the story when the opportunity arises. It doesn’t seem like the time for it yet.” With that, Josette took out the tuna sandwich from the bag Kent had brought and put it in her mouth.
“Is this a new bread? It’s soft, and it’s good that it doesn’t overpower the flavor of the ingredients inside. Ah, this one is good too.” After finishing the tuna sandwich, Josette put the egg sandwich in her mouth.
“Josette, please.” Caro handed her the lemon tea.
“Oh, is this tea…? It’s cold and delicious. It has a smooth texture and just the right amount of sweetness.” By the time Josette finished eating, their break time was almost over. After cleaning up, the three of them returned to the school building.
