“Oh, Kent’s seat is being used. And look at how popular Patty-san is!” Josette said with a look of exasperation.
“There’s still time, so it’s fine,” Kent replied.
“Is that so? In that case, the seat next to mine is empty, why don’t you use it?”
“Uh, I don’t remember any empty seats in this classroom, do you?” Kent’s memory recalled that there was a conveniently empty seat when a transfer student arrived (or was it a new student?), but he was sure there wasn’t one in this classroom.
“This way,” Josette said, as she sat down in her own seat and patted the chair beside her, leaving one side open.
“I’m supposed to sit here?”
“Please, don’t be shy.”
It was only for a short while, and he could just stand until class started, but Josette was so enthusiastically encouraging him that he reluctantly decided to sit.
“Well then, I’ll be intruding.” Kent sat down next to Josette, looking a bit hesitant. Since they were sitting on the same chair, they were pressed together. The other students looked away, pretending not to notice Josette’s actions. It was out of fear that if they said something that angered Josette, they wouldn’t know what kind of retaliation they might face. Everyone figured it was best to play ignorant.
“I can feel Kent’s warmth,” she murmured.
It was only early September, so being so close was quite warm, but Josette’s softness and scent were pleasant, and Kent found himself enjoying the feeling. This wasn’t some kind of affectionate rendezvous, so Kent and Josette both turned to look at Kent’s actual seat where he couldn’t sit.
“Patty-san, what do you think of this situation?”
“What situation, you ask?”
“Is she happy to be fawned over, or is she troubled?”
“From the looks of it, I’d say the latter, but we won’t know unless we ask her directly.” The two of them commented as they observed Patty. After a while of continued observation, class was about to start. Patty’s entourage dispersed, and Kent moved to his own seat.
The afternoon classes concluded, and Kent and his companions headed to Marie’s Bakery to begin their work. Elnet left as they arrived, and Rachel headed to Store No. 2, carrying on with their usual operations. Then, as the evening rush hour passed, a relaxed atmosphere settled in the store.
“I’m back.”
“Rachel-chan, good work. How was Store No. 2?”
“Made some serious cash today too. This is today’s sales. The calculations are done, so you can put it in the safe as is.”
“Oh? That’s good then. Please take care of the money then.” Rachel returned after finishing her work. Marie greeted her and congratulated her on her efforts. With a high average customer spending, Store No. 2 was now generating more sales than Store No. 1. Rachel was only involved in procurement and lightly helping out at the store, leaving the main operations of Store No. 2 to the employees led by Lola. The startup capital borrowed from Caro had been secured, and it seemed he would be repaid in full soon.
“Store No. 2 seems to be going well. But we might want to rethink how the money is managed soon.”
“Do you think so? If Kent-san says so, it probably is worth considering.” Kent felt that it was dangerous for Rachel to carry large amounts of money alone. Marie also seemed to consider Kent’s opinion seriously.
“Welcome, Master Marc.” Just as they were discussing this, Marc entered the store. Marie, who happened to be nearby, attended to him. Normally, they wouldn’t escort customers to the dining space, but they couldn’t refuse a noble, so whoever was closest would assist them when they arrived. Marc kept his eyes fixed on Marie, never looking away.
“Welcome. Here are some cold water and a wet towel. Please let me know when you’ve decided on your order.” As Marc took a seat, Patty, who had just brought water and towels, entered to take his order, replacing Marie. Marc gazed at Marie with obvious disappointment as she headed into the kitchen.
The bread-making for the day was finished, and besides Marc, there were no other customers in the store. Thus, everyone except Catherine at the register – Kent, Marie, Josette, Caro, and Patty, who had returned after delivering the water and towels – gathered in the kitchen. Rachel, her work done, seemed to have returned to her room.
“Marie-san, what do you think of Marc?”
“What do you mean? Is he a regular customer?”
When Kent asked Marie her thoughts on Marc, she didn’t seem to think much of him. Hearing this, Marc, who had been frequenting the store, seemed rather pathetic.
“Are you aware that he holds feelings for you?” Josette asked.
“Well, with my life experience… *cough cough*. I can tell from his demeanor. However, I have Kent-san, so I have no intention of dating anyone else right now,” Marie replied clearly.
“I’ll go and switch with Catherine at the register soon,” Marie said and stepped out of the kitchen. As she was about to head towards the register, she tripped over something and lost her balance.
“Oh… Ah!”
“Marie-san, be careful!” Kent instinctively rushed forward, hugging her from behind to prevent her from falling.
“Thank you, Kent-san.”
“I’m glad I made it in time. Oh?” As Kent supported Marie by hugging her from behind, his hands ended up on her ample chest. He felt the softness through her clothes and couldn’t help but squeeze.
“Hyan, Kent-san, we’re still at work.”
“Sorry, sorry.” Josette and Caro, watching from the kitchen, exchanged weary glances and sent him lukewarm gazes, but Marc stood up, rushed towards Kent, and grabbed him by the collar.
“You! What are you doing to Marie? Let go of her immediately!” Apparently acting purely on emotion, he looked as though he was about to strike Kent. The store became chaotic at Marc’s sudden change in behavior.
“I have to save my Master!”
“No, not yet.” Emily, who had been monitoring Marc from behind a potted plant in the store, made to jump out, but Al, who was with her, held her back. He then signaled to Catherine, who nodded and quietly slipped out of the store, changing the “Open” sign to “Busy.”
“I tried to resolve this peacefully, but I can’t hold back any longer.” With that, he punched Kent in the face. As expected from someone who trained regularly, Marc’s punch was heavy, and Kent was sent flying. The tables and chairs in the store crashed down with a loud noise as Kent collided with them.
“Master!”
“Kent-san!” Emily, Josette, Caro, and Patty rushed to Kent’s side. Marie stood there, stunned by the sudden turn of events. Catherine, who had returned to the store, watched the unfolding situation with concern.
“We can’t have you laying your hands on our employee, sir.”
“What is this shrimp? Are you challenging me? I won’t go easy just because you’re a child.” Al stepped between Kent and Marc, cracking his knuckles as he glared at Marc.
“You should consider yourself lucky to escape alive after injuring my Master.”
“Guh!” As Al spoke, Marc felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, not understanding what had just happened. Emily closed the distance and delivered a powerful blow to Marc’s stomach. This was the start, and the store employees swarmed Marc.
“How dare you hurt Kent-san!”
“Born into a knight’s family, yet you act so short-sightedly. I’m disappointed!”
“Brother… Apologize to Kent-san!”
“Touching the person I care about is unforgivable!”
“Um… I have to do something too, right? Hiyah!” Caro landed a kick, Josette delivered a slap, Catherine struck him with a ladle she had produced from somewhere, and Marie also landed a full-powered blow. Patty, though a bit hesitantly, also joined the attack.
“Something noisy is happening downstairs… Uwah, what happened?” Rachel, who came to investigate the loud thuds, exclaimed as she saw Marc being beaten.
“This looks like fun, so I’ll join in too!” And so, Rachel joined in as well.
“Master, I’ll heal you now.”
“Emily, thank you. I feel much better.” Emily approached Kent and used her healing magic, tending to his injuries. Emily could only use her healing magic for injuries sustained within the store. This was a great help to everyone, as they could easily be treated for oven burns or cuts while cooking.
“Um, turning a noble into this state might be problematic, don’t you think?” Patty said, looking worriedly at Marc, who had been beaten unconscious and was lying on the floor.
