After eating lunch, Catherine and Al returned to the backyard home garden, while Marie was tidying up the dishes used for lunch.
“It’s always a struggle to balance school and work, and on days off, I never know what to do. *Munch munch*.”
“That’s true. Since we’re usually so busy, our days off are bound to be a reaction to that. *Munch munch*.”
Kent and Rachel sat on the sofa in the living room, sharing the snacks on the table.
“Hey, if you eat that much, you’ll get fat.”
“No worries, no worries. When I was my old self, gaining weight was a big deal, but with this body, I don’t gain weight no matter how much I eat.”
“Is that so?”
Kent said, concerned as he watched Rachel eat with such gusto, but she didn’t seem to mind at all.
“That’s enviable. When I overeat because the food is so delicious, it’s a disaster for me!”
“Marie, you have your own struggles too, don’t you?”
Marie, having finished tidying up, entered the living room and joined the conversation. Rachel said to Marie sympathetically.
“You have to maintain the body shape that Kent likes. You have to compete with younger girls, so you need to be careful with your daily life, or they’ll quickly surpass you.”
“Marie, you’re still quite young.”
“Oh, Kent.”
Kent spoke his mind, but Marie, hearing his words, blushed and looked bashful.
“Older brother, if you eat that many sweets, won’t your stomach get a little round and protruding?”
“There’s no way. Look.”
Kent jokingly lifted his shirt and showed his stomach.
“Uwah. It’s older brother’s tummy. Shall I rub it? Hehe.”
“H-hey, that tickles.”
“It’s not fair that only Rachel gets to do that. Me too.”
Kent had jokingly shown his stomach, but Rachel and Marie pressed their faces against it and rubbed. Their faint, sweet scent tickled Kent’s nose. After that, they decided to spend the rest of their long-awaited holiday relaxing, with the three of them chatting and snacking until evening.
In the evening, Caro and Elnet visited Kent’s house.
“So, where are you taking us today? Al said it was interesting, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Elnet asked Al with anticipation.
“That’s still a secret. It’s a surprise when we get there. Shall we depart then?”
Led by Al, Kent, Caro, Rachel, Marie, Catherine, and Elnet began their journey to their destination.
“The destination is inside here.”
“You know, Al said this morning that the destination was a restaurant, right?”
“Yes.”
Kent and the others had arrived at the entrance of the slums… the residential area.
“This place… I have to admit, it makes me hesitant to enter. Do we really have to go in?”
Elnet, clearly looking displeased, said. Her attitude suggested she hadn’t heard many good things about this district.
“If you’d rather not, you’re welcome to go back?”
“What!”
Hearing Al’s words, Elnet’s expression turned surprised.
“No, we’ve come this far. I’ll accompany you until I’ve seen what there is to see.”
Elnet said with a determined look.
“Marie and Catherine, are you alright?”
“I don’t mind. I have acquaintances in this area and have been here a few times.”
“I don’t really understand it, but somehow this place gives me a sense of peace. I don’t feel any negativity, so I’m fine.”
Kent asked the two of them, and Marie and Catherine agreed to enter the district.
“Older brother… aren’t you going to ask me?”
“Did you want me to ask?”
“Hmph, forget it then.”
Rachel said poutily, but she showed no signs of leaving, so she would accompany them.
“You’re not going to ask me either?”
“Well, Caro, you came with me this morning, so I thought you wouldn’t need to be asked.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“???”
Marie, Elnet, Catherine, and Rachel exclaimed in surprise at the exchange between Kent and Caro.
“Come to think of it, I didn’t see Caro earlier…”
“That I’m being left behind!”
“Caro, Older Sister, it’s unfair you went ahead!”
“I knew you two were together, but I didn’t realize you’d come here.”
Marie and Elnet realized they had wasted precious time due to their impulsive actions and regretted it.
“All the buildings look the same.”
“It’s crowded here. Everyone, be careful not to get separated.”
Rachel exclaimed in surprise at the sight of identical buildings lined up, and as the number of pedestrians increased, Elnet urged everyone to be cautious.
“Older brother, older brother. It’s kind of like festival stalls and interesting!”
“Ah, now that you mention it, it might be.”
Although the goods sold and their attire differed, Rachel was right; the lively atmosphere felt similar. Most of the items on sale were daily necessities and food, with almost no snacks or treats. Therefore, everyone just looked around and enjoyed observing what was being sold, without making any purchases.
“Turn here, go a little further, and then… this is the shop.”
Guided by Al, Kent and the others arrived in front of what appeared to be a restaurant. In this district, except for a few shops on the main street, most establishments did not display signs with written names. Instead, they had signs with pictures of the items sold, which visitors used to determine what kind of shop it was.
“Marie, why don’t the shops in this district have signs with their names?”
“Well, most of the shops in this district are not affiliated with any trade unions. To join a union, you need to pay an entrance fee and monthly dues. It’s more advantageous to join a union for procurement purposes, but if your sales are low, you can’t afford to pay. It’s only then that you’re allowed to display a sign with the shopkeeper’s name as proof of union membership.”
“We had no idea.”
Kent asked Marie about the signs, and Kent and Rachel exclaimed in understanding.
“So you really are siblings. The fact that Kent and Rachel said ‘Huh?’ at the same time was quite remarkable.”
“Indeed, we were perfectly in sync without even coordinating.”
Caro and Elnet said admiringly.
“I see, so this sign indicates a restaurant.”
Kent re-examined the sign displayed at the shop.
“It has a plate with a fork and spoon on it, so it’s a restaurant.”
The square wooden sign depicted a plate, fork, and spoon, indicating it was a restaurant.
“Shall we go inside soon?”
“Ah, right. Well then, let’s go in.”
Kent opened the door and entered, followed by everyone else. Inside, there were counter seats and table seats, and about half of them were occupied by customers. Lively conversations could be heard here and there, along with the customers’ cheerful voices.
“Welcome. There are seats available, so please take any seat you like.”
A voice from the back called out to Kent and his group as they entered, inviting them to sit wherever they pleased.
“So, shall we take this one?”
“Yes, that sounds good.”
Marie chose an empty table seat, and everyone settled down there.
“Kent, there’s a menu here.”
“Ah, you’re right. This style is unusual.”
Caro spotted the menu on the table and said to Kent. As far as Kent knew, Marie’s bakery was the only establishment that used this type of menu. Other places would either order from a board on the wall or directly verbally.
“But this handwriting… it looks familiar…”
Caro said, looking thoughtful as she saw the writing on the menu.
“I wonder what I should order~.”
“Let’s see what looks good.”
Rachel and Catherine stared intently at the menu.
“By the way, Al, what’s so interesting about this restaurant? It looks like a regular restaurant to me.”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Al replied to Elnet’s question with a sly grin.
“Welcome. If you’ve decided on your order… wait… why are you here?”
The server who approached Kent’s table exclaimed in surprise.
“Um, Josette, why are *you* here?”
Kent exclaimed in surprise. Standing before their table, wearing an apron and working as an employee of this establishment, was Josette.
