“Well then, Patty. We don’t have time to waste, so let’s go, shall we? Kent, see you tomorrow.”
“Huh? Oh, yes, please take care of me from today. Kent, excuse me for leaving first.”
After homeroom before heading home ended, Josette immediately took Patty and left the classroom as soon as school was out.
“Oh? Kent’s alone today?”
“What is it. Bobby?”
“What do you mean, ‘What is it.’ You’re so unfriendly.”
Bobby spoke to Kent. He seemed to have recovered his energy compared to the morning.
“Actually, I’m planning to go to the red-light district with volunteers again today. Kent, won’t you go for revenge from yesterday?”
“Sorry, Josette and Patty can’t take time off from work starting today, so I really can’t rest.”
“I see… That’s a shame. Eroni, are you ready?”
When Kent told him he couldn’t participate due to work, Bobby looked disappointed. He called out to Eroni, who seemed to be accompanying him again.
“Alright, today’s the day I’ll do it with a young girl!”
“Hey, Eroni, you’re too loud.”
“Ah, sorry, sorry.”
Eroni, who was enthusiastic, answered in a loud voice, and the girls in the class nearby sent him looks of contempt.
“Kent, are you ready to go home?”
“You were taking so long, I came to pick you up!”
As they were talking, Caro and Rachel appeared in the classroom.
“Kent’s lucky, bringing two cute girls to his part-time job. I’m envious.”
“Don’t you have a wonderful girlfriend named Prim, Bobby?”
“…R-right.”
When Caro said that to the envious Bobby, Bobby’s attitude suddenly changed. Despite having a girlfriend, he was heading to a pleasure district. He seemed to have felt guilty about it.
“Well then, excuse me, everyone.”
“See ya!”
Caro bowed respectfully, while Rachel waved goodbye energetically. While their greetings were a contrast, both of them seemed attractive to the boys in the class.
“Nice one… Kent.”
“Envious.”
“You could spare one for us.”
The boys left behind in the classroom after Kent and the others departed could only watch them leave with envy.
“Even though I was helped, Lady Josette always extends a helping hand to people in trouble.”
On their way home, Caro started the conversation. She seemed deeply moved by Josette’s actions, rushing to help those in need, even neglecting herself, such as saving Caro when she was penniless and wandering the streets, or rescuing restaurants on the verge of collapse.
“That’s so true. I also thought she was a bad person at first, but as I got to know her, I realized she’s a really good person.”
Rachel, who initially had a bad relationship with Josette, was now on good terms with her and her way of thinking had changed. Josette had told her about taking time off from work in the evening during their lunch break. It seemed she had already received permission from Marie at that time.
“It might be tough for the shop without those two, but let’s do our best.”
“Yes.”
“If it gets too busy, I might go to the second store.”
When Kent said this to the two of them, Caro showed enthusiasm, but Rachel seemed to be thinking of an escape route.
“I’m home.”
“Welcome back, Kent. How are you feeling? If you haven’t recovered, you can rest today.”
Kent parted ways with Caro and Rachel in front of the shop for the time being, dropped off his luggage at home, and then went to the shop. Marie, who looked concerned, called out to him.
“I’m fine. Starting today, Josette and Patty won’t be here, so I have to work hard.”
“I understand. Well then, please take care of me.”
When Kent replied, Marie seemed relieved and went into the workshop in the back.
“Older brother, don’t you think we need to start thinking about the winter menu soon?”
“Ah, right. Speaking of which, I’ve been so busy lately that I completely forgot.”
A little after they started working, Rachel approached him.
“Speaking of winter, I was thinking of hot pot, but it’s difficult to serve that at a bakery.”
“True. I think something easier to eat would be better. Like steamed buns or oden, for example.”
Kent associated winter with hot pot, but dishes like that, which would extend customer seating time, were a disadvantage in stores with few seats that prioritized customer turnover. Rachel cited two common winter menu items that had become staples in convenience stores.
“Indeed, at convenience stores, they’re placed next to the register, and you end up buying them when you pay.”
“Yes, yes. Besides steamed meat buns, there are also sweet bean paste buns, curry buns, pizza buns… The items can be sold frozen, but that glass-enclosed machine they have next to the register… what was it called? I want something like that.”
“Hmm, do we have one? I’ll look into it.”
Kent searched for an electric steam machine for steamed buns on his terminal.
“Yes, we do. Shall we ask Marie about installing it for the time being?”
“Yes.”
When he searched, he found the item he was looking for in the commercial equipment section. So, they decided to ask Marie if it was okay to install it.
“Permission granted.”
Marie immediately gave them permission to install it. Then, Kent and Rachel decided to consider where to place it during their work breaks. As for the oden, they decided to add it to the menu in the dining space, rather than placing it near the register, and wait and see for the time being.
“Hey, hey. I think you’d make a great priest. I’d be so happy if you came to the Sanctuary, big sister.”
“Customer, please refrain from occupying the area in front of the register as it’s bothering other customers.”
While Kent was working in the kitchen, the shop became unusually noisy. Curious, he went out to see Cindy excitedly shaking Catherine’s hands and trying to recruit her in front of the register.
“Cindy, what’s going on?”
“Ah, Kent. Please say something too. She has an aptitude for priesthood. It’s a waste to let such talent go to waste.”
“Ah, that’s still going on…”
Cindy, who worked at the adjacent Sanctuary, had taken notice of Catherine and was desperately trying to recruit her to become a priest.
“Priest, I found you. Come on, let’s get back to work. Ah, Kent, I’m sorry for causing a commotion. I’ll take her back now.”
“Noooo! I don’t want to work! There’s no way one priest can do all that!”
Cindy was dragged back to the Sanctuary by Otsupain, who had come to pick her up.
“Finally, she’s gone.”
“Catherine, that must have been tough. But don’t you see Cindy at the Sanctuary?”
“That’s the thing. She doesn’t seem to realize I’m the same person working here… I can’t explain it because I can’t tell them I work here at the Sanctuary.”
“I see.”
Catherine seemed to be having her own struggles.
“And so, good work today.”
Time passed quickly, and after closing the shop, the remaining people discussed the sale of steamed buns and oden.
“New menu, huh? I’m looking forward to it. But Josette, who’s a glutton, will surely regret not being here when she hears about this.”
Since Josette and Patty were absent, Elnet did not go for her daily sword training and instead helped out at the shop. Because of this, she had heard about the discussion for the new menu after closing and seemed to be looking forward to it.
“For now, these are the steamed buns and oden we plan to sell at the shop this time.”
Kent brought out the commercial steamed buns and oden ordered from his terminal and, as samples, distributed a warm steamed bun and a small plate with several types of typical oden ingredients to everyone present at the discussion, except Al.
“Be careful, they’re hot.”
“Yes, yes. This is it.”
Before Kent could finish speaking, Rachel took a big bite of a steamed bun.
“It warms my body.”
“This seems good to eat in cold weather.”
“Mmm, delicious.”
“Huh. Is this bread?”
Marie, Elnet, Hanako, and Catherine then took bites of the steamed buns.
“This potato is fluffy and has a different taste from baked sweet potatoes.”
“Is this made from ground fish? The texture is soft.”
Caro, who took a potato from the oden plate, and Emily, who ate a fish cake, said.
“What do you think?”
“Well, I like it. When can we start selling it?”
“I think we can start tomorrow.”
“Understood. Then let’s add it to the menu starting tomorrow.”
When all the plates were empty, Kent asked Marie. Everyone’s reviews were positive, and there were no dissenting opinions, so they decided to start selling steamed buns and oden from tomorrow.
