“Gueh.”
The next morning, Kent woke up with a sharp pain in his abdomen.
“Ouch, that hurts. Maybe I’m sick?”
The pain only lasted for a moment, but the intensity made Kent worry he might be ill, and he became very anxious.
“Wait, this is the cause of the pain.”
Kent spoke as he moved Marie’s leg, which was resting on his stomach. It seemed the cause of the pain was Marie’s heel drop. The person herself was sleeping soundly, scratching her side.
“It was a good thing I set the air conditioner timer. If I hadn’t, I would have caught a cold from the chill.”
The comforter covering them had rolled far off the bed, likely due to the earlier heel drop. When Kent switched on the built-in bedside lamp, Marie’s naked body came into view.
“Your stomach seems to have deflated.”
Marie’s stomach had been slightly protruding last night, but now the swelling was gone, and it had returned to its usual size. Her sleeping posture was still bad, but her attractive body with its large, ample chest was something Kent never tired of watching.
“Let’s let Marie sleep a little longer.”
Kent covered Marie with the comforter and then changed his clothes before heading to the living room.
“Good morning, Kent.”
In the kitchen, Catherine was preparing breakfast.
“Catherine, thank you for preparing breakfast for me again today.”
“If it makes you happy, a little early
rising doesn’t bother me at all.”
“You’re such a good girl. There, there.”
“Oh, Kent!”
In the past, Marie used to prepare breakfast, but that role had gradually shifted to Catherine. Kent stroked Catherine’s head, acknowledging her growth.
“Me too. Pat me.”
“I’m here too. Please pat me.”
Next to Catherine were Hanako and Al. When they weren’t sleeping with Kent, they often helped Catherine, and they held out their heads to Kent, wanting to be petted as well, showing they were working hard too.
“You’re both very good. Alright, good pets.”
“Mrow.”
“Caruru.”
“What’s wrong, you two?”
When Kent petted Hanako and Al, they reacted differently than usual. Kent asked them what was wrong.
“Meeeow, monotony is bad.”
“That’s right. We were being treated like Catherine’s extras, so we’re asserting ourselves!”
“I see.”
Hanako and Al seemed to have something on their minds.
“Mooorning. Is breakfast ready?”
“Good morning. We’ve arrived for breakfast.”
“Breakfast is important, after all.”
“…”
As they were having this exchange, Rachel, Josette, and Elnet casually entered the house. The three of them seemed to have come for breakfast.
“Good morning, everyone. Breakfast will be ready soon, so please sit and wait. Oh, speaking of which, Mother isn’t up yet. I can’t leave right now, so could someone wake her? I’d appreciate it.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be right to just take free meals. I’ll go wake her. I’ll definitely win today.”
Taking over for Catherine, who was busy with preparations, Elnet volunteered to wake Marie. Elnet, as if heading into battle, entered Kent’s room where Marie was sleeping with great spirit.
“Marie, it’s morning. If you don’t wake up now, it’s hopeless.”
Thus began Elnet’s early morning battle with Marie.
“Marie is usually gentle, but when it comes to this in the morning, I can’t handle her.”
“I know, right? Marie is unnecessarily strong, so once she hugs you, it’s hard to get away.”
Josette and Rachel watched Elnet’s back as she went off to fight with a lukewarm gaze.
“Oh, no! Ugyaaah!”
As they were talking, Elnet’s scream echoed from Kent’s room.
“Wh-what was that!”
“Judging by that voice, Older Sister, you’ve been defeated again.”
“Even Elnet-san loses when she’s on the bed, it’s strange, isn’t it?”
Kent, Josette, and Rachel entered Kent’s room to check on the situation.
“Wh-what is this situation?”
“It’s a Romero Special.”
“Older Brother, don’t just watch; help!”
Elnet was being held aloft, her limbs restrained by a naked Marie.
“Ouch, ouch, I give up, I give up!”
“Zzzzzz.”
Unable to move, Elnet, her face contorted in pain, desperately told Marie to stop, but Marie still seemed to be asleep. Kent and his companions managed to free Elnet with their combined strength, waking Marie.
“I-I’m so sor-ry. I seem to have done it again.”
After that, it was time for breakfast. Marie, feeling apologetic, shrunk down and profusely apologized to Elnet.
“I lost today, but I’ll win next time.”
Though it was unclear what they were competing over, Elnet seemed to be burning with further fighting spirit. They then quickly finished breakfast, got ready, and began preparations for the shop’s opening.
“Well then, I need to clean the front of the shop. At this time of year, fallen leaves get blown in so easily.”
The employees of Marie’s Bakery gathered, and they all pitched in, busy with opening preparations. Kent was sweeping the fallen leaves that had blown in front of the shop.
“Oh? Is that child…”
Yesterday, at the same time he was cleaning the front of the shop, a woman in a school uniform had walked by. Her long black hair, which somehow gave off a Japanese aura, caught Kent’s eye.
“Good morning.”
Kent greeted her, but just like last time, she walked past with a blank expression. After passing Marie’s Bakery, she turned and entered the Sanctuary.
“More importantly, I have work to do.”
Kent shifted his gaze back and continued sweeping.
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Have a good day.”
With the opening preparations complete and the busy morning rush hour safely navigated, it was time for the students to head to school. Kent and his companions decided to walk to school as usual.
“Then, we’ll be heading that way, so this is where we part. I’ll see you at lunch, at our usual spot.”
Upon entering the school building, Rachel and Caro, the first-year students, parted ways first. Kent, Josette, and Patty then headed towards their respective classrooms.
“Yo.”
“H-hey.”
“I meant to say that to Kent, but I ended up being confusing. Good morning, Patty, and Josette. And Kent too.”
As they entered the classroom, Bobby greeted them. Patty, thinking the greeting was directed at her, shyly returned it.
“What do you mean, ‘and’? ”
“Come on, come on, don’t get so angry.”
Kent and Bobby exchanged greetings as usual.
“You two are really close.”
“Indeed. The way Kent talks to us is different from how he talks to you. Perhaps this is what you call a true friend.”
Witnessing the usual scene, Patty and Josette watched Kent and Bobby’s exchange with smiling faces.
“Speaking of which, it’s peaceful today, isn’t it? Yesterday, a lot of people were gathered around you, Patty. What happened?”
“Now that you mention it, you’re right. Today, I was able to reach our classroom with Kent and Josette, and we’re able to talk like this now.”
Yesterday, Patty had been surrounded by her classmates due to that incident. But today, such commotion didn’t occur, and a leisurely time flowed before homeroom began.
“Well, it would be a nuisance if everyone gathered every day. Being the prince’s fiancée means you’ll be part of royalty in the future, so everyone is considerate of that.”
“Did I make everyone in the class feel obligated?”
“I think it’s perfectly fine to accept their kindness sincerely.”
Bobby answered Patty’s question. Patty, who had been feeling a bit hesitant, received a gentle nudge of advice from Josette.
