“Kent-san and Josette-san, why are you being so kind to me?”
As they descended the stairs, Sophie tearfully asked Kent and Josette.
“I don’t know what to say when you ask why, but it’s natural for friends,” Kent replied, finding the question difficult to answer.
“It is only natural to lend a hand to those in need,” Josette stated, as if upholding her conviction.
“Actually, until a little while ago, I was also doing things like that,” Josette confessed to Sophie.
“You, Josette-san, who looks so kind, you were doing something like that?” Sophie asked, her expression one of surprise.
“Surrounding one weak person with a large group and throwing heartless words at them. Thinking back, I was cornered at the time, but I was doing something that was the lowest of the low for a person.”
Kent understood what Josette meant, but since they had reconciled and it was in the past, he didn’t feel the need to intervene.
“It was Kent-san who taught me that,” Josette added.
“You’re amazing, Kent-san. To be able to say things to a prince and members of a Ducal family, even though you’re a commoner, I truly respect you.”
“Hmm, well, it all just happened as it happened,” Kent said.
His interactions with Gordon, Josette, had all been a series of coincidences. Without those coincidences, he would likely still be living the life of a commoner, not being noticed as a background male student. Talking about such things, Kent and his companions headed towards the back of the school building.
“Brother and the others, you’re late. I was tired of waiting,” Rachel called out.
“Sorry, sorry. We had a little trouble,” Kent replied.
Upon arriving at the back of the school building, Rachel and Caro were already waiting.
“Kent-san, we finished the preparations first,” Caro said.
“Thank you, Caro-san.”
“I helped with the preparations too, you know,” Rachel added.
“Thank you too, Rachel.”
Kent gently petted the heads of Caro and Rachel, praising them for their forward preparations.
“Kent-san, it’s embarrassing to do such things in front of people,” Caro giggled.
“Brother, my styled hair will get messed up! Hehe, but, this kind of thing might be nice too,” Rachel said.
Caro and Rachel smiled, their eyes crinkling with happiness.
“Rachel-san,” Josette began.
“Josette-san, wh-what is it? Why the sudden formality?” Rachel asked, taken aback.
Josette looked intently at Rachel as she spoke. The atmosphere was different from usual, and Rachel instinctively braced herself.
“Rachel-san, I am truly sorry.”
“Uwah, for you to suddenly do a dogeza, you startled me!” Rachel exclaimed.
Josette suddenly prostrated herself in front of Rachel. Rachel was deeply shocked by the suddenness of it.
“Jo-Josette-sama, what are you doing?” Caro asked.
“Why is Josette-san doing a dogeza to Rachel-san?” Sophie questioned.
Caro and Sophie, who had been watching, were also surprised. Naturally, Kent was surprised too, but the suddenness of the event left him speechless.
“I did terrible things to you before. Surrounding one person with a large group and spewing abusive words is the lowest of acts. Please, forgive me,” Josette said.
“If Josette-sama is going to do this, then I must join her. Rachel, I am truly sorry,” Caro added, also prostrating herself.
“Fufu, you two, it’s already finished. I told you before that I forgive you, so please don’t bring up the past and apologize. It’s very difficult to know how to respond. Please, both of you, raise your heads,” Rachel said, hurriedly trying to help them up.
Caro had also prostrated herself next to Josette. Learning the reason, Rachel rushed to help both of them to their feet.
“Actually, a while ago, Josette had a period where she would surround Rachel with a group and do various things to her. As you can see, they’ve reconciled now and the three of them get along well. I hope Sophie-san can also reach a point where she can reconcile with those people,” Kent explained to Sophie.
“Yes, that would be wonderful,” Sophie replied.
Sophie, having learned of their past, seemed to have something on her mind as she watched Josette, Caro, and Rachel embrace.
“However, Josette-san, if you do something like that again, I will get angry,” Rachel warned.
“I-I’m sorry. I got carried away by my emotions,” Josette stammered.
“And Caro, you don’t have to follow Josette’s lead even at times like this,” Rachel added.
“But I couldn’t let Josette-sama bear such a burden alone,” Caro protested.
“Understood?” Rachel said firmly.
“Yes,” they both replied.
Rachel, uncharacteristically, was lecturing Josette and Caro.
“Well then, let’s have lunch properly. We didn’t have many failed attempts today, so Caro and I brought some of our best-selling bread,” Rachel announced.
“U-using our best-selling bread? That feels a bit problematic?” Kent hesitated.
When Kent and his companions arrived, the stove was lit, and the area was warm. Bread for lunch was laid out, ready to be picked up and eaten, but upon learning that some of it was actually for sale, Kent felt a complex mixture of emotions.
“Kent-san, I’ve already spoken to Marie-san, so please eat with peace of mind,” Caro reassured him.
“That’s right. Eat quickly before it’s all gone. Munch, munch,” Josette added, already eating her bread.
“So, this is the bread sold at Marie’s Bakery. It’s as delicious as the reviews say,” Kent commented.
“Right? This taste is something you absolutely can’t get anywhere else,” Rachel boasted.
“Why are you saying that with such a smug look on your face?” Kent questioned.
Sophie also reached for the bread and took a bite. She looked surprised, having never tasted anything quite like it before.
“Phew, I’m stuffed,” Rachel said, rubbing her stomach and cleaning her teeth with a toothpick.
“Rachel, that’s unladylike,” Caro chided.
“It’s fine, there’s no one here but people I’m familiar with,” Rachel replied nonchalantly.
“Ah, Josette-san, there’s some trash in your hair. I’ll get it for you,” Kent said, noticing a piece of debris in Josette’s hair, likely from the dogeza. He gently removed it with his hand.
“Oh? Ah, thank you,” Josette replied.
“Kent-san, is there something in my hair too? Look,” Caro said, apparently feeling a sense of rivalry as she perched on the bench next to Kent, acting cute.
Kent took one of Caro’s twintails at a time to check for any debris.
“Hey, hey, Brother. Check my hair too, won’t you?” Rachel asked as she sat on Kent’s lap.
“You didn’t do a dogeza or anything, did you?” Kent asked.
“Just look, please,” Rachel insisted.
The sweet scent emanating from Rachel’s hair tickled Kent’s nose.
“Fine, fine. I’ll humor you. Be grateful I’m even looking,” Kent said reluctantly.
“You’re speaking so harshly,” Rachel pouted.
“Just be grateful I’m looking at all,” Kent retorted.
He checked Rachel’s hair for any foreign objects.
“There’s nothing. Alright, done!” Kent declared, then lightly tapped Rachel’s back before she moved from his lap.
“Ow! Don’t hit my back so hard! What if beautiful red leaves got stuck on my pretty back!” Rachel complained.
“You and Kent-san are really close, aren’t you? My siblings and I fight a lot, so seeing you like this makes me envious,” Sophie said, watching their interaction with a wistful expression.
