Marie’s Bakery was busier than usual due to a rush of last-minute demand. Though the peak of customers coming for bread before work had passed and things had calmed down a bit, five types of heart-shaped boxes for affection and three types of square boxes for gratitude, along with chocolates and cookies to fill them, were selling well.
“Kent, it’s almost time to head to school. Are you alright?”
“Hmm, I’m a bit hesitant to go in this situation. I’ll help out until the last possible moment. You guys can go ahead.”
It was usually the time for Kent (Male) and his companions to head to school, but customers kept coming in. While working at the register, Kent was looking for an opportunity to slip away. Catherine (Female), watching him, asked with concern, but Kent decided to help at the shop until just before he’d be late for school.
“Older brother, we’re heading to school. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, you guys go on ahead. I’ll help out at the shop until the last minute.”
“Understood. Well then, I’ll tell everyone that.”
It was time for Rachel (Female) to go to school, and she had asked Kent with concern. Since Kent had decided to help at the shop until just before he’d be late, he told Rachel so. Upon hearing this, Rachel relayed the information to Josette (Female), Caro (Female), and Patty (Female), and they headed to school first.
“Alright, I’ll push myself a little more.”
“Thank you, Kent.”
Catherine (Female) looked a little happier when Kent said he would help until the last moment, and she expressed her gratitude.
“Kent, we’ve just finished baking the new cookies. Could you please arrange them on the shelves?”
“Understood, Marie. I’ll handle the rest, so please take care of the workshop.”
“Thank you. Oh, Yuria (Female), welcome.”
At that moment, Marie came out of the workshop with the freshly baked cookies. Just as Kent took them to display them, Marie noticed the arrival of Yuria (Female), who was Catherine’s maid.
“Catherine, Marie, Kent, excuse me for interrupting your work.”
“Yuria (Female), it’s unusual for you to come to the shop. Did something happen at the sanctuary?”
“Yes, I’ve received a letter that requires urgent attention, and I’ve come to receive instructions. Here is the letter.”
Yuria (Female) handed the letter received at the sanctuary to Catherine (Female).
“Kent, could I trouble you with the register for a moment?”
“Sure. You’re going to read it in the back, right? Leave the register to me.”
“Thank you.”
Catherine (Female) was hiding her identity as a Saintess within the shop. Therefore, she couldn’t let customers see the letter, so she decided to go to a back room to read it. Entrusting the register work to Kent, Catherine (Female) went into the back room.
“Kent, I’ll leave the rest to you then.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Marie, unable to place the cookies on the shop’s shelves because Kent had taken over the register work, arranged the cookies herself and returned to the workshop for her next task.
“Um, Kent.”
“What is it? Yuria (Female)?”
“Actually, I was planning to give this to you.”
Saying that, Yuria (Female) presented a small square box to Kent.
“Thank you. But why did you decide to give it to me?”
“My master likes you, so I felt I should respond appropriately as her attendant. The other day, Catherine, in her office, was groaning while looking at a square box and a heart-shaped box. So I asked her what she was groaning about. It seemed she was agonizing over which box to give. So I recommended she give the heart-shaped box.”
“She was agonizing that much?”
“Well, after I said that, she decided on the heart-shaped one.”
“Oh, is that so.”
(I see, Catherine was torn between affection and gratitude as family.)
Hearing about Catherine’s internal struggle from Yuria (Female), and listening to her story about agonizing over which to give, Kent interpreted it as her being unsure how to best express her feelings as a family living under the same roof.
“Catherine may have her position, but I believe that the feeling of liking someone is not something that can be regulated by anyone.”
“I think it’s admirable that you can think that way.”
Kent was impressed by Yuria’s (Female) passionate personal theory.
“Therefore, I believe that as an attendant, I should also show respect to the recipient of the heart-shaped box.”
“And that’s why this is the square box, you see.”
“Yes!”
Yuria (Female) clearly answered Kent’s question.
“Yuria (Female), sorry to keep you waiting. I’ve finished reading the letter. I’ve included a paper with the necessary reply and instructions for going forward. Please take this to the administration office.”
“Catherine is always so fast with her work. I’ll take this to the administration then. Sorry to bother you during your busy time. Well then.”
“Oh, Yuria (Female)!”
Catherine (Female) and Yuria (Female) have a master-servant relationship, but this only applies when Catherine (Female) behaves as a Saintess. Otherwise, they are friendly like friends and use different language in public and private. After receiving the letter with the reply, Yuria (Female) teased Eleanor and returned to the sanctuary. Catherine (Female), realizing she had been teased, called out her name, but she was already gone.
“By the way, what’s with that box?”
“Ah, Yuria (Female) told me to give this to you.”
“Oh, is that so. Yuria (Female), you didn’t have to go to such trouble…”
Catherine (Female) noticed the square box placed on the register and asked Kent about it. Since Kent had no particular reason to hide it, he answered honestly, and Catherine (Female) murmured something as if thinking.
“Master, we need to leave for school soon or we’ll be late.”
“Oh, is it that time already?”
A little time passed after that, and the flow of customers settled down, but the shop was still bustling with many customers. However, when Kent checked the time after being prompted by Al (Male/Female), it was getting late to leave the shop and still make it to the school’s starting time.
“Marie; I’m going to head to school now, as I’ll be late.”
“Kent, thank you for helping me out until the last minute. Please be careful.”
“Yes, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Kent informed Marie that he was leaving for school and was about to exit the shop.
“Master, thank you for your hard work. I imagine you’re hungry, so it would be good to eat this on your way to school.”
“Al, I was just starting to feel a little hungry. Thank you. Well then, I’m off.”
“Have a good day, Master.”
Before leaving the shop, Kent was called out by Al (Male/Female). She noticed that Kent was a bit hungry and handed him a piece of bread to eat on his way to school. Kent accepted it and hurried towards the school.
“Damn it, I should just make it if I walk, but I’ll run a bit to have some leeway.”
Kent checked the time after leaving the shop. By his calculation, walking to school would be just barely on time, but he decided running a bit would give him more of a buffer, so he started running for a while.
“Since I’m here, I’ll run while eating the bread Al gave me. Come to think of it, in shoujo manga, if a scene like this happens, they often bump into someone and have a new encounter. Though, in those cases, it’s usually a girl with bread in her mouth.”
Kent started running with the bread Al gave him in his mouth, recalling a common scene from shoujo manga.
“Aah, I’m gonna be late~. Just kidding. Whoa!”
“Eek!”
As Kent ran on the road towards school, he jokingly repeated a line spoken by a protagonist girl in a certain shoujo manga. Then, something jumped out from a blind spot, he collided with something soft, and fell on his backside from the impact.
