Rachel, Kent, and Caro began tidying up the shop. Each of them started putting away scattered items. The collected items were then gathered and stacked in one place.
“By the way, I understand why I’m accompanying you, but why did you bring Caro?” Kent asked Rachel, not out of particular interest, but because the thought randomly occurred to him.
“Huh? Well… you see?” Rachel’s words were vague.
*(I can’t just say I wanted to be with the person I like.)*
“Huh? What did you say?” Kent couldn’t hear Rachel’s mumbled words and asked her to repeat herself.
“Honestly, it doesn’t matter. Let’s just finish tidying up quickly!” With that, Rachel abruptly ended the conversation and returned to her work. She glanced at Caro, who was smiling and looking in their direction.
“Do you know something, Caro?”
“I have an idea, but you shouldn’t pry too deeply into a maiden’s secret.” Caro replied and returned to the tidying work. Mike, still seated, watched the three of them work.
As dusk began to fall outdoors, the tidying of the shop was finally completed.
“The tidying is done, but what should we do with all this trash?” Kent pondered how to dispose of the trash, when Rachel made a suggestion. “Can’t we install one of those self-vanishing trash collection boxes here?”
The trash collection boxes were convenient items that would make the trash disappear by the next day if placed inside with proper garbage bags or collection tickets. If they could install one, their trash problem would be solved.
“Hmm, let me see. Just a moment.” Kent operated his terminal and conducted a search.
“There’s an entry for it, but where should we install it?”
“Um…”
In the end, they decided to install the trash collection box behind the shop. After installation, they purchased designated garbage bags and collection tickets, and began throwing the trash into the collection box.
“It’s all tidied up. Thank you, Older brother, Caro,” Rachel said,労う them as the work concluded with the darkening sky.
“Well then, shall we head back to the shop? Caro, what about you?” Rachel asked Caro.
“That’s right. My home is closer from here, so I’ll be going straight home.”
“Oh? Then, Older brother, please walk Caro home.”
“No, Akane will come with us. We can’t just let her go home alone.” Kent said, judging it dangerous for his sister to walk alone on the night road.
“Eh, won’t I be in your way? Besides, at my last part-time job, I used to finish at this time and walk home alone?”
“I don’t know anything about your previous job. I’m worried, so I’ll go with you. Understand?”
“Okay.” Rachel replied with a slightly happy-looking face.
“It’s nice that you two are so close,” Caro said with a smile, seeming amused by their exchange. Suddenly, her expression changed.
“Caro, what’s wrong?” Kent noticed Caro’s sudden change and asked.
“Um… I can faintly smell something. There’s something here.” She said, looking toward the back of the shop. It was dark now that the sun had set, and the three of them each held a flashlight. Caro shone her light toward the staircase leading to the employee rooms on the second floor.
“You know, I haven’t been beyond that door. What’s in there?” Rachel asked Kent nervously.
“If you open this door, there’s a staircase to the upper floor. Upstairs are rooms for live-in employees.”
“Is that so? Mike, do you know what’s there?”
“ZZZZZzzzzz….” Mike had curled up and fallen asleep at some point. Come to think of it, he hadn’t heard a sound from him for a while.
“He’s sleeping. Should we wake him up?” Kent said with a weary look.
“He’s sleeping, let’s just leave him be.” Rachel decided to leave him as he was. Mike had stated he had no combat ability, so he was judged as out of commission for this task.
“Then, Older brother, go and check it out.” Rachel handed Kent the broom she had used for cleaning.
“Ugh.”
“You’re a man, Older brother. You have to show Caro what you’re made of.”
“I guess I have no choice.” Kent wasn’t enthusiastic, but Rachel urged him on.
“So, Caro, what kind of smell is it?” Kent decided to gather information about the unknown presence from Caro first.
“Um… I think it’s a woman’s smell. It doesn’t seem like a ghost or a monster. But it’s quite strong, like she hasn’t taken a bath in a long time.”
“I see, a woman… Alright, let’s go confirm.” Kent said, then began to ascend the stairs, careful not to make a sound.
“You know, there are a lot of rooms here. What should we do…”
“Um…”
“Uwah!!!” Kent exclaimed in surprise at the reply to his muttering, which he thought was to himself.
“Shhh!” Caro whispered from behind him, gesturing for him to be quiet by placing a finger to her lips. Rachel followed closely behind her.
“Kent, it’s this room.” The room Caro indicated was the same one where, during a previous visit with Marie, they had found what appeared to be letters addressed to the families of the shop’s employees.
“Shall I open it then?” Kent carefully opened the door without making a sound. The moment the door opened, a strong stench emanated from the room, akin to that of a homeless person who hadn’t bathed in days. The three of them grimaced.
“Whoa, I can’t take this!”
“Pfft.”
Kent and Rachel said the same thing simultaneously. Caro stifled a laugh, finding their shared reaction amusing.
“Um, she’s sleeping.” A young woman lay on the bed, her breathing soft. Her hair was disheveled, her discarded clothes were dirty and ragged, and they gave off a strange odor. The woman was covered by a futon, so only her face was visible, and it appeared terribly dirty.
“Older brother, what should we do?”
“Ideally, we’d let her continue sleeping, but we need to go home and hear her story, so I’m afraid we have no choice but to wake her up,” Kent decided.
“Hello, please wake up.”
“Nn… faaaaw. Huh? Who are you people?!” Upon opening her eyes and seeing them, she jumped up from the bed.
“!!!”
“Aaaah!”
Her clothes were scattered on the floor, so it was somewhat expected, but she was completely naked. Her reasonably well-sized chest was exposed, and the woman frantically covered herself, but her lower body was completely visible.
“Kya!”
She tried to cover herself with both hands, but then her chest became exposed, and when she tried to cover that, her lower body was revealed again. After repeating this process for a while, she realized she could wrap herself in the futon and became quiet.
“Older brother, you understand, right?”
“Yes, yes, hold on a moment.” Kent left the room temporarily and retrieved a T-shirt, a pair of jersey pants, and a set of women’s underwear, estimating the size based on the woman’s physique, from his terminal.
“Here, I’ll be outside the room for a bit, so call me when you’re done.”
“Thanks, Older brother.” Rachel took the clothes, and Kent waited outside the room for a while.
“Kent, it’s okay now.” Caro called him, and Kent re-entered the room. The woman had changed into the clothes Kent had provided. However, only her clothes had been changed; her disheveled hair, dirty face, and the smell remained the same.
“So, why were you in this room?” Rachel asked the now somewhat calmer woman.
“Yes, I used to work at this shop. However, the shopkeeper’s corruption was discovered, and everyone, including the employees, was arrested and put on trial. Most were found to be involved and were subject to punishment, but a few of us, including myself, were found not guilty and released.” The woman began to explain the circumstances.
“Although I was released as not guilty, the shop was already gone. The others went to live with relatives or friends in nearby areas, but I came from out of town and had no one else to rely on. When I was released, I had no money and had no choice but to wander the streets. Then, after a few days, I remembered that the employees had, secretly from the shopkeeper, hidden a key to open the back door in case of an emergency. Using that, I came in here. When the shop existed, this room was assigned to me. The shop was in ruins, but I felt relieved that my room was left untouched, and with the exhaustion from my wandering, I fell asleep.”
“That must have been difficult. I’ve experienced wandering too, so I can understand the loneliness of having no one to rely on,” Caro said, having gone through a similar, though brief, experience.
“Um, you were the one who handled customer service, right?” Rachel asked.
“Yes, I mainly worked in customer service at the counter. I remember. You were the Duke’s daughter Josette and the people who came to buy bread, right?”
“Could you be the one who served us then?”
“Yes.” The woman said, seemingly recalling them. She no longer had the impression of a beautiful older sister who had skillfully handled her job; her hair was messy, and her dirty face bore little resemblance to her former self.
“If you have nowhere to work, will you work at my shop?”
“I don’t know what kind of shop it is, but if there’s a place I can work, I’ll do any chores. Please!” Although surprised by Rachel’s sudden offer, the woman replied immediately, unwilling to miss this opportunity.
“Then it’s decided. I’m Rachel, this is Caro, and next to her is my Older brother… no, Kent.”
“My name is Lola. I look forward to working with you.”
And so, though the shop itself had not yet been established, Rachel’s first employee was decided.
