Several days passed after Lola joined, and it became Friday.
Kent was still attending remedial classes. Since school is closed on Saturdays and Sundays, finishing today’s remedial class would mean a two-day break.
“Thank you for your guidance today as well, Teacher Tia.”
“I think your teaching method has gotten quite good, Kent.”
“That’s also thanks to you, Kent.”
Tia, sitting next to Kent with her chair pulled up, said so. When the remedial classes began, Tia would stand at the podium, and Kent would sit in a student’s seat for his lessons. However, as the days passed, Tia started bringing her chair to Kent’s seat to face him, and then eventually began sitting beside him. They were now conducting their lessons in such close proximity that Kent could hear Tia’s breathing. She claimed it was easier to remember things when they were looking at the text in the same direction rather than facing each other. Kent assumed she had no other feelings about it.
“Kent, what about lunch? Would you like to go to the school cafeteria together?”
“I don’t mind, but is that really okay?”
Tia had invited him to lunch. While it was fine for him to get lunch from the terminal during his remedial classes, Kent hesitated, wondering if it would put Tia in a bad position if someone saw her eating with a student.
“This is also part of my instruction. I’m just interacting with my students.”
“I see. Understood.”
Just as Kent agreed, the bell rang signaling the end of the morning classes.
“There probably aren’t many students around, so I don’t think the cafeteria will be crowded, but shall we go?”
“Yes.”
Kent and Tia headed to the school cafeteria. Due to a contract with the school, the cafeteria had to remain open even during long breaks if even one student came for studies, regardless of whether it was used. Therefore, it was open during the summer break as long as remedial classes were being held. However, the cafeteria was rarely used, and the Flour Union did not supply bread during the summer vacation.
“Oh, Kent. It’s unusual for you to come here.”
“Huh? Where are the other cafeteria staff?”
“As you can see, there are no customers, so I’m working alone today.”
Prim was the only one working at the cafeteria today. Originally, she had been part of Josette’s clique, harassing Rachel along with Caro. However, after Kent and Caro grew closer, Prim hadn’t seen Rachel much.
“Kent, who is this?”
“Um, this is Teacher Tia. She just transferred here recently.”
“Is that so? Hello, Teacher Tia.”
Prim asked about the person with him, so Kent introduced her casually.
“Yes, hello. It must be tough in this heat.”
Tia offered words of comfort to Prim.
“So, Prim, can I place an order?”
“Yes, of course. I apologize, but since it’s summer break and we have limited menu options. Please wait a moment.”
Because of the low customer traffic, they were only offering simple dishes that could be made with minimal ingredients to save costs. Course meals and set menus were all suspended.
“Then, I’ll have… And Teacher, have you decided?”
“I think I’ll have… ”
“Yes, understood. I’ll call you when it’s ready, so please wait a moment.”
Tia paid for the order, and Prim, having taken the order, went into the kitchen to start preparing the food.
“Wow, you have good technique.”
“Kent, please don’t stare so much. It’s making me embarrassed.”
Since no one else was around, Kent watched Prim from the counter. Noticing this, Prim became bashful.
“Kent, you’re making things difficult for me by staring. Let’s sit down and wait.”
Tia admonished him, and Kent took a seat near the counter. Tia sat opposite him, and they waited for the food to be ready.
“I thought there would be other students taking remedial classes, but it seems they aren’t using the cafeteria.”
“Yes, this is the first customer since the summer break started today. Well, considering the menu, I suppose it’s understandable. It’s pretty much an empty store. I heard that most of the students taking remedial classes took their make-up exams yesterday and finished. Once your remedial class is over, I think I can start my summer break too. It must be tough having remedial classes for all subjects. Is it going smoothly?”
Since they were sitting close to the counter and there were no other customers, they could converse normally even from a distance. Kent spoke to Prim.
“Hmm, I wonder.”
To be honest, Kent had been spending his time on Tia since the first day of remedial classes, so they hadn’t made any progress. Kent gave a vague answer.
“Teacher Tia must be having trouble because there’s nothing for her to teach you, isn’t there?”
“Th-that’s not true… is it?”
“Is that really true? Kent, you’re actually very bright, so maybe you’re teaching her instead. Hahaha.”
“Hahaha… haa.”
Prim had hit the nail on the head, and Tia gave a wry smile.
“Thank you for waiting.”
The food was ready. Kent and Tia went to pick it up from the counter, returned to their seats, and began to eat.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Thank you for your patronage. Good luck with your remedial class this afternoon, Kent.”
They finished their meals quickly, returned their used dishes to the counter, and Kent and Tia left the cafeteria.
School finished, and Kent didn’t go home but headed directly to Rachel’s new store.
“Thanks for waiting.”
“Big brother, good job with your remedial classes.”
“I don’t like it when you emphasize the remedial classes.”
“Why? I just said what’s true.”
As he entered the store, Rachel was preparing for the opening.
“Kent, you must be tired. Seeing the two of you interact makes me feel like you’re really family,”
Caro said a little sadly, watching the natural exchange between Kent and Rachel.
“So, how’s the preparation going?”
“Hmm, it’s coming along.”
“But the opening is the day after tomorrow, are you sure it’s okay?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Besides, not many customers will come at first. And since it’s a store for aristocrats, they won’t flock here en masse.”
“Well, if you say so…”
While Rachel seemed relaxed about it, Kent felt a little uneasy.
The interior and exterior had already been renovated, shelves and display cases were arranged inside the store, and merchandise was on display. Due to budget constraints, smaller capacity solar panels than those at Marie’s Bakery had been installed. Consequently, cooking appliances that used heat could not be used, and their use was limited to air conditioning, lighting, and refrigerators/freezers. The plumbing and sewage systems were the same as those at Marie’s Bakery.
“Now that I think about it, is it really okay to sell things at this price?”
“It’s fine. This is a reasonable price setting, considering everything.”
The products on display were refill pouches of shampoo, conditioner, body soap, hand soap, facial cleanser, and body lotion, each costing several hundred G. They were to be transferred into small bottles for about 100 G and sold at a considerable markup. There wasn’t just one type of each product; multiple brands were available to suit different preferences. In addition, the display cases were filled with cosmetics and perfumes. Furthermore, salt, sugar, spices, and other items that were not easily available in this town were placed in a corner of the store. All of these were ordered from Kent’s terminal. These were to be sold as a side business, with the main business being the bakery. Yes, it was a bakery.
The union Marie belonged to was the Flour Union. Therefore, if Marie opened a store, she was required to sell bread. As long as she sold bread, she was allowed to sell or provide other items as a bonus. By the way, if someone belonged to one union, they could not belong to multiple commercial unions. This was apparently to prevent one person from monopolizing multiple industries, but since they could sell items within the union’s jurisdiction, the original purpose was effectively nullified. Incidentally, the bread display area was small and rather apologetic, located near the register.
Half of the store was also used to create a light meal corner for aristocrats. Ice cream, the initial goal, would be served here. Tables and chairs that looked luxurious were arranged, covered with luxurious-looking tablecloths. The furniture was sourced from a Home Center, so despite its luxurious appearance, the price was affordable. The walls were covered with inexpensive wallpaper, but they looked grand.
“Still, I’m impressed you were able to create a store like this with this budget.”
“Isn’t it amazing? I’m going to earn a lot!”
Caro was impressed with Rachel’s ability to efficiently use the provided funds and create such a practical and effective store.
I considered various ideas for what kind of store to create, and in the end, I incorporated the feedback I received. Thank you.
