My First Part-Time Job

“Are we really going in together?”

“Do you dislike it?”

Caro looked up at me from under her lashes. She was so cute that my head went light. In all my life, I’d never taken a bath with a woman other than my little sister. I lost to the sweet temptation, and Caro and I ended up getting in the bath together.

“Please don’t stare too much. I’m not as shapely as Josette-sama.”

Caro said that shyly as she started undressing.

“That’s not true. You’re plenty charming too.”

My brain couldn’t keep up with the situation, and I blurted out a line like I was flirting.

“Kent-san, you’re so smooth with words.”

After she got naked, Caro wrapped a bath towel around herself. It was only a moment, but I saw everything.

“Kent-san, hurry up and undress too. Should I help you?”

“No, I can undress myself.”

Saying that, I took off my clothes.

The two of us washed ourselves with awkward movements, then soaked in the tub.

It was the perfect size—big enough for two without feeling cramped. The bath towels were hanging in the washing area, and neither of us was wearing anything. Caro sat in front of me, so I was positioned looking at the back of her head.

“This thing called a shower is convenient. The hot water feels nice, and it calms my mind.”

“I’m not calm at all, though…”

“Honestly, neither am I. I asked to bathe together… does that make me a strange woman?”

“I don’t think so?”

“Today… I saw it. You and Josette-sama kissing behind the school building… Are you two dating?”

Caro’s sudden confession made my heart jump.

“You saw that… But right now, it’s not like we’re dating.”

“Is that so? Hearing that makes me feel a little relieved.”

Caro turned around so she was facing me.

“Then I’ll…”

Saying that, she hugged me and gave me a light kiss.

“I can’t repay you properly, but this is my thanks for letting me stay in this house.”

With that, Caro wrapped herself in the hanging bath towel and left the bathroom.

All I could do was watch her go.

Thanks to electricity, the house was bright even at night. Caro and I sat side by side on the living-room sofa, drinking tea after the bath.

“To be able to drink cold tea whenever I want… even my family home didn’t have that.”

Caro said happily as she sipped the chilled tea.

“Well, it’s bottled tea from the fridge. But I’m glad you liked it.”

Before long, we finished our tea.

“Then I’ll go to sleep soon. Good night.”

“Good night.”

We each returned to our rooms and went to sleep.

The next morning, when I woke up and went out to the living room, Caro was already up.

“Good morning, Kent-san. Please take care of me today.”

“Morning, Caro-san. Once we’re ready, let’s head to the shop.”

We finished preparing and went to the bakery across the street.

“Good morning, Marie-san. Catherine.”

“Good morning, Kent-san. I’m sorry we suddenly closed the shop the day before yesterday.”

“Morning, big brother. Who’s the big sister behind you?”

Catherine noticed Caro behind me and asked.

“This is Caro-san. She’s looking for work, and since you’re recruiting here, I brought her.”

“Oh? Is that so? That helps. If it’s Kent-san’s introduction, I can’t really refuse. Then… can you work for us?”

“Yes. Please take care of me.”

And just like that, Caro started working with me at the bakery across the street.

“Alright, Caro-san. At first, stick with Catherine and learn the job.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Caro followed Catherine and apprenticed under her for register work.

“This bread is 70G, this one is 100G, and this one is 120G. And this is the calculator. You press these buttons to calculate.”

“What an amazing machine. Is this also something Kent-san prepared?”

“Caro-oneechan, how did you know big brother prepared it?”

“Just a feeling.”

“Oh, I see.”

They seemed to be working together happily.

“Kent-san, do you have a moment?”

Marie-san called me over.

“What’s wrong?”

She led me behind the shop, and her serious expression worried me.

“Actually… the reason we suddenly closed the day before yesterday was because a bakers’ guild meeting got scheduled out of nowhere.”

“Catherine told me. From the sound of it, did something not-so-good come up at the meeting?”

“You’re sharp. The truth is, other shops complained that our shop is making too much profit. And right now, each shop takes one day off per week on an assigned day. You know this, but our shop’s day off is Tuesday.”

“Yes.”

Even in this world, we were using the same weekday system for convenience. Monday through Friday were weekdays, and Saturday and Sunday were days off, so school was closed too.

“And then… by majority vote, our shop ended up having one more day off per week. From now on, Saturday and Sunday will be regular closing days.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? Everyone’s been working too much lately, and I think having two days off a week is better.”

“Is it? If you say so, Kent-san… then maybe it’s fine?”

“But I feel bad that the days when you can earn the most money are becoming days off…”

“Then we can develop new products and increase sales. Let’s do our best.”

I said that as I took Marie-san’s hands in mine. Marie-san stared at my face, cheeks turning red.

“Oh my, don’t tease an old lady like me, okay?”

I felt someone watching and turned around—Catherine and Caro were peeking from behind something.

“Big brother, you’re flirting with Mom.”

“So Kent-san likes older women… sniff.”

They stared at me with flat, accusing eyes.

“No, no, it’s not like that!”

I hurriedly denied it.

After we finished preparing and opened the shop, customers surged in like they’d been waiting. The small shop became so packed it was hard to move. Seeing that, Caro stepped in to manage the crowd.

“Excuse me! The shop is crowded right now, so please line up outside and wait for a bit!”

She efficiently lined people up and reduced the congestion inside. That paid off, and the customer flow improved all at once. We sold more than usual, but the work flowed so smoothly that it didn’t feel as exhausting.

Once the flow stabilized, Caro came back inside, explained products to customers, and handed out trays and tongs for picking up bread. She moved constantly. When the payment line grew long, she also helped support Catherine at the register.

“Caro-san, have you ever worked at a shop before?”

Her movement was so good that I asked.

“No, I haven’t. Until recently, I was living as a sheltered young lady, so I didn’t need to work.”

“Right.”

Because we were interacting so naturally, I almost forgot Caro was a noble young lady—she blended in that well here.

“Good work. Thanks to you, Caro-san, the shop was really helped. Thank you.”

“Good work, Caro-oneechan. Good work to you too, big brother.”

“Alright, I’m heading to school.”

“I’m heading to school.”

“Ah, wait. These are failed breads, but if you want, eat them for lunch together.”

““Thank you very much.””

After finishing the morning shift, Caro and I headed to school. Caro clung to my arm, smiling brightly. That face was unbelievably cute.

“Then see you later.”

“See you at lunch.”

When we arrived at school, we headed to our respective classrooms. At lunch break, Caro came to my classroom.

“Kent-san, let’s eat lunch.”

“I’m coming now.”

We held hands as we left the classroom together.

Watching that, Josette was wondering what she should do for lunch.