I’m Home

“Kent-san, that group of carriages stopped over there is the stagecoach we were planning to ride, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. It looks like we caught up to them.”

While glancing sideways at the stagecoaches stopped for a rest, the light truck Kent was driving continued toward the town of Tior without stopping to rest. Along the way, people riding in carriages they passed going the opposite direction, as well as carriages going the same way that they overtook because their speeds did not match, were surprised by the unfamiliar vehicle, but they decided to keep going without paying them any mind.

“I guess this is about the limit…”

They had been heading toward the town of Tior while maintaining a steady speed, but after driving for nearly an hour, an alarm went beep-beep-beep-beep, and the countdown showing the remaining time changed from 1 to 59. From then on, it decreased by 1 every second. After confirming that, Kent stopped the light truck.

“Caro-san, Al. It looks like time is up. We don’t know what will happen from here, so just in case, let’s get out and unload the luggage.”

“Understood.”

“Roger that! Understood, sir!”

Everyone got out, and they unloaded the luggage from the cargo bed. When he looked at the meter, it counted down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and when it reached 0, the light truck vanished. The handkerchief he had placed on the dashboard to test what would happen if something was inside the vehicle lost its support and fell to the ground.

“If the time runs out while it’s moving, that means we’ll just be thrown out as we are… I have to be careful.”

Kent once again thought that the next time he used it, he would need to pay attention to the remaining time.

“Kent-san, look. It is the town of Tior.”

“We really came back.”

Kent and the others had already returned to a place where they could see the town entrance. From this place, it looked as though they could reach the gate after walking for about thirty minutes. The three of them arrived in the town of Tior on foot.

“Oh, did you children walk here from Sampto? You sure are energetic.”

When they told the gatekeeper they had come from Sampto, he said that as though impressed. Since it was not an impossible distance to walk if one spent a full day, it seemed some people who did not have the money to ride the stagecoach traveled on foot. However, Kent and the others were wearing commoner clothes, but not the clothes of the poor. If anything, their clothes belonged to the more prosperous class of commoners, so he seemed to judge them as odd people who had enough money to use the stagecoach but had walked anyway.

“Now then, we came back earlier than planned, but should we stop by the shop or stop by Caro-san’s house…?”

“I want to show my face at the shop, so let us go to the shop.”

After passing through the town gate, Kent asked Caro where they should go.

“We were away from the shop for a little over a month, but I wonder if everyone is doing well.”

“Kent-san, you were receiving regular updates about the shop’s condition, weren’t you?”

“Well, that’s true, but compared to phone calls and messages, I still have to actually see them in person.”

Even while he was staying in Sampto, Emily regularly contacted him about the shop’s condition, and when that was not enough, he spoke with Marie and Rachel by phone and exchanged information about the shop’s purchasing and other matters. Rachel often bought personal items unrelated to the shop’s purchasing, but even when he warned her, she brazenly said, “I’m paying with my own money, so what’s wrong with it?” Since he was an older brother who thought he understood his younger sister’s personality well, he decided there was no point saying anything and pressed the purchase approval button.

After walking a fair distance, they left the town center, and a familiar scene came into view.

“We are back.”

“That’s right.”

“Master…”

When they came in front of Marie’s bakery, Al tried to say something.

“Al, what’s wrong?”

“Um, I will go in first from the back entrance. Master and Caro-sama, please go through the front entrance.”

After saying that, Al went around toward the back of the shop, where the back entrance was.

“I wonder what’s wrong with Al-chan?”

“Who knows?”

The two tilted their heads at Al’s puzzling behavior.

Ring-ring.

The doorbell attached to the shop door rang.

“““Welcome—ah!”””

““We’re back.””

Because the doorbell rang, the employees with free hands instinctively called out, but when they realized that the ones who had entered were Kent and Caro, voices of surprise rose.

“Oh my, you two were early. Weren’t you supposed to return in the evening?”

Josette, who happened to be closest, called out to them. She said that with her mouth, but she seemed extremely happy to see Kent’s face. She had a beaming smile so obvious that anyone could see it.

“Oh my, what a lovestruck face you are making.”

“Honestly, Elder Sister.”

Seeing that, Elnette teased Josette.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud…

From the workshop came the sound of footsteps rushing with incredible force.

“It’s Kent-san! Welcome baaaack!!”

The person who suddenly appeared hugged him with all her might. Pressed tightly against him, the sensation of her ample chest was transmitted to Kent.

“Marie-san, I’m home.”

Without thinking, he said that while stroking Marie’s head as she hugged him.

“Ahem. Marie-san, Kent-san. We are still open for business. Look, the other customers are watching too.”

Josette, who cleared her throat, said that. In truth, it seemed she had wanted to do it too, but because other people were watching, she restrained herself.

“Oh my, I’m sorry. How careless of me.”

After Josette said that, Marie put some distance between herself and Kent. Caro watched that scene from one step back.

Then, since standing around the shop entrance for too long would inconvenience the other customers, Kent and Caro moved to the kitchen while still carrying their luggage.

At that moment, none of the shop employees noticed that one of the customers was sending Kent a gaze almost like murderous intent. …To be precise, about two of them had noticed.

“That is an incredible killing intent. If you had not told me, I would not have noticed.”

“But it seems to be all right this time. Still, it would be better to be careful from now on.”

“It seems so.”

Al and Emily said that while watching the situation from the shadows, ready to jump out at any moment.

“I want to talk with Kent-san too.”

Catherine, who was working the register alone, let out a dissatisfied voice. At the register, unusually for this time of day, there was a line of customers, and she was not in a position where she could leave her post like the other employees.

“I will take over, so please go.”

“Thank you, Patty-san. Then I’m going.”

Patty took over the register, and Catherine hurried into the kitchen.

“There is no gap for me to enter into this atmosphere, is there…?”

After muttering that a little sadly, Patty focused on her work at the register.