Adding Tracksuits

The four of us returned home, dropped off our bags, and headed to Marie’s bakery.

“From the outside, it already looks so out of place it’s almost absurd. To think a vacant shop next door could become this magnificent in such a short time. If you just have the money, big brother, aren’t you a total cheat?”

Rachel said with an exasperated look after seeing the shop’s exterior.

“Just as Caro-san said, even from the appearance alone, I feel an atmosphere different from an ordinary shop.”

The store, covered in siding made to look like white brick, stood out so much it seemed like a foreign entity compared to the grimy-colored buildings around it. The windows had been changed from wooden frames to aluminum, and while the roof couldn’t be seen from the road, it was covered in solar panels. The entrance was lit up, doubling as illumination, and an electronic bulletin board displaying “Marie’s Bakery - Open” was placed near the door. I had considered an automatic door, but decided on a manual one with a doorbell to signal whenever someone entered or exited.

“Welco—welcome back, big brother and everyone!”

Catherine, who was busy lining up bread inside, noticed the four of us and spoke.

“I’m home, Catherine. How are things at the shop?”

I asked about the state of the store. There were a fair number of customers inside, and Emily was handling the register all by her lonesome.

“It’s going well! Emily is working really hard.”

“I see, that’s good then.”

“Big brother, I’ve never seen her before, but is she a new clerk?”

Rachel asked me.

“Well, something like that.”

For now, I decided to keep Emily’s true identity a secret.

“Sorry. If you stay here, you’ll be in the customers’ way, so come this way.”

I guided Rachel and Josette to the dining space, which wasn’t in use yet.

“Well then, I’ll start my work first. I’ll let Marie-san know.”

With that, Caro headed to the bread workshop next door.

“In any case, the interior is quite bright, isn’t it?”

Josette said as she looked around the shop. While Kent’s house has electric lights, since this was a store, I had placed indirect lighting and a mix of white and warm-colored lights to create an atmosphere. That seemed unusual to them.

“Is this going to be a dining space, kind of like the bakery where I work part-time?”

Rachel asked.

“That’s right. I plan to make it so people can have simple meals here. There’s a kitchen in the back, too; want to see?”

“I want to see! I want to see!”

“I am curious as well.”

I took Rachel and Josette to the kitchen in the back.

“This place is big and clean too. Nice, it smells brand new.”

Rachel said as she poked around the shelves and drawers without hesitation; the kitchen was equipped with a home system kitchen rather than a professional one.

“Kent-san, what sort of things will you be making in this kitchen?”

Josette asked me.

“Mainly drinks, I suppose. Since it’s a bakery, I’m imagining people will mainly buy bread and eat it here. But I think I can serve various things as needed. For starters, I plan to serve ice cream.”

“Ehh! You’re serving ice cream? I want some too!”

“I have to get to work now, so ice cream will have to be another time.”

“Boo. Fine then, I’m coming back tomorrow too!”

A grumpy Rachel said to me.

“I am also curious about this thing called ‘ice cream.’ There are many things I wish to ask as well, so I shall take my leave for today and return tomorrow.”

With that, the two of them went home.

“Oh, have they both gone home?”

Marie entered the kitchen from the bread workshop through the connected passage.

“It seems we just missed each other. They said they’d come back tomorrow.”

“I see. I wanted to thank them, but I’ll do it tomorrow then.”

“It looks like the connection work finished safely.”

“The work finished a little while ago, and the craftsmen went home.”

“Now we just have to renovate the bread workshop. I think it’ll get in the way of baking today, so maybe tomorrow would be better for that work?”

“Yes. We can’t exactly let the kiln fire go out, after all.”

We decided to do the work on the bread workshop side tomorrow. After that, I returned to my own tasks and worked until closing.

The next morning, school and the shop were closed. Usually, we have to wake up early to prepare the shop, but since it was a holiday, we could sleep in a little. However, partly because my life had become a matter of habit, I woke up at the usual time. Beside me, Caro was breathing softly in her sleep. We had argued last night about who would sleep with whom, but eventually, everyone agreed that I would sleep with Caro in my room last night and with Marie tonight.

Recently, we’ve often been sleeping naked, and the clothes I was wearing until last night were scattered around the area.

“Kent-san, good morning. Did you wake up at the usual time?”

“Good morning, Caro-san. Yeah, it seems my body just reacts because of the habit.”

“I see. You seem energetic this morning. Since the ‘lower half’ is also awake and we have time, let’s continue from last night.”

With that, Caro hugged me and stole a kiss. Caro and I spent the time flirting until it was time to get up.

“Big brother, big sister Caro, it’s time to get up. You’re both naked again. Even if it’s getting warmer, the mornings are still cold. You’ll catch a cold, you know?”

Since it had become a regular occurrence, Catherine just said her piece without looking particularly concerned and went back to Caro’s room.

“Ah—Mommy, I just woke her up and she’s sleeping again… Wake up! This spot is wet with drool, and these blankets are big sister Caro’s!”

Catherine’s voice drifted in from Caro’s room. As usual, Marie-san was a slow starter in the morning.

“Well then, shall we get up?”

“Yes. We have to get dressed and tidy up.”

The two of us changed, tidied the area around the bed, and headed to the living room, where the four of us started breakfast together.

“Kent-san, I have a request, if that’s alright?”

“What is it?”

Marie asked me.

“Um, the clothes that you and Caro-chan are wearing… could you prepare some for us too?”

“You mean the tracksuits? I don’t mind, but what brought this on?”

I wear a black tracksuit and Caro wears a red one inside the house. Previously we only had one set each, but now we have several of the same color, including spares.

“I borrowed one from Caro-chan to try it on the other day, but the size didn’t fit… Still, the fabric is easy to move in, so I thought it would be nice if I had one too. And, undergarments as well, if possible…”

Marie said, looking a bit embarrassed. Inside the house, Marie and Catherine wear clothes that feel a bit stiff and grimy. As for undergarments… wait.

“Marie-san, if you don’t mind me asking, what do you do for undergarments?”

I asked because I had no memory of seeing undergarments for the two of them. Ever since Marie and Catherine became housemates, I no longer handled the laundry.

“I first heard the word ‘undergarments’ from Caro-chan. What corresponds to that would be the cloth we wrap around our waists. For the chest, we wrap a long cloth when necessary. I don’t know about the nobility, but for the commoner class, this is normal, you know?”

“I see. I can’t provide very elaborate designs for undergarments, is that okay?”

It seemed that people of the commoner class were basically in a state close to wearing no underwear at all. The school uniform skirts are relatively short, so I was a little curious about how that worked.

“As long as I can wear them, it’s fine.”

I took out my terminal, retrieved the tracksuits, and handed a brown one to Marie and a green one to Catherine.

“Thank you, Kent-san.”

“Thank you, big brother!”

Tracksuits can be chosen by general size, but undergarments required slightly more detailed data.

“Caro-san, could I ask you to do it?”

“Measuring the sizes, right? Like how we did before is fine, right?”

I had previously asked Caro to let me measure her for the sake of preparing undergarments. Therefore, I knew Caro’s three sizes. Marie probably wouldn’t mind if I measured her, but since Catherine is at a sensitive age, I left the measurements to Caro.

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

I handed the measuring tape to Caro, and Marie and Catherine went into Caro’s room.

After a short while, the three of them returned after finishing the measurements. Based on the data I received, I ordered undergarments for the two of them and handed them over.

Marie’s size was normal, but Catherine’s chest size was subtle, and I struggled over whether to order the child-sized or adult-sized ones. In the end, at her own request, I ordered the adult ones.

The three of them went into Caro’s room again to put on the clothes and undergarments they received from me. A short while later, the three emerged from the room.

“Big brother, how is it?”

“Kent-san. Do they suit me?”

Since the clothes I gave them were tracksuits, it was a bit awkward to give an opinion, but I praised them for now. Neither of them gave their impressions regarding the undergarments. Catherine was embarrassed because of her age, but it felt like Marie also found it difficult to say. After the reveal was over, they changed into their work clothes in Caro’s room, and the four of us headed to the bakery across the way.