Hunting The Culprit

I had decided to start investigating, but work stayed so busy that several days passed without me doing anything. Today was Friday, and a notice had been posted in front of Marie’s bakery saying it was temporarily closed.

“We’ve run out of ingredients…”

Marie said as she baked bread in the workshop to deliver to the school cafeteria. We had thought the flour would last a week, but because other bakeries stopped selling one after another—and we kept selling without raising prices—we ran out faster than expected. Now we were using what little remained to make bread for the cafeteria.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to run the shop like normal again starting next week. Think of this as a proper break, Marie-san, and take it easy.”

I said that to Marie. Since there were no in-store sales today, Emily was cleaning the shop, and Caro, Catherine, and Rachel were all relaxing at my house. With fewer loaves to bake, Marie and I also didn’t wake up early; we started work around our usual opening time.

When it was time for school, I headed there with Caro and Rachel.

“Big brother, today we finally start investigating. I’m kind of excited.”

“Kent-san, let’s do our best to find the culprit.”

Rachel and Caro looked full of motivation. News that Marie’s bakery had stopped selling had spread among the students, so it seemed many people couldn’t prepare lunch today.

“Good morning, Kent-kun.”

“Good morning.”

When I arrived in the classroom, the girl in the seat next to mine greeted me. Lately, it had become part of our daily routine.

“Yesterday, that bakery that kept selling at a fair price without raising it ran out of ingredients, so they’re taking a break for a while.”

She told me with a disappointed look. Needless to say, she meant Marie’s bakery. Other shops raised prices across the board, but we kept selling at the normal price until the very end.

“My mom said it’s a shame, because it was the only place where we could still buy bread within our budget.”

“Are there any bakeries still selling bread?”

“Um… I think there are four in town. But the prices are insanely high, so I don’t think anyone except nobles or wealthy people can buy it.”

I had just gotten valuable information. After that, I asked her where those shops were located. There were about twenty bakeries in this town, and every single one belonged to the Bakers’ Guild. I figured those four were probably the ones with supply routes that didn’t go through the Guild.

At lunch break, most students headed to the cafeteria. A notice had been posted ahead of time saying the cafeteria would operate normally. It was cheaper to use the cafeteria than to buy even one loaf at the inflated prices, and the cafeteria meals came with bread. Since you got bread and the total was still cheaper than a single overpriced loaf, the place overflowed with people willing to splurge a little to eat there. I’d accounted for that when I delivered bread to the cafeteria, so I didn’t think it would sell out.

“So, the four shops we’ll investigate today are these.”

As usual, after we finished eating behind the school building, the four of us—me, Caro, Josette, and Rachel—held our planning meeting. We set our after-school schedule, then time ran out, and we each returned to class for the afternoon lessons.

“Kent-kun, class finally ended. What are you doing over the weekend?”

When lessons ended, the girl next to me spoke to me.

“I haven’t decided yet. Why?”

“Um… you know… if it’s okay, then….”

As I looked at her fidgeting like she wanted to say something, a voice called out from behind.

“Kent-san, we’re going.”

Josette called to me. The girl’s attitude changed the moment she realized it was Josette.

“I’m sorry. I’ll be going…”

She hurriedly packed her things and left the classroom.

“What happened to her, I wonder?”

“No idea.”

Josette and I watched her run off.

Partway there, we met up with Caro and Rachel, and the four of us went into town.

“Come to think of it, isn’t this our first time coming into town as a group of four? This is getting kind of fun.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true. We’re always together at lunch, but this feels fresh.”

Rachel and Josette chatted happily. Beside them, Caro asked Josette with a worried expression.

“Josette-sama, is it really all right to go without attendants?”

Caro was understandably uneasy about a duke’s daughter walking around without an escort.

“If anything happens, Kent-san will protect me.”

“M-me?”

Honestly, I didn’t know how well I could fight. If this were a straightforward swords-and-magic world, maybe there would be skills and set combat power, but unfortunately… I didn’t think that kind of system existed. And I wasn’t carrying any weapons, so even if something happened, it might be hard to handle.

“I’m joking. There are guards following at a distance, so please don’t worry.”

Josette waved her hand, and a woman standing some distance away waved back. Seeing that, all of us—including me—felt relieved.

“Okay, I think this is the first shop.”

“It looks wrecked.”

We reached the first shop, and Rachel immediately called it “wrecked.” It was in terrible shape—less like age and wear, more like someone had smashed it up. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be open. Since the staff were cleaning up inside, I decided to ask what happened.

“Excuse me.”

“Welcome. You came for bread, right? Sorry, but look at this mess—I can’t sell anything right now.”

That was how the shopkeeper answered.

“What happened? It looks like something was destroyed.”

“A while back, some rough-looking guys barged in, trashed the place, and left. Thanks to them, business is shot.”

“I see. That’s awful. Do you have any idea who they were?”

“Nope. None.”

“Also… your shop wasn’t buying flour through the Bakers’ Guild, right?”

I felt bad for taking time when they were busy, but I got to the point.

“You know a lot. My family runs a farm, so we sourced from them. I still have ingredients left, and once cleanup is done, I think I can reopen. Come back when that happens.”

“Sorry to bother you when you’re busy. We’ll come by once you’ve reopened.”

With that, I stepped away from the shop.

“This shop is clear.”

“Yeah, definitely clear.”

Rachel and I said it in unison.

“Um, what do you mean by ‘clear’?”

“I was wondering too.”

Josette and Caro asked.

“Maybe that wording isn’t used here? ‘Clear’ means they’re not the culprit. The opposite is ‘suspicious.’”

“I see. I learned something today.”

“I learned something.”

After Rachel explained, the two of them seemed satisfied.

“Then next is the second shop.”

The second bakery was about the same size as Marie’s bakery before its renovation. There was a line to get inside, so the four of us joined the back. The customers didn’t look like ordinary commoners—either slightly well-off commoners, or people who seemed to serve some household. The line moved, and our turn came. When we stepped inside, it felt oddly nostalgic.

“Marie-san’s place used to feel like this before I worked on it.”

“Is that so? I didn’t know it back then, but it feels rather plain.”

Josette said quietly in response to my comment, making sure the staff couldn’t hear.

They were selling only one kind of flat bread.

“It’s insanely expensive…”

Rachel said as she looked at the price. One bread cost 700G—ten times what Marie’s bakery charged. If someone wanted to eat until they were full, it would cost a fortune.

“Four, please.”

Josette bought the bread for us. These days, we earned enough that we could have paid, but Josette refused and insisted she would cover everything this time.

We moved a little away from the shop and tasted it.

“This tastes awful…”

“Agreed…”

“After getting used to Marie-san’s bread, this is…”

“I used to eat this without caring…”

Different wording, same conclusion. Overall, it was bad.

We went to the third shop and did the same—bought bread and tasted it somewhere away from the storefront.

“It’s basically the same as the last place.”

“Yeah…”

“With how identical it is, there’s no character to it.”

“The ingredients feel similar too.”

The price was the same as the second shop, and the scale was similar as well. Of course, the taste was also similar. While we were in line, we happened to meet a regular customer who told us the second and third shops were run by brothers and were basically the same chain. They bought flour from a merchant they had connections with.

“These two are on hold. It could go either way.”

That was my honest impression. Then the four of us headed to the fourth shop.

And when we arrived in front of it, all four of us said the same thing at once.

““““Suspicious.””””

The storefront looked like it was trying too hard to appear luxurious, to the point that it felt painfully forced. We joined the long line to enter and waited our turn. After a while, we were guided inside.

“Welcome. What kind of bread would you like today?”

The interior was beautifully decorated, filled with random vases and paintings. Looking at it alone, nobody would think this was a bakery. Since the clerk asked what kind of bread we wanted, it seemed they sold multiple types.

“Um, it’s our first time here. What kinds of bread do you have?”

“Well… this jam bread is popular. The margarine bread is also popular. Of course, we have plain bread as well.”

The female clerk explained politely. They had several kinds of jam bread, and they even carried margarine bread. But the prices were outrageous: jam bread and margarine bread were 1800G, and plain bread was 1200G. No ordinary person could afford that. Yet when I looked around, they were selling fast—so the customers were probably the wealthy.

“Very well. I’ll take one of each.”

“Thank you very much.”

Josette placed the order. At Marie’s bakery, you’d get change from 1000G, but here it totaled over 10,000G. Josette paid, received the goods, and we left the shop.

“Let’s taste them right away.”

Josette took out the bread we’d bought. Each one was wrapped in paper stamped with what looked like the shop’s logo. Inside, two small flat breads were stacked with jam or margarine spread between them. The plain bread was a slightly larger flat bread.

“I see. So they sandwiched it like a burger.”

I picked up one of the jam breads and examined it.

“Big brother, isn’t this jam the same one we sell at our shop?”

At Rachel’s comment, I took a bite.

“Yeah. It’s the same taste.”

Hearing that, Josette and Caro tasted it too.

“It really is the same.”

“The margarine tastes the same too. But it doesn’t feel like it pairs well with the bread.”

Thanks to the jam and margarine, it wasn’t terrible… but the bread itself wasn’t good, so it didn’t become “delicious” through synergy either.

“But this is weird… We don’t sell this jam or margarine anywhere else. If our shop is closed, how are they getting it?”

“Indeed. If they can’t obtain the ingredients, they can’t make jam bread or margarine bread.”

While we reasoned it out, we watched the shop. Despite the high prices, it kept selling quickly. The jam bread and margarine bread sold out, and after more time passed, the plain bread sold out too.

The sun hadn’t even set yet, but it looked like they were closing. Soon, a carriage stopped in front of the shop, and a fat, middle-aged man stepped out.

“That is Baron Kroise, isn’t it?”

“Even his name sounds suspicious.”

“Big brother, don’t say weird things. You’re going to make me laugh.”

Caro seemed to recognize him. We watched as a clerk guided him inside.

“If I could hear what they’re saying in there, I feel like I might get some information… but what should I do?”

“Big brother, if you want to hear a conversation, you use a bug.”

Rachel gave me advice while I was thinking.

“That would work, but how would we plant it? We don’t have much time.”

Kroise had just gone inside, but I hadn’t prepared anything in advance, so there wasn’t time to go plant one now. I thought for a moment, then came up with a method.

I immediately pulled out the terminal and ordered one drone, one voice recorder, and a few other small items. It was a toy-grade product sold at a home improvement store, so performance would be lacking, but it was enough to carry a lightweight recorder. Since it also had a camera, I should be able to grasp the building layout through the controller.

I attached the recorder to the drone and pressed the record button. Then I flew the drone, identified the room Kroise was in, placed the recorder near the window, and retrieved the drone.

“Amazing. It flew.”

“How mysterious. It’s like it’s floating.”

“I just hope this works…”

“Big brother, you’re really good at controlling it.”

“Yeah, I am.”

Josette and Caro were shocked by the drone, seeing it for the first time. Rachel praised my smooth flying, and I felt a little happy to be praised.

“Kent-san, please don’t advance the conversation with just the two of you. What is this flying object?”

“That’s right. I felt left out, and it made me sad.”

Josette and Caro complained.

“Um, it’s called a drone. You can make it fly freely with this controller. And if it’s light, it can carry things like it just did. But this is a toy, so it can’t stay in the air for very long. Also, as a bonus feature, it has a camera attached here, and the video shows up on this controller.”

As I said that, I pointed the camera at Josette, and her face appeared on the controller’s small monitor.

“How incredible. It’s like magic—such a mysterious thing. Is it difficult to operate?”

“It’s easy. But if the drone gets too far away, you lose control and it falls.”

“May I borrow it next time?”

“Sure.”

“Big brother, let me borrow it too.”

Josette seemed especially interested and made me promise to lend it to her.

“Baron Kroise is coming out.”

Caro, who had kept watch properly while the other three of us got absorbed in conversation, alerted us. Baron Kroise got into the carriage and left. After confirming the clerk who saw him off went back inside, I flew the drone again to retrieve the recorder. The recorder had a strap made of wire, and I planned to hook it with the drone’s attached hook and lift it away. There was some lag in the video feed, so it was tricky, but I managed to retrieve it successfully.

I stopped the recording on the recovered voice recorder and slipped it into my uniform pocket. Holding the drone, the four of us returned to my house.