Back To Everyday Life

With Etsigoya arrested and Kroise taken into custody, we finally managed to reclaim our peaceful, everyday routine.

And then Friday arrived, and our usual life began again.

“Marie-san, please wake up. It’s morning.”

I tried my best to wake Marie, who was sleeping naked in my bed, but she wouldn’t budge. After the fear she’d gone through last night, she must have been anxious, and things had gotten more intense than usual. I was tired too, but the shop was open today, so we had to get up. Marie slept peacefully with a relaxed, unguarded expression, scratching her stomach absentmindedly and drooling slightly.

“Mom, it’s morning. Geez… you’re sleeping naked with big brother again. You’ll catch a cold.”

Catherine came into the room and started waking Marie. I left it to Catherine and got dressed in the meantime.

“Mmm… Kent-san, I can’t eat anymore… Huh? You’re eating me too? That’s fine, go ahead.”

Still half-asleep, Marie pulled Catherine close and planted sleepy kisses on her cheek.

“Mom, wake up properly! Hey—stop that, you’re embarrassing me.”

She must have been especially restless from exhaustion today. Catherine struggled as Marie clung to her.

“Honestly, Mom. I’m not waking you up anymore.”

“Sorry, sorry… I’m always causing trouble.”

At breakfast, the five of us—including Rachel—ate the usual black-colored dish while Marie apologized to Catherine. Of course, the black dish was Catherine’s homemade specialty.

After breakfast, we headed to the shop. Since the Etsigoya matter was officially resolved, I returned to work starting today. I checked inventory that had been neglected for days, replenished missing ingredients, confirmed quantities of flour and instant dry yeast for wholesale, helped Marie bake bread, and prepared for opening.

Once preparations were done and the shop opened, customers began pouring in. Marie and I baked bread in the workshop, Catherine handled the register, Rachel carried finished bread to the shelves, and Emily worked in the kitchen.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the shop.

“I’m terribly sorry!”

It seemed Caro, who was handling the dining area, had dropped and broken a dish. She immediately apologized to the surrounding customers. Hearing the sound, I rushed out from the workshop.

“Caro-san, don’t touch it!”

I shouted as she tried to pick up the shards with her bare hands.

“Ah—ow!”

I was too late. She cut her finger on the broken pieces, and blood began to well up.

“Caro-san, are you okay?”

“I’m so sorry… I broke a dish.”

“Big brother, is Caro-san okay? Whoa, that’s a lot of blood.”

Rachel came over, alarmed.

“I’ll handle this cleanup. Please get that treated right away. Emily, please.”

“Yes, Master.”

I put on the cut-resistant gloves I’d used during the Kroise incident and cleaned up the shards, while Emily took Caro into the kitchen.

“I’ll go check too,”

Rachel said, following them.

In the kitchen, Emily examined Caro’s injured hand.

“That’s a pretty deep cut… It’s rare for you to make a mistake like this, Caro-san.”

“I was distracted, thinking about something… I’m sorry.”

“Where’s the first-aid kit?”

Rachel searched, but couldn’t find one.

“That’s strange… I thought there’d be one here.”

“Rachel-san, there isn’t a first-aid kit in here.”

“Oh? Then how are we treating it?”

Rachel stopped searching, but felt something was off.

(Big brother said to get it treated, but there’s no first-aid kit…)

Ignoring her confusion, Emily gently took Caro’s hand.

“Alright, I’ll take care of it. …There, all done.”

“Thank you, Emily-san.”

By the time they finished speaking, the bleeding had stopped, and even the cut mark was gone.

“Huh? What just happened?”

Rachel asked, bewildered.

“Healing magic. Is there a problem?”

“Yes… healing magic, right?”

Both of them answered as if it were obvious.

“If you’re done, please get back to work. Customers are waiting.”

I poked my head into the kitchen.

“Sorry. We’re coming back now.”

“Understood, Master.”

Emily and Caro returned to their duties.

Still confused, Rachel went back to work as well. The shop stayed busy, and before she knew it, she’d completely forgotten her doubts.

“Kent-san, it looks like it’ll be hot today.”

After finishing the morning shift, we were heading to school. Caro said that while looking up at the sky.

“Yeah. If that smell comes back again, it’s going to make me feel sick.”

“It’s awful. Worse than a midsummer fan convention. I really can’t handle it either,”

Rachel said, recalling the classroom smell.

“Is it really that bad? I thought it was just a bit smelly,”

Caro said, puzzled. If even Caro, with her keen sense of smell, felt it was mild, Rachel and I wondered if we were the strange ones.

We arrived at school and split up, heading to our respective classrooms.

“Morning, Kent-kun.”

“Morning.”

As usual, the girl sitting next to me greeted me, and I returned it.

“Kent-kun, did you hear? That bakery with the flashy, gaudy storefront—you know the one? Apparently they were doing something shady. The staff and the owner all got arrested. Then, when the shop was left empty, a bunch of people rushed in and looted everything valuable.”

“Wow… that’s terrible.”

I knew Etsigoya had been arrested, but losing all their valuables too must have been a devastating blow.

“Oh, class is about to start.”

“Yeah.”

The bell rang, and everyone took their seats. I glanced back and met eyes with Josette. I gave a small wave she wouldn’t notice, and she waved back.

After morning classes ended, the four of us gathered behind the school building as usual. Since I’d been working, I hadn’t prepared lunch myself, but Catherine had packed one for me.

“Catherine made lunch today.”

“Wait… it’s not that, is it?”

“Catherine-chan was working hard since this morning.”

“Hearing that makes me a little nervous,”

Josette said.

I opened the tiered lunch box.

“Yep.”

“Is this… food?”

Rachel’s suspicion was confirmed, and Josette stared at the unfamiliar contents. Of course, inside was the black dish.

“It doesn’t look great, but it’s actually pretty good.”

“Yes, it’s tasty.”

“It is good… but the looks really hurt it.”

Seeing us eat, Josette braced herself and cautiously took a bite.

“Oh. The appearance is hard to accept, but the taste isn’t bad at all.”

She nodded in agreement.

“I’ve never seen it being made. I wonder how it’s prepared.”

“I haven’t either. Even when I check the ingredients later, nothing seems to be missing.”

“That just makes it even more mysterious,”

Caro and I said, puzzled. Rachel only ever ate it—she didn’t know how it was made either.

After finishing the mysterious meal, Josette spoke up.

“Caro-san, do you have time after school today?”

“I’m sorry. As you know, I usually have work after school.”

“I know. But this is more important. Will you understand?”

“…Alright. Kent-san, could you tell Marie-san for me?”

“Got it. I’ll let her know.”

“Thank you.”

Caro wouldn’t be able to work today.

“Big brother, sorry—I’ll be late today too. Can you tell Marie-san?”

“Both of you? That’s a little worrying, but you’ve both been working hard. I’ll tell her.”

“Thanks, big brother.”

Rachel was out too. With two people missing, I felt a bit uneasy about the shop.

(Well, we’ll manage somehow.)

Lunch break ended, afternoon classes flew by, and soon it was after school.

“Kent-kun, are you heading home now?”

As I packed up, the girl next to me spoke again. I carefully avoided looking as I answered.

“Yeah. I’m heading back now.”

“Then want to walk home together?”

I’d turned her down before, and today Caro and Rachel both had plans, so I didn’t really have a reason to refuse.

“Our routes overlap for a bit, right? Sure.”

“Thanks, Kent-kun. Let’s go together.”

And just like that, I ended up walking home with the girl from the seat next to mine.