From the moment Luke arrived at school until now, Shirud’s mind had been quite complicated today.
First and foremost, Shirud was curious about why Luke had been staring at him so intensely today.
Luke’s gaze was distracting enough that he couldn’t focus on anything else.
Whenever their eyes met, he felt a strange tingle running down his spine.
It was probably the influence of Dragon Pierce, which was adjusted according to Luke’s emotions, but Shirud had no way of knowing that.
In any case, Shirud desperately tried to recall why Luke was looking at him like that.
‘Hmm, could it be that he’s still sorry about my account being suspended last time?’
Shirud was sure that was it.
If not, he couldn’t think of any other reason for Luke to be staring at him like that.
However, every time he tried to bring it up, Luke would just run off to the bathroom.
‘He’s gone to the bathroom a lot today. Is he constipated? Is his stomach upset?’
At least after lunch, he was sitting properly in his seat, but he looked like he was feeling unwell, which made Shirud think he shouldn’t bother him.
“Luke, aren’t you hungry since you didn’t eat? I brought some bread and milk.”
“Oh, I was just getting hungry. Thank you so much.”
“Hehe, it’s nothing…”
Shirud’s expression softened at the sight of the melon bread and milk Mary had brought.
‘Oh, so it was because he hadn’t eaten.’
Well, it made sense since he had been to the bathroom so many times today without anything in his stomach.
Luke really loved to eat.
‘If I had known that, I would have bought him something too.’
Shirud thought while watching Luke happily munching on his melon bread.
Then, he suddenly turned away when he caught Luke’s gaze on him.
It felt strange that looking directly into those eyes made his heartbeat quicken. It was an odd feeling.
He couldn’t possibly like him… could he?
Just then, a small giggle whispered in Shirud’s ear.
“If you wanted to eat, you could have just asked. I would have shared.”
“W-what are you talking about! I-it’s not that I can’t eat melon bread!”
“Huh? Why not?”
“Because it has milk in it!”
“Oh.”
Luke’s eyes widened as if he had forgotten, then he looked down at his bread and muttered gloomily.
“Um, I’m sorry. I didn’t think of that.”
Shirud quickly spoke out to keep Luke from feeling sorry.
It would be quite awkward if Luke apologized and then brought him something like ginseng candy.
“No, it’s fine.”
There were plenty of other foods in the world besides melon bread.
And if he looked hard enough, there were many types of bread made entirely from plant-based ingredients in the true Elven style.
However, what Luke was talking about wasn’t just ginseng candy.
“Shirud, then I’ll make some bread for you that you can eat later.”
“Eh, ah? No need for that…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll manage to make it taste similar without using any milk.”
“Huh? Huh?”
It’s really not necessary; I’m not that interested in melon bread anyway.
And I’m just worried he’ll do something weird!
“…”
But why is there a part of me that feels excited?
—-
What is the first thing that needs to be done when making something?
Of course, it’s sufficient research.
As soon as school ended, Luke immediately went to the bakery and bought every melon bread they had.
“L-Luke, you really love melon bread, don’t you?”
Yerna was slightly, no, very impressed by the amount of melon bread Luke carried in his bag.
His almost empty bag was now stuffed to the brim.
As soon as Luke returned home, he dumped the melon bread onto the table, resembling a pile of sand that a child had accumulated in a playground.
“I tried it for the first time today, and it was really delicious. From tomorrow, I plan to make it myself.”
“R-Really?”
Wait, did he buy all that just to eat himself?
‘I don’t give Luke that much allowance, so where did he get all that money from…?’
Is he doing something bad? Yerna spoke with a slightly tense voice.
“L-Luke, where did you get the money to buy all this?”
“Oh, it’s simple. I played the cello a bit on the street, and people gave me money. I didn’t earn much today since it was a bit sudden.”
“R-Really?”
‘He’s still doing that, huh…’
Thinking back, it surprisingly didn’t cost much to raise Luke.
He had never complained about his allowance being insufficient; it felt like he was managing well on his own.
Yerna’s worries were actually about Luke’s mental health; she had never thought he was struggling in his daily life.
So, Yerna felt a bit guilty.
She felt like she hadn’t paid enough attention to such small details.
“L-Luke, if you’re short on money, should I raise your allowance?”
“I’m fine! I like playing now, and many audiences enjoy listening to my performances!”
“Really?”
If Luke was happy, then that was enough for her.
Yes, she decided to trust him. She should trust him.
“L-Luke, can I join you next time? I want to see what the atmosphere is like.”
“Oh! That sounds great. I hadn’t thought about it before since you looked busy and tired. Yerna, next time we can go together.”
Nodding as if it were a good idea and stroking his chin, Yerna naturally smiled.
“Okay, make sure to invite me next time. I want to listen to your performance after a long time!”
“Of course!”
Luke grinned with an incredibly bright expression.
“Yerna, will you eat too? The ones with the green labels are made in the Elven style.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
Receiving a melon bread with a green label from the smiling Luke, Yerna looked down at the bread and grinned before taking a big bite.
“How is it? Does it taste good?”
“It’s delicious… probably because it’s been a while since I had it.”
“See, isn’t it!”
——-
The man was a baker.
He had run a bakery for quite some time, but it wasn’t very famous or busy.
However, since he loved making bread, he sought comfort in the regular customers he had acquired over the long years and lived somewhat contentedly.
He wondered if his efforts would someday be recognized by more people.
Thus, he continued his routine of baking bread and serving customers just like any other day.
Ding-ding.
The sound of the bell announcing a customer rang.
The baker instinctively greeted without thinking.
“Welcome!”
After greeting, the next step was to focus on the customer. He quickly turned to the door and noticed a small hybrid girl with a large instrument case on her back that was about her size. She was quite cute.
He asked in the most gentle voice he could muster.
“Is there anything you’re looking for?”
“Is there melon bread here?”
“You’ll find melon bread right in front of you.”
“Thank you.”
The little girl scrutinized the bread for a while and then raised a melon bread with a green label.
“Um, it says ‘Elven style.’ How is it made?”
“It’s made with almond milk instead of cow’s milk, and the whipped cream is simulated with coconut. The feedback isn’t too bad.”
Though very few people actually bought it.
Being Elven style, it tended not to be favored since its taste was generally less than that of conventional food.
However, since there was an Elven customer who came by daily, he would make one or two pieces in Elven style.
If that customer didn’t come, he would have to dispose of the leftovers, so he certainly wouldn’t make too many.
“Hmm. Is that so? Then I’ll take one of these.”
“That would be 2000 gil.”
“Here you go.”
The girl opened her small purse and dexterously pulled out the money with her tiny hands.
For some reason, it looked like she was trying to imitate an adult, and he had a hard time suppressing a smile.
After completing the payment, the girl immediately opened the bread and started eating it, seemingly enjoying it quite well.
Despite how it looked like she was eating hurriedly, there was something endearing about how she didn’t seem greedy.
Feeling a surge of warmth towards the child who enjoyed his bread, he pulled a bottle of milk from the fridge and handed it to her.
“Be careful not to choke; eat slowly.”
“Oh, thank you. How much is this?”
“It’s on the house, just a little service.”
“Oh! Then I’ll enjoy it. Your shop has good service.”
“Yeah, you’re welcome.”
Gulping down the milk, she began eating the bread again but, despite his warning to eat slowly, within 1 to 2 minutes, she finished the bread, which was still much larger than her own hands.
Had she been that hungry?
“Mmm… it’s tastier than I expected.”
The girl stroked her chin in interest, tilting her head.
“Is this all that’s made in Elven style?”
“Yeah, Elven style doesn’t sell much, ha-ha.”
The man laughed awkwardly.
“Would it be rude to ask for the recipe?”
“Ha-ha! Of course, it would be. I can’t reveal it, even if you charm me. It’s my secret recipe.”
“Hmm. I figured as much.”
The girl seemed to ponder for a moment before she grinned.
“I’m intrigued. I’d like to buy about 10 of these bread, along with some regular bread. I want to buy a total of 20 pieces.”
“I don’t mind, but you’ll have to wait a little. I’ll need to make them from scratch.”
“That’s fine. I’ll step outside for a moment and come back.”
“Okay, then. But it’s a prepayment.”
“……”
The little girl opened her wallet, looked startled, and widened her eyes before casually humming and looking away.
That look—she definitely didn’t have enough money.
“If you’re short on funds, how about reducing the quantity?”
The man suggested, but the girl shook her head.
“… No, just wait a moment. I’ll come back soon to settle the payment.”
“Sure.”
Wondering if she was going to call her parents or something, he watched the girl leave and then got back to preparing the bread.
—–
Had an hour or two passed? Just as he stepped outside to cool off after finishing the baking process, he heard a melody that tugged at his emotions.
Almost entranced, the man began to walk toward the sound.
Before long, he reached a gathering of people.
“Wow, that kid is a fantastic performer.”
“Right? She looks like she’s only 10 or 11, but she sings really well.”
As he passed them to look at the performer, he couldn’t help but be astonished.
‘Wait, that’s the girl who just came to buy bread!’
With her skillful and grand cello playing and her voice resonating in deep and high notes like a trained soprano, she exuded a mysterious aura that was hard to believe coming from a mere child.
Her song and performance seemed to transform the space into something special.
It felt like a small barrier, almost magical.
In that moment, she was the flame, and he was the moth.
The moth could only be drawn to the flame.
“Oh.”
As soon as their eyes met, the enchanting performance came to a sudden halt, breaking that mesmerizing moment.
The girl smiled gently and asked warmly.
“Ah, has the bread been made?”
“Uh, y-yes… it just needs to be baked.”
“I’m looking forward to it. I’ll tidy up here and come over shortly.”
“Oh, got it.”
Was it her mysterious aura?
There was a sense that her words couldn’t be denied.
——
“Twenty pieces, huh? Thank you! I’ll sell a lot!”
“Hmm? Yeah. See you later.”
As the girl waved her hand and disappeared from sight, the man felt as if he had finally snapped out of a trance.
What was that performance earlier?
A powerful shock that felt like it etched into his soul; he had never heard such a performance in his life.
He had never really cared about music, whether it was playing or singing, but if it could captivate even him, how amazing must that girl’s performance have been?
“I want to hear it again.”
He was quite surprised at the strong feeling of nostalgia, as if he were missing his hometown.
A bout of homesickness.
Was it really just a few minutes of listening that evoked such feelings?
He wondered why he hadn’t recorded it at the time and felt a slight regret.
Ding-ding.
“Welcome.”
Despite being lost in thought, the man instinctively greeted the customer who entered.
“Does that little girl often buy from your shop?”
“Not exactly, but she seemed to like my bread, considering she bought twenty of them.”
“Is that so? What’s delicious here?”
“Hmm, well… everything is tasty, but…”
As he pondered what to recommend to the new customer, he suddenly heard more bells ringing.
Ding-ding.
“Welcome.”
Ding-ding.
“Welcome.”
Ding-ding, ding-ding, ding-ding.
“W-elcome…?”
What’s going on?
There are so many customers today.
