TSBSFVW 12

Chapter 12

Three Breads. For Small Business Owners, a Side Job is Basic (2)

“Elli? Are you okay? Did you bite your tongue?”

“Ugh…”

It was Ban.

Elli had bitten her tongue mercilessly and was frozen in place, clutching her mouth. Morris fussed over her.

“Elli! Wake up! Breathe, breathe!”

“Nngh…”

“You can’t die! If you die, I won’t get to eat scones anymore!”

“Let go, you evil loan shark!”

“Oof.”

Elli, flaring up, swung a fist at him, but Morris nimbly dodged out of the way. At some point, he had also let go of her shoulder. That, Elli thought, was a real shame.

“The door was locked, how did you get in?”

“It was open.”

Elli glared at Morris. Was it you? Then she remembered he hadn’t locked it when he came in, and he gave her an apologetic look. Sorry.

“If you’re looking for a big buyer, our Badger Knights would be perfect. We’d like to order as much as possible.”

“Well, it’s not decided yet…”

“What’s your maximum price range?”

Morris cut in before Elli could make an excuse to decline.

Instead of answering right away, Ban looked to Elli.

He had been speaking to Elli, not Morris, and it was as if he was waiting for her permission to answer—as though he were a guard dog awaiting its master’s command.

Elli wondered if Ban would really go on pretending Morris didn’t exist if she didn’t introduce him.

I think he would…

She could picture Ban smiling politely while ignoring him completely. And this guy is supposed to be the model knight? Elli wanted to leave a snarky comment under the “novel’s narration.”

“This is Morris, my guardian. For now.”

“Morris Herzog of the Mammoth Trading Company. We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

“I’m Ban. Sorry, I don’t recall.”

“Well, that’s only natural. Our Eddie caused such a commotion back then that there was no time for introductions. Nothing to apologize for.”

Morris laughed warmly, pretending to be friendly. But Ban didn’t laugh. He didn’t even look surprised. He only smiled with slightly cold eyes.

Elli realized Ban was lying—he did remember Morris. He just didn’t want to hear Edmund’s name. And Morris, knowing this, deliberately said “Eddie,” using a nickname to needle him.

“As Elli said, I’m her guardian for now, so you’ll discuss details with me. The order is from the Badger Knights, not you personally, right, Captain?”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

“Then we’ll need a contract. Elli, how many more baguettes can you make?”

“Ah, I’d have to check the spare space in the fermentation room, but probably… about twice the current amount. Baguettes are simpler, and if I tweak the process, I can adjust the timing too…”

Downstairs, there was a cold fermentation chamber. The shop was small, but fully equipped. Setting up that facility had cost her quite a lot.

That’s why she had said, after paying off debts, there wouldn’t be much inheritance left.

If I give up cold fermentation and just use the straight method, I could adjust things even more.

Ban said,

“I’ll buy every loaf you can make. Even daily.”

“That won’t work. Our Elli will die.”

Elli shivered. Who gave you permission to say ‘our’ Elli?! Morris ignored her horror and continued,

“Once a week, we’ll buy everything. At this price. How does that sound?”

“Agreed.”

Ban answered instantly without even checking the number.

“As expected of the Captain—bold as ever. I’ll prepare a contract. Please, have a seat.”

Then Morris turned back with a smug smile.

“Didn’t I do well, Elli?”

“Morris…”

Elli gritted her teeth, glaring. Instead of keeping Ban away, Morris had just turned him into a regular customer. Is he insane? Morris bent close and whispered in her ear,

“This way, he won’t come every day.”

“You crazy… genius…”

Elli grudgingly re-evaluated him. Morris beamed proudly and winked. Ugh, my eyes. Elli’s cold glare made him change the subject.

“But even so… the sales will go up, sure, but with margins so thin, it’s not much profit, Elli.”

“Elli, do you need money?”

Ban interrupted. Elli nodded.

She needed money—more than she’d thought.

Running the shop was harder than expected. Business was good, but net profit was low, so her savings were much smaller than they seemed.

At this rate, opening a second branch, let alone expanding across the continent, seemed impossible. Especially since she was the only baker—it just wasn’t feasible.

First things first, I need to survive this conversation.

She had considered running away abroad. If she had started her bakery in some faraway country instead of the Rosso Kingdom’s capital, she wouldn’t be dealing with this now.

But Elli was afraid of this world.

From the moment she recalled her past life until meeting Morris, she had lived entirely inside the McClure estate—never leaving once.

She had never seen a monster with her own eyes, nor could she imagine a battlefield of swords and magic.

But in this world, all of it was real.

Still, one thing was true: in a story, the protagonist’s surroundings were always safe.

For proof, this capital of the Rosso Kingdom—where the novel was set—had never once fallen. The protagonists risked their lives to protect it.

“Then let me offer you a job.”

“No.”

“The daily pay will be this much. What do you say?”

He named a figure more than triple the bulk purchase amount.

Elli’s eyes widened. Her resolve wavered. Ban pressed on.

“I won’t ask anything unreasonable. Just simple assistance. Two or three times a week.”

“B-but still…”

“It’s only three hours a day. How about it?”

And then, as the finishing blow, Ban raised the pay even higher.

With that money, she could buy the equipment she’d wanted, and save for expansion. Since she was already entangled, wasn’t it better to prepare for the future—even if things went bad?

No, I can’t compromise…

But adulthood meant debt, and being a slave to money.

Elli surrendered to the lure of cash.

When she nodded, Morris chuckled, slipping an arm around her shoulders. Ban’s brows twitched as his gaze fixed on Morris’s hand resting there.

“Well then, Captain. Shall we draw up the contract? Elli, I’ll handle it from here.”

Why does this guy keep acting like we’re close? Elli slapped Morris’s hand away like swatting a fly. Ban beamed.

“Yes, let’s sign it.”

The bulk order contract with the knights was fair—since it followed existing prices—but Elli’s pay for “simple assistance” was absurdly high.

It was, frankly, a sucker’s deal.

Even knowing Ban was rich, Elli felt a twinge of guilt.

Yes, he was the nuisance who had hounded her daily, threatening her with knowledge of her identity. But he was also the one who ate her bread with genuine delight.

Not that she had grown attached. Still… she was the one who had tried to cut him off. If she hadn’t picked a fight, Ban would’ve kept pretending not to know her true identity.

Really, if I had just cried and said it was too much of a burden, he probably would’ve backed off right away.

It had been a mistake. Elli resolved to hide her “small fry” instincts deep down. Acting out never brought good results.

A little softened by the generous payment, Elli decided to prepare lunch for her two “benefactors”—the sucker and the temporary guardian.

The moment she turned toward the kitchen, Morris cheered.

“What are you making for us?”

Both men shot up from their seats at the same time.

Two big men in her tiny kitchen would make it suffocating. Elli absolutely didn’t want them brushing against her side.

“Sit down, both of you. If you come into the kitchen—”

“If we come in?”

“What happens, Elli?”

Her warning only seemed to pique their curiosity.

Looking at Morris grinning slyly and Ban smiling sweetly, Elli suddenly thought they seemed alike.

Their methods were different, but their temperaments were the same—both men always stood a head above others.

“Nothing will happen.”

“…?”

“I just won’t give you anything.”

Both men slumped at the same time.

“Sit quietly and you’ll get something delicious.”

“I’ll sit quietly.”

“I won’t move an inch until Elli tells me to.”

No, you don’t have to go that far…

Avoiding their sparkling eyes, Elli escaped into the kitchen.

Today’s lunch was bagels.