NOVEL ONLINE FREE Side Story 11
Side Story 11. Bakery
Even in the outer district, bakeries have ranks. The first are the suspicious ones that sell only dubious bread. Black bread, not the soft fermented kind, but hard, unyielding loaves. So tough you’d need to soak them in stew to eat them. Most of these shops also sell other shady, unidentifiable foodstuffs.
Next are the bakeries that use additives. They ferment with yeast and use butter, milk, and eggs—though not in generous amounts. This covers most bakeries in the outer district. The bread might be gritty, taste oddly floury, or even contain harmful ingredients, but it’s cheap, so most residents buy it.
Lastly, there’s the premium white bread—made with pure wheat flour, ample milk, butter, and eggs, carefully fermented until fluffy. These bakeries cater to the wealthy in the outer district. In these times, securing milk and butter is incredibly difficult, so the bread’s price reflects that.
The Tao family’s bakery, [Itsukushima], was among the highest rank, but it was also kind—priced for thin margins and high volume, affordable even for the middle class.
But a month ago, something changed. Already popular, the bakery now had lines stretching outside.
People dressed in clean, if slightly worn, clothes waited under the early summer sun, unfazed by the sweat, forming a queue outside [Itsukushima].
“Mom, I’m so excited! It’s my first time at a bakery!”
“Me too. What do you want to try?”
“Let’s splurge a little today.”
The mother gently patted her daughter’s head as the girl buzzed with excitement, her nose twitching as she debated her choices. Nearby, a man swayed on his feet, thinking the same—hungry and ready to indulge. Everyone fidgeted, eager for their turn.
“I hope my turn comes soon. A certain beautiful girl, Miss A, is waiting, you know?”
Like the others, Miss A—who’d recently started appearing at the market—stood on tiptoe, peeking ahead while impatiently waiting.
Itsukushima had become a sensation, dubbed “the ally of the common folk’s wallet.” With long waits, the unspoken rule was to buy quickly and leave.
Finally, her turn came. She stepped through the door, the cool air inside washing over her. The clerk greeted her with a smile. Ice pillars stood throughout the shop, keeping the space refreshingly cool.
“Welcome! Welcome to Itsukushima Branch #2!”
Branch #2. The clerk stated it clearly before returning to work.
Yes, the [Itsukushima Main Branch] in the outer district had changed, becoming wildly popular. But this was #2—the first bakery in the Amatsu-gahara Market.
“Freshly baked pure bread~! Prices are gentle—no butter or milk, but we’ve got fluffy loaves! Of course, we also have bread with butter and milk!”
Though called a bakery, it wasn’t the self-service type from before the walls went up, where you’d pick bread onto a tray. Here, loaves were displayed in glass cases. Well, this was the slums—you couldn’t risk sticky fingers.
Still, an outer-district bakery had opened in the Amatsu-gahara Market. The slum dwellers flocked to it in joy.
After all, E-Rank Cores had been unlocked, buybacks had started, and work was plentiful—from farming to monster hunting. Money was in their wallets. They weren’t wealthy, but life had undeniably changed.
Some used Core Store-exchanged wooden sticks as firewood to heat water for makeshift baths. Others sold repaired secondhand clothes, which flew off the shelves. Slum residents, who’d never even washed their clothes before, now dressed neatly, cleaned up, and lived lives better than the outer district’s poor.
So when they heard a bakery was opening, they rushed in. While hardtack was fine, a real bakery was something else.
“One baguette, please.”
“Certainly! That’ll be 2,000 yen.”
Pricey for slum bread, but the woman happily paid.
“Hehe. This’ll feed the family for days.”
Baguettes were an ancient French style—long, massive loaves hard for women and children to even hold. One could fill you up. Over time, they’d shortened for convenience, but here, they’d gone retro—slum-special.
The crispy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside baguettes were cost-effective and filling, quickly becoming a hit.
“And two chocolate hardtack rolls, please.”
“That’ll be 2,800 yen total.”
The clerk swiftly wrapped them in rough paper—fibers from Core Store wood, too coarse for writing but perfect for packaging. Lately, people kept finding new uses for Core Store goods.
Ignoring that, the mother and daughter left smiling, sitting at one of the bakery’s outdoor tables to eat.
“This is chocolate? So black!”
“Yes. Try it!”
“Okay!”
Never having seen chocolate before, the girl hesitantly took a bite—then her eyes sparkled.
“Sweeet! Mom, it’s sweet!”
She’d never tasted anything so delicious. Soon, her hands and mouth were smeared with chocolate, the roll gone in seconds. Her face fell.
Watching, the mother’s eyes moistened as she split her own roll in half and handed it over. After over a decade in the slums, she’d never dreamed she could give her daughter chocolate. Her heart swelled with joy.
Honestly, the chocolate was barely sweet. But the girl, who’d never even had white bread, let alone sweets, giggled with wild delight. Her mother watched, tearful.
“Eat slowly this time, okay?”
“Okay! What about Dad?”
“He’s fine. He’s out drinking with Takeds-dsn. So we can enjoy something nice too.”
She sounded slightly annoyed. No matter how the world changed, fathers stayed the same.
Shizuku watched them, smiling softly.
[I was the one who brought this shop here. As a support, I’m perfect, no?]
[Yeah, it worked out. I’ll give you that.]
Sakimori spirit chuckled as Shizuku puffed her chest proudly. This bakery had opened in exchange for returning stolen money.
Bakeries didn’t need the owner present all day. They just had to deliver bread baked early at the main branch. Eventually, they’d need someone to teach the slums the craft, but for now, they celebrated its arrival.
“Owner! Hey, it’s me, Isadate! Waiting in line’s a pain—can’t you let me cut?”
A gruff voice called from behind. A large man waved. The line grumbled, and Shizuku, nearly at the front, narrowed her eyes.
[Sakimori-san, it’s a “me-me-me” scam. A plant life-form mimicking a human. Eliminate it.]
[Got it.]
Sakimori sighed at her bloodthirsty tone.
“Huh? Why am I floating?”
A shadow tiger patrolling nearby grabbed the man’s collar and carried him off.
“No cheating, Ohki-san.”
“Tiger-sama’s mad~”
“C’mon, you’ve got work.”
“We’re short on guards for the dungeon tour. Join the return escort.”
A soldier laughed as the fake “Isadate” was hauled away. Crisis averted.
Shizuku forgot the scam and studied the glass case. Among the rare slum-harvest offerings—cheap cornbread, croquette rolls, and mystery-meat hardtack—she had one goal.
“Ten chocolate hardtack rolls, please.”
Her eyes sparkled as she pointed. Sweet treats were her lifeblood.
With her haul, she sat at a table, grinning.
“I never thought the slums would see chocolate. Well done, Sakimori-san. But as a seeker, I won’t stop here. For humanity’s sake!”
She took out a small knife and sliced the rolls horizontally.
“I can aim higher—much higher!”
[Just eat it. I don’t want any.]
Ignoring him, she cut each roll into six pieces, then revealed her trump card.
“Ta-da! Choco~late!”
From her hip pouch, she pulled out a prized chocolate bar, grinning as she broke it into bits.
“Sandwich these between the slices! A devilish idea! That 500,000 peso exchange ticket was worth it!”
As the chocolate melted, enhancing the sweetness, she worked diligently—60 hyper-choco rolls awaited.
“What doing?”
A little girl plopped beside her, but Shizuku didn’t care. She was in pastry mode. Unstoppable. Sakimori yawned and napped.
Soon, a mountain of treats stood before her. She’d even used martial arts skills, more focused than during her hydra fight.
“Done. But none for you. The maker eats first.”
She smirked, stingy to the end.
As she reached for one, her hand froze.
[Alarm Cat spotted several armored trucks.]
Sakimori’s voice was serious.
[So… it’s an attack? Now?!]
Shizuku gritted her teeth. She’d forgotten about the raid.
[Seems they’re ready. Let’s welcome them, partner.]
[Ugh… I didn’t even take one bite…]
Groaning, she steeled herself and stood.
“Guard these. I’ll reward you with one.”
“’Kay!”
The girl cheerfully waved as Shizuku hurried off, torn between duty and dessert.
Left behind, the girl eyed the mountain of rolls, puzzled.
“Found you! What’re you up to?”
Jun and the others, who’d been searching for her, approached.
“She said ‘watch and eat’! One reward!”
That sounded right, so the girl took one and bit in. The finely crushed chocolate melted blissfully.
“So sweet! Eat, eat!”
Delighted, she offered rolls to everyone, smearing chocolate everywhere. Misinterpreting her generosity, the crowd praised the bakery’s “free samples,” boosting its popularity even more.