Once every three days, Yuna would always go buy the specialty wheat bread of a neighborhood bakery after shopping. As a neighbor, it was also her obligation to see if the lone grandma was doing well.
I hope it isn’t closed, yet.
The grandma’s bakery closed early in the morning. Yuna decided to cut through a back alley due to being held back by other errands. Recently, the number of people on the main street had increased. Thus, the back alley was her shortcut.
Upon stepping off the familiar street and turning at the corner, she saw the grandma’s bakery. It was still open. Yuna rushed in and called out from the counter to the inside.
“Grandma, it’s Yuna.”
From outside, nothing appeared to be on display inside the old-fashioned bakery. That was because the bread was displayed near the counter. When she opened the glass case to buy some bread, she was surprised by its contents.
She didn’t expect there to be any bread left. Instead, the leftovers were different from usual. Their shapes were very stylish—there were side dishes and eggs sandwiched between slices of bread, croissant made from crispy dough were combined with fruits and soft cream.
W, what is this? Strawberry jam bread? Is this for sale?
“Welcome.”
The voice of a young man caused Yuna to correct her posture.
From the other side of the counter, a young man had appeared. He looked a bit older than Yuna. His glossy black hair was adorned with a bandanna, and he was wearing a clean apron. His eyes were a little ridiculous to Yuna, for they were golden. Regardless, she immediately smiled and laughed to reassure him.
The man seemed like a nice person.
However, he was so dazzling, she couldn’t help but hold her breath.
“Which one would you like?”
“Huh…?”
Asked by such a soft and soothing voice, Yuna became speechless. She hurriedly closed her mouth. After his eyes fluttered over the counter, the young man smirked.
“I, I’m just surprised, sorry…”
Yuna gently apologized while shaking her head. Then, her cheeks started to get hot.
After all, Yuna was around that age. That was also her first time beholding such a prince-like man. As such, she didn’t know how to deal with him.
“Starting from today, I will be living and working here.”
“I, I see, uh, excuse me, but…”
“It’s alright, the others were also surprised.”
If a young man suddenly appeared instead of the gentle grandma, everyone would be surprised. Moreover, he was a beauty. Yuna even thought she had come to the wrong place.
However, the apron wearing young man asked again while holding up a pair of tongs.
“So, which one is it?”
R-right, I’m in a bakery.
“Ah, uh… three wheat breads. They’re the cheapest…”
For some reason, she felt embarrassed and began to stutter. But the young man bent over, took the bread, and laughed.
“It’s delicious, isn’t it? The grandma’s bread. I like it, too.”
“Eh…?”
He looked like he just came out from a storybook, and yet, he had such simple tastes. The young man didn’t seem to care and placed the bread into a paper bag.
“I wonder if it’s experience… I still can’t recreate this flavor.”
“A, are you… some kind of an apprentice?”
“Indeed.”
The young man, who was more suitable to be a prince than a baker, nodded casually. He then handed her the bread over the counter. In a hurry, Yuna offered a coin.
“Yes, after all, grandma said it’s alright.”
“Uh…”
“Everyone asked the same question, too.”
Yuna smiled bitterly at the young man. Certainly, everyone who visited that bakery came for bread. However, there were some who wanted to meet the grandma.
“If you want to meet her, then come visit the bakery tomorrow. Grandma will surely be here.”
“A, are you going to take a day off tomorrow?”
Although she was still nervous, she was able to speak casually because the man was easygoing.
“Yes, I’m thinking of peddling around the city tomorrow. As such, I’m planning to request grandma to supervise the store.”
“But, can grandma make that much bread? Or, are you planning to make them all by yourself?”
“Grandma will help me. However, she has a backache. I don’t want her to overdo it. She needs to rest. For that reason, I made everything except the wheat bread today. I’m glad that they are selling.”
He spoke in relief as he smiled.
“This bakery has been declining, but it used to be very prosperous. Everyone is so strict, so it might be difficult for you as an apprentice…”
“Indeed, after all, grandma’s bread is that delicious.”
“Do your best. Tell me if you have any problems. I will help you.”
When I said that, the young man smiled.
“Thank you, what a nice city this is.”
Yuna concluded that he came from somewhere else. That must be his first time visiting Radea.
Too bad, they weren’t friends, so she couldn’t ask why he came there. Without much thought, Yuna replied.
“That’s right, it’s also your city starting from today.”
After a while, the young man murmured.
“I see, my city…”
“What’s your name?”
“Hadith.”
She faintly recalled hearing that name somewhere. To put it another way around, it was a name that seemed to be everywhere.
Yuna noticed after nodding. She hadn’t introduced herself, yet.
“I—”
“Yuna.”
Towards her surprise, the young man named Hadith laughed.
“I mean, you said your name back when you first entered the store.”
“I, is that so…?”
“I left a bonus for you. If you like, eat it and let me know what you think.”
“See you…”
After waving towards him, Yuna hurriedly backtracked while hugging the bread to her chest. She immediately went home.
It wasn’t until she was about to reach home that she was able to breath.
“…How surprising.”
On the table, she put the paper bag she had been hugging for God knows how long. She looked inside and found some bread she hadn’t asked for.
It was the bonus.
“…”
It’d be awkward if her family were to see that. She took it out and tried it.
Once again, she was surprised.
“Delicious…”
From the soft bread, some sweet and sour strawberry jam oozed out.
She was sure that young man would become famous in many ways in the not too distant future.