The Obsessive Male Leads Want to Eat Me Alive - Chapter 69

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Chapter 69
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I awoke to brilliant morning sunlight streaming through the window.
“Haaah…”
I’d slept well. Really well.
Mm, that feeling of deep, dreamless sleep.
‘Perfect.’
I nestled deeper into the soft, fluffy bedding and shifted slightly.
Then, suddenly, memories of last night came flooding back.
“Huh?”
Why was I lying in bed? The moment that thought crossed my mind, I opened my eyes slightly.
Now that I thought about it, I’d fallen asleep at the First Floor table while with Kine yesterday.
I had no memory of anything after that. So Kine must have carried me here?
Just then, knock, knock—
A knocking sound came from the Bedroom door.
“Kine?”
“…It’s Noah, Anette.”
“Come in.”
The door opened, and a face like a pink cotton ball peeked inside.
I asked Noah where Kine was, and he said he didn’t know.
He wasn’t on the First Floor either. Had he left already?
‘I didn’t even get to thank him.’
Yesterday, he’d been quite the helpful deer.
He’d even caught the Thug for me (though, to be literal, he’d only ‘held him’ for a moment), and he’d written nearly half the invitation in such elegant handwriting.
He was also the one who’d moved sleeping Noah.
He’d done it so carefully, draping the warmest blanket over him, and the tenderness in his touch as he patted Noah had left an impression on me.
‘It seems Kine must have left in the middle of the night.’
Well, he must be busy. As a research assistant, I imagined he had so much studying to do.
In the first place, asking him to stay the whole night was an unreasonable request.
Even if I was a ‘pot-wielding master’ (I could practically drive away demons with a pot), I couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy, so I was grateful he’d stayed by my side.
After Noah left, I began my morning by tidying the bedding.
That was when it happened.
I discovered a mug on the nightstand that I hadn’t used.
‘Did Kine use this?’
I unconsciously reached for the mug and paused slightly.
“Oh.”
—The mug was still warm.
* * *
After breakfast with Noah.
Today’s busy and lively schedule at the little Bakery began.
First thing in the morning, the superintendent came by to inspect the gas pipe and ask about the thug.
I answered honestly, and he said it would take some time to fix the gas pipe.
It meant I’d have to live in darkness for several nights. It was a nuisance, but I ordered oil for the lantern.
After that, a sales representative from the World Daily News came and tried to persuade me to renew my subscription in exchange for a bicycle, but I firmly refused (later, he was chased away after pitching that they’d even throw in a set of pots).
In the end, I settled on receiving just one more final issue of the World Daily News.
Once the bustle had died down somewhat.
“Phew. Today was quite hectic.”
That was when I let out a sigh of relief.
Ding—
The cheerful bell chimed as the door opened, and customers flooded in once more.
Oh my, this is maddening. What a popular bakery this is.
I wiped my nose and, while thinking about a self-employed person’s path to wealth, greeted them.
“Welcome to the Little Bakery!”
But something felt odd.
It wasn’t about the customers who came in first—it was the state of the last ‘two customers’.
They weren’t together, but one was far too young to come alone, and the other—
‘He doesn’t usually come at this hour?’
It was Kine.
I asked the child first.
“Liri, did you come here alone?”
A child who looked to be about three years old spoke through rice-grain-sized front teeth.
“Uh-huh, today I’m gonna buy bread myself.”
Looking outside the bakery, Liri’s Mother was peering in with a curious expression.
—Ah, she lost to a three-year-old’s stubbornness.
I then greeted the customer who was far larger than the three-year-old who barely reached my waist.
“Hello! Kine.”
“Good afternoon.”
Emerald eyes curved warmly toward me.
I wanted to continue our conversation, but a customer conveniently wedged between us to look at the bread, making it awkward to chat further.
—Business first.
A self-employed person who knew the sweetness of high sales attended to the customers with courtesy.
Meanwhile, Kine browsed the display case.
Together with the three-year-old with rice-grain front teeth.
Because Kine was so tall, standing next to Liri made him look like he was with a tiny hot dog.
It was so cute that I had to stifle a laugh.
‘But he’s quite the shy one.’
Our eyes occasionally met, and every time they did, he unfailingly avoided my gaze.
—Goodness, we spent a whole night together, and he’s still like this?
Such a bashful bread boy.
Just then, Liri tilted her head with her twin braids and spoke. Standing in front of the baguettes.
“Do you like this?”
“….”
I was speaking to Kine beside me. Kine was answering the little hot dog.
“Yes. I like it.”
—It was a satisfying answer.
I was quite pleased with him for appreciating the charm of the Little Bakery’s signature baguette.
I smiled contentedly as I added a ribbon to the packaging.
The little hot dog bit again with its tiny front teeth like grains of rice.
“Do you like it? Yum.”
“—Yes, I do.”
This time he responded in a lower, gentler voice, using formal speech toward the child.
‘Hehe, how cute.’
Just hearing it was so healing that I paused my wrapping and watched the two of them warmly.
“Do you like it?”
That was when our eyes met—Kine’s and mine.
“…I like it.”
His emerald eyes gazed directly at me as he spoke.
My heart felt oddly ticklish for a moment.
I cleared my throat with an “Ahem, hmm” and began focusing on wrapping the bread.
‘What’s that? Why are you looking at me when you say it?’
Despite looking directly at me as he spoke, his cheeks were flushed.
‘Just say it to the little hot dog.’
You handle your gaze in rather strange ways sometimes, dear regular customer.
After much deliberation, the little hot dog left happily with a baguette (which was as big as its body) and a sausage bread, waddling away with a cheerful “Yum….”
It was after all the customers had left.
Kine approached me.
“Owner.”
“Yes?”
“I saw you yesterday and again today.”
He, who had been promoted to ‘bread buddy’ thanks to that, smiled with an angelic, kind face.
It was a pleasant smile that made others want to smile along.
He hesitated slightly before offering me a bouquet of flowers.
I accepted it without hesitation and smiled.
“Thank you, Kine.”
It was probably because of yesterday’s promise that he brought them.
“…It’s wilted. I’ll bring you something even more beautiful tomorrow.”
He seemed to have an excellent memory.
Seeing how he unfailingly kept even the smallest promises made in passing.
Today’s bouquet was also wonderfully fragrant and beautiful. It was as I was smiling and examining the flowers.
“Huh?”
There was a small card nestled among the flowers.
―No, looking more carefully, it wasn’t a card at all.
It was a business card. Black.
I immediately thought cynically.
‘Just as I suspected― he had something to sell and came to approach me.’
I should have seen through it from the moment that flower-like deer and innocent pretty boy kept hovering around, offering bribes.
The cynical business owner thought ‘tsk, I’ve been had’ and examined the business card.
“…?”
The card bore a small emblem (a black sheep) and the letter L engraved upon it.
And an ‘unknown address’.
―That was all.
I slipped the card between my fingers with a snap and waved it as I asked.
“What is this?”
“Once you’ve finished business for the day, would you be able to come to this address?”
His expression was quite serious.
There was no glint in his eyes suggesting he was trying to sell something, and it wasn’t a business card related to baking tools, so I tilted my head in confusion.
“There is something urgent I must tell you.”
“What do you mean?”
“…It’s about me. Things I couldn’t bring myself to tell you.”
Stories about himself that he hadn’t told me?
Of course, the hidden story of an innocent pretty boy was quite intriguing.
But on the other hand, I had this thought.
What if I followed him and ended up getting caught on a shrimp boat?
I’ve become somewhat friendly with Kine recently, but….
That was very recent.
Until then, he was merely a man who appeared out of nowhere six months ago without exchanging a single word.
No matter how kind his smile was, receiving such a suspicious business card and going to an unknown address felt unsettling (especially that black sheep drawn on the black card―it had a rather ominous atmosphere).
Beneath the wavy chestnut hair, his solemn eyes spoke again.
“I’ve also prepared a gift you might enjoy.”
“…A gift?”
“Yes.”
―This is getting more and more suspicious, regular customer.
I slipped the business card from between my fingers into my pocket and spoke.
“Well, I’m quite busy these days with one less pair of hands, just preparing for business takes up all my time.”
This was absolutely true.
While Um was taking a brief rest, I had to run the shop alone, and just kneading dough took forever.
“If I have time later after closing, would it be alright if I stopped by? I hope you won’t have to wait too long.”
Suspicions aside, I really was that busy.
He smiled, his clean-cut lips curving upward, seeming delighted by even that possibility.
“Thank you, Owner.”
Her emerald eyes gleamed with eager anticipation.
“―I shall await your return.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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