Chapter Ten - First Shift Fiasco

Her name was Souta Hikari — and from the second she stepped through the bakery door for her first shift, Elias knew this was going to be a learning experience for both of them.

She stood there in her slightly-too-big school uniform, clutching a spiral notebook so tightly the cover bent, bowing so deeply her backpack nearly tipped her forward onto the floor.

"Thank you so much for this opportunity!" she blurted, voice cracking halfway through the sentence.

Elias blinked. "You… don't have to bow every time you talk to me."

"Oh! Right! Sorry!" And of course, she bowed again. Lower this time.

Elias sighed quietly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Come inside."

The first half-hour? Surprisingly fine.

Elias showed her how to wash up, explained the importance of keeping her hands clean, and walked her through the layout — flour here, sugar there, baking trays stacked under the prep table. Souta took feverish notes, scribbling like she was studying for the National Bakery Finals.

He thought, for a fleeting moment, maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

That hope lasted exactly twenty minutes.

"Wait—no, stop—that's salt, not sugar!"

Too late.

Souta froze mid-pour, salt cascading into the mixing bowl like the world's saddest Christmas.

"Oh no—oh no, I'm so sorry!" she yelped, almost dropping the jar.

"It's fine." Elias took the jar gently from her hands, setting it aside. "We'll start over."

Five minutes later, she tried pulling cookies from the oven seven minutes too early, sending a puff of half-melted cookie goo smoke into the air.

"I panicked!" she wailed.

"Just breathe." Elias felt his patience thinning, but something about her wide-eyed panic reminded him of… well, himself.

"Grab some more flour from the pantry," Elias said, thinking this was safe enough.

A minute passed. Then two.

Then:"Eliassss! The door won't open! I'm stuck!"

Elias set his bowl down with a sigh that felt like it came from his soul.

He opened the pantry door with a single turn of the knob.

Souta stumbled out, arms overflowing with flour bags, face redder than the strawberry glaze.

It was 9:30 PM when the bell jingled again. Elias turned just in time to see Mira, looking half-asleep in a sweater with a cartoon cat holding a knife, shuffle through the door.

"Yo, Cookie Wizard—" she started, then stopped dead.

She took in the scene.

Souta, head-to-toe in flour, clutching a wet rag like a lifeline.Elias, looking like a man quietly reconsidering all his life choices.A faint haze of burnt sugar smoke curling under the lights.

Mira's grin could not have been wider.

"What—what is this?" She cackled. "Did you adopt a flour gremlin??"

Souta, face still glowing red, bowed again — and smacked her forehead directly into the prep table.

"I-I'm the new part-timer!" she squeaked.

Elias rubbed his temples. "Mira, meet Souta Hikari."

Mira leaned her elbows on the counter, laughing so hard she almost cried. "You actually hired someone? You, Mister 'I work better alone and customers terrify me'? Who are you, and what have you done with my emotionally stunted baker?"

"Please don't," Elias muttered.

Souta wiped flour on her apron, only succeeding in redistributing it evenly across her front. "I-it's nice to meet you! I'm sorry for the mess!"

Mira grinned. "Oh, honey, if you survived even an hour with this guy? You're a legend."

"I'm right here," Elias pointed out, but Souta giggled softly, her shoulders finally loosening.

"So what's your tragic backstory, kid?" Mira asked, still grinning. "Why'd you sign up to work at a haunted bakery?"

Souta's eyes widened. "Haunted??"

"It's not haunted," Elias groaned.

Mira winked. "That's exactly what the ghosts would say."

Souta shifted awkwardly, hands twisting the hem of her apron. "I… I just needed a job. My family's been struggling with money lately. And when I walked past, the bakery just… smelled nice. Like somewhere you want to stay."

Mira tilted her head. "So you followed your nose into employment. Respect."

Souta's smile—small, shy, but real—peeked through.

Elias cleared his throat. "Did you actually come here for cookies, or just to harass my staff?"

"Oh, right!" Mira slapped the counter. "Three, please. Surprise me — unless the surprise is whatever salted monstrosity your trainee made earlier."

Souta turned pink again, but this time she laughed softly too. "I'll get better. I promise."

Elias bagged up a matcha shortbread, a yuzu glaze, and a walnut chocolate chunk, sliding them across the counter. "First customer you helped serve," he said to Souta.

Her eyes sparkled.

Mira shook the bag dramatically at Elias. "This is getting too wholesome. If you turn this bakery into a heartwarming family drama, I'm out."

"No, you're not." Elias leaned on the counter. "You'd miss the cookies too much."

"Damn right."

The door jingled as Mira left, and for the first time all night, the bakery felt calm.

A little messy. A little chaotic.But warmer than it had been in a long, long time.

Souta stood beside Elias, dusted in flour and hope.

"Thanks for not giving up on me," she said softly.

Elias shook his head. "You've only worked one shift. There's plenty of time for me to regret this."

Souta giggled, and for a moment, Elias could almost hear the house — the old machiya — creaking softly, like it was laughing with them.