I Reincarnated into the World of Otome Game with a Cheat Ability - Chapter 9

 Securing a Water Supply

Kent turned his thoughts toward their upcoming dinner.

While they had managed to get all their living necessities sorted out, they hadn't actually secured any food or groceries yet.

"Caro-san, what would you like to eat for dinner tonight?"

"Whatever you prepare for me is perfectly fine, Kent-san."

It was nice of her to say that, but even though she was currently wearing a red tracksuit, she was still technically a noble's daughter. He figured a certain baseline of quality was probably necessary. Going out to buy ingredients was an option, but he couldn't exactly drag around a girl who had spent the last two days wandering the city streets on an empty stomach. With that in mind, he decided to opt for frozen food, which could be procured instantly. Since he had equipped the kitchen with an induction cooktop and a microwave, heating things up would be a breeze.

For tonight, they would just get by on frozen meals. Scanning through the extensive product list, he selected a best-selling frozen fried rice (250G). Transferring it to a plate, he covered it in plastic wrap and popped it into the microwave. A few minutes later, he portioned the steaming fried rice onto separate plates to serve as tonight's dinner.

"Caro-san, I'm sorry I could only prepare something like this for tonight."

"Please don't worry about it. I am incredibly grateful just to have a meal provided for me."

For a beverage, he purchased a plastic bottle of green tea (100G) and set it on the table alongside the food. With that, the two of them began to eat.

"This is absolutely delicious. I was watching you prepare it just now, and it is fascinating how you can make something so tasty with such little effort."

Caro ate with a look of pure satisfaction. It was also Kent's first time eating a proper rice meal since arriving in this world, so he found himself thoroughly satisfied as well.

Once dinner wrapped up, Kent fetched water from the well out back and began filling up the bathtub. Once the tub was full, he threw in some firewood, lit a flame, and heated the bathwater.

"Alright, I'll teach you how to use everything."

"Yes, please."

Kent walked Caro through how to use the bath facilities—though, realistically, this just amounted to explaining the shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and face cleanser. With the instructions out of the way, Caro went in to take her bath first.

A short while later, Caro stepped out of the bathroom. Kent had made sure to provide a change of underwear for her, but because the home improvement center where he ordered goods didn't focus much on apparel, the garments possessed absolutely zero fashion sense or design flair. Still, the size was correct (a detail that had inadvertently forced Kent to learn Caro's three sizes), so it shouldn't cause any issues in daily life. Kent grabbed a hairdryer and began drying Caro's hair for her.

"My hair feels incredibly smooth and silky now. And that body wash substance I used to clean myself smells wonderful."

Caro looked deeply pleased. As a side note, Kent had made sure to purchase a completely separate set of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and face cleanser strictly for Caro's personal use.

Following her, Kent took his own bath, and before long, both of them retreated to their respective rooms to sleep.

The next morning, after finishing a quick breakfast of bread purchased via the terminal, Kent set to work on a certain project before it was time for school. Conveniently, it was the bakery's regular closing day, so he was off from work. He had asked Caro to relax in her room until it was time to depart.

What he intended to accomplish with his free time was securing a reliable water supply. There was a well in the backyard, but his plan was to hook up an electric well pump, run pipes into the kitchen and bathroom, and install faucets. This would allow them to use the water exactly like a modern utility system, drastically increasing their convenience.

Between the well pump (100,000G), the piping and faucets (50,000G), a fully automatic washing machine (40,000G), and a kerosene water heater (including installation fees, 200,000G)—plus the previous day's food expenses and frozen meals—his expenditures for the round came out to 400,000G. On top of that, he selected a complete bathroom remodeling package (including installation fees, 1,000,000G), causing the remaining balance of the entrusted money to drop to 3,300,000G. Even Kent couldn't help but think he might have gone a little overboard with the spending.

Utilizing some frozen foods meant for bento boxes, Kent quickly whipped up a pair of lunch boxes for the two of them.

"Alright, it's about time for school. Shall we head out?" he called out to Caro.

"Yes."

With that, Caro fell into step behind Kent as they left the house.

"Um..." Caro spoke up gently.

"What is it?"

"Would it be alright if we held hands on the way to school?"

"Oh, sure, I don't mind."

Hand-in-hand, Kent and Caro made their way toward the academy. As they drew closer to the campus, Kent felt like the other students were staring intently at them, but he paid them no mind and walked right up to the school gates.

"Kent-san, thank you so much for everything. I will see you again at lunchtime."

"Yeah, see you later."

Since Caro was a year below him, she headed off toward the first-year classrooms, while Kent made his way to the second-year wing.

Once the morning periods concluded, lunch break arrived. Kent headed toward his usual spot behind the school building and sat down on the bench. A few moments later, Caro arrived.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kent-san. Let's have our lunch."

With that, the two of them unfolded their bento wrappers. While their lunch boxes were entirely different shapes, the contents inside were identical. Kent used chopsticks, but since Caro wasn't accustomed to them, she held a spork.

"My? It is not bread today, I see."

Right on cue, Josette had sat down right next to them without either of them noticing.

"Ah, Lady Josette, good day. Thank you so much for your immense help with everything recently," Caro greeted her warmly.

"You have no need to fret over it. I merely did what was natural as a friend. Oh? This is actually quite exquisite."

Josette was already using her bare fingers to swipe food directly out of Kent's lunch box.

"Eating with your bare hands is a bit bad-mannered, don't you think?" Kent interjected.

"I have absolutely no understanding of how to manipulate those two wooden sticks you are holding."

"We have the same tool Caro-san is using, you know?"

"Oh? What a peculiar spoon. I see, the split prongs at the tip allow it to function as a fork as well. Fascinating."

The three of them enjoyed a pleasant lunch together (though Kent had more than half of his bento devoured by Josette).

"Well, I must go prepare for my next lecture, so I shall head in first," Caro announced, standing up and walking back toward the school building.

The moment she was gone, Josette's face flushed a deep crimson as she locked her gaze onto Kent.

"Th-This is my token of appreciation for the lunch."

With those words, Josette leaned in and stole Kent's lips. Just like before, her tongue slipped inside, turning the encounter into a deep, intense kiss.

"Ah, I forgot something."

Having nearly reached the entrance, Caro realized she had left something behind and turned back around to the rear of the school building. It was there that she witnessed Kent and Josette with their lips firmly locked together.

"Eh?... What?... Lady Josette and Kent-san are..."

Caro stood frozen, utterly shocked by the sight before her. A strange, suffocating sensation—a feeling she had never experienced in her entire life—welled up deep inside her chest. Completely forgetting about the item she had returned to fetch, she turned on her heel and ran back to her classroom as fast as her legs could carry her.

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