S-Ranks Brought Low by Bread
One on the floor, two at the table.
Sighing as I gazed at the women who'd passed out one after another from the chestnut cream bread, I shook my head.
This is supposed to be S-rank?
No, I get that it was delicious, but fainting from eating bread? Come on.
I glanced around cautiously, then carefully pulled my tail out from the stuffy confines of my pants.
Swish.
With my long tail finally free in the open air, swaying freely, the stuffiness melted away. It felt just like slipping out of an ill-fitting suit at home and lounging in nothing but panties—the cool relief was bliss.
...Yeah, this is it.
Maybe soon... I should just let my tail hang out all the time.
Lately, even hoodies felt too constricting.
"Hoo..."
I gave the sprawled-out trio another glance, then picked up my share of the chestnut cream bread from the table.
"Nom."
Taking a huge bite, my mouth filled with the rich, savory umami of chestnuts and the sweet, nutty cream enveloping my tongue.
"Mmm... so damn good."
Maybe it was because I loved chestnuts so much, but the cream didn't overpower it—the chestnut flavor shone through perfectly.
...Kinda like that chestnut chestnut bun, but not quite.
That one was too perfect. Ruined all other chestnut desserts for me.
I licked the cream from my lips and checked the skill window floating in front of me.
Chestnut Cream Bread consumed.
Chestnut Shell: Physical damage reduced by 50% for 1 hour.
"Huh... hmm."
I tilted my head, licking cream off my finger.
Sure, it was an amazing buff, no doubt...
"But it feels kinda meh somehow."
Compared to the irreplaceable fatigue reduction from my first morning bread, this one felt... a bit underwhelming, honestly.
Was it because I hadn't climbed the Tower yet?
"Eh, it was just a snack anyway."
I dismissed the skill window and swished my tail as I looked at the still-unconscious guild leader, Kim Hyunah, and Cheon Yura.
They didn't look like they'd wake up anytime soon.
What to do alone...
"Might as well bake another batch while they're out."
It'd help settle my heavy stomach too. I stood up.
I opened the large fridge in one corner of the bakery room and peered inside.
"...Anything fun in here?"
I wanted to try something beyond the usual ingredients—something different.
Hmm... nothing catches my eye.
No exciting ingredients in the fridge. As I scanned elsewhere, my eyes stopped on a sleek black box reverently placed by the storage cabinet.
"Oh... kelp."
It was a premium kelp set, wrapped in fancy packaging.
...Should I take it home to eat with rice?
I peeled back the packaging a bit, pulled out a sheet of pitch-black kelp, and popped it in my mouth to chew.
Crunch.
Plain raw kelp with no seasoning, but the more I chewed, the more the subtle ocean aroma and umami spread—perfect.
"Whoa... so this is fancy kelp? Delicious."
Kelp, huh...
Staring at the sheet in my hand, a fun recipe popped into my head.
"This could be interesting."
Grinning, I grabbed a handful of kelp and headed to the counter.
I tore the raw kelp into small pieces, dumped them in a pot, added soy sauce, sugar, and corn syrup in the right ratios, and set it to simmer on low heat.
...The smell's not great.
Bubble bubble.
The salty soy sauce scent mixed with the kelp's sea brine as the moist kelp thickened into a jam-like paste.
"To amp up the flavor a bit more..."
I turned off the heat, let it cool slightly, then tossed in a generous chunk of butter.
The butter melted smoothly, creating a glossy, perfect kelp paste.
"Let this chill first."
While the kelp paste cooled, I started on the salted bread dough.
Tackling a recipe I'd never tried before had my dopamine firing on all cylinders.
I dumped the measured ingredients into the mixing bowl and slowly combined them.
"Grrr..."
As the dough tangled around my hands with its cool, soft texture, a pleased purr slipped out unbidden.
Active Skill: Kneading Lv. 3 activated.
Squish, squish. Knead knead.
With kneading active, I felt mana flowing from me through my hands into the dough.
...Huh? This feels totally different from before.
It was nothing like the usual sensation.
Active Skill: Kneading Lv. 3 effect triggered.
"...Effect?"
Shouldn't it tell me what the effect is?
I gently pulled off a piece of dough and carefully stretched it between my hands.
Streeetch.
"Whoa... insane."
A whistle escaped my lips.
It was the signature gluten window of perfectly fermented dough—thin, transparent like a membrane, letting light shine through while retaining perfect elasticity. And this was without any low-temp long fermentation or hand heat raising the temperature. Flawless.
"So this is what profound kneading means?"
I'd always skipped fermentation times before, but this... it even adjusted for low-temp fermentation automatically.
Did it tailor the fermentation effect to the bread?
Amazed, I quickly divided the dough.
I rolled it thin, stuffed it generously with the chilled special kelp paste and a hunk of salted butter, then rolled it up tight.
I sprinkled coarse salt on top and arranged them neatly on the oven tray.
Just bake and done.
I slid the tray into the preheated oven and waited.
Soon, the aroma of melting butter and baking bread filled the bakery room.
"Mmm..."
"Haa... passed out again."
That's when the guild leader and Kim Hyunah clutched their heads and sat up. Cheon Yura shook herself awake from her sprawl too.
"You were all out longer than usual this time."
As I casually asked from in front of the oven, all three sets of eyes locked onto me.
...What's with that look?
Baek Arang was thrilled the bread was baking so well that, without realizing it, her tail swished happily behind her.
Swish, swish.
The three stared blankly at the swishing tail, saying nothing.
A fluffy, fur-covered cute tail swaying temptingly, stirring an urge to shove it straight in their mouths.
"......"
"That... she's doing it on purpose, right?"
"...Should I just take it?"
They desperately suppressed the dark cravings welling up inside.
"Arang-ssi..."
"Yeah? What's up?"
"You've... let your tail out."
Kim Hyunah's eyes sparkled as she pointed at my swishing tail.
"Ah..."
I'd completely forgotten I'd pulled it out in a moment of good mood.
As if mirroring my embarrassment, the tail that had been swishing happily stiffened straight up.
"No, it's just that, y'know..."
Aish... what do I even say...
I trailed off awkwardly, avoiding their gazes.
Whatever... it's not weird to let my tail out sometimes. No fur in the bread, so no issue.
"Driving me crazy, seriously..."
"Keep tempting me like that, and I won't hold back."
"...Cute."
Cha Eunwol bit her tongue hard to stifle the impulse, Cheon Yura frantically searched for her phone to snap a photo, and Kim Hyunah clenched her fists until blood welled up, glaring murderously at me.
Ugh, so embarrassing... for real.
I hurriedly changed the subject, turning toward the oven.
Perfect timing—the timer dinged.
Ding!
"Oh? Baked more bread? What's this one?"
The guild leader asked, still eyeing my tail wistfully.
"Well..."
Do I say it... or not?
I averted my eyes, dodging the question.
Couldn't bring myself to admit I'd put kelp paste in it first.
"...? Eh, you made it, so it'll be good... But seriously, can I just touch your tail once?"
The guild leader didn't press, leaning back in her chair and staring at my tail.
She'll demand to see it every day starting tomorrow.
I pushed aside worries for the future and plated the freshly baked bread.
The golden-brown, crispy surface glittered with coarse salt. The aroma of well-baked bread mingled with rich buttery savoriness.
I slid the plate in front of the three.
"Here, dig in."
"This... salted bread?"
Cheon Yura inspected the shape curiously.
"Kinda... but it's perfect temp right now, so eat up."
At my urging, she grabbed one without suspicion and took a big bite.
Crunch.
Crunsh—the crispy shatter giving way to chewy texture made her eyes flutter in satisfaction.
Moist crumb pierced, buttery aroma teasing her nose.
"Huh...?"
The moment the deeply hidden kelp paste hit her teeth, sweet-salty oceanic umami popped!—blasting her mouth.
"...!!"
Cheon Yura's eyes flew wide open.
"Wh-what is this..."
Her hand trembled around the bread as her pale face flushed beet red.
"Heh... hehehehe."
Suddenly, goofy laughter bubbled from her lips, followed by thick tears plopping down.
"Hic... h-hic."
What the hell is this?
Eating bread, laughing, then crying? What...?
I'd get fainting, but this...? Bad taste? No way an S-rank cries over bad bread.
As Cheon Yura sniffled clutching her bread, Kim Hyunah—who'd been about to bite hers—slowly set it down.
The guild leader alternated shocked glances between crying Cheon Yura and me.
"Hey... Arang."
"Yeah..."
"First time in my life seeing her cry like that."
The guild leader's face paled as she asked me.
"...I'll cover for you, so be honest... did you spike the bread?"
"...No."
Does kelp with bread cause bipolar disorder or something?
I stared blankly at Cheon Yura.
