Translated by Jyzciel

On the 12th day of her life in the countryside, I was washing dishes when I heard a delightful voice coming from the direction of the central courtyard.

"Excuse me... Is the Forest Bakery here?" I paused, taken aback by the cute, childlike tone. The Forest Bakery? What's that?

I followed the sound of the voice to the courtyard and found two siblings, probably around 8 and 5 years old. But they were far from ordinary children. They had adorable, fluffy animal ears on top of their heads and tails that curled in a graceful spiral.

Except, they were far from ordinary children. They had fluffy animal ears perched atop their heads and tails that curled in a whimsical, swirly pattern. It seemed they were squirrel-like beastfolk.

The younger sister was fervently petting Kinako. Surprisingly, animals tended to be gentle with children. Kinako endured the somewhat forceful petting, seemingly allowing the little girl to do as she pleased.

"Oh..." I couldn't help but exclaim. When the two youngsters noticed me, they both lowered their heads politely.

"Um... We'd like to buy some... bread, but is this enough?" the boy stammered, his gaze shifting between his sister and the pouch of coins he held in his tiny hand.

As they handed me handfuls of acorns with trembling hands, their cute animal ears twitching, I found myself in a rather perplexing situation. It felt like a scene straight out of a real-life fairy tale, and I was bewildered.

What to do with this adorable pair of visitors who had come to my humble home? I couldn't help but feel flustered. I needed to make it clear though, I was not the Forest Bakery and I'm just a regular home owner. How could I convey this fact to these two charming children?

Perhaps the older brother sensed my dilemma and softly murmured, "It's not, right? There's been a rumor spreading among the forest folks recently that there's a house deep in the woods where you can find delicious treats."

What? There were rumors spreading about my place? I wondered about the source of these rumors. Maybe it was the White Snake? No, it couldn't be the Demon Lord... Maybe it was Chronos? He wasn't a forest creature, though.

In any case, this was a predicament. I could feel a furrow forming on my forehead as I contemplated the situation.

"I'm... I'm sorry. And with this small amount, I guess we can't buy anything." The younger sister said, beginning to hurriedly pull her brother away.

"Wait a moment." I interjected. "You're right. This isn't the Forest Bakery. However, I can make bread. How about we make some together?"

I offered a warm smile, and the squirrel siblings seemed delighted by the idea. "Alright, then. Let's start making bread."

The squirrel siblings, now wearing little aprons and triangular hats, stood ready by my side.

"First, we mix bread flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, salt, and dry yeast in a bowl." I instructed.

The two siblings mimicked my every move with a serious and focused expression.

"Add honey, eggs, and milk, then mix and knead it well." I continued.

I couldn't help but feel a little warm inside as I watched them diligently knead the dough with their small hands.

"When it becomes smooth, we add unsalted butter and knead some more." Both their faces turned bright red from the effort, but they persevered.

"You're doing great! Keep it up. Now, should we add the walnuts?"

When I mentioned adding walnuts to the bread, the ears of the squirrel siblings perked up. It was clear that these two were indeed squirrels. Maybe they had a special fondness for walnuts?

"Both of you, say 'ahh~'" I instructed with a smile.

The two tilted their heads but obediently opened their mouths. I playfully placed a walnut in each of their mouths.

"Mmm! Delicious!" they exclaimed, savoring the flavor of the walnuts. Their melting smiles were utterly endearing, and their tails wagged rapidly from side to side.

"Now, we just need to let the dough rise for a bit. How about having a snack and taking a break?" I suggested.

"Can bread take a nap?" the younger sister asked me in a puzzled tone.

"Yes, it can. To become delicious, fluffy bread, it needs a little nap." I replied with a grin.

"I see." She said, her eyes filled with understanding.

"Here you go, enjoy!" I said, serving the squirrel siblings honey-infused hot milk and apple pie.

"Wow... it looks so delicious. Are you sure it's okay for us to eat this?" the younger sister asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

"It's absolutely fine. Please, go ahead." I reassured them.

"Thank you, big sister. We'll savor this." The two of them exclaimed, their eyes sparkling as they took bites of the apple pie.

"It's delicious! It's so good, it makes my cheeks fall off!" the younger sister exclaimed.

The older brother, on the other hand, took just one bite and then refused to eat any more. When I inquired about it, concerned, he squeezed his hands tightly and said with determination, "It's so incredibly delicious that I want to take some back to Mom."

"What?" Even the younger squirrel girl stopped in her tracks upon hearing this.

"...Lulu wants to do the same." The siblings said with tears in their eyes, struggling to contain their emotions.

"What's wrong? Huh?" I asked in concern and gently stroked their heads.

"There's still plenty left, so you can eat it. How about we use the other half as a souvenir for your mom?" I suggested, showing them half of the pie.

"We can't buy this much. We'd have to pay if we went to a store." the older brother explained.

"This isn't a store... It's my home. You don't need to worry about money here." I reassured them.

"But..." They both seemed hesitant, and their animal ears drooped slightly.

"In that case, how about both of you help me with some work from now on? Will you assist me in making this apple pie and bread?" I proposed.

"Yes, we'll help." They agreed.

They joined me in the garden, helping with tasks like harvesting and watering the plants. They were diligent little workers.

"Thank you. We finished quickly with your help. Are you tired?" I asked, concerned about their well-being.

The siblings smiled in response, and the older brother said, "No. We're not tired. It was fun!"

"Okay, then let's start baking the bread."

I divided the dough into eight equal portions, made incisions on each, and arranged them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

"Now, we'll let them rise for the second time until they become nice and fluffy." I explained.

"Is baking bread quite challenging?" The older brother observed, showing a genuine interest in the process.

"To make something delicious, it often takes a lot of effort and time."

After that, I brushed the loaves with a beaten egg to give them a glossy finish, and once the oven was preheated to 190°C, I baked them for about 10 minutes.

"I can't wait for them to be done!"

"The aroma is so nice~" The siblings said with delight as they eagerly watched the bread baking in the oven.

"Why did you two come to buy bread? Is it from the village or the city? There must be bakeries there," I asked.

They suddenly became somber, and I regretted bringing up the topic. Oh... maybe that wasn't the right topic to bring up.

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