An hour and forty minutes had passed. The bakery was now overflowing with the scent of freshly baked bread. The workers stood frozen in disbelief as they stared at the mountain of bread piling up before them. Thirty-eight bags worth of dough had already been processed—only twelve remained.
They had been so focused on the work that they forgot to ask how many bags they were supposed to make in total for the two-day task. Even so, they continued giving it their all.
Jackson, who was standing before the blazing oven, suddenly remembered something. He waited as the bread baked—though "bake" hardly fit anymore; the heat was so intense that it cooked the dough in seconds. He drew out five long trays of golden bread, the aroma flooding the room.
Carrying the hot trays with protective gloves, Jackson walked toward Sasaki, who stood near the wide, stainless steel counter used for storing the finished loaves.
"Hey, hey, Mister Sasaki!" Jackson called, his voice slightly strained as he balanced the trays.
"What is it, Jackson?" Sasaki asked, taking the trays from him and replacing them with another five that were already filled with dough.
"I was wondering... how many are we supposed to make? I mean, how many loaves of bread exactly?"
Sasaki paused mid-motion, his knife stilling as he sliced the dough.
"Huh... that didn't even cross my mind," he muttered, brow furrowed. "And I lost count of what we've made so far."
Alfie, still working at the mixer, glanced up briefly.
"We just need to keep going until the time limit. If we can surpass it, then that's all that matters," he said firmly.
"That's always your answer," Jackson grumbled, sliding a fresh tray into the oven. "But what if we never make it, huh? You think they'll still pay us our money?"
"Why wouldn't they?" Alfie shot back without stopping his hands. "Even if it's not up to the two days' worth, they should still pay for what we've done."
Sasaki gave a faint smirk as he switched places with Alfie, taking over the mixing. "Don't worry, kiddos. We'll get this done. You can't keep being negative about everything, Jackson. Try thinking like Alfie for once."
Jackson exhaled, glancing at the blazing oven. "Well, fine. I'll go with that—for now. We can't let our pace drop anyway," he said, placing the pans inside.
The other workers continued to watch, a mix of awe and frustration twisting their faces.
"They're actually doing it… what the hell are we supposed to do for the next two days then? Damn it…" one of the hot-blooded workers muttered, grinding his teeth.
By the time the trio finished fifty-eighth bag of flour, the entire bakery was buried in bread. The once-empty shelves were now stacked to the brim, and the sweet aroma of baked loaves filled every corner.
"Tch... this guy actually pulled it off—with just two kids helping him," one of the workers said in disbelief.
The manager, standing by the door with his arms crossed, twisted his mustache with an amused grin.
"So, a Shinra comes to work here with his kids, huh? Doesn't make much sense... unless that fool OS thinks I'd refuse to pay up the two days' worth just because he's a Shinra. Heh... now I see through your little plan, moron," the manager muttered under his breath.
Then, raising his voice, he announced, "Alright, all of you—make your way to the secretary's office and collect your pay. Your work is done for the day."
As the crowd dispersed, he turned to Sasaki.
"Hey, Mister. You and your boys, come with me to my office."
Jackson groaned as they walked through the corridor.
"Ughhh, I'm soooo tired. I can't believe we actually finished that. I just hope we hit the two days' quota, or this'll all be for nothing," he complained.
"Stop whining, Jack. There's no way he won't pay. Even if it's not exactly two days' worth, he's not that heartless," Alfie said, walking beside him.
"Yeah, yeah. Always the optimistic one," Jackson sighed, still dragging his feet.
When they reached the office, the manager leaned back in his chair, legs propped up on his desk, a smug smile on his face.
"What a brilliant three hours of my life," he began, chuckling softly. "I never expected you'd finish two days' work in a few hours. But you actually did it—with the help of your boys. I've got to admire that."
Sasaki crossed his arms, his expression cold.
"That's enough with the compliments. Can we get our money now? Or are you saying the job wasn't worth two days of pay?"
The manager laughed nervously. "Calm down now, Mister. It's worth it—more than worth it, actually. You even went a little beyond."
Jackson's face lit up instantly.
"See? I told you! No need to be so negative," Alfie said with a grin.
Sasaki leaned forward, his shadow falling across the manager's desk.
"Listen, Mister," he said in a low voice, eyes narrowing. "I don't have time for this. Whatever game you're playing—stop it. Just hand over the money."
The manager froze under his gaze, cold sweat rolling down his neck.
"A-Alright, alright! Step back a little, I'll give you your pay right now!" he stammered, quickly opening a drawer and pulling out two small bags filled with gold coins.
Sasaki stepped back slightly, arms still folded as he watched in silence.
"I think Mr. Reaper's had enough of the talk," Alfie said with a small smirk.
"Yeah... I'm glad he cut straight to the point," Jackson added lazily. "I'm starving."
The manager handed over the two pouches with trembling hands.
Sasaki caught them effortlessly.
"How much is in here?" he asked quietly, eyes sharp.
The room went still.