Chapter 110: A White Workplace and an Unexpected Encounter

Chapter 110: A White Workplace and an Unexpected Encounter

Alright, now for the managers office

I, who was working part-time from noon on Saturday, walked down the corridor in the back of the book cafe, carrying a stack of documents.

This space was used as an office area for administrative tasks and the bookstores backstage by the full-time employees, not us part-timers.

I was walking here because I had just received a stack of documents from the full-time employees. This was for the typical menial task assigned to a part-timer like me: taking the documents to Assistant Manager Mishimas room.

(But the full-time employees seem to be dealing with a lot of challenges too It must be tough for them too, especially as staff for the new business, feeling responsible for the declining sales.)

Even this store was already a test store, as a bookstore diving into the cafe business. Moreover, it seemed they had been unlucky enough to have an outside-hired manager, who was also a cafe consultant, hospitalized for an extended period.

Additionally, due to a mass exodus of part-timers, the stores sales had dropped further due to a decrease in creative and service quality.

They seemed to be working hard to address these issues, but for now, maintaining the current situation, or even a slight decrease, seemed to be the best they could achieve. The burden on Assistant Manager Mishima, who was working to tackle these problems, must be substantial.

Excuse me. Im Niihama the part-timer. Um.. Mishima-san?

I felt a bit odd that there was no response to my knock, but I could hear the sound of typing clearly, so I hesitated for a moment before slowly opening the door and entering.

And there, just as expected, Assistant Manager Mishima was typing away at her desk, but

(Oh )

At first glance, she seemed plain, but if she dressed up, she would likely attract the attention of men around the town. However, her eyes were vacant, and she was focused solely on typing, looking somewhat lifeless.

Her clothes, which seemed to have been to the dry cleaners less frequently, and her slightly neglected hair indicated the recent busyness, and she didnt seem to notice me standing right beside her, possibly due to her scattered attention.

Um Mishima-sa

Beer

Huh?

She muttered a word suddenly, directed at the void, causing me to blink in surprise.

Highball plum chu-hi grilled mackerel tripe stew shrimp mayo chicken liver hehe I even drink the oil from the shrimp ahij huh? (TLN: Chu-hi is a type of drink)

She was listing her cravings while wearing a faint smile, but her vacant eyes suddenly locked onto me, stopping dead in their tracks.

It seemed she had finally recognized my presence.Rêạd new chapters at novelhall.com

Wait!? Um, uh, ne, Niihama-kun! How long have you been there!?

Well, just for a moment

Feeling apologetic, I responded to my flustered superior with a touch of regret in my voice.

She doesnt need to be this panicked

Did you hear what I just said? Did you hear me mumbling about craving oasis?

Well, yes

Uwaaaaaaah!?

Huh? Tokimune our president? Whats with that friendly way of addressing him, like hes some relatives uncle?

Oh, well, thats

Niiiiihaaaamaaaaa! Where are you? The cash register is acting up and I dont know what to do, so come back here!

Just as I was about to answer, a voice came from the store, a senior working the same shift calling for help.

Looking at the clock, I realized it was already well into the afternoon, a time when the caf would start getting more customers.

While I had spent quite a bit of time in this room, it was time to return.

Theyre already depending on you out there Be careful not to overexert yourself while Im gone, alright?

Haha, yeah, Ill be careful. Well then, if youll excuse me!

I nodded to Mishima-san and quickly left the managers office, heading back to the caf floor.

Unlike before, I didnt feel a stomach-churning fear when someone called me. Just that simple fact made me feel this workplace was truly amazing.

Hey, the registers working again! Thanks a bunch, Niihama!

Well, it was just a matter of checking the error code and following the instructions in the manual.

Resolving the issue, which turned out to be simpler than I thought, I received exaggerated thanks from my tall, brown-haired senior, Takatori-san, who was at the cash register counter.

Sorry, you know When the register suddenly stops in the middle of a busy time, you tend to panic and not even think about looking at the manual.

I understand. When youre about to burst from stress, you dont always think straight Ah, well, were wasting time with idle chatter! Sorry, but can you bring the Three-Color Macaron Parfait to Table Five?

Yes, of course!

While this caf primarily used a counter-service system for both food and drinks, for items that took longer to prepare, table service was necessary.

Three parfaits were already placed on trays in the kitchen, and I grabbed one to deliver it to the designated table.

(Phew, well, Im getting used to this part-time job more and more. Everyone here is so nice, which is really fortunate)

While I had some aversion towards workplaces due to my previous lifes experience, I found myself blending in surprisingly well. This was largely thanks to the white-consciousness of the manager and staff.

(Theyve been really good to me, and while Id love to help with the declining sales of this store that Mishima-san is so worried about well, its not something I can handle alone, huh?)

Im just a former corporate slave with slightly above-average abilities as a high school part-timer. I cant do anything monumental but at least I thought I could help this store within my capabilities.

Well, for now, I need to finish up the task in front of me.

Thank you for waiting! Here are the Three-Color Macaron Parfaitsoh?

Oh, yes! Thank you very mueh?

I arrived at the table with a radiant smile, and there, sitting before me, was a girl I was very familiar with.

A beautiful girl with traditional Japanese beauty, her black hair cascading elegantly. She was the most important person in the world to me, and we had only recently reached a stage in our relationship where we called each other by our first names.

Ha Haruka!? Wh-why are you here!?

Taken aback by the unexpected encounter with an acquaintance, I inadvertently let out a surprised exclamation.