Chapter 30: First Day on the Job
#22MotoKanoFirst Day on the Job
A few days had passed since I started working part-time at the secondhand bookstore managed by Takayama-san.
After school, the short homeroom session ended quickly as usual, and I left school to head to my first shift at the bookstore.
On the day of the interview, after leaving the bookstore, I ended up having lunch at Tachibana-san’s house, played games with Yuka-chan, and then went home.
My job at the bookstore was bookkeeping.
To be honest, even though I had over ten years of experience in the workforce, this was my first time doing this kind of work.
In my previous life, I had graduated from university and found a job at a small-to-medium-sized local company, similar to a small factory. It was a metal processing manufacturer with a strong track record of dealing with well-known domestic car manufacturers, making it quite a notable company in the area.
The department I was assigned to was Production Technology. My job was to check whether processed parts were made to the correct dimensions and whether the pre-processed parts met the required specifications. In short, it was a department responsible for ensuring there were no defects in the parts.
Because of that, bookkeeping was entirely outside my field, but to be honest, I felt like I could manage somehow.
After all, as long as a company operates for profit, the most important thing, regardless of department or position, is generating revenue for the business.
“Good evening.”
After taking the train and arriving at the bookstore, I found the inside brightly lit, in contrast to the darkening evening outside.
However, there was no response to my greeting from inside the store.
I walked through the store and glanced toward the tatami seating area behind the counter.
“Good evening, Takayama-san.”
“Oh, hey there.”
Takayama-san was staring blankly at the laptop placed on the low table.
Placing my bag in the corner of the tatami area, I peered over her shoulder to see what she was working on.
She seemed to be registering products using a seller’s account on a well-known online marketplace.
The book covers, spines, titles, and summaries—she efficiently registered several books in quick succession, looking quite adept at it.
“Jeez. Having someone stand behind me makes me nervous, you know?”
“Ah, my apologies.”
Hastily, I sat down across from her, with the low table between us.
Satisfied that I was no longer looming over her, she returned her focus to registering the books.
Despite it being my first day, she seemed entirely indifferent.
It appeared that she wasn’t used to managing other people.
“Um, do I have a laptop to use?”
Now that I thought about it, there didn’t seem to be any other equipment here besides her laptop.
I had assumed—though not explicitly—that I would be provided with one for my part-time work. But honestly, it hadn’t even crossed my mind until now.
“Ah… now that you mention it, there isn’t one.”
On my very first day, I had already hit a major roadblock.
Takayama-san, who was seriously doing her job, seemed to be troubled, thinking that if this was the case, I would become a freeloader even though she was going to pay me.
The two of us sat there, staring at each other in silent frustration.
“…What are you two doing?”
Just then, a perplexed-looking Tachibana-san walked into the tatami area, with Yuka-chan beside her.
After school today, Tachibana-san had invited me to walk home together, but I had declined since it was my first day at work and had left school ahead of her.
It seemed that she had stopped by the nursery school to pick up Yuka-chan before coming here.
“Good evening.”
Yuka-chan greeted both me and Takayama-san as she carelessly kicked off her shoes and stepped onto the tatami.
“Hey, Yu-chan. Line up your shoes properly before coming in.”
While scolding her younger sister’s poor manners, Tachibana-san adjusted the shoes and stepped onto the tatami herself.
“So, what exactly are you two staring at each other for?”
She asked again, her gaze slightly sharper this time.
“Well, I started my part-time job today, but there’s no laptop for me to use.”
“I was careless.”
Saying that, Takayama-san returned her gaze to her laptop.
Since there was nothing she could do about it, she must have decided that it was better to just continue working.
“Can’t you just share that laptop?”
“This is technically my personal laptop. I’d rather not lend it out.”
“…Besides, if we share one laptop, one of us will always be unable to work while the other is using it. That’s not exactly efficient.”
“…I see.”
But still, what should I do?
Bringing my home laptop wasn’t an option since we only had one, which Kaori owned, and buying one myself was out of the question given my original purpose for taking this job.
The quickest solution would be for Takayama-san to purchase a laptop for the job, but given the tight budget of this bookstore, it was unlikely she’d want to make such an expense.
“…We have my dad’s old laptop. Should I bring it?”
After some silence, Tachibana-san made the suggestion.
“Mirei, are you sure?”
“Yeah. He was having trouble deciding what to do with it anyway. I’ll call and get permission. Can you watch Yuka for a bit?”
“Of course. Well then, part-timer, here’s your first task!”
With nothing else for me to do, Takayama-san assigned me to watch over Yuka-chan.
“Yuka-chan, what do you want to play?”
“Hmm… Shiritori!”
As I played with Yuka-chan, I couldn’t help but think that this scene felt like an extension of my usual time at the Tachibana family’s house, despite it being my job.
For the record, I lost at Shiritori. Yuka-chan was relentless, and I accidentally repeated “yari-ika” (spear squid) twice, sealing my defeat.