I (30), Who Works for a Black Company and Died While Regretting My Gloomy Life, Started Over From High School!
Chapter 109: Corporate Slave, Currently at Work

On that sunny day, within the Book Cafe Rakunichi, an atmosphere of a sparkling holiday that seemed somewhat mismatched with my former introverted self filled the air.

The interior, dominated by monochrome tones, gave a very stylish impression, with tables and chairs designed in a Nordic furniture style, showcasing great taste.

A space filled with a soothing calmness and dazzling stylishness was present there.

And amidst all this…

“Thank you for waiting! Here’s your Black Sugar Milk Tea and Banana Chocolate Latte!”

Clad in an apron-like uniform, I, from behind the counter, continued serving drinks and food, spreading my sales smile to many customers.

(Even though it’s a part-time job at a book cafe, I thought most of my work would involve dishwashing or organizing books… but I didn’t expect to be put on the register so quickly.)

After receiving several shifts and completing a comprehensive job briefing, the first position I was assigned to by Assistant Manager Mishima was working the register.

According to Mishima, “It’s not an easy job since it’s the place where you need to be most attentive, but it’s a waste to put someone like you who’s not afraid of anything in a different position.”

Taking orders, relaying them, serving drinks and food, and then handling the cash register—it didn’t sound very complicated when put into words, but being at the forefront of customer service, it indeed required adaptability.

“Um, may I take your order?”

“Yes, I’d like to order, please!”

The next customer, an elderly woman, was stumbling through her order, not quite accustomed to this type of cafe setting, as she looked at the menu.

While the cafe concept was geared towards a younger demographic, “a stylish place where you can read books and relax,” it also attracted housewives and older individuals, with the daytime clientele leaning towards the older age group.

“Um, I’d like to order something I saw my daughter drink earlier. It was a coffee with something white on top, but the menu photos all look quite similar, and I can’t remember which one it was…”

Hmm… This could be a bit tricky.

Coffee with something white on top was the most common type of drink, with options like latte, caramel latte, and cortado (espresso with a small amount of warm milk) featuring similar descriptions.

“I see. You’re looking for a coffee with a topping, right? Could you tell me if the drink was iced? Also, did the white thing on top have any chocolate or sauce drizzled over it?”

“Um, it was cold. And, well, it looked completely white from the top, so I don’t think there was anything on it.”

I see, alright.

With this information, I can narrow it down.

“Thank you. In that case, I believe you’re looking for our Formed Milk Latte.”

“Milk… Oh, yes! That’s it! Wait, how did you know?”

“Yes, for our coffee-based drinks, we serve cream or lattes ‘on top’ only for hot drinks. For iced drinks, we mix them in. However, for our Formed Milk Latte, which is created by pouring frothed milk, we serve it as a cold drink with the frothed milk on top.”

So, a “completely white from the top” “cold coffee” can only refer to this particular drink.

“Also, we can add caramel sauce as a topping to it, but considering it was just white on top and cold, I assume the one your daughter had was the plain version.”

“Well, well, you really figured it out! My goodness, how did you know? I’m sorry for asking such a confusing question!”

“No, not at all! I’ll have that prepared for you right away!”

I responded with a clear voice, wearing a reassuring smile to put the customer at ease.

In reality, it wasn’t all that difficult.

Compared to the order inquiries that often gave me headaches in my previous life—a no-hint deduction contest like “It’s that thing, you know, the usual thing!” (if you don’t figure it out in ten seconds, the customer gets upset)—this was quite easy.

“… You’re really something else.”

“Huh…?”

As I watched the elderly customer, who was now expressing gratitude and leaving with her drink in hand, I was approached by the tall, chestnut-haired senior colleague who was helping at the register.

Adorned with various accessories like bracelets and pendants, giving off a slightly flashy impression… I believe his name was Takatori.

“You’re new to the register and order-taking, aren’t you? Yet you’re not flustered at all, and your smile and responses are spot-on even in unexpected situations… I’m supposed to be assisting a beginner like you, but I feel like I have nothing to do.”

“Oh, well, yes, I am new to both the register and the food service industry, but I have experience in customer service from my previous job. It’s really not a big deal.”

“Don’t be so modest. I mean, here I am, regretting my decision to dye my hair and trying to make a university debut, thinking I’d come off as a cool guy, and then they throw me onto the register right away. I bit my tongue a bunch of times, and when I was asked something I didn’t know, I panicked and was close to tears.”

“You should’ve just said you’re not good at customer service from the start!”

Despite his mature appearance, it seemed he had a similar background to me!

“I just couldn’t bring myself to say it… Anyway, I wanted to say you’re amazing compared to me.”

While Takatori-senpai seemed genuinely impressed, I found it hard to accept his praise.

With twelve years of experience in the corporate world, handling customer service like this was only natural.

Assuming the appearance of a high school student and falsifying my work history, it was no different from a white lie. I certainly didn’t consider myself amazing.

Lost in my thoughts, a commotion suddenly erupted.

“Hey…! How could you do this?”

“I, I’m so, so sorry! I apologize profusely!”

In response to an unusually loud voice, my gaze shifted, revealing a high school girl coworker with her bangs pinned back by a headband, earnestly bowing her head to a woman in her late twenties.

Looking more closely, a small amount of what appeared to be coffee had spilled on the counter, with a black droplet hanging from the rim of a plastic cup.

And there was a noticeable black stain on the woman’s sleeve.

This was most likely… she must have spilled or shaken the coffee, causing it to splatter onto the customer’s sleeve.

“M-Ma’am, I’m so sorry! We’ll remake the coffee right away!”

To save the high school girl coworker, who was on the verge of tears, Takatori-senpai interjected and bowed.

“It’s natural to apologize! How on earth are you going to fix my shirt that you’ve ruined?”

“Well, um, we can compensate you for the dry cleaning costs…”

“What?! Just because you offer to pay doesn’t mean my shirt will be clean again immediately! Ughhh, seriously! Why is it always me…! The worst, absolutely the worst…! What is wrong with you people, instead of apologizing like idiots, do something about it!”

The woman was now hysterically yelling, her headband-clad high school coworker was shrinking back, and Takatori-senpai was sweating while trying to handle the situation.

In reality, this was troublesome. While it was entirely our fault that the coffee was spilled, the customer was not asking for an apology or compensation but was rather venting her frustration, making it difficult to find a solution.

“Cases like this should be handed over to the acting manager or regular staff nearby, but in reality, for now, it can only be dealt with by the people on site.

In that case, as a newcomer, I guess I have no choice but to step up.

“Excuse me, ma’am. Please use this here.”

“Huh…?”

Quickly placing the prepared items on a tray and offering them on the counter, the OL who had been shouting momentarily let out a puzzled-sounding voice.

“This is a dry towel. First, use it to blot the coffee stain on your sleeve. Then, take this detergent-soaked towel and lightly pat the stain to push it out. Please don’t rub it in any way.”

Using gestures and body language, I explained the emergency stain removal method with a serious expression.

At times like these, it’s better to speak clearly and with a bit of enthusiasm, so that the instructions are easily understood by an excited listener.

“Even if the stain doesn’t come off, please go back home and wash it again. Stains become harder to remove as time passes, but I believe there’s a high chance it will completely come off if done within today.”

“Um… well…”

With an expression that wasn’t just apologetic, I looked at the OL’s face straight on. What’s needed here is not just an apology, but sincerity and goodwill to make the rest of her day a little more at ease.

Such things can often be conveyed through attitude and facial expressions.

“Also, while it doesn’t exactly make up for it, if you’d like, please enjoy this sample slice of Chocolate Banana Cake…. I’m truly sorry for the inconvenience.”

In this shop, as a way to introduce new products or make use of items before their expiration date, they offer small samples of sweets for free. The timing of this is left to the discretion of the counter staff, and they have some freedom in offering them.

“… Um, thank you…”

In response to my offering of the stain removal kit and the sample sweet, the OL reflexively muttered words of gratitude. And with that, the tense atmosphere seemed to calm down all at once, as if she had cooled off from her earlier excitement.

“… I, um… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled so much over a cheap shirt… I’m really sorry…”

“Oh, no, it’s not… “

The headband-wearing high school part-timer, who had been trembling until now, seemed to relax as if she had survived a near-death experience, while also being surprised by the sudden change in the OL’s attitude.

But for me, who had orchestrated this outcome, this wasn’t particularly surprising.

(Well, it was pretty clear that this OL was really stressed out.)

And finally, with a bow and an apology for saying too much, the OL left for a distant seat with a replacement coffee, cleaning fee, the stain removal kit I provided, and the sample dessert.

Phew, that’s a relief…

“Uh, thank you, both of you! I’m sorry, it’s my clumsiness that caused this…”

“No, I didn’t really do anything… I don’t know what’s going on, but you saved the day, Niihama! Knowing how to remove stains and being all homely like that, you’re really something!” (TLN: The TL Software turned his name to “Shamahama” lol)

“Well, um, I do have some experience with stain removal… “

Coffee is a staple for waking up during work.

But precisely because of that, I’ve spilled coffee on my shirt a few times, creating stains even if they’re small.

And if I were to meet with a superior while wearing a stained shirt, no matter how small the stain, I would be scolded intensely and deemed unprofessional.

…Although those same bosses would wear shirts with stains and the smell of cigarettes and meet people without a care…

In any case, due to such experiences, I’ve become quite knowledgeable about stain removal methods that can be done in break rooms or on the street.

“… Huh? Someone’s running…”

While we shared a sense of relief among ourselves, the sound of hurried footsteps coming from the back of the shop reached our ears.

“Excuse me, customers! I’m Assistant Manager Mishima! I came over to listen to what happened here… Huh?”

A woman in a suit and glasses—Mishima-san—appeared on the scene and, upon arrival, her gaze swept around the counter area as she voiced her bewilderment.

It seemed that other staff had reported the commotion at the counter, prompting her to rush over from the back of the shop.

…It’s quite a challenging situation for her, too.

“Um, uh? I heard that a female customer got coffee spilled on her and was really furious, but…”

“Um, yes… It’s because of my mistake that the situation escalated like that, but as I handed over the stain removal towel and explained it a bit, the anger seemed to dissipate…?”

“Huh? Wait, Takatori-kun, what happened?”

“Well, I’m not quite sure myself. Hey, Niihama, why did that lady suddenly calm down so much when you were talking, despite being angry even when we offered cleaning fees and bowed our heads?”

“Um… well, it’s just something I personally believe, but…”

With all three of them looking at me with puzzled expressions, I felt a bit embarrassed but opened my mouth to explain the reasoning.

“When people yell at a shop, there can be various reasons or types… but that OL lady is usually sensible and doesn’t yell at people. I thought she was just mentally overwhelmed today, so the anger wasn’t really about us. It’s more about her being at her limits.”

In other words, the root cause of the anger is being overwhelmed.

Judging from her somewhat despairing behavior, smudged makeup, slightly unkempt hair, and a somewhat worn-out suit, it’s apparent that she’s mentally strained due to various things in her work and personal life. The unfortunate coffee spill disaster happened in the midst of all that, causing her to explode in various ways.

“So, what I tried to do was to alleviate some of that overflowing stress. I offered an emergency solution to the ‘having to spend the rest of the day with a black stain on my shirt’ situation, and I provided a slightly larger sample dessert to give her a small sense of happiness.”

Of course, it’s entirely our fault, but the target of her anger isn’t our shop but her accumulated daily stress, so the effectiveness of a simple apology is limited.

“And, well, I thought that people like her who have a sense of reason would start to calm down when they feel the sincerity of the other person and understand that someone is willing to help them eradicate their misfortune. I can’t say for sure how effective it was, but I’m glad it worked out in the end.”

At the very least, based on my past experiences, I genuinely wish for people like that exhausted office worker to have a slightly more pleasant time during their break and feel sorry for causing any inconvenience.

I want to believe that my intentions were felt, and that it contributed at least a little to cooling off the lady’s head.

“Uh… uh…”

“Um, yeah…”

As I explained my personal theories and methods of resolution, the high school part-timer and Takatori-senpai both let out bewildered voices in unison.

…It’s a bit disheartening.

It seems even Mishima-san has her hand to her forehead, wearing a complex expression…

“Well, I do think you handled it well, but…! Leaving that aside, seriously, what kind of high schooler are you!? What do you have to do to become so accustomed to dealing with trouble like that!?”

While I was saying something far from what a new part-timer would say, Mishima-san shouted in bewilderment, and in my mind, I murmured with a self-deprecating tone, “Well, if you work until you die, you get used to…”.

(TLN) I just filled up the queue for next week. If you want to binge all the chapters right now, join us on Ko-fi!