I (30), Who Works for a Black Company and Died While Regretting My Gloomy Life, Started Over From High School!
Chapter 125: Harukas Level Up (2)

(N-no… I can’t… I have to do something about this woman…!)

In this isolated and helpless situation, I, Shijouin Haruka, had no choice but to face the complaining customer.

“What are you just standing there for? I, the customer, am talking!”

“S-Sorry!”

The irate elderly woman brought back bitter memories.

Since childhood, there were many such situations. No matter how old I was, there was always a female student who would corner me at school.

Some of them would harass me behind my back, but what scared me the most was when they confronted me face to face.

It was blatant disgust and anger, as if they couldn’t help but reject me. Even if I asked why they directed such hostility at me, I would only receive incomprehensible answers like ‘What’s with that attitude?’ or ‘You’re getting too full of yourself!’ This only deepened my confusion and fear.

This situation, where I’m showered with harsh words without understanding the root of the anger, was strikingly similar to those past scenes.

(…It’s still so frightening…)

As it had always been, being in a situation where someone hurls harsh words at me makes my hands shake and my heart stiffen. It feels sad and painful, like cold sweat oozing from every cell in my body. I just want to get away from here, by any means necessary.

But—

(That’s not… enough…)

I’ve gradually come to realize that, even though I’m scared, I can’t remain oblivious to malice or hostility.

Unless I intend to spend my whole life confined to my room, I must learn how to deal with such situations. Recently, I’ve started thinking in this way.

(Yes, like Shinichirou-kun—)

Even in this situation, the face that comes to mind is that of the boy I’m closest to.

The boy whose admirable strength of character I’ve always witnessed.

He taught me that, in order to overcome tough situations, it’s important to sometimes stand up and confront them.

(I remember, what did Shinichirou-kun do in situations like this? He taught me various things about handling complaints the other day!)

Yes, that’s right—

“Hey, you! Are you listening!?”

“Y-Yes, I’m listening to all your opinions! It seems there have been several things that have upset you, and I’m truly sorry for that!”

I stopped making a helpless face and bowed deeply from the front to the complaining customer.

Not with a timid voice, but with words filled with determination.

When I did so, the woman seemed slightly taken aback, and the torrent of complaints temporarily subsided.

(First and foremost, it’s important to try to soothe the customer’s emotions as much as possible… and to discern what the person making the complaint is seeking… That’s what it was supposed to be.)

For some reason, Shinichirou-kun had a wealth of experience in dealing with these situations, and he always handled difficult customers with finesse.

And, watching him, the student part-timers often asked him to share how he dealt with complainers.

‘In most cases, if you just handle the complaint normally, it’ll almost always resolve itself. But if the person continues to make a fuss, they’re someone with some sort of gap in their heart. So, I started thinking about what kind of response is right for that gap.’

‘For example, if the complainer is the type whose complex about being made a fool of explodes, having someone in a responsible position like the manager go out and apologize can sometimes fill their self-esteem and make them quiet down.’

‘In cases where it’s clear that there was a mistake on our side, and it’s conditionally permitted by our superiors, offering product vouchers or apology items is a simple but effective solution. It’s the most easily accepted form of apology.’

‘For the most common type, those who just want to vent their daily stress, it’s easy to end the conversation when they’ve shouted everything out to their heart’s content and feel relieved.’

Koko-kun would share various cases with everyone, his eyes distant.

And, in this person’s case—”

(This person… is a regular customer who comes to this shop about half the week. They clearly love books, as they’re often reading novels. But this is the first time they’ve brought up such a strong complaint.)

At least, there’s no impression of them being irritable in general; their silent figure engrossed in a book is quite memorable. In fact, the way they spend long hours in the shop—

“S-Sorry…! We haven’t been able to prepare the requested new release, and we’re sincerely sorry for that! We want it in stock as soon as possible too, but we can’t confirm when the next shipment will arrive…!”

“So, that’s your store’s negligence, isn’t it?! A bookstore not having a book, what kind of situation is this!?”

“Y-Yes, we apologize! After the Dominator Battle in the previous volume, we’re all really curious about what happened to Harry…! We apologize again…!”

When I deeply bowed my head and conveyed this, the elderly woman showed a slight twitch in response.

“…You, do you read that series?”

“Y-Yes, I got into it from the movie, but I found the original books interesting too…”

While I started reading light novels around my second year of high school, I had been reading a wide range of novels since middle school. And this immensely popular novel that everyone knows, I love it so much that I read the new release on the same day I bought it, even if there’s a sequel I can’t read yet.

“The magical world town scenery that might actually exist in the movie was so amazing… I bought the most recent volume from the bookstore right after watching, and read it all at once! It was amazing!”

(Ah…)

Unable to contain my love for books, I realized I had spoken with too much enthusiasm to the customer who had just lodged a complaint—

“…Yes, the movie of the first book. It was certainly amazing.”

The elderly lady, who I thought might start getting angry at my attitude, instead calmly said so, seeming to have lost some of her steam of anger and discontent.

“Ah, you watched it too, customer! Was it at the cinema?”

“Yes… I was pestered by my grandson to go together… At first, I thought it was for kids and made fun of it, but it was really good.”

“So… does that mean you also read the original like me?”

“Yes… that’s right.”

To think that the person who was just shouting angrily was the same person as this grandma, it was hard to believe. The grandma spoke as if she was reminiscing, savoring the memories.

Seeing the grandma like this—

I unconsciously spoke.

“That’s right, isn’t it! So, customer, who’s your favorite character among the ones that appear in the story?”

“Eh…?”

For a moment, I forgot that I was currently on shift and just spoke as a fellow book enthusiast. Seeing me like this, the grandma seemed taken aback.

“Ah, by the way, for me! It’s definitely Professor Lehmann! He’s very intelligent and talks with Harry on the same level, which is really nice! The contrast from his slightly unkempt appearance when he first appeared was amazing—”

To the astonished grandma, I spoke with passion. Without being imprisoned by fear, just as my heart felt I should.

TLN: Bonus Chapter 3/5

TLN: Go Haruka go!