SOLIRF~02

Chapter 2

The Useless New Recruit—That’s Me!

Unbelievable.

I’m useless? Me?

Nowhere in my entire life have I ever been treated like this.

So they thought I was just a pretty face with flowers blooming inside my head, huh? Guess this “beauty” had been throwing away her only advantage right out on the street.

If they’re surprised I show up on time, I must really be at the bottom of the barrel…

Cold sweat ran down my back from the very first day. I was still reeling from the shock when a young man with brown hair and droopy eyes approached me.

“Coco, I heard you were really sick. You feeling okay now?”

He looked genuinely worried, scanning my face. Judging by that, we must’ve been at least on friendly terms. I answered as naturally as I could, trying not to sound suspicious.

“Yeah. I’m okay now.”

“Really? If it gets tough, you can tell me. You know the branch manager’s been upset because of you, right?”

“Because of… me?”

So I wasn’t just useless—I was catastrophic.

Feigning confusion, I asked this Nicola about what exactly I’d done to upset our boss.

“Let’s just say… it’s not the kind of mistake a normal person could make in such a short time.”

“What?”

“Huh?”

“Ah, nothing.”

The more he explained, the worse it sounded.

Showing up late was the least of my crimes. When told to clean, I apparently made things messier. I couldn’t count inventory properly, forcing other staff to redo calculations several times. I forgot customers’ orders, making them wait forever.

And recently—oh, this was the best part—I had spilled the store’s most expensive bottle of perfume, ruining it completely. It was such a big loss that now, whenever anyone hears the sound of something breaking, they assume it’s me.

The branch manager must be a saint.

“Luckily, he didn’t fire you. Said you could repay the damage out of your salary.”

…What?

“Wait, you guys don’t have… like, accident insurance or anything?”

“Hmm?”

“Oh, no, nothing.”

This was worse than I thought. The looks I’d gotten earlier weren’t out of curiosity—they were hostile. I needed to redeem myself fast.

“So, really, you’ve got to be careful this time, Coco. Okay? I mean it.”

I nodded meekly, feeling a bit deflated. It was like starting a new game on very hard mode. The tutorial hadn’t even begun.

“It’s no use, Nicola.”

A freckled girl with twin braids appeared, another tough-looking girl beside her.

“If she were the type to learn, we wouldn’t be here. Why not just give up?”

“Finea, that’s harsh! She just came back after being sick.”

Nicola looked offended, but the freckled girl only scoffed.

“Doesn’t make a difference. Actually, it’s probably better. At least when she’s sick, she doesn’t cause trouble.”

“Hey!”

The tough-looking girl chimed in.

“She’s right. You know how much trouble she’s caused us? Everyone but you hates her. She’s a walking disaster!”

At this point, even I’d want me gone.

I could fully understand why everyone disliked the original Coco. But now, this body belonged to me.

“Just you wait, Cornelia—you’ll be fired soon enough!”

“Yeah, fired!”

The two stormed off, spitting their curses behind them.

“Coco…”

Nicola looked helpless, worried I’d be hurt.

Honestly, I wasn’t—since I hadn’t done any of it. What mattered was what came next.

I calmly placed a hand on Nicola’s shoulder.

“Coco?”

“You’re going to help me.”

***

According to Nicola, this was a store that sold daily goods—nothing fancy.

The work wasn’t too different from back home: selling, restocking, organizing, cleaning. Straightforward stuff.

For a seasoned office worker like me, this was child’s play. And no, they weren’t about to trust me with anything too important anyway.

No register system, though—that’s annoying.

Only certified trainees could handle transactions, so that wasn’t my problem yet.

The store was a two-story building—the first floor for sales, the second for accounting and inventory. The manager, assistant manager, and senior clerks had their offices upstairs. Bigger operation than I’d expected.

Of course—it’s called “Daijo.” Should’ve guessed it wasn’t just a corner shop.

My position was more part-time than full-time.

“Guess I’ll pay off that perfume first, then start looking for another job.”

Nicola had been a huge help. He found my “strange behavior” a bit suspicious at first, but I told him the fever left some aftereffects, and he bought it. We’d only known each other for a couple of months, so he didn’t have a clear idea of what the old me was like. If anything, he seemed impressed that I was suddenly asking questions.

My first question had been simple: ‘How much is my salary?’

He told me all trainees earned the same—forty zeni.

Later that evening, I asked Julie about it. She said that was barely enough for a week’s worth of medicine for someone named Rio.

I started jotting down important details in a notebook—anything to help me adjust to this world. Currency unit? Definitely important.

A week’s worth of medicine? That’s ridiculous.

And it wasn’t like my pay would skyrocket after training. To earn more, I’d have to catch the manager’s eye and sell a lot.

So much for saving money to move out. At this rate, I’d be chewing stale bread forever.

I needed to reset my goals.

• ***

“Wow! Six out of six days—on time!”

Nicola’s voice was full of wonder.

“Is the sun rising in the west today?”

After hearing all the horror stories of my past performance, I’d decided the first step was getting the basics right.

Attendance and punctuality—cornerstones of every working person’s reputation.

If you just show up on time, you’re already better than the worst. Even if you’re not a genius, no one can really hate a diligent worker. Well, assuming your coworkers are reasonable humans.

This was the first thing that had to change after the disaster my predecessor had caused.

“Good job! Really!”

Nicola’s exaggerated praise drew side glances from the other employees. Their looks said it all—was she really that bad before?

Perfect. With expectations this low, even a little effort will look like a miracle.

“Big deal,” Finea sneered. “She’s just scared of getting fired.”

Sadly… she wasn’t wrong.

“Can’t you guys just praise her a little?”

I ignored them all and quietly walked to my assigned area.

My main job was cleaning—sweeping, mopping, and making sure the shelves looked neat.

I wasn’t allowed near the merchandise after the perfume incident, so I mostly helped customers find things when they asked.

From what I’d learned, Daijo was a branch of the Daijo Trading Company, a major business with headquarters in the capital and branches in every province.

Guess I’ve been spoiled by all those modern mega-marts—this still feels like a tiny shop to me.

Still, for this old-fashioned world, it was impressive.

I actually enjoyed the quiet. No one bothered me except for kind, fearless Nicola, the only person who dared talk to the “useless trainee.”

Peaceful. I like it.

You don’t need to be friends with everyone—that’s a golden rule of corporate survival. Just keep your head down until it’s time to quit.

“Hey! Is this how you run a business?!”

A shout cut through my thoughts.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but we can’t offer a refund for this product.”

It was Finea, looking cornered, standing before an elegantly dressed middle-aged woman.

“What do you mean, no refund? The flyer says ‘full refund if you’re not satisfied!’”

That tone—I knew it too well.

Finea looked pale. “But ma’am… you brought back only the stems.”

In her hands were bare grape stems, not a single grape left.

“Do you know who I am?!”

I let out a hollow laugh.

Did I just time-travel back to the modern era?

Ha… right. No matter the world—a workplace is still a workplace.