Chapter 6. Next, Next, Next
“Hello. I’m Vice Burkin Redfield, newly assigned to Service Department Team 3 starting today.”
Burkin smoothly repeated the greeting she’d already said too many times today. Even a capitalist smile clung to her lips. Her long, dark red hair swayed gracefully.
She had given up her morning sleep to style her hair nicely for her first impression. Of course, she had already decided to just tie it back in a ponytail starting tomorrow.
With a bare face but a polite smile, Burkin tried not to come off as someone easy to look down on. A vice suddenly assigned from headquarters—if she were in their shoes, she’d probably hate someone like that.
But the reaction was unexpected.
“Vi–Vice?! Our Team 3 finally got a Vice!”
“Welcome! Burkin Redfield! We’re so happy to have you!”
A young woman and a boyish-looking young man rushed up and surrounded her excitedly. One of them quickly grabbed her hand.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Doxon Cooper! Please just call me Doxon!”
“I’m Sophia Violet! Feel free to call me however you like!”
The one holding her hand was the woman. Burkin glanced down at her hand in surprise, thinking, Lately, people sure like to grab my hand…
She gently retrieved her hand, then awkwardly addressed the team members, who were looking up at her like eager puppies.
“Nice to meet you too. By the way, where’s your Deputy?”
“Deputy? Oh, we don’t have one!”
“…Excuse me?”
The man who had introduced himself as Doxon grinned brightly.
“Team 3 is a brand-new team, so there’s no Deputy yet. Aside from Herrian over there, we’re all new recruits this year!”
Ah… new recruits.
Burkin nearly muttered something foul but managed to hold it in.
Well, it wasn’t completely outside her expectations. She had heard that the “3” in Team 3 stood for the number of rookies.
Still, she turned her attention to the one who wasn’t a new hire—Herrian. He finally gave her a brief, polite nod once he noticed her gaze.
“Herrian Rutt.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Rutt. I hope you don’t mind me asking—how long have you been here?”
“…Six months.”
Ah… six months.
So that doesn’t count as new here, huh?
Burkin, who believed that someone only became useful after at least a year of experience, decided to let go of her naive expectations from headquarters. This was Deepdale, where the staffing shortage was severe.
“How long has Team 3 been operating, then?”
“A week!”
“Doxon and I started working three months ago!”
Burkin seriously wondered how a team with no experienced staff was even functioning. Then it dawned on her—she had just become that experienced staff. The only one.
So that’s why they kept shifting her from team to team without much fuss.
She realized now that Chief Ed’s warm welcome this morning wasn’t sarcasm—it was genuine relief.
“Well, I’ve been at headquarters for eight years, but…”
“Eight years?! Whoa! You’re a total veteran! You look way too young—I never would’ve guessed!”
“…Since it’s my first time here at Deepdale, I’ll treat this like my first day too. If you have questions, feel free to ask. I’ll answer what I can.”
What I can, meaning by my standards, Burkin added silently with a serene smile.
Given the situation, there was now only one thing she wanted: promotion to Deputy.
In fact, being on a newly established team might work in her favor. More exposure meant more opportunities. Feeling a rare surge of ambition, she checked for her desk.
“Is this my desk?”
“No, Vice Redfield, yours is over here!”
“…But this is the Deputy’s seat.”
“It’s currently vacant. Chief Ed said if a new Vice joins, they should sit here.”
Burkin stared at the empty desk, then reached out and swept her hand across it.
It was a strange feeling. In headquarters, that would be Helene’s seat by now. She hadn’t officially become Deputy, but her chest felt tight for some reason.
Afraid she might tear up if she looked any longer, Burkin spun around to face the baby chicks still hovering behind her.
“…Gasp.”
Someone among them inhaled sharply. Burkin assumed it was just from being startled and smiled as she said,
“…Really, I look forward to working with you. I may be lacking, but I’ll do my best to lead us well.”
“M–Me too! I’ll do my best too!”
“Yes, yes! Please take care of us!”
Burkin wondered if it was her imagination that both Doxon and Sophia had blushed. Still, she wasn’t annoyed by it and took her seat.
That was enough sentimentality.
Time to get settled and get to work.
* * *
“Vice! Here are the documents you asked for!”
“Vice! Is this format okay for organizing the indirect consultation client list?!”
As one chick chirped to her left, the one sitting next to him also raised a hand and chirped. Burkin had actually asked them earlier if they were siblings.
They looked remarkably alike. Cheerful expressions, high-pitched voices that matched the word “chirping,” and… their inability to work.
Well, maybe she was being harsh. They were still only three months in.
“Doxon, these are the documents I asked you to organize earlier. I was referring to last year’s second-half records. And Sophia? You probably learned how to organize client lists during your internship. I can’t teach you that again. Just bring me the documents that require my approval—I’m not your homeroom teacher.”
“Y-Yes…”
“Okay…”
Yep, even their sulky reactions were identical.
While signing off on the backlog of documents, Burkin glanced at the two downcast chicks. Then, still focused on the paperwork, she casually added,
“Doxon, if you already finished what I gave you earlier, you must be pretty fast.”
“Y-Yes! I hated having leftover homework in the academy, so I always did it first!”
“And Sophia, you seem thorough. Good job.”
“Really?! I just hate messy tables, so I went row by row…”
Yeah, yeah. Good job, both of you.
Burkin processed the work mechanically without waiting for their responses. Maybe her lack of reply fueled their determination, because the chicks fell silent and began working diligently.
No one improves just by being told they’re bad at something.
That had always been Burkin’s philosophy when it came to mentoring. Criticism alone never made people better. It was more effective to encourage them and raise morale.
A rare silence fell over Team 3’s office. Everyone was busy with their tasks. That, and the quiet atmosphere Burkin had established.
Whenever anyone tried to chat idly instead of discussing work, she would simply remark, “Where was the break room again? You might be better off working there.” Only then would Doxon and Sophia stop talking.
Still, she couldn’t have established this environment alone. The real reason was…
“…Ah, Rutt.”
“Yes. Here’s the consultation-related list you requested. Should I give it to you on parchment?”
“No, send it to my watch. Handwritten stuff is too slow.”
“Understood.”
…this guy.
From the beginning, he had silently established himself as the quiet type. With his neatly cropped navy-blue hair and immaculate suit, his first impression had been decent.
Out of the chicks, he was the only one who silently got his job done. Burkin was genuinely thankful that a team as hopeless as Team 3 had someone like him.
“…Vice, sorry—but I keep getting an error while syncing to your watch.”
“An error? Oh, right—I haven’t gotten my company watch yet. I’ve only been here a day.”
“Exactly! You’re already working so smoothly, I thought you’d been here like three years!”
Chick #1 didn’t miss a chance to flatter. Chick #2 chimed in too.
“Whoa, I got chills! You’re amazing, Vice!”
“No, this is standard stuff.”
Burkin calmly deflected and tried to focus again. But then the chicks chirped once more.
“Wait… isn’t it lunchtime now?”
“No wonder I was hungry! I’ve never worked through lunch before—ever!”
Burkin finally glanced at the wall clock. 12:01 p.m.—just one minute past lunch. She waved them off without looking away from her documents.
“Okay, go eat something good.”
“What about you, Vice?”
“I’ll finish this first. It stresses me out to leave things mid-task.”
The chicks hesitated, clearly feeling bad about leaving while their superior stayed behind.
Then, someone pushed back their chair with a loud scrape and stood up.
“I’ll see you after lunch.”
With that curt farewell, Herrian walked out of the office. Burkin glanced at him briefly, then returned to her paperwork.
The chicks quietly followed suit, murmuring, “Make sure you eat something too, Vice…” as they left.
Ten minutes later, Burkin finally leaned back in her chair after finishing her task. The tower ceiling’s signature engraved patterns came into view.
“…This is rough.”
Is this what being a Deputy is like?
Wait—I’m not a Deputy.
Having naturally assumed the role, Burkin had momentarily mistaken herself as one. She let out a small sigh. The workload had increased, but not the pay.
What do I even tell Mom?
I promised to send her more money starting this month…
With a pounding head, she stood up. After staying to wrap things up, only 30 minutes remained of lunch. She decided to quickly eat at the now-quiet tower cafeteria.
But as soon as she stepped into the hallway, she overheard strange chatter.
“What the heck is that about?”
“I dunno… They said they’re looking for someone?”
“Who, who?”
She walked past a few tower staff from another team gossiping, pretending not to hear. In the workplace, acting like you don’t hear is usually the smartest move.
Even as she descended the stairs to the cafeteria, odd rumors continued.
“I’ve never seen that guy in the cafeteria before.”
“You too? Me neither. Who the heck is he looking for?”
Looking for someone?
Burkin brushed it off again—no big deal. She needed to finish lunch before the break ended.
Compared to headquarters, Deepdale was smaller. But it was still a Magic Tower, meaning its overall size was nothing to scoff at. The facilities were quite decent too, making it a dream job for people from the countryside.
Deepdale’s most famous perk was its cafeteria. Burkin, tired of the Empire-style food served at HQ, was excited to try the seaport city’s unique menu.
Maybe they even serve kraken dishes?
With that hopeful thought, she entered the cafeteria—
And stopped dead in her tracks.
“S- Service Department? No, not me…”
“Soap? Uh, I’m not sure…”
Amidst the lunch line, someone was checking people one by one.
He had a lean but intimidating build, attractive gray hair that wasn’t shaggy, and his face was…
“…The jerk from hell?”
💬 Wise Tower Life TIP!
Deepdale’s most famous cafeteria menu is the “Kraken Tentacles”! But it’s only available when krakens show up in the nearby sea.
