Chapter 2: That’s Right, I’ll Get a Part-Time Job
Get a part-time job–
There’s a reason why I came to this conclusion one day suddenly. Lately, me? I attend class on weekdays and go home to play games in the afternoon. On days off, I sleep until noon and spend time playing games or watching TV. I don’t need to clean my room or anything since there’s a hotel-like system where during the weekdays while I’m at the academy, the academy hires people to clean it beautifully.
In other words, apart from going to the academy, I’m living my life pretty much entirely according to my desires.
And the biggest reason for that is money. This academy gives out a ridiculous amount of money. I’m talking a truly ridiculous amount. From furniture and electrical appliances to food and other necessities for living, to small tools and reference books, all I have to do is apply to the academy and they hand over the money easily.
Moreover, the speed at which applications are approved is insanely fast. About an hour after applying, it’s approved. Honestly, I think it’s abnormal. The screening is also pretty loose—when I applied for money to buy a motorcycle and pay for a license course, it was approved with just the five words “for commuting to school.”
Once, on a whim, I applied to buy Monster Hun○ with the ridiculous reason “to learn how to fight abnormal creatures,” and it got approved. But guilt got the better of me, so I hurriedly had them cancel the application. Sensei, I’m sorry for causing you all that trouble back then.
For these reasons, ever since I came to this academy, not only have I not spent a single yen of my own money, but a certain amount is even deposited into my account every month from the academy as miscellaneous expenses. Plus, my tuition is waived.
As I spent my days like this, I thought: This is bad. At this rate, I’m heading straight toward becoming a useless human being. If this lifestyle could continue forever, honestly speaking, there wouldn’t be any problem at all. Bring it on. But that’s not the case. This life will end when I graduate from high school—in other words, in two years. If I keep living like this, soaked in lukewarm water, I definitely won’t be able to reintegrate into society. That would be bad.
So I came up with the idea of getting a part-time job. I could earn money while learning about society, and though it might be a slightly unusual type, working hard at a part-time job is one form of youth too, right? Incidentally, I have a bit of admiration for characters in manga and anime who work part-time jobs, and that’s also one of the reasons. There’s also the possibility—not entirely zero—of new encounters at that workplace…
Strike while the iron is hot—and so, since there happened to be a place recruiting part-timers with “Students Welcome!” I immediately contacted them and headed to the interview.
After about ten minutes on my scooter, I arrived at a fairly large family restaurant with a sign that read: [~Have you ever eaten anything like this!?~ The ultimate melting tongue cuisine even gods loved! Only I get stat boosts from eating it!? Reincarnation experience without needing a truck! Cheat harems, you name it!? Before I knew it, I became the world’s strongest just by eating every day].
By the way, those letters on the sign are apparently the restaurant’s name. It’s a name like an overloaded light novel title, but it seems to be doing reasonably well, with quite a lot of customers coming in.
Having come for the interview, I followed the phone instructions and went around to the back instead of the front entrance. Standing in front of the door at the rear, I realized I was nervous.
Calm down, me. First impressions are crucial in situations like this. I need to be energetic and show a pleasant smile. Having steeled my resolve, I opened the door and greeted them with spirit.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Watagaya Yukiharu, here for the part-time job inter—”
“Oi!!! Is the food for table three ready yet?!!!”
“I’m doing it now!! More importantly, we’re out of plates over here!!”
“Someone bring me diced potatoes!!”
“Who took the order for table fourteen!? It was completely wrong! I’ll ki** you!!!!”
…Maybe I should go home.
“Huh? Are you the kid here for the interview?”
The moment I opened the door, my heart was already about to break. One of the staff members noticed me in this state and called out to me. Tall and thin, with bags under his eyes, his appearance was the epitome of unhealthy.
“Ah, yes! That’s right!”
“Then I’ll interview you, so follow me.”
Without giving me a chance to refuse, the staff member started walking, and I followed him into a room that looked like a break room. In that room, three or four staff members were collapsed like corpses.
“Okay, we’ll start the interview now, so sit in that chair.”
“Um, but there are other people in here…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine, don’t worry about it.”
No, I’m definitely going to worry about it. This place is making me anxious in all sorts of ways.
“Um, Watagaya Yukiharu-kun, right? Ah, forgot to mention, but I’m Mizutani, the manager. Nice to meet you.”
So this person was the manager. Even though he has the least presence among the staff.
“…Yes, pleased to meet you.”
But wow, this started really smoothly. It’s partly because unexpected situations keep happening, but since this is my first time receiving an interview in my life, I’m surprisingly nervous even to myself. Calm down, me. Remember the interview video I watched yesterday. I’ll be fine if I give safe answers… Okay!
“So, first question—”
Bring it! No matter what question comes, I’ll answer perfectly without getting flustered!
“—Are you free after this today?”
…? Huh?
“What’s wrong?”
“No! Nothing! I don’t have any particular plans!”
“Then here, take this.”
Saying that, the manager handed me work clothes that were on the desk.
“Then I’m counting on you starting now.”
“Yes! Thank you very much!”
…Huh?
“Eh!? Wait, the interview’s over already!? …And starting now!?”
“That’s right. You just said you don’t have any plans, didn’t you?”
“Well, I did say that, but…”
“Then come to the kitchen after you change. I’ll teach you the work.”
Having said only that, the manager quickly left the room. As I was bewildered by this far-too-rapid development, I heard a voice from somewhere.
“Go… back. Go… back…”
It was a hoarse voice that crawled along the ground, something that instinctively inspired fear. I looked in the direction of the voice—at the floor—and there was a staff member collapsed, reaching their hand toward me.
“Don’t… go. If you… go, you… can never… return…”
Like a warning, the staff member kept telling me these words, definitely directed at me. Their eyes were bloodshot.
“Get out… of here…”
With those as their final words, the staff member lost consciousness and collapsed.
…This is a restaurant, right?
After that, after some hesitation, I changed clothes and headed to the kitchen.
And so my part-time job life began with enormous anxiety, but the work itself wasn’t particularly strange, and while it seemed difficult, it wasn’t beyond what I had imagined.
Incidentally, after my first shift ended, the manager praised me, saying [You’re a natural talent]. When I thought about how the first time I was praised since coming to this world of powers had nothing to do with powers at all, I felt somewhat conflicted.
Some time has passed since my part-time job life began. While I was quite anxious at first due to the impression from the interview, once I actually started working, that anxiety quickly disappeared. I’m working as a hall staff member.
To be honest, the work itself isn’t interesting at all. But when I think about just completing simple tasks, working as a member of society, and receiving money, I feel a sense that my life is fulfilling. All right, let’s work energetically today too!
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
CASE 1
“That’s whyyyy I’m telllling youuuu! What I ordered wasn’t a Machuro steak, it’s a Machuoro steak!!”
One of the customers who came to the restaurant shouted loudly at me as I tried to take their order. …Hmm? I have no idea what the difference is. Was there even a menu item called Machuro steak?
This restaurant is basically a normal dining establishment, but being a restaurant in a city where powers exist, it handles a lot of mysterious ingredients like magical beast meat and man-eating plant salads. In other words, it’s Tor*ko. Though there are no capture levels.
Partly because of that, I still haven’t memorized all the restaurant’s menu items. So I have absolutely no clue what this customer I’m currently dealing with actually ordered. I recently managed to memorize the types of man-eating plants, but I haven’t gotten around to the meat dishes yet.
“What’s wrong with the staff at this place!? Bad customer service and can’t even take orders properly!? Call the staff member who took the order!!”
That’s impossible right now. That senpai just collapsed in the kitchen earlier, so I just threw them into the break room. Well, this is convenient timing. I’ll pretend to go call them and actually go ask the manager for guidance.
“Please handle something like that with your own judgment. I’m busy too, you know.”
Saying that, the manager dismissed my question. It’s certainly true that the manager looks busy—even now, with terrible bags under his eyes, reading through documents with an energy drink in hand—but I inwardly grumble that he could at least give me a little advice.
But if the manager says to use my own judgment, then I’ll do just that.
“Here you go, the staff member you ordered.”
“Eh…”
I loaded the senpai who had collapsed in the break room onto a cart for carrying food and brought them to the customer. I got thoroughly scolded by both that senpai and the manager afterward.
CASE 2
“Oi, newbie!! How many plates have you broken now!?”
A senpai working in the kitchen shouted loudly at me.
“Um, it was about twenty-five plates… ah, but if I include the one I broke today… no, it definitely hasn’t reached thirty yet… Sorry, after I passed twenty I kind of stopped paying attention to the count.”
“Don’t say it like it’s an age-related thing! I’m telling you to reflect on breaking plates!!”
“Well, that’s tough, you know.”
I mean, when I go to the kitchen, plates are floating around like it’s nothing. With powers, of course. Those plates fly around freely in all directions, so no matter how careful I am, I absolutely end up hitting them. I think it’s a miracle I haven’t gotten injured yet.
“Don’t make excuses!! The basics for a new employee are to obediently listen to what they’re told and reflect!!”
How unreasonable.
“Listen up!? A new employee can only use three phrases: [Yes] [Understood] [Got it]!!”
It’s a forced event disguised as a route choice.
“If you take a cheeky attitude next time, I’ll beat the crap out of you!!!”
I see. Now I understand why this senpai is called by the nickname [Newbie Crusher Gonda]—sounds like someone who’d get taken down early in a story. By taking this domineering attitude and hurling abuse, he’s probably made many new employees quit until now. This is definitely one of the reasons why this restaurant is constantly short-staffed.
In a story, this is where the protagonist would smartly and elegantly make Gonda-paisen eat his words and defeat him, but I’m just a mob character. So let me show you the mob way of doing things.
“Manager~~!! I’ve been threatened with statements that harm my life, so I’m leaving early to go to the police!! The school will probably cover the expenses, so I intend to fight this thoroughly in court!!”
The manager, with a desperate expression, stopped me from going to the police with all his might. However, Gonda-paisen got scolded by the manager, and after that, he wouldn’t even make eye contact with me. Success.
CASE 3
At one point, the manager asked me:
“Watagaya-kun, do you have any acquaintances around you who are looking for part-time work?”
“First of all, I don’t have any acquaintances.”
~The End~
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