I Just Wanted a Peaceful Life After Transferring, but I Fell into a Rom-Com Trap and a Hidden Battlefield No One Knows About - Chapter 15: This job is definitely gonna be a pain!

Chapter 15: This job is definitely gonna be a pain!

The next day after school, when Tsunekawa and I arrived at the school gate, Sasaki-sensei and her younger sister, Sasaki Yuki, were already waiting there. Nakano and Satohama were with them too.

Damn, everyone’s here so early…

No, wait, that’s not the problem. The real question is, why did they come so early? Or were we just too late?

“You two are late. What took you so long?”

Sasaki-sensei checked her watch and said that with a dissatisfied look. Well, since this isn’t a class, it’s fine, but if it were, Tsunekawa and I would’ve been dead on the spot.

“Sorry, Sensei, we’re late.”

“Geez, Tsunekawa, have you turned into Misaki, getting all careless with time?”

“My apologies. I’ll be more mindful from now on.”

“What’s that got to do with me? And besides, it was just one time! Sensei, don’t just decide I’m a chronically late person out of nowhere!”

I protested immediately. Seriously, I don’t deserve to be accused like this…

Well, I guess she’s not entirely wrong. I do like arriving just in time, but I’ve never actually been late! The last time was because my alarm broke!

“But Misaki-kun, you always seem kind of sluggish, so you do give off the impression of being bad with time, y’know?”

“That’s awful! You were late too, weren’t you?!”

Punctuality is important, sure, but I’m not bad with time!

“That’s because I was waiting for you, Misaki-kun.”

“Hah?! What kind of excuse is that?!”

“Ahaha… Alright, let’s not argue over something so silly.”

It must have looked like Tsunekawa and I were fighting, because Nakano hurriedly stepped between us.

But I had no intention of fighting with Tsunekawa. I was just pissed off that I was being blamed for no reason.

Of course, she wasn’t entirely wrong either. I am a bit lazy. But that’s because… I’ve given up on fighting this world. I decided to just live as an otaku.

“Alright then, let’s all focus and get to work!”

Satohama said with enthusiasm. I haven’t known her for that long, but I feel like I get her personality now.

And so, with that energy, we set off.

Everyone was full of motivation, especially Satohama and Nakano. Satohama being all fired up was expected, but it was kind of surprising to see Nakano so eager.

Meanwhile, I was the only one who looked like I was dying inside. This was seriously painful. I hate being forced to do things I don’t want to…

If it’s negotiation, Tsunekawa alone should be enough, right? She’s smart, her grades are good, she’s competent—totally capable of handling it.

If it’s about using force, Satohama alone should be enough. That girl’s good at martial arts. And I’ve heard Sasaki-sensei is too.

Even without me, they’d be fine.

So why the hell am I being dragged into this? From their perspective, I’m just some useless guy…

Lazy, bad with time—basically a total deadweight. So why, Sasaki-sensei? Why are you putting me through this…?

“Senpai-tachi, we’ve arrived.”

Finally, we reached the café.

“Waaah~! This place is so nice! Yuki, Yuki, can I have this?”

Nakano, captivated by the flowers decorating the café, lit up with excitement.

“Sure! If Senpai likes it, I’ll give it to you!”

“Wah~! Thanks, Yuki!”

Wait, just like that? She’s giving Nakano one of the decoration flowers that easily?

“Hold up, you can’t just take someone else’s flowers without permission.”

“But Yuki said I could!”

“Well, yeah, but those are part of the store’s decorations, y’know?”

“It’s fine! If Senpai wants it, then that’s that! Looking forward to working with you!”

“Ehehe, thanks~ Misaki-kun, you’re way too stiff, y’know?”

“No comment.”

“Hmph!”

Nakano snorted at me, but I ignored her.

Looking around, I realized that the café was surprisingly crowded. It was after school, so there were lots of students, but I spotted a few adults too.

“This area has a lot of foot traffic… If it weren’t for those guys, I bet there’d be even more customers.”

That wasn’t me speaking—it was Tsunekawa. I was just about to say the same thing, but she beat me to it.

“That’s true. This is a commercial area, so we usually have a decent number of customers. But ever since they started coming around… little by little, business has declined.”

Sasaki spoke with a troubled expression, lowering her gaze. She looked fragile—like she might break at any moment.

Seeing that face, I felt… a tiny bit of sympathy.

But don’t get me wrong! This isn’t anything special. Just plain old sympathy. If it had been anyone else, I’d have felt the same way.

“But, Yuki, you’re Sasaki-sensei’s sister, right? Why didn’t Sensei notice any of this before?”

After she finished speaking, Tsunekawa turned her sharp gaze to Sasaki-sensei.

“Sensei, isn’t it kind of cold of you to not say anything, even when it’s your own family?”

“I… I only just found out today.”

Sasaki-sensei answered, looking a little flustered.

“But this has been going on for so long… How could you not notice? Isn’t that kind of weird?”

Tsunekawa’s words were cutting. Honestly, I sort of agreed.

“S-Senpai, that’s not it!”

Yuki quickly stepped in to defend her sister.

“Our dad told me never to tell Onee-chan! So it’s not her fault!”

“So basically, you didn’t want to make Sensei worry?”

“Yes! But… it got to the point where I couldn’t handle it anymore, so I finally told her.”

Yuki clutched at the hem of her shirt, her head lowered, looking like a child who’d been caught misbehaving.

“Anyway, I don’t matter. What’s important is dealing with the problem in front of us.”

“So we just have to do what Sensei said yesterday, right?”

Tsunekawa responded instantly. She walked into the café, placed her bag on the counter, then turned back.

“Since we’re working as café staff, why are you all still standing around? And Yuki, as the manager, shouldn’t you be the one making sure our uniforms are ready?”

Even though her words were well-intentioned, the way she said them was infuriatingly arrogant.

After that, we all entered the café.

I didn’t want to come, but… that damn sympathy got the better of me. Just a little.

Sasaki brought out several work uniforms and handed them to us.

It was a lightweight apron, with beautiful colors, and there were plenty of options. But to me, an apron felt… way too feminine! I didn’t want to wear it!

I was about to refuse, but when I saw that Sasaki-sensei was already wearing one, I thought—if I were the only one not wearing it… Yeah, guess I had no choice.

“Next, we’re going to divide up the work! There are four roles: ‘Attracting Customers,’ ‘Serving Customers,’ ‘Miscellaneous Tasks,’ and ‘Making Coffee.’ ‘Attracting Customers’ means calling people in from outside, ‘Serving Customers’ is taking orders, ‘Miscellaneous Tasks’ involve handling money and cleaning the store, and ‘Making Coffee’—well, you all know what that is. So, first, who wants to attract customers outside?”

Sasaki-sensei stood beside the register counter, speaking to us like a true leader.

“There’s no way I’m doing that!” I thought. But miscellaneous tasks? That, I could handle. It was a solo job, one I could do quietly without worrying about social cues.

The role of attracting customers should go to the most energetic person in the group.

And that person? Well, isn’t it obvious?

I shifted my gaze to the left—yep, Satohama.

She’s kind of an airhead, but her cheerful personality is perfect for drawing people in. Plus, she’s cute, so I bet she’d catch quite a few customers’ attention.

“Sensei, I think Satohama-san would be the best choice.”

Before anyone else could say anything, I went ahead and nominated her.

“Huh? But I’ve never done that before!”

“You just have to recommend the store’s coffee to people passing by.”

“Business isn’t that simple. Considering Ayana’s personality, I don’t think she’s suited for the job.”

Tsunekawa immediately shut down my suggestion.

“Why not?”

“I get why you suggested Ayana, Misaki-san. You think her childish and energetic nature would make her a good choice, right?”

Wait… She figured that out? Did she read my mind and put it right back in my head?

“Eh? I’m like a kid for you Momiji-chan?”

“We’re the same age, but there’s a big gap in emotional maturity and personality.”

Yeah, can’t argue with that.

“That’s so mean…! Ugh, I’m already 17! I’m a proper high school student!”

Satohama grabbed onto Tsunekawa’s arm, whining with teary eyes. Just as she said, she really is childish.

“See? That’s exactly why I said you’re like a kid.”

Tsunekawa sighed, pressing her forehead with a hand, then looked up at me again.

“So, Misaki-san, am I wrong?”

Whoa, is she trying to show off that she can read me like a book?

“…No, you’re right.”

“Knew it.”

Tsunekawa wore a slightly smug expression, looking satisfied that she had guessed exactly what I was thinking.

“So, what exactly are you trying to say?”

“Nothing much. Just that with that line of thinking, Ayana is an even worse choice for the role. She has no sense of reading the room. Being energetic is good, but—Ayana! Enough already! Let go of my arm!”

Tsunekawa had been enduring Satohama’s antics while talking to me, but she finally snapped and yelled at her.

Well, “yelled” might be an exaggeration. She just raised her voice a little, but still—it startled me a bit.

“Alright, so who do you think should do it?”

“Hmm… Let’s see.”

Tsunekawa touched her chin, scanning our faces one by one.

After a moment, her gaze stopped on the girl to my right. That would be Nakano.

“Ouka, I’m putting you in charge of this!”

“Eh? Me?”

“You can do it, right?”

“Nakano-san, are you really up for this?”

I looked at Tsunekawa with doubt.

I wasn’t questioning Nakano’s abilities or anything, but I just didn’t know much about her. I had no idea why Tsunekawa picked her.

I mean, Nakano had never really stood out before.

“That’s what you don’t realize. Ouka is actually really good at this. When it comes to extracurricular activities, she spends more time working part-time than hanging out. When it comes to experience, no one here can beat her.”

Wait, what? Nakano has that kind of background?

I never would’ve guessed! She just seemed like a regular high school girl with an exceptionally pretty face. No special skills, average grades.

The only “amazing” thing about her is her looks, right?

Is she really going to be okay?

“Ouka, you got this?”

“I can do it, but I can’t guarantee we’ll get any customers.”

And so, Nakano ended up taking the job.

“Well, let’s just give it a try. That means, for miscellaneous tasks, Ayana and Misaki-san, I’m counting on you two!”

I had no problem with that. Sure, it was a bit tiring, but at least I didn’t have to deal with people, which meant fewer unnecessary troubles.

Most importantly—it was easy to slack off!

“Got it.”

“Okay~”

“As for serving customers, Sensei and I will handle that. Is that alright with you, Sensei?”

At Tsunekawa’s question, Sasaki-sensei smiled approvingly and even clapped her hands.

“Sounds good! The division of labor makes sense. Let’s go with that!”

“Thank you. And finally, we’ll have Yuki handle the coffee-making. In this field, no one can beat her, right?”

Everyone, including me, answered in unison: “Nope!”

“Alright, if there are no objections, everyone, start your assigned tasks!”

Tsunekawa announced to the group.

I wasn’t dissatisfied with being in charge of miscellaneous tasks, but I wasn’t completely satisfied either. After all, I couldn’t escape from doing work this time. That was my only gripe.

And so, we all got to work.

Honestly, “miscellaneous tasks” didn’t involve much. I was wiping tables with a cloth in my right hand while using my phone to read manga with my left.

Meanwhile, Satohama was outside, swinging a broom around like it was some kind of ultimate weapon, occasionally sweeping away “enemies” on the ground.

Well, to put it simply—she was just cleaning.

Nakano and Sasaki were by the entrance, working hard to invite passersby into the store for coffee.

Sasaki-sensei and Tsunekawa, on the other hand, were just standing at the door with nothing to do. After all, if no customers came in, there was no work for them.