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 16: I Just Wanted to Slack Off, But Now I’m Part of the Business Reform Team!? Seriously!?

“You’re way too unmotivated, Misaki.”

After finishing wiping the tables, I slumped onto a stool at the counter, yawning and rubbing my eyes as drowsiness overtook me from sheer boredom. Seeing this, Sasaki-sensei let out a disgruntled sigh.

“But seriously, there’s nothing to do. It’s boring.”

“Customers will come eventually. Patience is important in this kind of work. Besides, if the business were running smoothly, Yuki wouldn’t have come to us for help in the first place, right?”

Tsunekawa spoke in a somewhat lecturing tone.

Yeah, I get what you’re saying, but…

“Patience you say? Where are the customers!?”

By the time the clock struck six in the evening, Sasaki-chan and Nakano had exhausted themselves from shouting to attract passersby.

And yet, the number of customers who had actually stepped into the café could still be counted on one hand. I had been roughly keeping track over the last two and a half hours, and those who had actually placed an order were painfully few.

“Still, it’s weird, isn’t it? Sure, those guys have been sabotaging you and ruining the café’s reputation, but even with that, it’s strange for business to be this dead.”

Tsunekawa folded her arms, deep in thought. Beside her, Nakano suddenly spoke up.

“Maybe… the problem is with how we’re running things?”

“Our methods?”

Tsunekawa tilted her head at Nakano’s suggestion.

“Yeah, yeah. Like Momiji-chan said earlier, this level of emptiness isn’t normal, right? We’ve been doing a lot of advertising outside, and while people show some interest, most just glance at the place and leave. Hardly anyone actually walks in. If no one’s deliberately sabotaging us right now, then maybe the problem is… us?”

“Now that you mention it, there are two things that have been bothering me…”

Tsunekawa suddenly had a realization and turned to Sasaki-chan.

“Yuki, how long has it been like this—where barely any customers come in?”

“Hmm… about three or four years now, I think?”

“And those guys—do they come to mess up the store often?”

“Not super frequently, but yeah, they come pretty often. Maybe about once every two weeks… Oh, actually, they were here just two days ago.”

“And how was it at the start? Was the café already losing customers, or did things gradually change?”

The moment Tsunekawa asked that, I felt like I could see where her thoughts were leading.

So that’s it… She’s about to reach the answer.

“Hmm… In the beginning, even when those guys came to mess with us, it didn’t really affect the number of customers. But as the incidents kept happening, little by little, fewer people started showing up. Even though they don’t come as often as before, the customers never really returned…”

The moment Sasaki finished speaking, a slow smile crept across Tsunekawa’s lips.

It was the kind of smile a detective gives when they’ve finally cracked the case.

—So that’s what’s going on!

If my guess is correct, then the answer Tsunekawa has reached is undoubtedly… that.

“If that’s the case, then there are only two possible explanations!”

“Huh?”

Sasaki gave her a puzzled look.

“There are only two major reasons why something like this would happen. The first is that, over time, repeated sabotage has ruined the café’s reputation. That’s one. And the second… is what Ouka mentioned earlier: that the problem lies with us. In other words, our business model is flawed—or to put it bluntly, we’re outdated.”

“Outdated…?”

Everyone except Sasaki-sensei and I repeated the word in unison, the same doubt coloring their expressions.

Yes—what Tsunekawa just said.

The world has been changing rapidly, especially in the last few years. Trends have evolved, and everything is constantly being updated.

The drop in customers isn’t just because of the saboteurs. The old-fashioned business model has simply been left behind.

Sasaki had likely been fixated on the idea that “it’s all because of those troublemakers.”

Because of that, she hadn’t really considered how the café itself might have changed—or failed to change—over time.

To be honest, the moment I walked into this place, I could feel a certain outdated atmosphere hanging in the air.

Maybe that’s also part of why people stopped coming.

Of course, even if most of the decline was due to sabotage, updating the business model could only help in the long run.

Since I understood what Tsunekawa was getting at, I didn’t say anything.

Meanwhile, Sasaki-sensei… looked like a leader listening to her subordinates’ analysis, quietly making her decision.

“Exactly! We’re outdated!”

Tsunekawa declared firmly.

“When it comes to coffee-making skills, sure, experience makes a difference. But trends have been shifting rapidly, and the younger generation’s values have completely changed. If the café’s already struggling due to sabotage, and on top of that, our business model is outdated, then of course customers wouldn’t come.”

Her words struck like a bolt of truth, leaving everyone stunned.

“I don’t know what those guys’ real goal is. But putting that aside, wouldn’t it be a good idea to start by changing how we run the place? If we do that, we might be able to bring customers back. And even if that’s not the root cause, it’ll still benefit the café’s future.”

“Not bad, Tsunekawa. You’re sharper than I thought.”

“Sensei, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Tsunekawa shrugged slightly and looked around at the rest of us.

“So, what do you all think?”

Her eyes practically sparkled with anticipation.

“I don’t really care. If it’ll fix things, then whatever.”

—Not that my opinion matters.

After all, no matter what I say, Sasaki-sensei is definitely going to approve this plan.

In other words, I never had a choice in the matter to begin with.

…Complete surrender.

“Well then, Misaki-kun is in favor, so that’s settled. How about everyone else?”

“I’m fine with it.”

“If Nagisa-chan’s okay with it, then I guess I’m okay too!”

Hey, hey, hey… My opinion isn’t some convenient option you can just toggle on and off, you know!?

“Umm… I’ll follow Senpai’s decision!”

“Alright, then it’s unanimous.”

And so, with everyone’s agreement, the decision to “review the management policy” was officially made.

—But the real problem starts here.

Specifically, what exactly should we change?

This isn’t something that can be decided on a whim. It’s a crucial issue that requires careful thought.

…That said, I personally have no intention of taking it too seriously.

To be honest, I feel like just identifying the problem is enough, and I’m expecting them to figure out the rest.

Here’s my strategy:

① Put on a thoughtful face and pretend to be deep in thought.

② Wait patiently for them to come up with ideas.

③ And the moment a good idea pops up—

“Ahh, that’s a great idea! It’s creative and quite interesting, don’t you think?”

—I’ll casually nod and make it seem like I was thinking all along.

Perfect.

“Alright, let’s start by making a group chat. Tonight, everyone can think up some ideas, and if anything good comes to mind, just post it in the group so we can discuss it.”

With Sasaki-sensei’s suggestion, everyone started pulling out their phones without much objection.

Wait, wait, wait— I don’t want to be part of this though!?

Sure, my phone rarely gets any messages, and yeah, sometimes that feels a little lonely…

But that doesn’t mean I want to be in aa group chat! If anything, that would make me feel even more restless.

Besides, my phone is practically just an alarm clock for reading manga and answering calls.

“Oh, come to think of it, we don’t have Misaki-kun’s contact info yet, do we?”

Nakano suddenly clapped her hands together as if she just realized something.

“Oh, you’re right. We can’t invite him to the group without it.”

“Wait, hold on. We can just talk at school, can’t we? Is there really a need for a group chat?”

“But if we do that, we won’t be able to share ideas until the next school day. With a group chat, we can share them right away, which is way more convenient.”

Tsunekawa explained while swiftly operating her phone.

“But my phone is just for reading manga and playing games… with an alarm clock function!”

“That’s a pretty luxurious use for a phone! …Well, whatever. Just register my account.”

Tsunekawa held out her phone screen to me. It showed her social media profile.

“Ugh, too much effort. Do it yourself.”

I just handed the phone back to her.

Honestly, I barely use social media.

I only have my older brother, Kotone, and Umika registered, but if I ever need to talk to them, I can just say it directly to them.

My brother is usually out working, but if he needs something, he just calls me.

Social media? It’s just wasted data for me. I’ve even been thinking about deleting it.

…Well, it’s not like it even exists in my world anyway.

“Wow, you really have nothing on here. No lock screen, barely any apps… Your phone looks kinda lonely.”