Chapter 6
A Direct Attack Is for Amateurs
Rather than angry, I was just… stunned.
She really took credit for those reports? They weren’t even that hard!
I lowered my already pitiful opinion of my senior even further.
If she weren’t like this, we could’ve just worked well together.
She was practically choosing the harder path all by herself.
But the real problem wasn’t how complex the documents were.
Only managers are supposed to handle those, yet she’s making an apprentice do them? Even seeing such files could get someone in trouble—and she wants me to write them? What if I made a mistake?
If it were me, I’d never give that kind of work to a junior, no matter how capable.
“Snap out of it! Don’t just take whatever they dump on you!”
Pinea looked frustrated that I wasn’t reacting. Nicola tried to calm her down.
“Coco probably doesn’t know what to do yet. We’ll help however we can for now.”
Nicola… One day, I’m really going to have to sit that boy down and teach him just how cruel the world can be.
***
Unfortunately, Pinea and Nicola’s help ended that very day.
“So, I heard those two helped you with overtime yesterday?”
That was the first thing my senior said when she called me down to the basement first thing in the morning.
Damn it.
I stayed silent. When someone’s already decided to be mad, the worst thing you can do is give them something to grab onto.
“How touching. Such a lovely friendship you’ve got there.”
She gave a sharp, mocking laugh.
“If I hear about that happening again, those two will be doing overtime every day. Got it?”
“Yes.”
She gave me a long, hateful glare before storming off.
Everyone had gone home yesterday… So how did she find out?
As I climbed the stairs, I saw the tough-looking girl who always stuck to Pinea leaning against the wall, staring down at me. The same one who’d said I’d been “marked.”
“I told you not to act up.”
Her wiry hair and mean little smirk were the perfect match.
Oh. So it was you.
No need to think about it—there was the answer right in front of me. I gave her a single glance and kept walking.
Apparently, that was the wrong move.
“You’ll regret this!” she shouted behind me.
Guess she’s decided to hate me forever. Great.
Was it really that hard to just coexist peacefully? I was finally starting to move past the “incompetent” stage.
Back in my rookie days, stuff like this would’ve made me panic. Not anymore. Thinking too much only raises your stress levels.
When I got back to the workroom, Pinea and Nicola rushed over.
“What happened?”
“Looks like I’m on my own for overtime.”
“What? You got caught? How?”
Pinea gasped and covered her mouth. I glanced toward the snitch who’d followed me in.
“I swear I’m gonna—!”
Pinea was ready to charge at her, and I had to grab her arm.
“Don’t. The senior’s protecting her.”
“What? How could she—”
Nicola’s round eyes widened in shock, then drooped again.
“Coco, why’s everyone treating you like this? You didn’t even do anything wrong.”
Oh? He gets angry too?
I blinked, genuinely surprised. But just as quickly, Nicola’s gentle expression returned. Pinea clicked her tongue.
“It’s jealousy, what else? Who gets jealous of a trainee, honestly.”
As customers started trickling in, we had to drop the conversation and scatter back to our posts.
What a mess.
Originally, the overtime hadn’t bothered me much. My plan was to just quietly endure it until I could move on.
Still pisses me off, though.
Forcing overtime when it’s not urgent is unforgivable to any working adult. But if it started to drag my coworkers down too, that changed things.
Telling the branch manager directly would be my last resort.
My senior had been here far longer and was considered skilled. If I reported her, they’d just call me arrogant and probably fire me on the spot.
And honestly, I was only recently out of the “hopeless case” category myself.
No company likes a troublemaker.
Even back in the modern world, probationary employees could be let go at will.
So… let’s start setting the stage first.
I wasn’t about to let my first career here crash and burn so easily.
***
Overtime became my daily routine.
Afternoons were chaos—the busiest hours right before the evening rush.
“Excuse me! Can I get one of these?”
“Do you have any more in stock?”
“This basket’s crooked on one side!”
It was absolute madness.
But thanks to my part-time job experience back in university, I handled customers like a pro.
One of the staff who was manning the counter turned to me after a sale.
“Wow, you’re a lifesaver. I didn’t know you were that good with customers! You smile so much it makes me feel better. Maybe we should’ve put you on sales from the start.”
“Oh, no. I skipped work a lot when I was sick and even came in late sometimes. I’ve caused enough trouble already. I’m just glad I can help now.”
He waved a hand dismissively.
“Still, I’m amazed. People don’t usually change this fast. You’re doing great now, that’s what matters.”
“Thank you! I’ll keep working hard!”
He chuckled warmly.
“Such a good kid.”
As the line of customers began to shrink, his tone lowered.
“…You must be tired from all that overtime, huh?”
“Wh–what? How do you know?”
I covered my mouth, pretending to be shocked.
“She’s been like that forever, but this time she’s going too far,” he muttered.
I quickly waved my hands.
“Oh, no, it’s fine! She’s just trying to help me improve!”
“Improve my foot. You’re too naïve, kid.”
“Cough, cough! Sorry!”
He sighed. “Just take care of yourself, okay?”
I only smiled weakly, pretending to brush it off—while quietly laying another brick in my plan.
***
“Pinea. Got a second?”
She tilted her head, surprised. I rarely ever called out first.
“What’s up?”
“You’re kinda close with the deputy branch manager and the others, right?”
She frowned. “Close? Not really. They just send me on errands a lot, so I get to talk to them.”
That’s exactly why they trust you.
Unlike me—the one who started as dead weight—Pinea had always been diligent and proactive. That’s why everyone trusted her enough to rely on her.
And that’s how she’d accidentally seen the documents I was handling—the kind meant for managers only.
“Can you check something for me?”
I handed her a small note. She skimmed it and nodded.
“Should be easy. I can get it by today. What’s this about?”
“Just gathering some information. You’ll see.”
I smiled lightly. Pinea didn’t look convinced but agreed anyway and headed upstairs.
***
A few days later—
“I need you two to do me a favor.”
Both Julie and Marcella looked up from breakfast.
I hadn’t regained the memories they were hoping for, but at Marcella’s suggestion, we’d started talking casually, as family. It still felt awkward, but I was getting used to it.
“Can you tell the store I’m sick today?”
Marcella jumped up, startled.
“What? Are you feeling sick? You’ve been working overtime nonstop lately…”
I nodded weakly.
“Yeah. I think I caught something. Please, just tell them I can’t come in.”
“Okay, but… are you sure that’s okay? You already took time off when you were really sick a few months ago.”
She looked genuinely worried—understandably so.
But this absence was necessary.
“Don’t worry. They can’t fire me.”
I pulled the blanket over my head and allowed myself a rare morning of sleep.
***
“I knew it—she’s been pushing herself too hard.”
“Poor thing.”
The staff and apprentices at Daijo sighed when they heard Marcella’s report.
To them, Coco was a hardworking girl who stayed late every night doing difficult work that would exhaust anyone.
Then the senior came rushing down from the second floor.
“Where’s Cornelia?”
“Um, pardon?”
“I said, where’s Cornelia!” she snapped, eyes wild.
When she heard the news, her pupils trembled violently.
One of the clerks asked timidly, “Isn’t today the day the branch manager does the morning review? You’re almost late, ma’am…”
“I know that!”
She screamed again, and everyone went silent, exchanging uneasy glances.
What’s her problem?
No idea. She’s lost it.
Their eyes said it all.
That’s when Pinea finally realized what Cornelia had done—and why she’d needed that information.
So that’s it… I knew something was up.
Cornelia had skipped work on the exact day her senior had to present those documents to the branch manager.
The next morning, when Cornelia was called in for questioning, she caught Pinea’s eye—
and winked.
