{Chapter 1.4}

"Fujimori, I have to talk to you."

That morning the owner summoned me to his office with exact words.

So there I am, sitting in front of his chubby, pedantic face.

"What is it, boss?"

I tried to act indifferent in front of his presumptuous face.

Seriously, every time the man opened his mouth he seemed to say nothing but "I'm the boss, I'm in charge, you're just plebeians."

Akamane looked at me in response.

"Fujimori, you know that Hinata will move tomorrow, right?"

I sighed. I had probably already figured out where he was headed.

And it wasn't a good thing...

"Yes... She told me yesterday. But get to the point, boss."

This time it was he who sighed, and then slightly curled that big nose that he found himself.

But I was wondering, how could a being as sweet and cheerful as Hoseok be the biological child of this one?

Mah.

Sometimes nature is really weird, I thought.

"So, Fujimori. The point is this: we lack employees. So, either you work a double shift or you are looking for someone to replace Hinata."

At that point I let out a hysterical chuckle: that is, was he serious? Wasn't eight hours a day of work enough? No huh.

"What - Boss, are you serious? How am I supposed to do the double shift if I already normally work from seven in the morning until seven in the evening?"

Mr. Akamane let himself sink into his big rich chair, rubbing his hands a little.

"My hands are tied, Fujimori.

If you really don't want to do the double shift it will mean that you will look for someone to do it in Hinata's place ... easy, isn't it? "

What an agony ..

I smothered the most fake smile I could make and got up from that old rocking chair.

"Yeah .. Easy."

She came out of the boss's office so nervous that if I had been the protagonist of a manga * I sure would have come out of the smoke from my ears.

I should have expected it with the luck that I find myself, I whispered.

As if that weren't enough, that day's work wasn't over yet, indeed, there was still a long time to break to eat.

"Miss .. Excuse me, how much does this cost?"

When I turned to the voice that called me, I found myself in front of a girl probably in her thirties, with a child by the hand and a baby in her arms.

Wow ... of course people get busy under the sheets when they want to.

She was holding a children's t-shirt with "I CAN DO IT" written on it, in black and purple.

Amazed that at least that children's t-shirt was not an abomination like other things, I smiled and took it from her hand by passing it under the price recognizer.

"Uh .. Ten thousand yen, ma'am!"

The woman smiled showing off some beautiful white teeth and shaking her beautiful brown hair a little.

Humility jump on me, huh?

"Ah, thank you .. Thank you!"

However, looking at her baby behind and following her from behind, I could not help but smile.

Without having the slightest idea what to do, I decided to fix some clothes out of place and put them back on the hangers.

"Kiriko, can you help me for a second? -"

Hoseok's voice reached me from the loudspeaker.

That boy never knew how to use the loudspeaker: he didn't say "Kiriko Fujimori request in box three", or "a clerk for the children's department.".

No no.

He said "can someone give me a hand?"

And since I was the one closest to the boxes, he obviously asked me to help him.

I sighed with a smile, and immediately hurried to get there and get behind a box.

"Quiet Hoseok ... it's nothing compared to what will be in December!"

Hoseok chuckled, probably without realizing I meant it, because it was November and it was close to the Christmas holidays.

"Yeah, that's right .. Ah."

He only stopped giggling when he realized all the work we would have to do in those days. As I said, there wasn't much.

Then my gaze shifted towards the door from which we employees entered, hearing a creak from that door.

Intrigued, I looked more from behind the tills to see who was entering the Pluff store.

I raised an eyebrow, because we were all already in the shop as employees.

But as soon as I saw a shock pink tuft, I immediately recognized who it was.

It was the dyed girl from last night.

"You?"

I hear her voice calling me with a "You?" , but I didn't look up from the clothes I was demagnetizing.

"Yeah, me."

I heard her high-pitched chuckle enter my ears and break my eardrum.

"Ehy! See you again, huh? Anyway I haven't introduced myself: my name is Jana Ivanova, and I'm nineteen!"

Yet another bipolar colleague, I thought.

I looked at her badly, and then nodded her head to come and help us as it was just me and Hoseok at the checkout.

Even if with some difficulty, the dyed girl began to demagnetize some clothes, with the speed of a sloth.

Typical of newcomers.

I was a bit confused: I mean, where did this come from? And if she was there, why had the boss asked me just a moment ago to look for some other clerk?

I asked Hoseok a few questions, who as I had imagined always knew everything.

"Well- she arrived last night, right after you finished your shift. She's nice! She comes from Greece and she moved here for work .. In fact her father is Japanese."

"ah ... Got it."

So when we collided last night she was on her way here.

In track suit.

Okay, quite abnormal, I thought, shaking my head.

But then I had to try to get used to this new presence at the Pluff Store as soon as possible.

* manga: for the uninitiated, manga are Japanese comics <3