“Older brother, could you also replenish these?”
“You got it.”
Kent operated the terminal and ordered the items Rachel had mentioned. The replenishment work from the previous day had ultimately not been finished and was carried over to the next day. After finishing the morning meeting, Kent and Rachel used the precious time before the store opened to retreat to the warehouse and hastily restock the dwindling merchandise.
“Ah, Older brother. I’m going to take a call, so please wait a moment.”
Rachel’s smartphone, set to silent mode, vibrated to signal an incoming call. Rachel picked up her phone and answered.
“Caro, what’s up? Huh? …That’s a huge help. Yeah, yeah. I’ll be waiting then.”
After finishing the call, Rachel put her smartphone back in her pocket.
“Older brother, Caro from store No. 1 is coming to help us today. She was supposed to arrive before the meeting, but something urgent came up, so she’ll be a little late.”
“Is that so? That would be a great help.”
The person on the phone was Caro. It seemed she was on her way to the store, but she would be a little late. However, Kent thought it wouldn’t be a problem as long as Caro, who was a capable staff member, could contribute, even if she was a bit late.
“For the time being, let’s finish as much of the replenishment as we can before she gets here.”
“Right.”
Kent and Rachel resumed their inventory replenishment work with renewed effort.
“M-Manager. I-It’s an emergency!”
“W-What is it?”
A little while after Kent and Rachel had started working in the warehouse, Natali rushed in, looking panicked. Although there were restrictions on entering the warehouse due to company secrets, she was too flustered to consider such things.
“The store’s crest… A new employee has done something terrible. P-Please, just come with me!”
“Hey, don’t pull me. I understand, I understand. I’m coming, so calm down. Sorry, I’ll be right back.”
“See you later.”
Natali pulled Rachel’s hand and tried to lead her to wherever the trouble had occurred. Rachel, having no choice, followed Natali, leaving Kent alone in the warehouse.
“There’s no helping it. It’ll be a bit difficult without my support, but I should at least try to get some work done.”
Kent continued his inventory replenishment, referring to the inventory check sheet Rachel had left behind.
“That Rachel is taking a long time.”
A considerable amount of time had passed since Rachel left the warehouse. The store had already opened, and Christmas-themed music played throughout the store as part of a limited-time event. Kent’s warehouse organizing was progressing smoothly, and he had managed to secure the necessary inventory levels for the store’s opening. All that remained was to restock as needed after customers made large purchases, so he figured he could take a break for a while.
“Mr. Kent!”
“Ah, Ms. Caro. Is that outfit… did you have it made?”
“Yes, I came in my usual uniform, but Rachel told me to change into this. Do you think it suits me?”
Just as Kent was about to take a break, Caro appeared in the warehouse. Unlike her usual uniform that was inspired by a maid outfit, she was wearing a red and white event uniform. She spun around in front of Kent and asked for his opinion.
“You look very good in it. But it seems to have a slightly different design than the others?”
“Yes. Actually, this is a prototype. Rachel asked for my help with making event outfits, so it was made to fit me.”
“Wow. That’s why it has such detailed decorations.”
Caro’s outfit had small, snowman-shaped ornaments in several places that the other clerks didn’t have, and while the exposure was moderate, it further enhanced her cuteness.
“Yes! Aren’t these decorations cute?”
Caro seemed to be pleased that Kent complimented her outfit.
“Are you in the middle of warehouse organization, Mr. Kent?”
“I’ve just completed a section for now. Yesterday was filled with customers making large purchases, so I spent the entire day organizing the warehouse. It looks like it’ll be the same today. So, I thought I’d rest when I can.”
“I see. You must be tired. Um, may I see the inventory check sheet?”
“Yes, here you go.”
“Thank you.”
When Caro asked to see the inventory check sheet, Kent handed her the one he had been using.
“I see, I see. Comparing this with the store’s sales slips I saw earlier… hmm, hmm. And considering what Ms. Josette and Ms. Elnet used at the party… this should be about right.”
Caro mumbled to herself as she wrote something on the inventory check sheet.
“Mr. Kent, would it be alright if I made some adjustments to the inventory?”
“What do you mean?”
“Based on the store’s sales slips from the past few days, and adding the items Ms. Josette and Ms. Elnet used for the store’s promotion at the party, I’ve rewritten the standard inventory levels considering potential future sales increases. I believe this will slightly reduce the effort required for restocking.”
Caro returned the rewritten check sheet to Kent and explained.
“Let’s see. This is amazing! Let’s use what Caro-san made to start restocking immediately. If you have some free time, could you help me?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll be happy to help.”
Kent was surprised by the inventory check sheet, which had been rewritten in neat handwriting. For some items, the standard inventory levels had been significantly increased compared to before. It appeared that the increased items were those used by Josette and Elnet for their promotional activities.
“But how did you know so well about the items used by Josette and Elnet? Did you ask them directly?”
“No, I can tell by scent, so I didn’t need to ask.”
In the early stages, Kent himself decided which items Josette and Elnet would use, but now that it was left to them, Kent was not fully aware of which items were being used. Kent struggled to respond to Caro, who had casually said something unsettling.
“F-For now, let’s try restocking based on this sheet.”
“Yes!”
Thus, Kent and Caro began organizing the warehouse together.
“They both seem to be working well together.”
“Manager, Caro is taking over the warehouse organization, so please help out on the floor instead of slacking off.”
“Ehh, but I want to watch a little longer.”
Rachel, who had been watching them from the shadows, was dragged away by Lola and taken back into the store.
“Is this about it?”
“Yes, we shouldn’t need to restock today with this.”
“Really?”
As it approached noon, Kent finished the product restocking as instructed by Caro. Although Kent had intended to do it a few more times, Caro confidently replied that no further restocking would be necessary for the day.
“Older brother, Caro. Let’s go for lunch!”
Just as they finished organizing the warehouse, Rachel appeared at the entrance.
“That’s right. It’s likely to get busy soon, so we should eat while we can.”
“You understand. As expected of my best friend!”
“Oh, Rachel, stop hugging me.”
Rachel hugged Caro. Although Caro outwardly spoke like that, she didn’t look unhappy and let Rachel do as she pleased.
“For the time being, the place we went to yesterday is fine, right?”
“I don’t mind, but what about you, Caro-san?”
“I’ve heard about the store from Rachel, so I don’t mind at all.”
With their destination decided, the three headed to the restaurant they had visited the previous day for lunch.
