Chapter 196
Hearing what Nico said, Yazawa Cocoro replied with an obedient face.
"Mom, I definitely won't cause any trouble. I'll be a good girl and help out..."
"I can even take care of Cocoa!"
Cocoa glanced at Cocoro.
"I don't need taking care of! I can help Mom too!"
"But Mom, have you really decided to work here?"
Seeing the expectant looks from her two youngest daughters, Yazawa Nanako felt helpless. She looked toward Nico and said with a wry smile.
"It seems you've all conspired against me."
"Mom, does that mean you agree?"
Nico pulled out her phone with an excited expression.
"I'm calling Mineo-kun right now!"
At that moment, Mineo, who was sitting on a park bench, received the call from Nico. After learning that Nico's mother had agreed to work for him, Mineo immediately said:
"In that case, I'll head back to the shop right away."
"Aren't you on a date, Mineo-kun? It's fine if you come tomorrow to set things up."
"How can we put everything off until tomorrow? The sooner your mother has a job, the sooner I start making money. The date can wait; I'll give Kotori a call to let her know."
After ending the call with Nico, Mineo dialed his next date, Minami Kotori.
"Kotori, is it alright if we push the date back by half an hour?"
"I have some personal business I need to handle here."
Hearing Mineo's words, Kotori spoke in an incredibly gentle and obedient tone.
"If Mineo-oniichan is busy with something important, please go ahead and finish that first. I'll wait around the area until you're done."
"Kotori is always the most understanding. I'll treat you to some ice cream once I'm finished."
After agreeing with Minami Kotori that he would arrive a little late, Mineo reached the supermarket he managed.
He could see Yazawa Nanako keeping an eye on her two little daughters as they played off to the side.
Meanwhile, Nico seemed to be standing in front of the freezer, staring at the refrigerators with a conflicted expression.
"Boss!"
Seeing that Mineo had arrived, the staff at the supermarket immediately approached and greeted him.
There had originally been ten employees at this supermarket, but one person had resigned yesterday, leaving nine.
Among these nine people, there was one person for internal affairs, three sales clerks, three cashiers, and one person for finance and procurement.
The person who had resigned was the Store Manager.
Mineo looked at the clerk who had greeted him and said:
"Put up the 'Closed' sign for now, then tell everyone to gather in the office for a meeting. There are a few things I want to announce."
"Understood, Boss!"
Hearing Mineo's voice, Yazawa Nanako turned toward him.
"Mineo-kun."
"Hello, Ma'am. Thank you so much for being willing to come and support my business. I've already heard from Nico; I'll be leaving my shop in your hands from now on."
Yazawa Nanako looked at Mineo, her lips curving into a smile.
"Actually, we are the ones who should be thanking you, Mineo-kun. Your kindness has truly provided our family with a massive amount of help. I was indeed in great need of a suitable job."
"Please don't worry, I will certainly put all my effort into this shop. I'll do my best to adapt to the work as quickly as possible."
"Nico, what are you doing standing there?"
"I... I wanted to buy some ice cream for my sisters."
"Buying ice cream? You're at my place, do you really need to buy it?"
Mineo reached into the freezer, grabbed several high-quality looking ice creams, and handed them to Nico.
"Just take them and eat. I'll just charge it to my account later. Small things like this, I can still afford to treat you to."
"Absolutely not. Even if this is Mineo-kun's shop, financial matters must be kept strictly organized. No wonder you managed to turn the shop into this state in just a few days. If you were the one in charge of a place like this, this supermarket would definitely go bankrupt!"
Nico took the ice cream Mineo offered, but marched straight to the checkout counter to pay for them herself.
Only after that did she distribute the treats to her two excited sisters.
The scene shifted to the supermarket office.
Looking at all the employees gathered before him, Mineo introduced the newcomer.
"The person beside me is the new Store Manager I've recruited."
"Starting today, all shop operations—including finance, personnel, sales, and procurement—will be her responsibility."
"If there are any issues in the shop, you only need to report to the Store Manager."
"When I am not present, she has full authority to act on my behalf."
After Mineo finished his statement, Yazawa Nanako stood up and addressed the staff.
"My name is... Yazawa Nanako!"
"It is a pleasure to be working with all of you."
"I hope that in the time to come, we can build a pleasant working relationship together."
Once Yazawa Nanako finished her introduction, Mineo pulled out a document he had just printed from the computer.
"Although I've taken over this outlet for a few days now, I haven't changed much regarding the shop's regulations."
"The specific details regarding rules and procedures will be handled by Store Manager Yazawa later."
"What I have in my hand is a salary reform plan."
"Starting today, the salaries for all employees in this shop will be increased by 20 percent."
"The Store Manager's honorarium and working hours will be set by me personally."
"If there are no other issues, please return to your respective posts. After work finishes tonight, Store Manager Yazawa will hold a brief meeting with all of you."
Hearing Mineo announce a 20 percent pay raise, the shop employees instantly grew excited.
"Thank you, Boss!"
"Then... we'll head back to work now!"
After the employees left, only Mineo and Yazawa Nanako remained in the office. Mineo looked at her and smiled.
"Ma'am, I'll be leaving the rest of the shop's affairs to you then."
"If there are no problems, please start today."
"As for the technical execution, you are the expert here, so please arrange it as you see fit."
"By the way, what is your bank account number? I'd like to give you a three-month salary advance first."
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