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The Knowledge Cheat I Yearned For (Probably not, though)

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

「Could you let me help as well?」

The moment I spoke up, Hana-chan looked at me as if she were grasping at a straw.

「Ann-san... are you sure...?」

「I don't mind. Though, I’m not exactly sure how much of an asset I’ll be...」

Hana-chan grabbed a folded pipe chair from the corner of the office and rattled it open.

「Please, Ann-san. Have a seat.」

「Thank you.」

As I sat down, Hana-chan took the chair opposite me. The two men remained standing, but they’ll be fine like that.

「Then, if I may ask a few questions... do you have any prior experience in customer service?」

The interview started so abruptly...

「Part-time at a convenience store, and a bit at a beach shack just for one summer.」

Naturally, I'm talking about my past life.

Currently, I am a noble lady with no need for a part-time job. ...Though my monthly allowance is only five thousand yen.

「At the beach shack, did you do any cooking?」

「The cooking itself was the owner's job, but I did things like plating and serving.」

As I said that, I remembered something.

「Also, I worked part-time in the prepared foods department of a supermarket...」

「The prepared foods department!!」

Hana-chan let out a joyful cry.

...Yeah. Figures.

Hana-chan's place does side dishes, after all.

「Ann-san! Could you come this way for a moment?!」

Hana-chan sprang up from her chair and practically dragged me by the hand.

Following her lead, I was taken into the shop's workroom.

Inside the workroom were industrial deep fryers, ovens, and massive prep tables. ...Incredible. It looks exactly like the deli section of a supermarket...

「Do you think you could handle the fried foods?!」

「Er, let me take a look.」

I approached the fryer.

...Oh man. This is exactly the same as the one at the supermarket where I worked in my past life. The corporate logo is different, but the button layout and everything are identical.

I also checked out the oven.

When I say oven, I don't mean the kind you have at home. It’s what’s called an "industrial steam convection oven," or "combi-oven" for short.

This one is different from the one at my old job, but the usage shouldn't be that different.

「Hana-san...」

「Yes?」

I turned around to find Hana-chan with her hands clasped in front of her chest as if in prayer, looking at me with expectant eyes.

I gave her a slow, deliberate nod.

I don’t know what exactly I was nodding to, but I did it anyway. At that, Hana-chan’s eyes sparkled with even more anticipation.

「Ann-san, could it be...」

「It seems it's time for my 'Knowledge Cheat: I’m So Awesome' moment...!」

「Oh, gods...!!」

Muttering as if overcome with emotion, Hana-chan lunged forward and hugged me.

The two men watched us as if they were observing something strange. For now, I'm ignoring those two.

***

After that, I had a brief meeting with Hana-chan about tomorrow.

Since the shop opens at nine, I wanted to start work by eight. The pay would be a thousand yen per hour. Hana-chan would prepare simple recipes by the end of today, and so on.

Regarding the hourly wage, I told her it wasn't necessary, but Hana-chan snapped back with terrifying intensity: 「No! Our shop will get in trouble with the labor inspection office!」

Apparently, the labor inspection office in this world works quite diligently. That’s a good thing...

All you black-company-overwork-reincarnates, come to this country. Though they say my "thousand yen an hour" is barely scraping the minimum wage.

By the way, it seems Franz will also be working with us tomorrow and the day after.

Hana-chan gave me a labor contract, saying, 「Could you get this signed?」 and I headed home for the day.

As a side note, Taurus-kun is unpaid. The reason being that the Knights' Order prohibits side jobs, and also, he falls into the category of "management relative."

Oh my... is that so... things have already progressed that far, have they...

Must be nice.

While talking about it, Hana-chan’s cheeks were flushed with a slight embarrassment, and Taurus-kun, watching over her, had an incredibly gentle smile.

...Hmph!! I’m not jealous or anything!!

Even if I haven't had a single marriage proposal despite being a noble lady, I'm not jealous!!

I'm still sixteen! My youth has only just begun!! I’ve only just started climbing this "Hill of Youth"!!

Anyway, tomorrow, my knowledge cheat is going to catch fire!!

I'll show them! Oh yeah!! (Desperately)

***

To be at Hana-chan's place by eight... that means I have to leave the house a bit after seven. Which means, calculating back for prep time and such, I have to be up by five-thirty.

I went home, filled out the contract quickly, and got my father to sign the guardian's approval.

At that time, my father asked, 「Are you short on allowance?」 but when I explained that my friend was in trouble, he was moved to tears, saying, 「What a kind-hearted child!」

...I mean, to be blunt, I do think my allowance is low, though.

Also, it turns out the rice cooker under my bed really is being confiscated. It’s too late to change the hiding spot since they already know it exists...

Just you wait, Franz...! I managed to defend the electric griddle, but my rice cooker...! My twenty thousand yen...!!

Sigh... I shouldn't have said anything unnecessary.

While I was grumbling, the butler gave me an envelope with twenty thousand yen in it.

I'll take it, but give me back the rice cooker. I can't cook rice without it. The furikake I worked so hard to buy will go to waste.

But wait, if I combine this twenty thousand with the pay from Hana-chan's place, can't I buy an even higher-spec rice cooker?! That’s right! I'll buy an even better one next time!

With my goal for the job set, I went to bed at nine for the sake of tomorrow.

***

The next day was blessed with fine weather.

I got ready and spent forty minutes trudging along with Franz-kun... A carriage... please put out a carriage... or at least lend me a bike...

「Good morning.」

Arriving at Hana-chan's place and sticking my head into the office, Hana-chan and Taurus-kun greeted me together with a 「Good morning.」

I handed the envelope with the signed contract to Hana-chan. She took out the documents, scanned them, and said, 「Yes, I've received them. ...Here are the copies for Ann-san and Franz-san,」 returning the envelope to me.

「These are the time cards for Ann-san and Franz-san. The machine is over here, so don't forget to clock in.」

As she spoke, Hana-chan handed over two time cards.

Along with Franz, I used the time recorder to "clack-clunk" and clock in before I forgot. There was a holder on the wall next to the recorder, so I slotted my card in there.

...I mean, I never thought I’d be clocking a time card even after reincarnating into another world...

Well, for that matter, this "other world" itself feels quite different from what I expected.

I borrowed a smock from Hana-chan and put on a cap with a hairnet.

How nostalgic. I feel exactly like I’m at my supermarket job.

Inside the workroom, recipes were stuck all over the stainless steel walls with magnets.

「It must have been hard for you, Hana-san.」

Even a quick glance showed there were at least twenty varieties. All handwritten.

「It wasn't that bad. I had some prepared in advance for the day we finally got a part-timer or part-time worker,」 Hana-chan said with a smile. She's so kind. ♡

I was led to the refrigerator and freezer adjacent to the workroom. When she said with a bright smile, 「Everything from here to here is for today!」 my smile twitched a little.

Cream-colored food containers were stacked nearly to the ceiling in the fridge, and the situation was the same in the freezer.

「I'll... I'll do my best...」

「Yes! Let's do our best together!」

Hana-chan, smiling with a clenched fist, looked just like the old man from Namidabashi...

***

From then on, it was like a war zone...

I shoved things into the fryer and set the timer. In the meantime, I shoved hamburgers and such into the combi-oven and set the timer.

In the gaps of time, I did the washing up and the packaging.

Before I knew it, opening time had passed, and Hana-chan and Taurus-kun were hectic with customer service.

「Meat and potato croquettes, as soon as possible, please!」

「On it!!」

While restocked the items that were running low, I fried, I washed, I packed...

It was four in the afternoon when I finished the containers in the fridge and freezer marked with sticky notes saying 『Today.』

I worked... I worked so hard...

When I told Hana-chan that the fridge was empty, she said, 「Then please head out for today. See you tomorrow,」 so I "clack-clunked" my time card and went home.

***

The next day, the final day of the sale, I worked just as hard as the day before.

「By the way, Milady, what's a 'Knowledge Cheat'?」

Franz, who seemed to have enough leeway to talk now that he was used to the work, asked me.

「It's utilizing memories of a past life to show off knowledge in the world you've been reincarnated into and being worshipped with people saying 'How awesome.'」

「...That sounds like a pretty obnoxious cheat.」

「Isn't a cheat itself an obnoxious act?」

「Well, I guess that’s true.」

After all, 'cheat' in English... er, the language of the Rice Empire, means 'deception' or 'swindling.'

「I mean, for the most part, the 'Knowledge Cheat: I'm So Awesome' stories from my past life usually involve going to a place with a significantly lower civilization level and saying things that are basic common sense to you, only for people to say 'I never thought of that!'」

「Like what, specifically?」

「For example... encouraging villagers to wash their hands and gargle to prevent an epidemic? And then, even if the disease is spreading across the whole country, only that village is perfectly fine. When people ask 'Why?!', the villagers say 'Because that person told us to wash our hands and gargle.' ...And then high-ranking officials from the country are moved, saying 'To think you could prevent disease with just that...!'」

Ah.

Franz’s face went all 「...Ugh.」

I mean, I can understand why. I can understand, but let's leave it at that.

「...I think I get it.」

「Thanks for reading the room.」

Well, there are two types of knowledge cheats.

Either the surrounding knowledge level is extremely low, or you’re a true genius like John von Neumann. Actually, I wonder if a Neumann will be born in this world. It’s too weird that there are no computers when the combi-oven controls are touch panels.

「So, hearing that made me think...」

Franz said as he headed toward the beeping combi-oven and took out the freshly baked hamburgers.

「Isn't what you're doing, Milady, not a 'Knowledge Cheat' but just a 'Part-time job utilizing previous work experience'?」

「............Agh?!」

Now that he mentioned it, he’s exactly right!!

「...And I was so looking forward to it... a knowledge cheat...」

Rather than being peerless with military force or cheat skills, I wanted to play the sage with a knowledge cheat...

「Based on your explanation just now, Milady, don't you have to bring in an 'idea that doesn't exist in this world'?」

「...You are far too correct...」

What a letdown!

With my tension dropped due to the disappointment, I ended up finishing the rest of the tasks while being told by Franz, 「Milady, your speed is dropping~.」

*****

Welcome to the cultural corner of Japan!!!

Ann is excited to finally use her "Knowledge Cheat" (using modern tech/ideas to look like a genius), but Franz points out she’s just doing a "part-time job using previous experience." In most Isekai stories, the hero introduces something simple (like mayonnaise or crop rotation) and is treated like a god. Ann realizes that because this world is a "Management Sim" game, it already has industrial ovens and labor laws. She isn't a "Sage of Knowledge"; she's just a 16-year-old girl working a grueling shift at a deli. The "cheat" is just her muscle memory from a minimum-wage job in her past life.

Hana-chan is terrified that if she doesn't pay Ann, the "Labor Office" will come after her. Japan's Rōdō Kijun监督sho (Rouki) is the government body that cracks down on "Black Companies" (exploitative workplaces). Ann is shocked to find that even in a magical fantasy kingdom, the bureaucracy of labor laws is strictly enforced. It ruins the "fantasy" vibe when the characters are worried about filling out tax forms and labor contracts correctly.

Taurus-kun works for free because he is considered "family/relative of the management." In Japanese small businesses, family members often work without a formal salary to help the shop survive. Ann realizes that Hana-chan and Taurus-kun are basically "de facto" married. The joke is that while the player is supposed to be "romancing" Taurus, he and Hana-chan are already operating like a middle-aged couple running a mom-and-pop butcher shop.

Ann declares she is just starting to climb the "Hill of Youth" to distract herself from her lack of romance. This is a common melodramatic phrase in Japanese coming-of-age stories. She is trying to act like a spirited protagonist, but she’s doing it while sweating in a hairnet and a smock, smelling like fried oil.

Ann sees Hana-chan smiling with a clenched fist and thinks she looks like "the old man from Namidabashi." This is a recurring reference to Ashita no Joe. The "old man" (Danpei) is Joe's coach who constantly pushes him to keep fighting despite exhaustion. Hana-chan has transitioned from the "exhausted Joe" to the "obsessed coach." She is now the one pushing Ann to work harder in the "war" of the retail sale.

Ann feels a sense of existential dread while "clack-clunking" her time card. The "Time Card" machine is the ultimate symbol of the Japanese corporate "salaryman" life. You reincarnate to escape the daily grind, only to find yourself standing in front of the exact same mechanical punch-clock in a different world.

Ann’s father is moved by her "kindness," while the butler gives her cash, but all she wants is her rice cooker back. As established in Chapter 15, Ann is obsessed with white rice. To her family, 20,000 yen is a small tip. To Ann, it’s the price of the appliance that allowed her to eat like a Japanese person. The "gag" is the massive gap in values—she'd rather have the cheap plastic machine than the fancy noble lifestyle.

Ann wishes a "Neumann" would be born in this world. John von Neumann was a math/physics prodigy known for his inhuman computing speed. Ann is annoyed that the world has high-tech touch-screen ovens but no computers or internet. She finds the technological inconsistency of the game world "too weird to handle."

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