Chapter 5
05 I am an Ordinary girl 1
Adele missed dinner because she was busy.
She’s accustomed to missing a meal or two, so it’s no trouble.
That’s that, this is this.
Adele is now penniless.
Because her parents did not give her anything when they sent her.
My school expenses have been paid in full, including the lunch costs. Therefore I am not not going to have trouble getting three meals a day as long as I eat every meal in the school.
On the other hand, eating out or buying snacks and sweets is impossible. That goes for clothes, undergarments, and soap too. As for the notebooks, pens and ink.
…There’s no way to make those happen.
Really, what are you thinking, father, stepmother?
While thinking so, I decided to ask the dorm head about it tomorrow, and so I crawled into bed. Since there was nothing else to do.
While falling asleep, Adele’s mind wandered.
This time I’ll live like an ordinary person.
I am already fed up with being seen as special, and the expectations that come from it.
I’ll be the same as everyone, on equal footing, talking equally, and I should be able to make a good friend.
***
“Please introduce me to a job!”
“What is this, first thing in the morning… Well, certainly I did tell you to come to me for work… but the first day…?”
“Presently, I have zero money on hand, and only two changes of underwear. Because there will be the entrance test tomorrow, I have to be able to earn money today. It’d be hard finding another chance to make money before the weekend.”
The dorm head rubs her temples and frowns.
“…. Do you have any work experience?”
“I do not.”
Adele, including her previous life, had never worked.
“Follow me.”
***
Adele was taken to a bakery, by the dorm head.
“Aaron, I brought a potential salesgirl, how about it?”
The dorm mom explained various things to the baker.
Adele’s being a penniless student, looking to work on holidays,with no work experience, all straight facts.
“Well, if that’s the case.”
When saying that, the baker turned towards Adele.
“Because I have to support my family, I get no days off. However, that’s where you come in. Once a week, after baking all of the bread, I want to rest afterward. Normally I bake twice, once in the morning and then early afternoon.
So I was looking for a person who works once a week from morning to nightfall.
How’s that, if it’s like that wouldn’t you like to work here? You should leave if it isn’t what you want.”
For Adele it was ideal work.
If I learn the price of bread, even a 10-year-old girl can do it without a problem, unlike a bakery in Japan there are a few different things for sale. … However, even if there are many types Adele can learn it quickly.
And, work once a week was acceptable, it’s good that it wasn’t so often.
“Please!”
This can get me an ordinary school life, somehow.
***
In this world, one week is six days, six weeks is one month.
One month is 36 days, ten months 360 days.
In addition, at the end of the year there are two days to mourn the old year, one day for the year to change, and two days to celebrate the new year. With that, a total of five days have joined, leaving one year to be 365 days.
As for the weeks and the month, it was convenient because the numbers were divisible in various ways.
The first day of the week was a public rest day, the school included, and that was the day Adele worked at the bakery.
Though it leaves no day off for Adele, it cannot be helped.
In addition, because 10-13 year old children commute there, the distance to the school isn’t something that will wear you out, there’s also no homework. After returning to the dormitory, there are people who voluntarily study, but that’s unnecessary for Adele.
It isn’t a holiday today, though I am anxious about my performance on the day I start, so it is just work for practice. As such the dorm mother left Adele with the baker.
Adele’s on the job training was successful.
Misato was fairly unsociable in her past life, but rather than saying Misato was poor company, it’d be more accurate to say “no one associated with Misato,” despite Misato’s feelings on the matter.
It was simple, to play the salesman for her, the current Adele knows Japanese customer service techniques from her memories as Misato, her customer receiving was very good.
In the evening, Adele walking towards the dormitory clasped two silver coins tightly in her hand.
(It’s the first time I worked for money! Compensation for time worked! Money that I can spend freely!!)
Adele was in high spirits.
However, anxiety soon welled up.
(What should I do if I drop it…. Or if it is stolen? If I meet a mugger?)
Though there aren’t many criminals who aim at 10 year old girls, Adele was worried sick.
(Oh yeah, item box!)
When you put it into the item box, losing it is also prevented.
Adele’s face blooms with the idea, and uses intonation-less magic.
The silver coins in her palm disappears.
Next, she tries to take it out.
It returns easily, the touch of a silver coin in hand. Only to be put immediately back into the item box.
Adele is delighted with the success, but suddenly notices something that makes her face go blue.
(If I failed the magic to use Item box, the silver coin that I labored to get would be gone! Usually, you should experiment with a stone or something! How stupid of me…)
But, well since the result was good there isn’t a problem, let’s proceed carefully from now on. While reflecting on it, Adele returned to the dormitory.
***
By the way, this world, when thinking in Japanese yen, one capper coin is 10 yen, small silver coin 100 yen, silver coin 1000 yen, small gold coin 10,000 yen, and for the gold coin it is worthy of 100,000 yen. [T/N: copper, 0.10$ small silver, 1$; silver, 10$; small gold, 100$, gold 1,000$ rounding severely]
Produce is cheap, meat is an expensive luxury, and further conversion has no meaning because equipment and jewelry is stupidly expensive in comparison to Japanese standards. Although, the amount needed for a normal person to live is a reasonable number.
The wage that a usual family earns in one month is almost 3 gold coins.
Barring holidays there are 30 working days in a month, which leaves daily wages around 10,000 yen roughly.
On the other hand, Adele earns two silver coins a day, or 2,000 yen [T/N: 20$] so about 250 yen [T/N: 2.50$] when counted by the hour, it’s enough for a child’s labor. And, 12 silver coins in a month, becomes 12,000 yen [T/N: 120$] accordingly, is enough to buy the daily necessities. Not enough to buy clothes, but I should be able to get away with that due to the uniform.
To keep the dignity of the school, damaged or too small uniforms are replaced for free. Though even if you say it’s free, it’s taken from the prepaid money.
Though undergarments aren’t included, fortunately Adele will not need a bra, so they’re cheap. Though the person in question never thought it was ‘Fortunate.’
Anyway, Adele seems to have been able to escape from a financial crisis somehow.
***
The next holiday that Adele works, while it’s still dark out, the Baker starts making bread. A neighbor comes to buy bread hot from the oven for breakfast, the baker continues making more to deal with the holiday lunch rush, after he finishes the baking usually left until later in the afternoon, leaving the store to Adele the baker leaves to take it easy, he intends to take the wife and child to go out somewhere.
The master of the bakery is able to escape from overworking, and also a crisis called the accumulation of dissatisfaction from the wife and child.