Chapter 47: Completing the Task
Inside the printing factory, Yuta smoothly entered and took on the role of an assembly line worker.
His task was quite simple: he had to load stacks of novels bearing his pen name onto a truck. These books would be shipped to various bookstores after dawn.
That's right, Yuta was working the night shift.
The pay for the night shift was significantly higher than for the day shift. Although Yuta didn't really need the money, he chose the night shift to complete his task more quickly.
After all, he was packaging his own books, and after quickly mastering the work here, Yuta worked diligently.
After sunrise, Yuta stayed on for another hour to help out. When it was past ten o'clock, he prepared to head home for some rest.
The team leader approached him with an envelope containing five thousand three hundred yen, handed it to Yuta, and together they watched the busy activities of the others outside.
"Young people are great! I thought you wouldn't be able to last a whole night, but you did really well!" the team leader said to Yuta with a smile. "If you want to continue part-time, just come find me! Now go home and get some rest; we'll continue tonight!"
Workers like Yuta, who could handle the workload of two people, were exactly what the printing factory needed.
Yuta accepted his payment from the team leader, feeling that his efforts were well rewarded after working for twelve hours.
"I have other things to do tonight, so I won't be back," Yuta was about to leave when he noticed someone familiar.
The team leader also spotted the woman watching them and said to Yuta, "Don't look too much; that's an editor from a big company, we don't have anything to discuss with her!"
However, the female editor walked directly toward them, looking at Yuta with a complex expression.
Sonoko had thought she wouldn't see Yuta for a while, but to her surprise, after just parting ways yesterday, they met again today.
"Working part-time?" Sonoko asked, eyeing the envelope in Yuta's hand. It was usually associated with payment, and he was also wearing the printing factory's work uniform.
Yuta nodded, feeling quite awkward about running into someone he knew while working, especially in such a compromising situation.
Seeing the two of them together, the team leader asked, "Do you know each other?"
From the team leader's perspective, they were at most casual acquaintances—one was a temp worker and the other was a high-salaried professional from a big company, so he didn't expect them to have much of a connection.
Sonoko didn't respond to the team leader but nodded at Yuta before saying, "Since you're here, let's go get your royalties. I came specifically for that today."
"Sure," Yuta agreed, happy to collect the money sooner rather than later.
The team leader, overhearing their conversation, asked Yuta, "You're still writing novels? What kind of novels?"
"This one." Yuta pointed to the novels the workers were loading nearby and, feeling somewhat resigned, followed the already-exiting Sonoko toward the office building.
With Sonoko's assistance, the publisher quickly agreed to transfer the manuscript fee today.
"Thank you," Yuta said as he stepped out of the publisher's doors, turning again to thank Sonoko, who was waiting outside.
Sonoko breathed a sigh of relief. "No problem. It's part of my job as an editor to help with these things. Now that we've resolved your issue, you won't have to work as hard anymore."
Yuta wasn't sure how to respond. He knew he had to work; he would be going to the nail salon tomorrow.
Noticing that Sonoko wasn't wearing any nail polish, Yuta felt a bit more at ease.
He certainly didn't want to run into his editor again while working at the nail salon tomorrow.
As Sonoko looked at the light outside, realizing it was almost noon, she said to Yuta, "While I'd love to have you treat me to lunch as a thank you, now is clearly not the right time. Let's save it for next time. You should head back and rest."
Yuta nodded, knowing he had family waiting at home and wanting to return earlier.
"Thank you! In a few days, I'll treat you to a meal to properly express my gratitude," Yuta said.
"Alright, I'll hold you to that. Be careful on your way," Sonoko replied. Since it was still summer, she didn't want to stand in the bright light near noon for too long and quickly parted ways with Yuta.
After separating, Sonoko suddenly realized something felt off!
"Strange… why do I feel like Yuta looks even more handsome?"
As she recalled their encounter, she found that the more she looked at Yuta, the more pleasing he seemed to her.
After pondering for a moment, Sonoko concluded that she appreciated Yuta—a truly hardworking person like him was hard to dislike. All she felt was admiration.
"Ah, I wish there were more people like him. That would definitely increase my chances of finding a partner…"
Meanwhile, Yuta felt much more relaxed after their separation. He had successfully completed his task and earned his reward for working at the printing factory!
[Staff Shortage: Due to the popularity of "Konosuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World," the printing factory was short-staffed and hiring temporary workers.]
[Task Reward: You are now able to possess a quality that makes others unaware of your handsomeness, which you can choose to activate or deactivate at will.]
If he didn't use this ability, all the beautiful women he passed on the street would surely notice his good looks, which could create quite a bit of trouble for Yuta.
Or maybe not trouble?
If he chose to show off his handsomeness, at least he wouldn't have to worry about where to sleep…
Yuta didn't dwell on that thought. He quickly took a bus back home, eager to rest up and then take everyone to find a big house!
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