Chapter 12: Contact Efficiency Level 5
“Vice, here are the documents!”
“Good work, Doxon.”
It had been two days since Birkin arrived at the Deepdale Branch and became the Vice of Service Division Team 3.
She had to admit, the self from yesterday—who had regretted this transfer like crazy—had been foolish.
Humans really are creatures of adaptation.
Only now did she realize how freeing it was not to have a superior constantly watching over her in the office. She could go to the restroom without glancing around nervously, and even enjoy a cup of coffee at her desk without anyone judging her!
Even so, Birkin put in effort to create a good team atmosphere in Team 3, recalling her own rookie days. Not too lax, but not a pressure cooker either. A balanced vibe where people weren’t scared of their manager, yet didn’t slack off.
She praised herself again for choosing Deepdale. She decided to overlook the chaos of the first day.
“Doxon, this is much better than yesterday. Please keep filling out the general inquiry forms like this.”
“Ah! Really? Thank you!”
Doxon beamed at the compliment and nearly skipped back to his seat. Herian, sitting nearby, glanced sideways at Doxon.
The plan for the day was to finish paperwork smoothly in the morning and do general consultations in the afternoon, just like yesterday. Birkin had heard that a good office atmosphere improved productivity, and now she was living proof of it.
While the four of them quietly worked on their tasks, the silence in the office was suddenly broken.
Riiing! Riiing!
An alarm clock rang out in the office. Not an ordinary one, but a magical alarm clock—used only for one specific purpose.
“Yes! Receiving the call. This is Sophia Violet of Team 3.”
Sophia pulled the pin from the clock and hooked it over her ear, nodding along with the conversation. The office-used magical alarm clock was a direct communication tool for office-wide matters, different from personal contact watches.
At first, Sophia looked cheerful as she listened. But as time passed, her expression grew visibly flustered.
“…What? That’s so sudden… Please hold on, I’ll check with the Vice… Yes, right. Team 3 doesn’t have a Deputy.”
Sophia’s voice began to tremble. That finally drew Birkin’s attention, and she mouthed to Sophia:
Transfer it to me.
Are… are you sure?
It’s fine. Just tell them I asked to take over.
Sophia nodded, removed the pin briefly, and then replied with a determined expression.
“Yes, Deputy. I’ll pass you to Vice Redfield now.”
She approached Birkin, handing over the pin with a gloomy face. Birkin took it and clipped it to her ear with ease.
“This is Team 3 Vice, Birkin Redfield, speaking.”
—Ah! We met yesterday, didn’t we? This is Team 2 Deputy Edward.
“Yes, Deputy Edward. What brings you to call today?”
—Well, what reason would I have to contact a Vice?
The man’s pompous tone immediately told Birkin this wouldn’t be easy. There were always guys like this—those who felt entitled just because of rank, even though inter-team interaction was minimal.
Birkin’s smile faded from her voice.
—It’s about the general consultation in the afternoon.
“Yes, Team 3 is scheduled to join at 4 PM starting today.”
Birkin emphasized “4 PM,” suspecting where this was headed.
—Right. But that means Team 2 will be working for three hours before that, doesn’t it…? Team 3 only has to work two hours, until 6 PM.
She could see where this was going now and chose not to respond just yet.
—And we’ve got quite a bit of paperwork today… So I was thinking, maybe Team 3 could start earlier. How about coming at 3 instead?
“Ah, Deputy Edward. I understand your concern, but since Team 3 is newly formed, we only have four members. Doesn’t Team 2 have seven? The largest in the Service Division?”
Birkin kept her composure and responded politely. But the reply she got was absurd.
—Aren’t you the Vice?
What’s that got to do with taking on your team’s work?
…She barely managed to bite back that response, reminding herself he outranked her.
“Yes, I’m Vice Birkin Redfield.”
—Unbelievable. What am I doing, trying to reason with a Vice who’s only been here two days… Anyway, just know this. From today, start your consultations at 3 PM.
Trying to pull rank, huh?
Birkin quickly realized what he was aiming for. So instead of giving in, she spoke more firmly.
“I’m sorry, Deputy Edward, but I believe changes to the consultation schedule require Chief Ed’s approval. If you wish to propose a time change, please submit the proper paperwork with Chief Ed’s signature.”
—Wh-What?! Did you just…!
“Oh, my. I have a designated consultation coming in. I’ll have to end the call here. Have a great day.”
Seriously, do have a great day.
Birkin smiled gently and reinserted the pin into the clock. Sophia clapped beside her. Doxon, caught up in the moment, clapped too—overly enthusiastically.
“…Why are you clapping?”
“That was amazing, Vice! I think I’m falling for you!”
“That was so cool.”
Sophia and Doxon gave her enthusiastic thumbs-ups. Birkin responded with a baffled look.
“I… didn’t really do anything?”
“You just saved us from being dumped with extra work!”
“Well, I am your manager.”
She shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Honestly, she didn’t quite get their reaction.
The Service Division had seven teams total. There wasn’t a formal hierarchy between teams, but if you let your guard down, you’d quickly get stuck with the worst tasks.
Back when she was in Team 1, her Deputy rarely did any actual work and always slacked off, so she had to coordinate everything with the other six teams herself as the Vice.
Birkin chuckled.
“I’m good at dirty fights.”
Leaving the impressed Sophia and Doxon behind, she grabbed her coat from the chair. She glanced at her watch—an alert still showed.
Birkin hadn’t lied to Deputy Edward. A designated consultation request had indeed come in.
“Vice, where are you going?”
“Designated consultation. I’ll be back after lunch. Work hard, and eat on time!”
* * *
Unlike headquarters, designated consultations here were held on the third floor.
Birkin checked her appearance in a shiny glass window. The deep navy suit she wore fit just as perfectly as Chief Ed’s ever did.
Worth every coin.
She had bought it back when she was at HQ. It followed the capital’s fashion trends, so it might stand out a bit here—but it suited her well, and that’s what mattered.
Standing before the assigned consultation room, she knocked.
“Excuse me.”
As she entered, she introduced herself while walking toward the back. Most clients didn’t get up when someone entered, so it wasn’t odd the person remained seated.
But as she turned and caught sight of the man’s face, she froze.
“…Mr. Liam Moore?”
“Hey, Birkin.”
Silvery-gray hair, golden eyes. It was unmistakably Liam Moore, the same man who’d handed her a week’s worth of mana just yesterday.
Birkin gasped in disbelief, not even sitting down.
“This room is… for consultation clients only.”
“I’m here as a client.”
“…Aren’t you supposed to be working right now?”
She knew the Item Development Department had loose working hours, but still—this was excessive. It was 11 a.m., prime working time.
Liam looked up at her, his face unreadable.
“Break time.”
“…When exactly do you work, then?”
“I am working. Want to see?”
He reached into his pocket, but Birkin waved him off. All Item Development work was top secret, just like Planning.
“I’m not curious. Why are you here?”
She forced a polite tone, suppressing her growing irritation. He had filed a request, after all.
“To charge mana.”
“I’m sure I gave you a full week’s worth yesterday.”
“Not for me today.”
Liam’s speech was always brief and to the point, but if you listened carefully, he made himself clear. Birkin relaxed slightly upon realizing it was a normal request to recharge items.
“Okay, then. Show me the item.”
There was a document listing the item, presumably filled out by Liam, but she didn’t bother checking. She knew him, so a verbal confirmation was fine.
She waited quietly.
Knock, knock.
Liam tapped the table with his index finger.
Birkin frowned slightly. “…That’s a magical alarm clock. Did you buy it privately—?”
“This too.”
“You’re saying… there are two items?”
“This, this, and this.”
Birkin’s words died in her throat.
Every time Liam reached under the table, he pulled out another item. All kinds—magic items, rare gear, tools of all sorts.
She suddenly regretted not noticing the massive trunk at his feet when she entered.
“…Forty-six in total.”
The tiny table between them was now buried under a literal mountain of items. Some she recognized, others she had never seen before.
And none of them were cheap. Every single one was high-grade, mana-intensive equipment that needed careful handling.
“You want… all of these charged?”
“Yep.”
“In one go?”
“Yep.”
“…Then wait a moment. I’ll bring more team members to help—”
“No.”
Liam even shook his head. He didn’t want anyone else. Only Birkin.
“Why not?”
“Didn’t you say not to contact you personally.?,,
