A Background Character's Path to Power-Chapter 85: Common Sense is My Superpower

I nodded to the twins standing at the reception as they greeted me in unison. "Welcome, Manager!"

The warm aroma of freshly baked goods and brewing tea wrapped around me as I stepped inside. My eyes swept across the first floor, already bustling with customers filling about two-thirds of the tables. The murmur of conversations and being immersed in books looked pleasing to the eye.

Business is doing well, I noted with satisfaction.

One of the twins tilted her head. "Will you be having breakfast, Manager?"

My stomach growled in response before I could speak. Right - I’d gone straight to training this morning without eating.

After a moment’s consideration, I nodded. "Yes, please. Could you have it delivered to my office?"

"Of course!" she chirped before hurrying off toward the counter.

As I ascended the stairs to the third floor, I paused on the second-floor landing. Through the open study area doors, I spotted familiar figures sitting together at a corner table.

Woah, I thought, squinting at the unlikely trio. I thought it would be awkward between them for a while, but look at them now.

Seems like my advice worked.

Aeron sat sandwiched between Emilia and Livia, the two girls taking turns explaining something from a thick textbook. Emilia pointed at something while Livia scribbled notes, probably to make it easier to teach. The swordsman looked more at ease than I’d seen him that day, his eyes bright with concentration rather than haunted by shadows.

Good.

And that’s one less thing to worry about today.

A small, proud smile tugged at my lips before I continued upward.

It was probably Livia who brought them here...

The third-floor hallway was quiet compared to the floors below. My office door stood slightly ajar, a sliver of light spilling into the dim corridor.

Someone’s inside?

Pushing the door open, I found my shy colleague hunched over my desk, his quill scratching rapidly across paperwork. His bird companion Kai perched on his shoulder, chirping softly until it noticed me and let out an excited trill.

The young man startled violently, nearly upsetting his inkwell before recognizing me. His shoulders tensed immediately, fingers tightening around his quill.

I chuckled inwardly. At least he’s not running away this time.

"Good to see you two," I said, leaning against the doorframe.

"..see... y-you too..." he mumbled, eyes darting between me and the documents. Kai, however, fluttered over to land on my shoulder, nibbling affectionately at my hair.

I reached up to scratch the cute bird’s head. "Taking over my paperwork again? You really don’t have to, you know."

He shook his head quickly. "N-no! I mean... I d-don’t mind. It’s... it’s q-quiet here." His voice trailed off into near silence at the end.

"Yeah, I like a quiet atmosphere too."

I said, stepping closer to glance at the documents spread across my desk. The neat columns of numbers and carefully itemized lists caught my attention immediately.

"Oh, you’re working on next month’s budget analysis?" I asked, tilting my head to get a better look.

The young man gave a weak nod, his fingers nervously tapping against the quill. "U-um... yes."

"Amazing," I muttered, genuinely impressed. "Can I take a look?"

"Y-yes." He slid the papers toward me with trembling hands.

I picked them up, scanning the contents. freēnovelkiss.com

Though I wasn’t an expert in financial planning yet, I’d done enough research since becoming a manager to recognize a well-structured budget when I saw one. I spent half a day on it, you know.

And this wasn’t just a simple projection—it accounted for multiple scenarios, from slow business days to sudden surges in customers. The calculations were meticulous, yet presented in a way that was surprisingly easy to follow.

"It’s good," I said, tapping the page. "No, scratch that—it’s amazing. You’ve even factored in seasonal fluctuations and potential supply shortages."

He probably did it because of the opening day, and the supply issues arose after that.

The young man’s cheeks flushed slightly at the praise, but his shoulders relaxed just a fraction.

I pointed at one section. "But here—what if we leaned into the bookshop side more during exam seasons? The midterm exams are coming at the end of this month in our academy. So instead of just offering discounts on study materials, we could bundle them with our most popular drinks or desserts. Call it a ’Student’s Survival Kit’ or something attention-grabbing. Those rich students would pay a premium for convenience, and we’d move more inventory."

"O-Oh," The young man’s eyes shone in astonishment.

I tapped my chin, considering another angle. "And we shouldn’t just focus on students, right? What about the regulars? The scholars, the apprentices, even the common folk who save up for a good book and a cup of tea?"

The young man blinked up at me, his quill hovering over the page.

"Here’s the thing," I continued, leaning against the desk. "Not everyone has coin to spare, but the ones who do come consistently—the ones grinding day after day—they’re the backbone of a place like this. Why not reward that?"

His brow furrowed slightly, but his grip on the quill tightened with interest.

"Imagine this, we will track their visits. Every time someone buys a drink or rents a study booth, they earn points. Hit a certain number, and bam: free hour in the second-floor study nook, a dessert on the house, maybe even a discount on premium things." I smirked. "Call it the ’Loyalty Ledger’ or other fancy name you can think of, but the idea is amazing, right?"

The young man’s eyes widened. His quill hit the parchment with a frantic scratch, ink splattering slightly in his haste.

"But why stop there?" I crossed my arms. "Daily trivia at the counter—simple stuff, like ’What’s the capital of the Eastern Kingdom?’ or ’Name three basic alchemy ingredients.’ Winners get a free biscuit or a half-price refill. It costs us almost nothing, but suddenly, we’re not just a shop—we’re the place where you might leave smarter and with a slightly full stomach."

The scribbling grew even more feverish. Kai hopped from my shoulder to the desk, tilting his head at the frantic notes.

"And not this, too - it’s not charity," I added, grinning. "It’s investment. Happy customers come back. They bring friends. They study harder because hey, maybe today’s the day they win that free honey cake. And before you know it—" I snapped my fingers. "—we’re the talk of the town."

The young man’s pen finally stilled. He stared at the notes, then up at me, something almost like awe in his gaze. "...T-that’s... really good."

I shrugged. "Just common sense. Well—common for me, anyway."

Kai chirped, as if seconding the compliment.

The young man’s lips curled into the faintest smile—so small I might have missed it if I hadn’t been watching. "You... really are amazing," he murmured, so quietly I almost didn’t catch it.

But then his expression dimmed again, his fingers tightening around the quill in a way that made his knuckles go white.

I squinted at him. This guy...

"Of course," I said, crossing my arms with exaggerated confidence. "Isn’t that why I’m the manager?"

His head jerked up, eyes wide.

Before he could retreat into his shell again, I pressed on. "But listen—all I’ve got right now are ideas." I tapped my temple. "I’m not exactly some financial genius, yet, and we both know one person alone can’t run this place." Leaning forward slightly, I met his gaze. "That’s why we’ve got Boss, the twins, our sponsors, and..." I paused deliberately. "You."

The quill slipped from his fingers. Kai let out a startled chirp as it clattered against the desk.

"I—" His voice cracked. "I’m just... n-nobody..."

"Nobody?" I snorted. "You’re the one who actually understood my rambling just now and turned it into something workable." I gestured at the meticulously organized budget sheets. "And, hey, you’re doing my paperwork without being asked. If that’s ’nobody,’ then I must be a ghost."

His mouth opened, then closed. A flush crept up his neck.

Kai, ever the opportunist, took that moment to peck affectionately at his ear, as if scolding him.

I smirked. "See? Even Kai agrees. So cut the ’nobody’ crap. You’re part of this shop now—whether you like it or not."