Episode 4

## Episode 4: "A Reception Training of Hell / Mission: An Outside Work-ish Job"

Hohoemi Bancho uses Volleyball club-san as a demonstration on how to greet customers. Volleyball club-san is clearly nervous to be in front of the class, and Honda-san empathizes with her.

### Japanese Air Date

Oct 29, 2018

*"A Reception Training of Hell / Mission: An Outside Work-ish Job"* are two segments in episode 4 of *Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san .* It aired Oct 28, 2018.

#### A Reception Training of Hell

The first segment of Episode 4, Honda-san attends a mandatory customer service coaching class. It is something that happens yearly. Standing outside the building where he will attend his class. He is already filled with a sense of dread. A pretty woman passes him into the building. Another woman walks up, asking if he is also there for coaching. He starts to feel better as they chat about how nervous they are on the way inside.

His dread returns as soon as he is seated. The air is incredibly tense and silent.

Two people enter the room. The woman introducing herself as Hohoemi Bancho, the instructor, and the man at her side to be the customer service expert, Assistant Manager Budda-head.

She kicks off the lesson by selecting a random attendee who she dubs Volleyball club-san. She uses Volleyball club-san as a demonstration on how to greet customers. Honda-san referred to it as a *"merciless public execution"(4:34).*

Next exercise involved the whole class being paired into groups of two and practice smiling. Hohoemi claims *"A customer service smile can only be made through training."(5:20)* Honda-san's partner suggests he could relax his shoulders. Hohoemi halts the exercise and asked Honda-san to practice his partner's advice. She has him repeat himself until he forgets what his job is and feels like his head is going to explode. She praises him, leaving him exhausted thinking *"I never knew smiling was so arduous."(7:08)* Meanwhile the woman he chatted with on the way inside appears to have no problem with this exercise.

Assistant Manager Budda-head was paired with the pretty lady from the entrance. She's doing a horrible job, yet Assistant Manager Budda-head praises her. Hohoemi joins him, saying *"I really appreciate your sentiment of thankfulness!"(8:16)*

Hohoemi realizes the class has run out of time, and Assistant Manager Budda-head gives one last bit of advice for dealing with undesirable customers and how smiling can be put to good use.

Walking out of the lesson, Honda-san is commended by the pretty lady. She smiles genuinely at him, unlike the way she did earlier. The segment closes with Honda-san thinking *"Finally seeing the pretty lady smile brought just a little bit of peace to my soul after a day of torment." (9:16)*

### Mission: An Outside Work-ish Job

In the second segment of Episode 4, Okitsune-senpai is the next to go to coaching lessons. She calls it a *"pain in the ass"(9:49)*, not knowing where it is or how to get there. She goes to Fullface for help. He gives her easy directions so she can check it out on the way home. The episode ends with Houtai saying *"that girl's got a bad mouth, but she has a really good attitude, actually."(10:26)*