Kinue Amano is a twenty-seven-year-old woman who begins her story as a highly successful sales clerk in the futon department of the Echizenya department store in Tokyo. At this stage in her life, she is characterized by a plain and unassuming appearance, wearing simple clothes and glasses, and she possesses no particular interest in fashion, makeup, or personal style. Her world is one of practicality and comfort, where she feels secure in her routine and her abilities, believing she has her professional and personal life well in hand.

Her life is upended when she is suddenly transferred against her will to the high-end women's clothing department, a glamorous and fast-paced environment completely alien to her. Initially, she feels lost, out of place, and struggles to make sales, as she cannot understand how to sell something as subjective and non-utilitarian as fashionable clothing compared to the clear utility of a futon. This new setting forces her to confront her own limitations and insecurities, pushing her far outside her comfort zone.

Despite her initial awkwardness and lack of fashion sense, Kinue’s core personality is defined by a powerful work ethic, tenacity, and a refusal to give up. She is not a weak or whiny character; instead, she faces the harsh criticism of her new colleagues with a quiet resilience. Her primary motivation shifts from simply surviving in her new role to a genuine desire to learn and succeed on her own terms. A key relationship that fuels this transformation is with Miki Jinbou, the severe and impeccably elegant department manager who constantly challenges Kinue with harsh, honest feedback. Another pivotal figure is her manager, the eccentric and enthusiastic head buyer named Tabuchi, who recognizes her potential and eventually brings her into his office as an assistant buyer.

Kinue's role in the story is that of a woman undergoing a profound personal and professional reinvention. As she immerses herself in her new career, she discovers a hidden passion for her work that she never knew existed. This newfound dedication, however, comes at a significant personal cost. Her long-term relationship with her boyfriend, Tatsuya, begins to deteriorate as she has less time and energy for him and as their life goals diverge. While Tatsuya wishes to return to his family’s business in the countryside, a move that would require Kinue to abandon her burgeoning career, she finds herself increasingly unwilling to sacrifice the fulfilling professional life she has built.

Throughout the narrative, Kinue shows remarkable development, growing from a simple, unadorned saleswoman into a confident and ambitious professional. Her journey is not about becoming a different person but about finding and embracing a version of herself she had suppressed. By the end of the story, around the age of thirty-two, she has fully chosen her career and independence, even when it means facing loneliness and the end of her engagement. Her notable abilities include an innate talent for sales, which she successfully transfers and adapts from selling futons to selling fashion, as well as her extraordinary persistence and an ambitious drive that compels her to take on new challenges to improve her department store.