"Yes, um... I do apologize. Regarding that issue, a patch has been uploaded to our company's homepage, so if you could please download that... Yes, um, I am terribly sorry, but we are unable to visit you directly to perform the update, so we must ask that you handle it yourself..."
After bowing my head repeatedly to the
person on the other end of the call (though they couldn't see me) and talking
for nearly 30 minutes, the call finally ended. I let out a sigh and leaned back
against my chair.
"Good work... That sounded
rough."
The woman sitting next to me spoke to me
with a sympathetic tone. With her big, round eyes and curly hair that looked
like a small animal's tail, I secretly called her Risuko (Squirrel Girl).
"Thanks. It's just the usual."
"What kind of 'usual' was it
today?"
"It was something along the lines of,
'You're the ones who sold a buggy game, so the sincere thing to do would be to
come to my house and apply the patch, and if you can't do that, then exchange
the disc and mail me a new one, and also refund me for the time I couldn't play
the game.'"
At my words, Risuko let out a yelp of
"Hieee." She must have had experience dealing with similar calls. She
had a bitter look on her face, as if she'd just remembered something.
"But well, you can't really blame
them."
This time, a voice came from another woman
sitting opposite me. She was a beauty with long, straight hair and sharp,
striking eyes that suited her well. I secretly called her Joou (Queen).
"That title was released with a lot of
fanfare, but the content is lackluster, and the big-name creator they hyped up
is acting like he has nothing to do with it. From the buyer's perspective, I
bet they feel like they were tricked~"
"In that case, could you help out with
the phone calls for a bit?"
"No way, it's a pain. Besides, it's
already decided that the department's newcomers handle that stuff, so I don't
wanna do iit."
Shoving aside a mountain of survey
postcards with her elbow, the Queen made a "bye-bye" gesture with her
hand. Such a clear rejection was a rare sight.
"Sorry, sorry for pushing such a
troublesome job on you. But I think the inquiries will die down by next week,
so just hang in there a little longer, okay?"
The voice of a kind-looking older man spoke
up instead. Because of the mountain of documents piled on his desk, I could
only see the top of his slightly balding head. He was the manager of our
department, but because of the top of his head, I secretly called him
Takoyaki-san.
"You say that, Manager, but next week
'Circ Wizard 3' is coming out, so I'm sure we'll be swamped dealing with
that."
As I replied, the top of his head shot up
vertically. The face beneath it was completely pale, revealing an anxious
expression.
"Th-that's right... What should we do?
If I remember correctly, the development for that one was also pretty
disastrous, wasn't it...?"
As if reacting to Takoyaki-san's tragic
voice,
"The planner who worked on 1 and 2 was
poached, wasn't he, if I recall."
"The person who did the character
design also left with him, right, if I recall."
"On top of the planner who was forced
to take over not doing anything for six months, the person who took over after
that did a rush job, and it's being called a complete failure, if I
recall."
Unusually clear negative points erupted
from the other three.
"Well, for that reason, it doesn't
look like we'll have a peaceful day for a while."
"It seems so..."
Takoyaki-san once again sunk his head into
the mountain of documents. He might have been trying to console me in his own
way, but since I was already prepared for it, I wasn't particularly shocked.
As a gloomy atmosphere filled the room, the
door opened with a somewhat violent "thud."
With a "creak...", the front of
the door turned towards us. On the plate affixed to it, in slightly faded and
thin black letters,
"Development Department 13"
was written.
"Hey, Section Chief, didn't I tell you
to be quieter when you open the door~!"
Risuko's angry voice was directed towards
the open door.
"Can't be helped, my hands are
full."
A rough reply came from beyond the open
door.
And as if to follow, cardboard boxes were
tossed into the room one after another.
Once there were enough boxes for everyone,
a flashy-looking man entered the room and impolitely closed the door with his
foot. It was the section chief, Charaji. I call him that casually because he's
"charai" (flashy/frivolous).
Then he clapped his hands together and
said,
"Alright, alright, clear off your
desks a bit, I'm gonna put some stuff down."
As we were told, we cleared space on our
desks, and the cardboard boxes from earlier were placed there one by one.
"What is this...?"
Risuko asked, stroking a box suspiciously.
"Does it look like a birthday
present?"
Charaji replied grumpily as he began to rip
the packing tape off a box.
"Ah, I get it."
The Queen scowled with a sigh.
At almost the same time, seeing what
Charaji took out, the rest of us all let out the same deep, deep sigh.
"This again?"
"Isn't the publishing department
messing up a lot lately?"
"This is tiny again... It's tough on
me now that my presbyopia is starting."
In each of our hands was a stack of sticker
sheets with tiny text printed on them.
Charaji, with a look on his face as if he'd
just chewed and swallowed a mouthful of bitter bugs, said,
"...And so, we're now starting the
task of applying stickers to correct a misprint. The deadline is tomorrow at
noon."
Saying that, he plopped down into his
chair. Like a harmony, everyone's sighs echoed through the room once more.
When you turn some kind of article or
manuscript into content, mistakes inevitably occur. The act of mistakenly
writing something that differs from the original intent or information is
called a "goshoku" (misprint).
If it's just a mistake with a particle or a
word that has little effect on the text, a simple report will suffice, but in
some cases, it carries the risk of having to recall everything that was printed
and sold, resulting in a huge deficit.
Sometimes you manage to catch a misprint
before it goes on sale! In those cases, you have to correct what's already been
printed incorrectly.
"So that's what this is, the job of
applying stickers to the relevant parts to fix it."
Risuko said, as if confirming it with no
one in particular.
"Even for a simple task like this,
hiring part-timers costs money. By having us do it, we cut expenses."
Charaji answered bluntly, applying a
sticker with a practiced hand.
"But hey, the fact that work flows to
us like this just means you should be grateful for how well-liked I am."
I wonder what kind of popularity only gets
you menial chores.
"This place is 'Development' in name
only, isn't it?"
The Queen stretched with a groan, checked
the time on her phone, and...
"Well, I'm clocking out for the
day."
...said, standing up quickly.
"Oh, is it quitting time already? Then
I'm heading out too."
Charaji also coolly put on his jacket and
stood up.
"Hey, wait a minute, this is a must-do
for tomorrow morning, right?"
Even considering what we can do after
coming to work tomorrow, this seems like way too much left over.
"So?"
"Well, I mean, we should probably get
a solid chunk of it done today."
Charaji laughed off my question.
"Listen, you might be fired up since
you're a mid-career hire, but there's no point in showing that kind of
motivation here."
"I-Is that so..."
"It doesn't matter if we're late. They
probably set the deadline with plenty of buffer time anyway."
"Yeah, yeah, if you just casually turn
it in in the evening, it'll be fine~"
As if to demonstrate their firm resolve not
to sit down again, the two of them showed no sign of listening whatsoever.
"Well, see ya."
And then, without waiting for a response
from us, Charaji and the Queen left the room with a brief farewell.
"Is this really okay?"
As I tilted my head in confusion, Risuko
said with a smile,
"It's fine, nothing has ever happened
before."
"I-Is that so?"
When someone who's been here longer says
that, it makes it seem like it's not a big deal.
"Right, right, you two should wrap it
up soon and head home, too. The higher-ups get noisy if I let you work too much
overtime, you know."
The manager stroked his smooth,
slick-looking head and said,
"Well then, I think I'll be heading
home now too."
Leaving those words behind, he scurried out
of the room. Everyone's movements are always exceptionally smooth when it's
time to go home.
Afterwards, only Risuko and I were left. In
my left hand, a peeled-off sticker; in my right, the backing paper. Wielding
these rather unimpressive weapons, we were forced to choose how to fight from
here.
"Are you going to keep going,
Hashiba-san?"
Risuko looked up at me with a dopey
expression.
"For now, let's just do enough so
we're not in trouble tomorrow."
Development Department 13 employee, Hashiba
Kyouya. No matter the situation, the principle of at least getting my hands
moving was something I had always abided by.
◇
Our company is a comprehensive media
corporation that handles everything from software development and sales to the
publishing of related materials.
The star development division is split into
Development Departments 1 through 12, each producing representative works in
their respective genres. Though it's said that the quality has dropped compared
to the past, they still have blockbuster titles and large-scale projects that
are said to sell a million copies upon release, giving them a presence such
that no one in the industry doesn't know their name.
In such a large corporation, there was one
department that was clearly a "window seat" (a dead-end post).
The previously mentioned development
division officially consists of departments 1 through 12. But internally, it's
different. There is, in fact, a hidden 13th department.
So why is its existence hidden? Because
it's running a top-secret project, so its existence must absolutely not be
known to the outside world... that was the "fact" rumored on
anonymous forums, but in reality, that wasn't the case at all.
By the way, due to the founder's wishes,
our company does not have a general affairs or administrative department. This
is based on the noble philosophy of "let's all clean the office together,
let's all take care of what's lacking together," but honestly, it's a huge
pain. The majority opinion is that they should just hurry up and create a
department for it.
Therefore, ordering supplies and cleaning
became the responsibility of the accounting department, and for the remaining
miscellaneous tasks, they decided to create a "new development
department" and have it take charge.
That was precisely the role of our
Development Department 13.
"Hah, finally made it this
far..."
As I was rolling my stiff shoulders and
neck, Risuko gathered her things first and,
"Well then, excuse me, I'll be leaving
first!"
...gave a salute that looked like it would
make a sharp sound and bowed her head energetically in farewell.
"You're really fired up. Got any
plans?"
I thought maybe she was going to see a
movie or had plans for dinner, but...
"Nope, I'm going home to sleep my
heart out!"
...she declared with a vigor that made it
hard to believe she was about to go to sleep.
"I-I see."
"Yup! After all, I worked hard
today!"
I wondered if that was really the case...
but there was no doubt she was one of the harder workers in this department.
"Well then, good work. I think I'll
stay a little longer."
"Okay! I'll get a good rest and do my
best again tomorrow!"
And then, with another quick bow, she ran
off and left the office.
Now, it was just me. With nothing else to
do, I stretched once and returned to the silent work of applying stickers.
After making some progress, I glanced
around the room. The dim, almost silent room was unsettling rather than
calming.
Development Department 13 was different
from the other development departments in many ways, but its location was also
vastly different.
While the other development departments
were on the upper floors of our company building, like the 15th or 16th floor,
Department 13 was in the first basement level. Apparently, it was decided on
this location because its main job is inventory management, so it needed to be
close to the warehouse.
If you were to ask if it's a star
department, it certainly isn't, but...
"But well, just being able to work is
better than nothing... right?"
After all, we're in the middle of a
bottomless recession right now. Just being able to work at a publicly listed
company is incredibly lucky.
What's more, until just recently I was
jobless and in debt to a friend. Just receiving a salary like this now is
enough to make me cry with gratitude.
When I think of it that way, I have no
complaints about my current situation.
I glanced at the clock and saw it was
already past 8 PM.
"Maybe I should head home soon."
Just as I packed my personal tablet and
smartphone into my bag and flipped my nameplate on the whiteboard to "Left
Office,"
the internal phone suddenly rang.
"That's rare, at this hour... Who's it
from?"
In Department 13, the internal line doesn't
ring very often. It's either a reminder about some menial task we were saddled
with, or it's security calling to chew us out for forgetting to notify them
when staying late.
At this hour, it's still too early to get
an angry call from security.
"Which means, someone must have messed
up."
When it comes to screw-ups in our
department, Section Chief Charaji is by far the most frequent offender,
followed by Risuko, and then the Queen here and there. They get chewed out for
handling miscellaneous tasks too sloppily or for being late with deadlines.
"I hate having to tell them."
Still, I can't just not answer the phone.
Our shared work schedule shows that someone is still in the department, so if I
ignore the call, I'll get a really harsh scolding.
Steeling myself, I picked up the receiver
and pressed the internal line button with a sense of tension.
"...Yes, this is Department 13."
The voice that came from the other end made
me relax in an instant.
"Oh, it's just Kawasegawa-san..."
◇
A two-to-three-minute walk from my office
building, there's a corner packed with bars. While there are many chain
establishments, among them was a place that the people from our company used
regularly.
It was a long-standing public izakaya, but
it was easy to walk into, and its good point was that even non-regulars felt
welcome. It embodied "cheap and delicious," a truly appreciated
establishment.
"Um, green onion tongue with salt,
heart skewers, and stomach sashimi, plus assorted kimchi, goya chanpuru, super
spicy chorizo, and a 'Ureshimi' salad... Oh, did you order drinks yet?"
"Not yet, for drinks."
"Then I'll have a highball. And
you?"
"Ah, I'll have the same."
"Then two highballs, please."
"Right away~"
The server, who was probably from Thailand
or Vietnam, relayed the order to the kitchen in fluent Japanese. The inside of
the restaurant was hot, and only a fan, running apologetically, would
occasionally send a breeze our way.
"It's hot, isn't it? Even though it's
not the time of year that really feels like summer."
Fanning herself with a provided paper fan,
Kawasegawa Eiko hardly seemed to be sweating at all.
"Abnormal weather, maybe? Probably the
effects of global warming."
As I gave a truly crap, throwaway response,
I was thinking about why I had been called here today.
Kawasegawa Eiko. She was the leader of our
company's star Development Department 2, and was also involved in launching new
businesses—a clearly capable person.
The moment I tried to vaguely recall just
how I knew such a person and was now drinking and speaking casually with her,
"So, have you gotten used to our
company?"
she started the conversation first, so I
put my reminiscing on hold.
Kawasegawa stared straight at me with
serious, sharp eyes. Frankly, she's an incredible beauty, so just being looked
at like this makes my heart pound quite a bit.
"Let's see... Well, it's basically
miscellaneous chores, so the work is simple."
When I answered, Kawasegawa looked away
apologetically.
"I'm sorry. If I hadn't done that,
there wouldn't have been an open spot anywhere."
A few drinks and appetizers were placed on
the table. We both clinked glasses for a toast and wet our throats.
"Not at all, I'm grateful. Just
getting into such a good company makes me feel unbelievably lucky."
Those were my honest feelings.
Considering the days I spent failing one
document screening after another, just having a job decided was something to be
thankful for, and I had no intention of complaining about the work itself.
For someone like me with no decent work
history, my current environment feels more than sufficient.
"That's not true!"
Suddenly, Kawasegawa raised her voice.
"You're too self-deprecating. You just
haven't been in a place where you could fully utilize your abilities until
now."
"O-oh... thanks."
"So, just be patient for a little
while. I'll definitely have you come and succeed in my department
eventually."
Saying that, she took a large gulp from her
mug of highball.
(...She really, really rates me highly,
doesn't she?)
Well, given the circumstances, I might have
left a strong impression.
The appetizers we ordered later arrived,
and for a while, we continued to drink leisurely with them as snacks. We didn't
talk much about work. I didn't think she particularly wanted to.
"What do you want next?"
Kawasegawa's mug was empty, so I handed her
the drink menu and asked for her order.
"Umm, I'm a little drunk, so something
light..."
The moment she was about to choose, a
notification sound echoed from her smartphone.
"Ah, excuse me for a moment."
Kawasegawa immediately opened an app and
began doing something.
"You're always checking your messages
and things, that's amazing."
I thought she could at least relax while
drinking... but maybe she's the type who can't rest until she's taken some kind
of action right away.
"No, if it were just messages, I could
check them later. But there's an announcement for that certain project
today."
"Oh, I see. You were retweeting and
writing comments."
"Yes," Kawasegawa nodded.
In Development Department 2, where she
belonged, they were currently making a blockbuster game.
"Mystic Clockwork." It was a
high-profile work, centered on a game, with media expansions like anime and
comics already decided.
"It's amazing, to be involved in a
project like that."
That work was special to me, too.
The dream project whose production was
announced on a Niconama stream while I was on my way back to my parents' house,
my own dreams shattered.
Kawagoe Kyouichi.
N@NA (Nana).
And Akishima Shino.
A collaboration by three creators I was a huge fan of. It's a project everyone has high hopes for, wondering what kind of work it will turn out to be.
"Yes, I think it's a very...
meaningful work."
She replied to my words with a soft sigh.
She didn't sound as happy as her words suggested.
Kawasegawa was the chief director of that
project. Her social media activity, which she had previously kept private, was
made public with the announcement.
Naturally, she would garner attention from
all sorts of people. Her followers, which were around two thousand before the
reveal, had now grown to over thirty thousand.
I wonder if it's because she feels that
burden. She did say she was honestly not good at disseminating information on
social media.
She doesn't seem to like this topic very
much. I decided to change the subject.
"Kawasegawa-san, um."
"You're using polite language again. I
told you to stop."
"Ah, sorry..."
Even though she's the same age, she's my
superior, so I tried to speak to her politely at first. But she adamantly
refused and told me to speak casually.
"Kawasegawa... do you like your
current job?"
I asked simply out of curiosity.
I love games, and that's why I chose this
industry, wanting to make them. Or rather, I can't imagine there are many
people working in this industry who dislike games.
So, I thought I could talk with Kawasegawa
about that kind of topic, but...
"Like it? I wonder... I don't really
have an answer right now."
It was a typical response for her, but it
wasn't a response that said she liked it.
"I see. I like it, though."
"You do, don't you? Ever since we
first met."
I thought I saw Kawasegawa smile a little.
She's friendly enough to invite me out for
drinks like this, but she rarely showed a smiling face to anyone. I didn't know
the reason why.
◇
What was supposed to be just "joining
for a bit" ended up dragging on until close to the last train. Kawasegawa,
who had downed a grand amount of highball, managed to get to the train, albeit
stumbling a little.
"Sorry for making you lend me your
shoulder."
With a slightly pale face, she had looked
apologetic ever since we left the restaurant.
"It's fine. I'm used to this kind of
thing."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?
Don't make it sound like I'm a troublesome drunk."
That's pretty much exactly what it is,
though...
"...No, sorry, I'm being a pain,
aren't I? I'm sorry."
"You realize it and call yourself out
on it..."
It was so unlike her usual composed self
that I found it kind of cute.
"Ah, um, if you don't mind, again
sometime."
"Of course, I don't mind going for
drinks at all."
She seemed a little relieved.
The train arrived at the platform. Although
it wasn't the last train, the cars were filled with people who looked like they
were also coming from drinks, slumped exhaustedly in their seats.
Kawasegawa slowly moved away from me and
said,
"Thanks, I'm fine from here."
With that, she got on the train heading
towards Tokyo. She said she was staying at a nearby business hotel for the
night.
After seeing her off, I got on a train in
the opposite direction towards Shinjuku. From there, my commute route was to
transfer to the Odakyuu Line and go back to a station called Komae.
"Man... she was really drinking a
lot."
Just recalling it roughly, she must have
consumed a considerable amount of alcohol. I made her drink a lot of water
towards the end, so I don't think she passed out, though.
"I wonder if she'll be okay at
work."
She's probably always on edge, and that
worried me a little. I wasn't prying, but I'd heard that while she's an
excellent director, her private communication skills aren't that great.
If that's the case, she might have been
bottling things up with no way to let it out.
I hope today's drinking session made that
even a little bit better.
The moderately crowded train arrived in
Shinjuku, and I got on my transfer train.
My nearest station wasn't served by express
trains, but it was reasonably close, so being able to take a less crowded local
train home was a small blessing.
"Phew... that's a relief."
While seated, I gaze out the train window.
The Shinjuku skyline was visible in the distance. One of Japan's leading
business districts. A lot of people were probably coming and going there today,
too.
"It's already been two months,
huh."
I mutter aloud. The thing I was about to
remember at the bar earlier now came back to me vividly.
Just a short while ago, I was in that
place. What happened there was the catalyst for a major change in my life. I
couldn't have even imagined that an unbelievable choice like that would be
lying around in such a place.
◆
Two months ago.
I was on a pedestrian bridge in
Nishi-Shinjuku.
In front of me was the figure of a woman
who looked like she was about to throw herself off.
There was no time to hesitate. I reached
out my hand and started running.
"Uwaaaah, stop!!"
Shouting, I charged at the woman in front
of me. I couldn't care about my appearance, so I must have looked incredibly
clumsy.
"Eh, ehh!?"
With about three meters to go, she noticed
me. I dove with all my might and rolled onto the ground, holding her in my
arms.
I jumped in a way that I'd flip over and
land underneath her, so she wouldn't hit the ground directly. Because of that,
my back hurt like hell.
"Wh-who are you! Hey, what are you
doing all of a sudden...!"
Seeing as she was talking, it seemed her
body wasn't injured.
"I don't know what happened, but you
absolutely can't jump! I'm depressed because I don't have a job either, but I'm
not thinking of dying at all..."
I ended up talking based on my own
situation, but I thought to myself that I'd chosen some pretty good words.
That's right, I don't know what her
circumstances were, but I had lost my job and couldn't find a new one, so if
anything, I was the one who needed help.
That's why I thought the words "don't
die" would get through to her, but...
"...I see."
A big sigh.
"So you thought I was a suicide
wannabe, and you tried to stop me."
"Y-yes, that's why I thought I had to
stop you... huh?"
I finally realized it here.
The woman was strangely calm, speaking
composedly.
Neither befitted a person who was about to
commit suicide.
"............Was that not... the
case?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
Along with her exasperated sigh,
"Would you mind letting go of
me?"
a relatively angry voice sounded in my ear.
"Yes..."
Like a claw machine, I instantly spread my
arms and legs with all my might.
◇
"Um, I am terribly... sorry."
For the time being, since we were both
covered in dust and whatnot, we decided to clean up at a nearby hamburger shop.
"I don't mind. I was definitely doing
something misleading, after all."
This was my first encounter with
Kawasegawa. She introduced herself and revealed that she was an employee of a
software development company in Tokyo, and that she was just randomly watching
the cars go by on her way back from a meeting in Shinjuku.
That's when I happened to pass by, and the
misunderstanding and the dive occurred.
The reason she was taking off her shoe
mid-way was apparently because "a pebble got in," which was a story
so embarrassing it went beyond just jumping to conclusions.
"Um, are your clothes okay? If they're
torn or anything, then."
I started to say, "I'll pay for
them," but my words trailed off.
I'm currently job hunting, so on top of
having no income, I'm even borrowing money from my friend Hayakawa for daily
transportation and food expenses. I'm not familiar with the price of a woman's
suit, but I doubt it's something that can be settled for two or three thousand
yen.
Tens of thousands of yen in my current
situation is a death sentence. When I timidly checked,
"It seems to be fine. Thanks to you
cushioning my fall."
"Th-that's good."
It was really good. Incredibly good.
"If, um, something comes up later,
please contact me here. I'll compensate you then."
Saying that, I handed her a memo with my
parents' home phone number. Worst case, I'll apologize profusely to my parents
and get them to help me out....
"I see. Well, I think it's fine,
but... I'll hold onto this."
As I was sighing in relief, Kawasegawa-san,
while sipping her cola through a straw,
"Hey, can I ask you something?"
she asked.
I wonder what she's going to ask. She said
she wasn't mad earlier, but what if she grills me with a bunch of harsh
questions and then I end up at the police station...?
Or, what if she's actually a lawyer or
something, and starts preparing for a lawsuit. Forget job hunting, everything
could end with me paying damages.
"Ah, um... please, just spare me from
a lawsuit."
I blurted it out, and Kawasegawa-san looked
at me with a puzzled expression.
"Lawsuit? What are you talking about?
I just wanted to ask why you decided to help me."
......Thank goodness, it seems it wasn't
about that.
"Because, well, you can't just leave
something like that alone."
Naturally, when someone might be about to
die, I couldn't possibly just stand by as a spectator.
"Besides, since I was there at that
moment, I thought, this must be what it's about..."
I'm not going to talk about fate or
anything, but I do believe there's a strange power in places and timing. It's
what you'd call a chance encounter.
"Hmm..."
Kawasegawa-san seemed to be listening to me
seriously.
"Then one more thing. I want to ask
you about me from a moment ago."
"Me from a moment ago, you mean?"
She nodded and asked,
"Did I... really look like I was about
to die?"
"Eh........."
I was a bit taken aback by the question.
She was a little far, so I couldn't see her
expression clearly. If anything, it was the busy road and the pedestrian
bridge, a lone woman, and the fact that she was starting to take off her shoe
that prompted me to intervene.
But, I had seen a little something.
"You had a bit of a lonely look about
you. That might have been part of the reason."
The way her eyes looked into the distance
was very cold, and I couldn't sense any passion in them.
It wasn't about watching the hustle and
bustle of the city, but more that she just seemed bored, or uninterested in
anything. That's the feeling I got.
Putting all those impressions together, I
got the impression that she was "lonely."
"Lonely, huh... I see."
Kawasegawa-san seemed to be convinced by my
words.
"I'm sorry, I said something
rude."
"Yes, it is rude. To tell someone you
just met that they look lonely."
"I-I'm sorry!"
Could it be that this person is the type to
start a conversation just to pick a fight later?
"What's your age?"
"28."
"Oh... we're the same age. Then you
don't need to speak to me so formally."
......Even if you tell me that all of a
sudden.
Come to think of it, looking at her again,
she was an incredible beauty. Not in a harsh way, but with a cute charm to her
as well—a wonderfully greedy combination of features.
To chat casually with a girl like that
would require a considerable amount of getting used to and time. If we were
college classmates or something, then I could understand, but.
Kawasegawa-san continued to gaze at me,
seemingly lost in thought.
Eventually, she nodded deeply as if she'd
come to a realization, and
"Are you interested in video
games?"
she asked me abruptly.
"Eh, ah, yes. I play them often."
I didn't mention, for the time being, that
I had been on the fringes of that industry.
"You see, I work in that
industry."
"Eh, r-really?"
I almost shouted.
To think that someone I met by chance was
in the same industry. Even with software development, I never imagined we'd
overlap.
As I was wondering what maker she worked
for, what software she was involved in,
"I'm working on a certain project
right now. Is it okay if I tell you about it?"
She began to tell me a more detailed story.
"Is it really okay to tell a complete
stranger like me about that?"
"I won't use any specific names, so
it's fine. Anyway, I've run into a lot of problems with it."
Kawasegawa...san downed the rest of her
cola in one gulp and crunched on the ice.
"You know what hitting a tennis ball
against a wall is, right? It's that."
"Huh...?"
"I'm going to ramble on about what's
bothering me now, so I want you to just listen. I'm not looking for an answer
or anything. I just want you to listen."
Ah, I see. I can definitely understand how
just telling someone can make you feel calmer.
"I understand. Then I'll be your wall
to hit against."
"Yes, thank you."
Kawasegawa-san's complaint was this.
There's a project currently underway at her
company, but there are so many tasks that have to proceed simultaneously that
she's in a situation where she can't move.
"It's a project that requires thorough
quality checks, so if I can't get to it, it immediately becomes a bottleneck.
But I just don't have the time or the hands."
The task that needed to be done
concurrently was character illustration production. On top of being careful
with her interactions with the artist, the thought of also having to adjust the
tone seemed extremely difficult.
However, just contacting people to make
requests at the same time is a huge amount of work. These days, many companies
are being called out for messing up their communications, so she absolutely
can't just leave it to an assistant.
Therefore, the situation of having
everything fall on her shoulders was painful, she said.
"Okay, wall-hitting session over. I'm
sorry for making you listen to my incoherent ramblings."
Kawasegawa-san said with a sigh.
More than I thought... or rather, it almost
completely overlapped with the work I used to do. The only difference was the
scale, large or small, but the points of concern were the same.
Listening to her, I crossed my arms and
began to think.
"What's wrong? Was there something in
my story that caught your attention?"
"Ah, no... it's just."
I was about to open my mouth, but I
hesitated for a moment.
If I were to voice my thoughts now, would
they actually be of any use to her? There's nothing more obstructive than
unnecessary advice. What's more, she had approached this conversation on the
premise of it being a "wall-hitting" session.
But something was definitely nagging at me.
If by taking this one step forward, she could gain some kind of hint.
(We met through a series of coincidences,
after all...)
If I were to talk about holding back or
whatever, then the whole incident on the pedestrian bridge was unnecessary in
the first place.
"Um, if the wall were to talk... would
that be a little too much?"
"Eh?"
"About what you just said, it's a long
shot, but... I thought I might be able to help."
I took a sip of the oolong tea in my hand
and sighed.
"Is it okay if I... grab a racket and
hit back?"
She'll surely make a puzzled face. That's
what I thought, but,
"...Fine, let me hear it."
surprisingly, she faced my suggestion with
a serious expression.
"Thank you, then."
I took a notebook and pen from my bag. I
tore out a page and got ready.
"I'm going to ask you a few questions.
Can you answer them?"
She nodded silently.
"Do you want modern-style
illustrations? Or fantasy-style?"
"Um... fantasy-style, but."
"Next. Realistic style or deformed
style?"
"Deformed style, I think."
"Proportions? Who's the main character
designer? Any furry elements?"
Kawasegawa-san, while showing some slight
confusion, answered my questions accurately. I wrote down her answers on the
paper.
One by one, I recalled my previous jobs.
Because the president was useless, I ended up contacting people from all over,
and as a result, I was able to make various connections.
I look at my phone contacts, check their
activity on Twitter, and combine them, this person for this, this person for
that.
Once all of that was roughly in place,
"...This could work."
"Work? What could work?"
I spread the paper out and showed it to
Kawasegawa-san.
"With that number of characters, the
required quality, deadline, and pay, you should be able to entrust it to them
with this combination."
On the paper were candidates for
illustrators for the 50 characters she said she needed.
"I've narrowed down their areas of
expertise by genre, degree of anthropomorphism, presence or absence of weapons,
and gender. All the people listed here are trustworthy, including their
personalities. Please use this as a reference if you'd like."
Kawasegawa-san's eyes changed color as she
began to look at the chart.
"What is this...? Even when I asked an
agency, I didn't get such a well-balanced list of candidates."
"Well, if you ask an agency, it will
inevitably be biased. They might prioritize ease of management and let the
quality drop, or the opposite could happen."
The reason I became so knowledgeable about
illustrators was the result of using every antenna I had while asking for help
work and guest illustrations.
"Also, and this is the most important
thing."
I point to a part of the chart and draw a
circle with my finger.
"The person written at the top of each
group can also handle the management of the other illustrators."
"They can do that too...!?"
"Yes. Of course, that will incur a
cost, but they can provide much more careful support than an agency."
Of course, if you want to make it
completely systematic, it would be better to partner with a company that has an
established system like an agency.
But, the other party is ultimately a human
being, and there are cases where systems and rules alone aren't enough to get
them on board. In those times, a group like this, built on individual
solidarity, is incredibly helpful. I was very indebted to them in my previous
job.
In addition to that, I also talked about
countermeasures in case the entire group became unreachable, the person in
charge I was close to, and people to consult with.
I started to sound like a temp agency
recruiter, but I gave a brief explanation anyway.
"That's all, I'm sorry. I don't know
if it will be of any reference."
I said, bowing my head.
Kawasegawa-san looked at the list written
on the paper again, and then at my face.
"...So you were in the same
industry."
"Not at all. Compared to the scale
you're working at, I'm like trash."
I briefly talked about my previous place of
employment, and how I'm currently looking for a new job.
"But why? Even though it was such a
tough environment, why were you able to continue?"
Yes, that question would naturally come up.
I didn't get properly compensated, and it didn't lead to any achievements. So
why was I able to continue?
"Because I love it... I've always
loved games, and entertainment."
It all came down to this one phrase. If not
for that, I would have quit long ago. I want to create things, to bring them
into the world, so I bowed my head and put all my effort into devising ways to
do so.
"...Because you love it, huh."
Kawasegawa-san repeated my words and seemed
to be thinking about something.
I thought she would laugh. From the
perspective of someone as capable at work as her, a person like me who is
driven by personal feelings would probably be beyond her comprehension.
But, she seemed to take it seriously.
Without adding anything in particular after
that, she eventually picked up the paper I had given her and,
"I never thought I'd get a hint in a
place like this."
said, standing up.
"I never thought I'd be of any help
either."
I also stood up, put my tray away, and went
outside the shop. The night had grown late, and the surrounding restaurants
were starting to close.
Just as I was about to say "Well
then," and turn my back,
"Thank you, Hashiba...
Kyouya-san."
she said, giving a beautiful bow.
"Weren't you going to stop with the
formal language?"
"That's after you stop."
Kawasegawa-san let out a small chuckle.
◇
"So, you just came back after that
with nothing?"
"Yeah, I didn't ask for her contact
info or anything."
"Wow, what a waste. You definitely
could have gotten another meal or something out of that."
Even if you say that, I retorted.
The day after the incident with
Kawasegawa-san. I had failed at my job hunting as usual and had returned to
Hayakawa's house.
There, he asked me if anything had happened
since I was late yesterday, and I told him the whole story.
"Besides, right now, getting a job is
the priority, more than what's up with her."
It was my true, unvarnished feeling.
I can't even talk to women, let alone
anything else, as long as I don't have the money. I can't move, and most
importantly, I can't pay back my debt to Hayakawa.
"Right. Then just give up and come to
my company."
......Well, of course it would come to
that.
"I still have four more days, right? A
grace period."
"Yeah. But isn't it getting pretty
tough now?"
At his words, I thought about the company I
had an interview with today.
It wasn't a particularly large company,
they were mainly active in social media, and their sales were so-so. The job
description was something I had no problem with in terms of skills, and I tried
to push that point in my self-promotion, hoping they'd understand, but...
"It's the lack of name recognition
from my previous job. It all comes down to that."
The combo of "I don't know that
company," followed by "I don't know that work" was effective.
"Well, it's not my main line of work,
so it's just a guess, but I think a big part of this is whether or not you have
a common topic of conversation. It's not like they're just giving everyone a
test and picking from the top scores."
Hayakawa was right. That's probably why
creative types get so excited when they're involved in a big project....
"Hey, did you apply here?"
Hayakawa, who was looking at job postings
on his phone, showed me an article.
"Which one... Ah, no, not this one.
Pass."
The moment I saw the company name, I waved
my hand to dismiss it.
"Why not? Even I know this place. You
might as well give it a shot."
"It's precisely because it's that kind
of company."
That company name held a lot of different
feelings for me.
A longed-for work by longed-for creators.
The company that handles both its production and development.
They used to make bishoujo games, but now
they've become a major manufacturer of consumer and social games,
"--Succeed Soft, if I could get in
there, that would be the best."
It did say that the entrance exam was open
to anyone regardless of education, work history, or age, but it was widely
rumored that this was only the very first hurdle.
While there were few instances of nepotism,
there were factions within the company from major national and private
universities, and in the creative departments, there were groups of people from
famous art universities, art colleges, and animation studios. And getting into
one of those was said to be the de facto first hurdle.
Even after clearing that document
screening, there was a rigorous screening at the practitioner level, and unless
you had considerable skills and achievements, you couldn't proceed to the
executive interview, and even that was a very narrow gate, as reported on job
hunting and career change information sites.
What I just mentioned was about new
graduates and those with little work experience, but with such a rigorous
hurdle being rumored, it was certain that a company like that wouldn't let
someone with my track record in with a free pass.
"Well, if I had the luck to get into a
place like this, I would have long ago... huh?"
Something unusual happened.
A call, which rarely came from anyone other
than family, arrived on my smartphone.
"Hey, your phone's ringing. Isn't it a
result from somewhere?"
"No, I'm not waiting on any interview
results right now..."
While tilting my head at Hayakawa's words,
I checked the number of the person who was calling.
A mobile number starting with 090. I didn't
recognize it. Naturally, it wasn't saved in my contacts either.
"Should I answer...? Hello?"
I press the call button and put the speaker
to my ear.
"Is this Hashiba Kyouya-san?"
"Yes, it is..."
It was a woman's voice. A sharp, clear
voice that sounded very professional.
"I apologize for contacting you so
late at night and so suddenly. I'm actually calling to discuss a job change. Do
you currently have a job offer or a company you are scheduled to work
for?"
I stood up without thinking.
"No, not at all, if there is one, I
would love to discuss it."
"I understand. In that case, I would
very much like you to have an interview. I will tell you the date, time, and
location."
As I was told, I jotted down the
information.
However, although I had registered with
several job change sites, was there a service that would give me a one-on-one
phone call like this?
It's probably a so-called matching service,
but in the first place, for me to be recommended in this way is impossible
given my meager track record.
While tilting my head in confusion, I
received all the information and confirmed that I understood.
"Well then, I look forward to seeing
you the day after tomorrow."
Since the call was about to end,
"Um, excuse me, I know it's strange to
ask after the fact, but which job change site are you calling from? I realized
I hadn't asked."
I heard a faint laugh on the other end of
the line.
"Ah, you're right. I slipped into
business-speak out of habit."
"Eh... Casual speech??"
The woman on the other end suddenly
switched to a frank tone.
"Because I told you, we're the same
age, so it's fine."
With those words.
Finally, the woman from yesterday's
mistaken suicide attempt incident and the woman on the phone connected in my
mind.
"Ah, from that time!"
"It was a pain to call your parents'
house and get your contact information. Your father told me things like 'Kyouya
doesn't have any female acquaintances like that.'"
The memory of giving her my parents' phone
number during our exchange about compensating her for her clothes came flooding
back.
At the same time, I was about to say the
name I had remembered. But before I could, she introduced herself.
"Let me introduce myself again. I am
Kawasegawa Eiko, Manager of the 2nd Development Department at Succeed
Soft."
Not just her name, but a surprising title
as well.
I dropped my phone without thinking and
collapsed to the floor.
"Succeed, Soft... you've gotta be
kidding me...!"
It was the moment that brought the most
surprising choice and its result in the history of my life.
◇
The day of the interview.
Dressed more sharply in a suit than usual,
I headed to Gotanda via Shinjuku Station and was walking towards a high-rise
building a few minutes from the station.
Compared to the entertainment district of
the east exit, the west exit of Gotanda Station also has the face of a business
district. Among the rows of game and app companies, the one that occupies a
particularly conspicuous high-rise office building is,
"So this is it..."
Succeed Soft, an industry giant that has
now become one of the most popular companies.
I was intimidated by the building in front
of me, but for the time being, I pulled myself together and headed for the
entrance.
As I stood in front of the pure white
counter, two receptionists stood up smoothly in unison.
"My name is Hashiba, I'm here for an
interview at 1:00 PM..."
"Hashiba-sama, yes, we have you down.
Could you please wait in space number 5?"
As I was told, I headed to the reception
area by the window and sat down. I put my luggage down beside me, took a deep
breath, and looked around.
The entrance seems to be an atrium that
goes up to the third floor, and the ceiling was high, giving it a sense of
openness. However, the luxurious design created a sense of tension that negated
that feeling.
In the other reception areas, meetings
seemed to be taking place. They were talking about magazine features for
announced works and in-store promotions.
(I really... came here.)
I'm now here for an interview at a company
where I felt so out of place. The phone call the other day didn't feel real,
but being inside the company now, my feelings are gradually getting more
excited.
I have a sense of reality, but that's a
separate issue from confidence. Can someone like me, who worked for a small,
precarious manufacturer, really work for a large company like this?
The more I think about it, the stronger the
desire to run away becomes.
(What am I thinking? This is a great
chance!)
I shake my head and push aside my feelings
of weakness.
Someone from the development department,
and a leader at that, recommended me. How can I not feel inspired by that?
"Get fired up, yeah."
I slap both my cheeks and change my
mindset.
Just as I was about to check the time on my
phone, thinking it was about time,
"You're punctual. Very proper."
a woman in a suit appeared in the space.
Kawasegawa Eiko. Unlike when I met her the
other day, today she had an employee ID card hanging from her neck, and had a
sharp look about her, as if she were in battle mode.
"Ah, th-thank you for today."
"Thank you as well. Thank you for
taking the trouble to come on such short notice."
It was a flawless greeting and a beautiful
bow. I had felt it when I met her the other day, but she seemed like a very
capable person.
"Please, have a seat."
As I was told, I sat down, and she also sat
down in front of me.
"First, I'd like to inform you
that."
After putting the documents in her hand
into a file case,
"I'm not the one conducting the
interview. Another person will be doing it in 30 minutes."
"Ah, yes. I see."
"Yeah... so, from here on out, I'm
going to speak normally. Can you do the same?"
Even if you say that.
"Since I have an interview coming up,
it's a bit hard to switch gears..."
"That's true. Well then, it's fine as
long as you answer my questions frankly."
Even though the interview is after this,
what does she mean?
Could it be that there's another test
before the interview? But if that were the case, she would have said so.
If it's just small talk, there's no need to
be so formal... I wonder what this is about.
"When we met the other day, you said
you... liked games, right?"
"Yes. Ah, yeah."
When I answered, she hesitated a little.
It looks like she was about to say
something, but couldn't get it out.
"The reason I decided to call you here
is because of your decisiveness, your ability to take action, your flexibility
and adaptability, and of course your excellent direction, and other things like
that, but."
She saw all that in such a short time?
But, after saying all that, the
"but" worries me.
"But... what?"
As if she'd made up her mind, she took a
breath.
"...That feeling, always remember
it."
"Eh?"
"If you end up working here, I want
you to not forget the feeling you just mentioned. If you do that..."
I was stared at directly with a sharp gaze.
"Someday, let's work together."
They were strong, firm words, but I felt a
sense of loneliness in them somewhere.
"...Yeah."
When I nodded, she stood up without a word
and said,
"There are stairs next to the
elevator, so take those down to the basement. The interview is in the room
right in front of you."
She turned on her heel and left towards the
elevator hall.
"What was that just now?"
Her words seemed to contain many things,
and I kept thinking about them.
If I take her words at face value, it seems
she was confirming my enthusiasm for the job I'm about to do.
But if that were the case, would she speak
in such a suggestive way? Maybe her words had a more fundamental, deeper
meaning.
"For now, I guess I'll go to the
interview."
Thirty minutes after she had spoken, it was
now five minutes to 1:30.
I stood up and walked towards the elevator
hall on the left side of the entrance. The attached map instructed me to go
through this hall, down the corridor ahead, and take the stairs at the end. I
followed the instructions and looked for the stairs.
The elevator hall had the same atmosphere
as the entrance, with uniform white walls. And indeed, beyond it, a dim
corridor continued further in.
"Is this really the right place?"
The corridor was covered in a strange
darkness that made me anxious.
At the very end, I finally found the
stairs. There were no stairs going up, only a simple set going down.
"I must have made a mistake,
right?"
The further I went, the more anxious I
became. But, what she had told me wasn't wrong.
I slowly descended the stairs to the
basement floor. In a slightly wide space lined with rooms for managing the
electrical systems and emergency exits, I discovered something terrifying.
"What is...?"
On a door so simple it was almost missable,
there was a plastic plate that had clearly been attached later.
It read:
"Development Department 13?"
When you think of Succeed Soft's
development, don't you picture a stylish office in a modern building with
floor-to-ceiling windows, something that doesn't look like a game development
company at all?
But what's in front of me now looks to have
the same atmosphere as the office of the bishoujo game maker I used to work
for, located in a multi-tenant building.
Looking at it again, this is strange.
"Are they just holding the interview
here... maybe?"
That was also hard to believe. After all,
there was a splendid meeting space on the first floor where I had just been.
I wondered if I was being pranked, but
there's no way that Kawasegawa-san would do something like that.
"...I guess I have no choice but to go
in."
I gulped and nervously knocked on the door.
"Ah, come in~"
A voice completely devoid of tension
replied from the other side of the door.
This is getting weirder and weirder. This
can't be right.
My suspicion deepening, I turned the knob
with a trembling hand and opened the door.
Along with a slightly dusty smell, I heard
the same tension-less voice as before.
"Ah, ah, welcome, you're the person
here for the interview today, right?"
A man with a round build and a round face
was looking at me with an apologetic smile.
The room was cluttered. Boxes and supplies
were scattered about like in a warehouse, along with a staggering amount of
paper documents, as well as hard disks, old PCs, and monitors.
In a situation where there was barely any
room to walk, a few desks and chairs were lined up in a corner. Unlike modern
office furniture, they were steel desks and chairs with a Showa-era feel. The
hard, narrow seats looked like they'd give you a backache in no time.
Everything played its part perfectly in
creating a down-at-the-heels atmosphere.
"So, about the interview, it's just a
simple one, so I'd like to ask you first when you'd be able to start..."
the roundish, takoyaki-headed man from
before asked.
"Um, it's a given, but I'm going to be
working here... right?"
"Yes, of course. Weren't you
told?"
I froze for a moment at the man's words,
but then I nodded deeply and,
"So that's how it is, huh..."
let out a dry laugh.
It was the moment I finally understood what
Kawasegawa-san had said.
