Thank you for all the patrons Ilmi Sumitro, eduardo diaz, Erik Hartleben and Andres Ulloa.
Chapter 3 | Everyday Life in Unexpected Places is | Remake our Life! ◄◄
Part 7
I contacted Funabashi-san directly to decline the appointment. I was afraid that she might raise a lot of questions, but she gave her approval surprisingly easily, so I decided to switch my thoughts.
(Idea... Is there any way, any good idea?)
All the while, I was working with my hands to develop a survival strategy for Project Grape.
A head-on approach is no good, but that doesn't mean that we should be too aggressive, either, in that case, the idea is to go through with the concept, but make sure that the groundwork is well laid. We were thinking about what we could do if we took events that had occurred in other industries and applied them to our own.
(It won't come out right away, so conveniently)
It was an urgent mission, of course, but it wasn't something that could be popped out so suddenly. We were on a difficult mission: to stay calm and hurry.
For the time being, I return my attention to the task at hand.
"Alright, this is over... and"
The images that have been created are compiled and uploaded to a shared folder. When I contacted the webmaster via the chat tool, he immediately responded with a reaction indicating his understanding.
In the daily life of the 2nd Development Department, while promoting the development of MysClo, the main task is to create materials for public relations work, which is another task for which I am in charge.
I was immersed in one of my duties that day: making image documents. Succeedsoft has an official Nico Live channel that regularly distributes news. Thumbnails, tickers, etc. are made by assistants in the PR department, but when it comes to things related to the main feature of the work, it is faster for me to make them, so I did so.
So, when I concentrate on my work and think while listening to music, I inevitably do not hear other noises, so I sometimes do not notice when someone calls my name.
So often I don't realize it until someone taps me on the shoulder,
"Ah, yes, yes... whoa, Kawasegawa...!"
I was indeed surprised to see the department head when I turned around.
"I'm sorry, when you are in the middle of work. I need to ask you something. Is now a good time?"
"Y-Yes, okay."
Kawasegawa's eyes were serious.
(I wonder what she would be talking about. Don't tell me it's about Funabashi-san's visit?)
While there is no problem with what has been done, the movement here may be at risk.
I wondered how to explain it. But what Kawasegawa said was,
"Why don't you take a day off for the w-weekend?"
"...Ha?"
It was an unexpected topic.
"Day off, you mean holiday?"
"R-Right."
I couldn't help but ask the obvious question.
"I think you're a little overworked. Unn, that's right."
Kawasegawa explains in a tone of voice as if she were talking to herself. Somehow, her usual sharpness does not seem to be there.
"So, as the head of the department, I thought I'd give you a well-deserved holiday."
A holiday, huh...
However, I haven't had a day off like a vacation for a while. I have not taken so-called "off days" for a while, although I have refrained from doing so because it would interfere with my work if I cut back on sleep.
The reason for this is simple,
"Eh, but I don't have that kind of time. In fact, even now, I have so much to do that I'm adjusting my scheduler every 10 minutes or so."
It was simply because I was insanely busy.
"Ah, I've adjusted that."
When I looked, I saw that even Kuroda had come to my seat before I knew it.
"Eh, why again?"
"That's because you, Hashiba, are doing so much work that the Labor Standards Bureau is taking notice. Kawasegawa asked me for advice, so I finally figured it out a while ago.
"Since when?"
I'm using a type of scheduler in Succeedsoft that can also manage attendance and time off, and can change the content in real time.
"...... It's really changed."
When I open it exactly now, what I was supposed to do just five minutes ago has been drastically rewritten.
The fact that they have done this much means that there is no escape now.
"So, here's the order. I want you to take this Saturday and Sunday off. Okay?"
As expected, there was no way I could refuse, so I said, "Yes."
I can't deny that I was somewhat tired, and I'm thankful for that, so I'll try to get some rest.
"So, Hashiba."
Kuroda looked at me with a strange grin.
"The manager seems to be curious about whether you are going to rest properly on your days off."
"Eh?"
"H-Hey, Kuroda!! It would be misleading to put it that way!"
Suddenly, Kawasegawa's face turned red and she lost her cool.
"You said earlier that you were concerned about whether the workaholic staff was enjoying their days off, and that's why you took time off to check on them. Well, that's the excuse you made after I confronted you about taking the same day off!"
"Ah... Ugh ... Aah"
Kawasegawa collapsed on the spot with steam coming out of her head.
"Kuroda, you..."
"That's how it was. Ah, but it's true that the manager was concerned about the condition of your health and that she felt she had to do something about the workaholic staff. On top of that, it's up to you to decide if you want to accept Eiko-chan's invitation for a date, see you later."
Giggling, Kuroda returned to his seat.
All that remained were two people: the vice manager, who could only be puzzled, and the manager, who was completely burning out and had no wreckage left.
I was wondering how to talk to her, but for the time being,
"You know, Kawasegawa..."
"................................................What is it?"
A grumpy, or rather, sulky reply came back in a very, very small voice.
"I've been curious about the haunted house at Ninja Park, which starts this weekend, because I've heard a lot about it on the Internet, so let's go to this one. I know it's not the same industry, but it's a study in staging"
"『Ikebukuro Terror House』right, I know! I heard that it's different from other haunted houses in that it's very well thought out and well staged! I've been thinking about going to that one, and yes, we can learn a lot about staging, you know! I get it!"
After conveying a certain amount of concern and making it sound like an extension of my job, she got on board there, as I expected, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"What's so funny!"
Maybe I just didn't notice this, but I think this girl is actually really cute, by any chance...
Part 8
By order of the manager of the 2nd Development Department, I had to take a day off on weekends. However, since it was Saturday and Sunday, I could say that it was just like any other day on the calendar, but from the perspective of recent years, when I had to work on holidays all the time, a full day off was very valuable.
By coincidence, I ended up spending one of those days with the manager. In a sense, it could be said that holidays have turned into business. Of course, if I told that to Kawasegawa, she would be frankly disappointed.
And on Sunday, I was at Shinjuku station. I went out of the platform to the ticket gate and headed for the shade of a nearby pillar. There, I saw Manager Kawasegawa, who seemed to have just arrived.
"...You're early."
"I just adjusted it to Kawasegawa time, that's all."
We had met at the same place before, but that time she had arrived 30 minutes before the planned meeting.
So today, I went along with that.
"Well, you know, today, Kawasegawa is"
"Right, I'm here today to check if you, workaholic, can take a proper day off work, not for any other purpose or anything like that. If I don't say that first, it will lead to a misunderstanding between the public and private life, or an abuse of authority, which is not good, and it's not my intention either, so I have to make sure that I say that first"
Fast talk. I really didn't notice, but Kawasegawa is...
"Then, let's go. We're going to Ikebukuro, so let's take the Yamanote Line."
As I was about to walk away, I suddenly heard a voice behind me.
"If you take the Saikyo Line now, you'll get there faster~. Ikebukuro is just one stop away, so why don't you go there~?"
It was too easygoing for Kawasegawa's voice.
I turned around and saw in front of me,
"Kyouya-sa... Hashiba-san, what a coincidence."
Ichikawa Mika-san, who was on holiday, was standing there, waving her hands.
"C-C-C-Caretaker-san, why are you here?"
"Areeh? Why are you calling me "Caretaker-san" today? First name aside, but I thought I had established it by addressing the last name..."
"It doesn't matter now! So, why are you here?"
"When it's your day off and you want to go out, you might think of going to Shin-Yuri or Shinjuku if you live in that area~"
Indeed it is, but how many people do you think are in Shinjuku, let alone Shin-Yuri, this person!
"Kawasegawa, this person is the caretaker of the place where I live, Ichikawa..."
When I turned around to introduce her for the time being,
"............................................. Hashiba ...... Who is this person...............?"
"Hiih!"
For some reason, there was a girl there with a stern glare and the flames of battle burning in her body.
(I mean, why are you acting like that!)
That may be confusing because someone interrupted what was supposed to be a two-person activity, but there's no need to be so hostile.
"It would be ............... rude not to greet her...... Hashiba ......"
No good, there is clearly something wrong with her tone. Even though we are going to talk about going to a haunted house, I think the grudge spirit came up in advance...
"Like I said, she's the caretaker of the apartment building where I live."
"But didn't she call you... by first name earlier...........?"
"It was a habit of Ichikawa-san, ah, the caretaker, or rather, she's the kind of person who plays pranks like that, and so"
"Is that so............ The caretaker who plays pranks by calling name... Hmm........"
It's no good. She's totally had some kind of weird switch turned on already.
I mean, is Kawasegawa the kind of girl who gets so jealous in an obvious way?
I mean, if I were unimportant in the first place, she would not have this attitude... Or so it should.
(Eh, could it be)
The way Kuroda said, did, and responded, and the way Kawasegawa reacted to it, I was wondering if, by any chance, maybe she, about me,
"Are you by any chance Kawasegawa-san?"
My fantasy was cut off by Ichikawa-san's unexpected words.
Whether she did not notice the flames of war, or whether she noticed and went through with it, Ichikawa-san did not change her usual easygoing behavior at all.
"Yes, that's right... You know me?"
"Yes~! You always come up in conversation with Hashiba-san, so!"
Aah, stop it, Ichikawa-san. By "always," you mean once or twice a week at the most, but the way you put it, it sounds like we meet every day.
(No, but is it unusual in the first place to meet with the caretaker once~twice a week?)
I'm sure Kawasegawa will poke into these points as well... When I slid my gaze while thinking,
"You guys...... see each other a lot.............."
"Look, I knew it!!"
We ended up taking the Yamanote line instead of the Saikyo line, and had to explain the whole story to each other all the way to Ikebukuro.
Part 9
"I see, so you've only recently started meeting as a caretaker......"
"That's right~. He helped me in various ways, such as helping me in places I couldn't reach and carrying heavy loads~."
Kawasegawa glanced at me with a sideways glance,
"Heh, that's so. Hashiba-"san" is very kind, isn't he?"
She attacks me by calling me something that explicitly includes something.
(It's awkward. Very awkward)
The level of suffocation was at the level of about three layers of masks, and I was completely exhausted and cut off before I even went out to play.
Ninja Park is an amusement complex located in Sunshine Town. Inside the park, a new type of haunted house, which is the talk at the moment, was standing proudly under the title of a special exhibit.
"Welcome to the new haunted house, Ikebukuro Terror House!"
At the entrance, a girl with a long black wig and flowing blood makeup was calling out in a cheerful voice that was in direct contrast to her appearance.
"Ah, here~! Then I'll go buy the tickets~! I'll put it together for three people."
Ichikawa-san ran happily to the counter.
She had not made any specific plans for the day, and when we told her we were going to a haunted house, she asked "Can I join you~?" That was the flow of the conversation.
I don't know how special Kawasegawa's feelings are about meeting me today, but at least there was a sudden change from what we had decided. And I have a feeling that she doesn't like such happenings.
"Kawasegawa, you know"
So when I looked towards Kawasegawa,
"Uhm, Hashiba."
For some reason, she had a pale face and called out to me.
"Eetto, sorry. It's just that ...... we got into some kind of weird flow."
"No, that's enough. It's okay, but, uh, there's something hard for me to say."
Something hard to say? Could it be, like 'Are you guys dating?' Is that the kind of direct message you're going to thrust at me...?
"Uhm, I'll tell you first, the caretaker and I are"
"I'm not very good with scary things."
"EEEEEEH ??"
Why didn't you tell me that earlier!
"B-Because when we talked about the haunted house, you said it would be interesting and educational."
"I said it. But that's the thing, I'm not very good with scary things."
Kawasegawa, still pale-faced, nonchalantly tells the facts.
"...Eh, so you don't want to go then?"
"No, I'm going. Because interesting things are interesting. But, you know."
Kawasegawa replied firmly,
"Out of fear, I might do something very troubling to Hashiba... so I'll apologize first..."
"Y-Yes, I get it."
I was tempted to ask, "What do you mean?" But I felt sorry for her, so I decided not to ask her.
(Well, maybe she'll cling to me, or something like that...)
No, wait a minute. Is there a chance of being clung to, by this cutie? That's, you know, that makes me extremely nervous!
In the first place, if you think about it, that's what a haunted house is...
(What's going to happen?)
I felt a little sorry for Kawasegawa, who was shivering next to me, but I had a little expectation.
Part 10
"Everyone will now receive a tablet with a map, and please follow the navigation system to the goal."
I turned on the tablet that was handed to me, and sure enough, the navigation system started up just as I was told. I don't think he would have said, "Turn right, it's the ghost," but it was an interesting touch.
"I'm already scared."
Not even the first letter of the ghost had appeared yet, and Kawasegawa was trembling.
"It's okay~, and if you get really scared, you can always rely on Hashiba-san~."
Kawasegawa silently nodded her head at Ichikawa-san's words. Normally, she would have said something like, "No, I wouldn't do that".
(I wonder if she will last until the end)
Concerned about her, we entered the building fearfully.
A cool air enveloped us as we opened the entrance door. The set, which was designed to look like an old abandoned Japanese-style house, added to the sense of dread.
"Waah, this is nice~ It's got a great atmosphere~"
Ichikawa-san is smiling and happy.
"Uhm, Ichikawa-san, you know, to this kind of thing"
"Yes, I love it~!"
As I thought. I mean, I have an image that women with such a calm atmosphere have a mysterious tolerance for this kind of thing.
"Hiyaa!"
Suddenly, Kawasegawa screamed beside me.
"What's wrong, Kawasegawa?"
When I asked, Kawasegawa silently grabbed something and turned a tearful face.
"I just got hit in the face with this thing, this kind of squishy thing."
I looked and saw something cold and slime-like suspended from the ceiling. Apparently, one of them had hit her face.
"It's a simple trick. It's okay."
Kawasegawa could no longer stop shaking, even though she moved the slime out of the way and tried to calm down.
"It's cold, it's cold. Hey Hashiba, why is it so chilly? Also, the lantern over there has been on and off since a while ago, why?"
Whatever it is, it's probably because it's staged.
"Kawasegawa, calm down. This is a haunted house, so it's natural to be scared."
"I-I-I know. B-B-But I don't think it's necessary to put t-t-this much atmosphere into it."
Her answer made me worried about the upcoming events.
"Uhm~ Why don't we go ahead for the time being~?"
"Ah, yes, you're right..."
Kawasegawa did not want to move, so Ichikawa-san gently nudged her.
"Let's go, Kawasegawa."
"Uuuuhn"
I pushed Kawasegawa's back and she finally started to walk away unreliably. Not a very good sight, but she doesn't look like a leader with dozens of subordinates.
"So this is the next place... Whoa."
What spread out before me was a long, narrow hallway. And it was not just any hallway. The walls on either side were sliding shoji doors, giving the impression that something was about to happen.
"A-A-Are we going to walk here?"
Kawasegawa's legs have become limp. Ichikawa-san is trying to encourage her,
"It's okay~, if you know something is going to come out, it's not as scary as you think, right?"
"E-E-E-Even if you know it, it's scary, scary!"
We were moving forward in a single line, standing between the trembling Kawasegawa. Indeed, if you are warned that something is going to happen, it doesn't seem so scary.
(Areh? But nothing is coming.)
But contrary to our expectations, the sliding door showed nothing of a reaction. Rather, a blue-white light kept flashing at the end of the corridor, which kept bothering us.
"Hey, that, Hashiba, what's that? It's scary."
Kawasegawa's tone has become slightly childish.
"I wonder, anyway, we need to get closer."
If you don't know something, you will never stop being afraid. This is especially true for a child like Kawasegawa, who is driven by reason. So, I just walked ahead of her to find out what it is,
With the sound of crackling,
"Hih...!!"
A number of hands burst through the sliding door in front of me. Moreover, just as Kawasegawa was about to pass, she crossed that path.
"Ah"
Kawasegawa stopped moving. Her expression had clearly gone blank, and she was shaking. This is bad!
"Kawasegawa, it's just the hands that came out, so nothing to"
I said, and the next moment.
"Wah!"
With a loud rustling sound, the sliding door in front of us collapsed, and the ghost was coming toward us.
The timing and impact were so great that I could raise my voice, too, but that means,
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"
Kawasegawa, of course, could not withstand this shock.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry forgive me, forgive me, don't come here, don't come hereeeeee!!!"
She grabs my clothes and shakes me over and over again with all her might.
"K-Kawasegawa calm down, calm down, buh, my-my body"
Shaken and unable to speak properly, I managed to pull Kawasegawa off me. It wasn't to the point where she might hug me or anything like that. Kawasegawa, whose fear had risen to the maximum, had become something that would attack anything nearby.
"C-Calm down, okay, for now, just step away."
"Waaaaaaaaaaaah!"
This time, when I suddenly let go of the hand that was holding me,
"NOOOOO!!!"
That hand that she raised,
"Bufuoh!!"
She swung it down on my cheek as hard as she could.
"Enough~~~!!!!!"
Kawasegawa put down the tablet, covered her face, and ran toward the exit. What was left was me, slapped and falling down, and Ichikawa-san, who was laughing and watching us.
"Hashiba-sa~n, are you okay...?"
"Well, somehow..."
I get up and stroke my cheeks, which are still slightly tingling.
I didn't get a chance to see an exciting hug, but I did see the firm Kawasegawa change so drastically, which is a rare sight.
"I hope ... it's a nice change of pace, but will it be?"
Well, I hear that some people relieve stress by shouting, so I'll take that as a good thing.
Part 11
"It's really childish. A hand coming through a sliding door is not a technique that was left behind in the Showa era. And I was hoping for something more special, like a time difference, or something new and amazing in the production, because it said it was amazing, but I was disappointed in that regard ... Wait, Hashiba, why are you laughing the whole time!"
We were having lunch and reviewing the performance at a café located just outside of the haunted house. However, Kawasegawa ran away as fast as she could after reaching her limit near the entrance, so we did not see the second half of the performance.
"Because the new production Kawasegawa is talking about, it's focused on the second half of the event."
I feel sorry for the venue, indeed, for this evaluation after having gone through it.
"Uwh... B-Because I was at my limit."
Getting smaller, Kawasegawa drinks iced tea. I feel bad for her, but it's the cutest thing I've ever seen.
"Ufufu, but you were cute, Kawasegawa-san~"
Ichikawa-san is laughing with amusement as she recalls.
"S-Sorry Hashiba, your cheek must have hurt...?"
Kawasegawa is becoming more and more apologetic.
"No, well, I'm surprised, but I'm okay with the pain, really."
"S-So..."
Including what I said earlier, Kawasegawa has become completely small.
"That's nice, both of you. A trust relationship~ is what I thought"
Ichikawa-san is smiling as she watches us.
Trust, huh? Well, it is true that you would not suddenly slap someone with whom you have a little relationship, and it could be said that it was an act that came out of a sense of security.
I would prefer a little less painful skinship, though.
"Uhm, I'd like to ask Kawasegawa-san."
Suddenly, Ichikawa-san raised her hand as if she were a student asking her teacher.
"Yes, what is it...?"
Kawasegawa just tilted her head slightly at the sudden question,
"What do you like about Hashiba-san~?"
Suddenly, without any preamble, she threw in a bomb.
"Guh! Koho, keho!!"
Kawasegawa choked up.
I am sitting across from her, giving Ichikawa-san a look that says, "What a crazy thing this person is saying out of the blue". There is no way that such an intention can reach her, but I desperately want telepathy just for this moment.
"You see, Ichikawa-san, you see."
"Yes~!"
She has an angelic smile.
"Me and the Manager... Kawasegawa-san is a boss and I am a subordinate in the same department. So, well, you know that we don't have that kind of relationship."
Glancing at Kawasegawa, who was still choking, I managed to try to deny it.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I thought that you had that kind of relationship..."
"You are wrong. So it's not like there's like or anything, you know?"
"Fufu, but you two seem to have such a good relationship that I wish that was the case~. I think that in itself is a good thing... Right?"
No, no, no way. Even if you say that.
"I said it's not okay. You see, this is..."
I was just trying to make some kind of follow-up,
"As a boss and a subordinate, well, how do you see yourself as a human resource?"
Probably thinking it was a bad idea, Ichikawa-san gave me a follow-up.
"K-Keho, ah, I see, as a human resource... Aha, ahaha"
It seems that Kawasegawa has finally recovered.
"Yes, yes, as a human resource."
Somehow I intended to follow up and put a word in between,
"............!!"
I got a glare.
(E-Even though it wasn't my fault at all about this!)
Well, but it can't be helped. It was my loss for not denying the romance at the beginning and not creating a flow.
"What part of him, huh..."
Kawasegawa seemed a bit troubled.
Is it hard to say with me in front of her, or is there nothing noteworthy about me? It was a bit of a nerve-wracking time for me, as I had not been properly told the reason why I was being hired.
"Well, there's no particular reason"
The doki doki time is over.
The "Reason" I was expecting was quite sad.
"Wai, uhm, don't get me wrong, there are so many if I mention it, really."
Kawasegawa immediately denied it, perhaps because she could easily see my dejected face.
"But none of that is quite conclusive. Hashiba is a man who can do anything, he's dependable, he's careful about the words he speaks, and he's refreshing but passionate... Wait, etto."
Perhaps she thought she had said too much, so she cut off her words and coughed.
"Uhm, the part where he might do something for me, I guess..."
It was a rather vague answer, which was unusual for Kawasegawa.
(Might do something for me, huh?)
In fact, many things have happened since I came to Succeedsoft. Many of them happened because of me. No, for better or worse, I was at the center of it all.
I may be more of a troublemaker than I realize. Thankfully, Kawasegawa seems to see that as a good thing.
"I think it's good, so"
Ichikawa-san smiles,
"Hashiba-san's charm, I think, lies in the expectation that he will do something to help us."
"I don't know that myself."
"It's okay if you don't know that either, if you move too consciously, it might come off as sarcastic~"
Ichikawa-san laughed and looked at Kawasegawa.
"That's nice, you two. An ideal partner."
I thought it was a bit mean when she didn't bother to add "of work".
Kawasegawa remained blushing and looking down all the time.
Part 12
After the meal, the three of us returned to Shinjuku from there.
When you go to an electronics store or bookstore in front of a station and spend time relaxing in a holiday-like atmosphere, all of your current problems and future plans seem to be in a different world.
The truth is, I am in a position where I need to figure out a way to deal with the Grape as soon as possible. As a matter of course, that was on my mind.
(Well, at least for today)
In the first place, the main purpose of taking a break is to have a good time, and spending time like this can be considered as one of them.
"Did it turn out to be a little bit of a vacation for you?"
Kawasegawa asked me exactly what I was thinking as we walked.
"Yes. it was a nice change of pace."
"That's so, I am glad."
Kawasegawa looked relieved when I answered.
What has this girl been thinking and enduring all these years? Is she betting everything on creating things with her peers, the platinum generation?
How much thought is put into it? I don't know about it, but I was honestly envious of a friendship that could be such a powerful motivating power.
(I guess it must be really important.)
The feelings that each of them had for MyClo may be different and have their own value, but Kawasegawa's feelings seem to be heavier than anything else.
"Ah, look at that! That's the game Hashiba-san and Kawasegawa-san are making, isn't it?"
Ichikawa-san, who was walking ahead of me, pointed to a sign in the basement.
I saw the sign for the Platinum Generation Project when I was here the other day. It had been replaced by a new one, even more gorgeous.
"Areh, this illustration is"
It was something I hadn't seen yet.
"Yep, that's the new visual that Shino submitted the other day."
"I knew it..."
It seemed to me that "break through" was the most correct description.
A ray of light from the white ground to the sky through the clouds. The composition, which had been one in the previous illustration, was expanded with four main characters.
Although there was no dialogue, the facial expressions and gestures were enough to give the audience a sense of a story that something was about to happen.
(That's ... perfect)
If I received this illustration as a director, what would I say to it? The illustration was so appealing that it made me fantasize about such things.
"I'll take a picture of this and upload it~"
Ichikawa-san opened up a SNS and began to do some operations.
"I should tweet about it, too. It's a good topic."
"I guess so. I don't think the PR department has come to shoot yet."
Traffic advertising is standard publicity to shoot and tweet. However, officially naming a company could affect public transportation. Hence, it was recommended to announce as an individual.
Kawasegawa and I shot the ad and began a simple cropping process.
Suddenly, I look,
"Areh...?"
Ichikawa-san stopped her hand and tilted her head.
"What's wrong?"
When I asked, she held out her phone to me.
"Uhm, isn't this news about your company?"
On the screen, topics from famous portal sites were displayed. The news that was listed here was easily in the so-called controversial category.
"Succeedsoft's special report? I wonder what it is."
Kawasegawa tilted her head.
When I heard "special report," I thought for a moment about that plan. I wondered, if we had executed the plan at that time, it would have been publicized in this way.
In hindsight, the risk was too great. Considering the reaction of people like Kawasegawa, who were suddenly informed of the situation, I realize that I am glad I did not do it.
(And what news is that?)
I, too, looked into my smartphone.
I tapped the link to see the headline, to check briefly what it was about for now.
The news was displayed on the screen in a larger format.
"Eh?"
At the moment, the first thing that came out was that one word.
"Eh, eeh?"
What came out shortly after was a word that raised even more questions.
For a moment I had no idea what the information in front of me indicated. I also wondered if this is the kind of thing that my brain rejects the moment it sees something too unbelievable.
There are,
"Mystic Clockwork Development... Freezing...?"
It was written thus.
"U-Uhm, this is... This is an advertisement for a game, right?"
Ichikawa-san asks the question with a puzzled look on her face.
"Yes, you're right."
The large advertisement spread out in front of me is for MysClo, which is mentioned that the development is frozen.
"So why...?"
"I don't know what this is about either..."
When I saw the article, I myself was confused. What's going on?
"Hey, this, Kawasega—"
At the mysterious situation, I was about to call out her name, the head of development, but my voice stopped.
The reason was that Kawasegawa's face had turned very pale as soon as she saw it.
"Uhm... Everything all right?"
Kawasegawa finally opened her mouth in response to Ichikawa-san's worried words,
"I got an emergency call. I'm going to the company now."
"Eh...!"
"It says that Important Notice Regarding Title of the 2nd Development Department. In the name of the Board of Directors. I've never seen anything like this—"
Part 13
After telling Ichikawa-san about the situation, we hurried to our office in Gotanda. It was a 25-minute train ride from Ikebukuro and a 5-minute walk from there, so it would take more than 30 minutes. But we did not exchange a single word with each other on the way.
Many times, I checked the website where the news was posted. It could have been a case of misinformation. It was possible that the news was mixed up with another company's news, or that it was from an inaccurate source.
However, this time, the news was quite credible. Kawasegawa, the person involved in the development, had been notified of the emergency call.
(Kawasegawa...)
I looked at her with a sideways glance, but she kept staring at her feet and did not move an inch. I could not check the text of the e-mail, but it must have contained some crazy information.
Running from the station, we rushed to the building where the company was located and opened the door of the 2nd Development Department.
"Manager, hurry up!"
Immediately, Kuroda's voice rang out. Kawasegawa nodded silently and was called directly to the conference room.
As soon as Kawasegawa left, Kuroda shouted.
"Hey, what is the meaning of that article? Hashiba, do you know somethin..."
But he stopped asking questions in the middle,
"By the looks on your face, it means you don't know either, huh..."
"Yeah, I was surprised when I saw it on the way."
Kuroda found out just after leaving the office today that he had taken a half day off to go see a movie, and he went straight back to the office.
"I've talked to the main crew, but they're all confused. Well, from our point of view, we're in this mess, so it's to be expected..."
He clicks his tongue. Then he scratches his head in annoyance.
"Damn, what's with the freeze? This project is already getting screwed over from the upper management, and now gossip, what's going on!"
A project that has been treated so poorly by the executive director is now in an uproar because of incomprehensible information. For Kuroda, this incident must have left him with nothing but anger.
But how could a project as big as MysClo be informed that it was being frozen without the people involved, the development people, knowing anything about it?
It is not impossible ... that a rival company may be trying to reduce the name value of the company. However, it is hard to imagine any company or group trying to make such a move against MysClo at this point. And even an individual would not be able to take a stand against it.
No — there is one individual, one person, who can make such a big deal possible.
"Did the executive director do this?"
A person who is in a position to do so within the company and is capable of executing it.
It would make sense that the executive director, who has repeatedly interfered with MysClo by changing specifications, was the mastermind behind this news.
"No, but no way."
Nevertheless, MysClo is a major project on a level that will affect the company's business performance. It is not something that can be so easily dismissed just because it does not mesh with one's own policies. That is why he must have been harassing the project and trying to get the development team to abandon the project.
And if he did decide to go through with it...well, then he had every reason to do so.
(What in the world...)
I don't get it. Was there some change in the balance of power in the upper management, or was it more for some unforeseen cause?
Chaos keeps spinning around in my head. It's all so disturbing, so dark. I wonder if the board of directors meeting that is probably going on right now will tell us anything about what is going on. Is the story of the freeze itself even true?
Until about an hour ago, I was enjoying my day off for the first time in a long time. I was spending time with Kawasegawa and Ichikawa-san, as if we were still students, away from the company.
But reality was now about to fall into darkness, as if to punish me for playing around.
The door to the development room opened quietly.
"Manager!"
Kuroda and I shouted and rushed to her. Kawasegawa turned to me and Kuroda with a pale face, and then, with a stiff expression on her face, she said.
"It was true."
"Eh, is it about that article?"
She nodded in response to my question,
"MysClo development is frozen, with no prospect of it resuming, so development is effectively terminated."
In a helpless voice, she replied.
"Why...! I don't get it, why!"
Kuroda kicked the trash can and slammed his fist against the wall.
It was unexpected. The decision was so sudden and so big that I had lost even my sense of balance. I felt as if I had lost my blood circulation and was suffering from a mild anemia-like sensation.
After all, it was that guy. Did the executive director set something up?
If so, why?
Why did he bring down the project like that at once?
"What's going on?"
Kawasegawa's shoulders slump and Kuroda's shoulders shake with anger.
The whole room seemed to be filled with something incomprehensible.
* * *
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