“Don’t let them get to you. The old guys have short tempers.”
“Thank you. But it sure seems tough to work in construction at that age.”
“Well, it is what it is. In exchange, they don’t have to use their brains. As long as their bodies are strong, they’ll get by. Despite how our boss appears, he’s a sympathetic guy. He won’t throw someone off the team because they’re getting older. Kagawa, you should stick around as long as you can. See, you got some nice color on you.”
Kōsuke smiled and held out his arm next to Shuta’s. Shuta blinked. While Kōsuke’s arm was still darker than his, his once-pale skin had somehow developed a tan.
Stick around as long as I can? It had never occurred to him to do such a thing. He remained speechless, and Kōsuke chuckled.
“No, that’s no good. You’re a college graduate. I’m sure you don’t want to work for a shabby construction company,” said Kōsuke.
When they returned to the office, they found the office staff gathered around Satsuki. Bee was curled up in her lap.
“I’m so jealous of you, Satsuki. I wish she’d sit on my lap, too.”
“She’s sleeping so comfortably. She’s so cute!”
“What are you talking about? My legs went numb a while ago, and they hurt. It’s so annoying that I can’t move. Bee, why don’t you go sit somewhere else?”
Despite what she said, Satsuki looked smug. She worked efficiently even with Bee on her lap. Bee had grown fond of Shuta, but she had never tried to crawl into his lap. He couldn’t help but feel a little envious.
The sound of cars pulling into the lot signaled the return of another work crew.
As soon as Jinnai came through the door, he walked up to Satsuki. “Oh, Bee. Look at you, being such a good girl.”
Bee remained in Satsuki’s lap, but she widened her eyes and perked up her ears as if surprised.
Jinnai kneeled beside her, grinning from ear to ear. “Aren’t you so clever? Oh, yes, you are, you cutie-patootie.”
Jinnai’s baby talk elicited a burst of laughter from Kōsuke. Jinnai’s expression immediately darkened.
“What are you guys doing? You’re supposed to be cleaning the heavy machinery as soon as you return to the office.”
“Yes, boss,” said Kōsuke, and he rushed out of the room.
Shuta knew that if he dawdled, he might get caught in the cross fire, so he followed Kōsuke. They went to the parking lot and hosed down the tires of the excavators and trucks. They worked silently, but eventually, Kōsuke muttered to himself, “What a cutie-patootie.”
“Stop it, Kōsuke!” Shuta’s shoulders shook with mirth. He had been holding back his laughter. Kōsuke grinned wickedly.
“It should be illegal for anyone with a face like our boss’s to speak that way. And what did he mean by ‘being such a good girl’? She was just sitting on Satsuki’s lap.”
No, I can’t laugh. Everyone in the office will hear, thought Shuta. But neither he nor Kōsuke could hold it in anymore, and they both exploded with laughter. It had been months since Shuta had laughed like that. No, years.
After changing out of his work clothes and getting his daily pay, Shuta left the office with his coworkers. It was already dark outside. Kyoto at night was pretty quiet, with fewer people and cars around. Only the main streets were bustling at this hour.
As Shuta made his way down the street, he looked at the pet carrier in his arms.
“You’ll be fine, Bee. You can stay with me forever.”
Maybe it was from all that laughing, but his body felt warm, and his spirits were high. How hadn’t he seen the easy solution before? He could simply adopt Bee. He had everything he needed.
He remembered the sensation of Bee’s head nestled in the palm of his hand. He wasn’t going to back down even if that weird doctor didn’t like it. This must be what it meant to have an emotional connection. He enjoyed being around Bee. Every day, he was soothed by her cuteness. She was sure to bring him happiness for a long time to come.
When his apartment block came into view, he stopped in his tracks. Under the dim streetlamp stood Emoto. He seemed to have already noticed Shuta approaching and was smiling faintly.
“Mr. Emoto…”
“Kagawa! Don’t you look well!”
Emoto’s usual demeanor was replaced with a humble smile and a casual tone.
Shuta stood frozen. Emoto approached him and placed his hand on Shuta’s shoulder.
“I was worried about you because you ran out so suddenly. But it’s all right. I’ve been covering for you,” he said with a forced laugh. He then lowered his voice, seemingly worried about being overheard. “So, Kagawa. I’m not sure what to say. It looks like you got me all wrong, so I figured I needed to set things straight. It was Kijima who was doing some pretty crazy stuff with my clients.”
“Mr. Emoto, I’m no longer involved in this matter…”
“No, listen to me. I thought it was strange that Kijima suddenly stopped showing up at work. It turns out that he’s been collecting money directly from elderly customers, claiming he had profitable opportunities for them. Obviously, he didn’t tell the company. Had me fooled, too. I even sent him to my clients to boost his numbers, so I feel responsible for this.”
“Mr. Emoto…”
Shuta remembered Kijima’s expression as he mentioned his excitement about seeing the elderly customer he’d befriended. Emoto’s obvious lies and excuses made Shuta’s heart ache. Despite his intense dislike for the man, he found himself feeling sorry for him.
“Even so, there’s nothing I can do about it. I plan on quitting,” said Shuta.
“What are you talking about, Kagawa? We’re both victims, aren’t we? It was Kijima. He did everything on his own. You tell the company this, okay?” As Emoto’s voice grew fiercer, he drew closer to Shuta.
Shuta’s back was against the wall of the apartment building. “Please calm down.”
