Kijima laughed coolly.
Shuta had never heard of such a thing, but he accepted that as a lower-ranking employee there were countless things he didn’t know, far outnumbering what he did.
“Well, if Emoto says so, I guess he must be right.”
“The people on the list are our loyal and valued clients. I just meet with them from time to time, and they throw some new business opportunities my way. It’s an easy job,” said Kijima.
“If it’s such a sweet gig, why are you giving it to me? Why are you even quitting? You’ve got an impressive sales record.”
“Remember how I used to stand in front of everyone during those morning meetings every week? Emoto said I was the dumbest employee to have ever walked on the face of the earth.” Kijima let out an embarrassed chuckle.
Shuta wasn’t sure how to react. Things had been exactly as Kijima described. And since he’d brought it up himself, Shuta could only nod in agreement.
“Yeah.”
“Just when I thought I was at my wit’s end, Emoto told me he was going to give me some of his clients. I was astonished that he would offer such a thing, but at the time, all I could think about was escaping from the morning meetings. I figured it wasn’t a big deal if all I had to do was deliver documents. Most of his clients are elderly, so I just have to make small talk with them when I drop by. Even today, I spent the morning visiting one of Emoto’s clients—a sweet old lady who looks forward to my visits.”
“There are good clients like that, aren’t there?” said Shuta.
“The lady remembered that I’m from Shikoku and went out of her way to prepare sweets from my hometown. While I ate them, she said, ‘Your parents must be so happy you work for such a prestigious company. You’re a perfect son.’ ”
Shuta felt like he’d been stabbed in the heart.
Kijima laughed at his speechlessness.
“At that moment, a thought came to me. I’m no perfect son. I’m so bad at my job that I can’t even stand up to my boss. Then, suddenly, I felt like an idiot for trying so hard to hold on. I thought, I should quit now. I’m not going back. If I go back, it’ll be the same thing all over again.” Kijima stood up. His clouded eyes were now clear. “I bet these files will be handed to Mamiya next. He’s in a lot of trouble and won’t be able to refuse.”
“Wait. I don’t want to do this.”
“Kagawa, you might appear meek, but unlike Mamiya or me in the past, you know you can’t keep going like this. I’m sure you have the courage to stand up to him.”
As Shuta sat there gawping, Kijima walked out of the coffee shop, leaving the documents on the table. Shuta didn’t know what to do, but he couldn’t leave them there. He stuffed the papers back into the envelope, tucked it into his briefcase, and headed back to the office.
When Emoto called on him, as always, Shuta was visibly distracted. Emoto gave an irritated click of his tongue.
“Hey, can’t you at least pretend to be motivated? And what’s up with Kijima? Can’t young people these days come back to the office according to schedule?”
It was long past closing time, but, as a matter of course, many were still in the office, working overtime for free. Shuta was restless. Hours passed, but Kijima didn’t come back.
“Hey. Someone call Kijima. How many hours does it take for him to visit a client?” shouted Emoto.
Everyone exchanged knowing looks. Someone on the team made the call, but no matter how many times they called, Kijima didn’t pick up. Eventually, a frustrated Emoto called Kijima himself. Still no answer.
Shuta watched Emoto seethe with rage. Is Kijima serious about not coming back? He gently nudged the briefcase of documents by his feet further under his desk.
When Kijima continued not to pick up, Emoto called him on his personal phone. Still no response. The team members were giving Emoto strange looks. Normally, their manager wasn’t the type to make a fuss over a team member not returning to the office.
Shuta quietly slipped out. His apartment building was near Kyoto City Hall and he usually took the subway, but he wanted some time to think, so he decided to walk home.
The best course of action is to return the documents to Kijima somehow. If that’s not possible, I’ll go to work early tomorrow morning and sneak them onto Emoto’s desk. The worst thing would be to take Kijima’s place and go round to the clients on the list. I don’t want anything to do with this. How did I end up in this position?
Frowning, he opened the door to his apartment. Bee sat waiting. She let out a soft meow.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry. I forgot all about you.”
Shuta dropped the briefcase in the doorway and crouched down. When he reached out, Bee walked up to his hand, closed her eyes, and nuzzled her head against his palm.
“I’m so sorry, Bee. I was planning to come home to you earlier.”
Bee’s water bowl was empty. Shuta bit his lip. He had really messed up. With his jacket still on, he filled her water and food bowls. Then he watched for a while as she ate.
“I can’t even look after just one cat…And you waited so patiently without even complaining. You’re a better soul than me.”
The furniture and walls showed no signs of damage or scratching. The thought that Bee had been a good girl, waiting for him without getting into any mischief, brought a lump to Shuta’s throat.
There was a faint electronic sound. His phone was ringing, but it wasn’t in his pocket.
“Right,” he muttered as he rifled through his briefcase. He’d hastily transferred everything from his desk into it before he fled the office.
It was his mother.
“Hello, Mom.” Shuta’s chest tightened at the sound of his mother’s voice. “No, I’m already home. I just got back…Yeah, no, I ate. Don’t worry.”
The phone calls from his mother were always the same. They never had anything important to discuss, and Shuta always gave the same answers.
“I’ve told you many times before: I’m not a midcareer recruit. I’m a recent college graduate with one previous job under my belt. We’re more valuable than recent grads with no experience. That’s how things are now.”
His mother was always worried about how Shuta was doing. After graduating from college, Shuta had secured a position at a medium-sized food company in his hometown. But he was assigned to work at a remote factory far away, where he was severely bullied, leading him to quit his job within six months. He remembered the shock of encountering the first major setback of his life.
