This week has been busy.
A total of 1200 km of driving round trip; I want to refrain from driving for a while.
Jiro Tanaka, 28 years old, single.
Girlfriend: Suella Henderberg.
Memoria Tris.
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time Employee) + Recruiter.
Magic Aptitude 8 (General Class).
Position: Warrior.
“So, Memoria’s store will be closed for a while, so from now on, you’ll need to procure consumables from a different store. Please take note.”
“That’s sudden, Leader. Do you know anything?”
“I don’t know the details. I’ve heard it’s personal business.”
“Personal business? What could it be? Procuring blood?”
“Now that you mention it, that’s right. We can’t exactly go around at night and attack people for it.”
“Huh? But they sell blood at the pharmacy, don’t they?”
“Yeah, I was surprised when I saw it displayed like it was in the convenience store’s drink section.”
The celebration banquet for advancement has been extended for now. In any case, in the meritocracy of the Demon Lord’s Army, positions seem to change rather quickly.
Some people even find it ridiculous to hold a celebration for every advancement due to this custom.
So, after discussing with Suella, we decided to hold it again when things settle down, including Memoria’s situation.
Therefore, we are back to normal operations. Here we are, having our usual morning meeting.
First, the announcement about Memoria.
She has never taken a leave of absence before.
Ideally, we should have maintained relationships with several stores to prepare for emergencies, but it was a careless mistake, a blunder.
Fortunately, the item itself can be bought anywhere, so it won’t affect our work.
Or rather, it can be made not to affect our work.
In other words…
“Kitamiya, why are you naturally here?”
“Ah.”
“Tch.”
“Clicking your tongue!?”
Although he blended in quite naturally, Kitamiya was only a temporary member for the temporary party. Officially, he should still be in that handsome Himusumi’s party.
I’m in charge of this party’s paperwork, so I’m sure of it.
According to this company’s rules, while one or two temporary parties are acceptable, a permanent party requires an application.
There’s no set number of members, but the number of testers has decreased considerably since the beginning.
To maintain fairness, the transfer procedures between parties cannot be cut corners.
Therefore, we can’t let Kitamiya just stay here casually.
“…It can’t be helped. My representative isn’t accepting the transfer request.”
“Is your representative Nostalfer?”
“Yes. She says she can’t overlook the disruption to the current party balance and won’t listen to anything I say. If I mention we fought, she’ll scold me for bringing personal matters into work, and she’ll start saying nonsensical things like ‘Tō has the capacity to have both of you’.”
“Ah, I see. Romantic views tend to differ between there and here.”
“Unexpectedly, I didn’t think such a problem would arise.”
“As someone who’s starting to adapt, I can’t really say anything.”
“I think the Leader is a bit of an exception.”
There are slight cultural differences just by crossing prefectural borders, so it’s not surprising that there would be even greater differences in values when crossing worlds.
This time, it has manifested openly.
The image of a dragonkin with silvery, vertically rolled hair, a high-and-mighty lady, comes to mind.
Dragonkin possess physical specs far beyond humans, and she likely has achievements to back them up.
Confidence that doesn’t question oneself; Kaila Nostalfer has a personality that finds it hardest to admit fault.
She probably believes that Tō having Kitamiya and another woman is the absolute correct and shortest route to prevent the party from collapsing, which wouldn’t be strange in her world.
The ingrained notion that harems are normal, backed by her achievements, makes it difficult to dismantle.
As far as Kitamiya is concerned, dating is one-on-one, and harems are abnormal.
However, it doesn’t concern Nostalfer. She simply sees Kitamiya’s demands as selfishly wanting to monopolize a man.
Furthermore, Himusumi is Nostalfer’s favorite.
She doesn’t understand why Kitamiya wants to leave Himusumi’s side, someone she considers talented.
Within a harem, women generally have a degree of respect for each other.
This creates order, so acts like Kitamiya’s—giving up and leaving due to infidelity—are likely incomprehensible to Nostalfer.
“Well, I doubt that’s the only reason.”
“What else could there be?”
“The fact that we are Suella’s assigned tester party is probably also a factor.”
“Ah.”
A sound of admiration? No, it’s closer to the sound of remembering something they’d forgotten.
The voices of Kaido, Minami, and Katsu echoed in the room.
As I said earlier, Nostalfer has a lot of pride.
She clearly views Suella as a rival.
Would she allow Kitamiya’s transfer in such a state?
Would she be able to send her off with a smile, saying, “Good luck in your next department”?
“I can’t.”
“Probably not.”
“I can’t.”
“Right?”
The answer was clearer than distinguishing black and white.
The image of a superior from a subordinate’s perspective doesn’t vary much.
As my thoughts aligned with the surrounding image and I gained their agreement, I smoothly stood up and lit a cigarette.
As a smoker’s courtesy, I would smoke in a separate area, but as I suspected, Kitamiya’s dissatisfied expression was clearly visible even to onlookers.
Of course, she would be frustrated if her wishes were crushed for personal reasons.
“Can’t you do something about it?”
“Even with a position like mine, I can only express my opinion at best.”
Two factors, the chains of common-sense efficiency and pride, restrict Kitamiya’s actions.
Without explicitly stating that fact, I tapped the ash from my cigarette into the ashtray as I stood.
While everyone else might think there’s nothing to be done, honestly, there isn’t a lack of means.
“That’s what I’d say, but it’s not as if there are no means.”
“There are!?”
“Yes. While it wouldn’t normally be possible, the second intake of recruits is scheduled to join. If we can align with that, the party change application should be easier to approve.”
This information was disseminated to those with positions in advance.
Or rather, I, who was the only one with a recruiter, received notification that my recruiter duties were ending, along with the reason.
The second intake of testers, which was supposed to happen later, is being fast-tracked due to the decrease in testers and the slow progress of dungeon攻略, according to the kind words I received.
In short, it’s a veiled threat from my superiors, implying that if I’m overtaken by my juniors, I should know what that means.
Unaware of all this, Kitamiya is genuinely pleased by this glimmer of hope.
She twisted her torso and grabbed the back of her chair, looking at me.
“There are two methods. One, you create a new party with the second intake. This aligns with the company’s policy of increasing攻略 parties, and the application is less likely to be rejected because the second intake can攻略 with experienced members. The drawback is that it will test your ability as an educator.”
Adding the caveat that it’s just a possibility, I held the lit cigarette in my left hand and raised my index finger with my right, took a drag, and then raised my second finger.
“The other is to have you replace someone in Himusumi’s party by adding new talent. This is a gamble on whether suitable talent will arrive, but from what I’ve heard, every party is short-handed and looking for reinforcements, and Himusumi’s is likely no exception. Beyond that, it depends on your own feelings.”
Honestly, while the former is possible, Kitamiya would likely not choose the latter.
Even if her romantic feelings have cooled, it’s probably difficult, regardless of gender, to readily give up a position they built up for someone else.
It’s an issue of pride, but to some extent, it’s something inherent in human nature.
“…”
“Well, it’s also an option to continue as a temporary member with us for a while. However, if pressure comes from above, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Leader, that’s a bit much.”
“Harsh?”
“It is.”
“Unfortunately, that’s how society works. Only a very small number at the top can act as they please; those who resist are eliminated from the organization. All I can do in such a situation is offer shelter for a brief shower.”
She can’t give an immediate answer.
Her silence indicates she is contemplating.
As she herself said, if Nostalfer, her official representative, issues a protest or warning, I won’t be able to resist.
Although it’s a bit forceful, they are the ones following the rules, and we are the ones violating them. Therefore, I can only say so much from my position.
If I had a higher position, my words might turn into actions, but there’s no point in discussing ‘if’ scenarios.
Minami, with whom I don’t usually get along well, is worried, perhaps because she is sensitive to the words and meaning of “belonging” or “place.”
Nevertheless, I have to inform her that there is a time limit.
As an organization grows, it becomes more tolerant in some aspects, but there are always limits.
“What if you just quit and then get hired again? Didn’t you have the position of recruiter, senpai?”
“Idiot. Would they rehire an employee who quit? Our company is already strict about those things.”
Our company is known for manipulating memories of former employees to prevent information leaks and even forging work histories.
There’s no way we could do something like that.
“Ah!! Ugh!! Why do I have to worry about this!!” I’ve already broken up with him!! Isn’t that enough!!”
“Even so, it doesn’t seem like they see it that way.”
“That’s the troublesome part, isn’t it?”
“The influence of another world has its pros and cons.”
And another troublesome thing is that Himusumi hasn’t given up on Kitamiya yet.
If he were a typical playboy, a slap would suffice for this two-timer, but unfortunately, Himusumi is like a protagonist of a refreshing rom-com.
Even if he says, “I fell for both of you, and I love both of you!!” it doesn’t come across as creepy.
While I want to ask him what he’s talking about, the company employees only react with things like, “Oh, really? Congratulations.”
Harems are accepted, and Himusumi, whether intentionally or not, desires it.
“You have it tough too.”
“You’re looking at it as an outsider.”
“We’re not strangers, but meddling in a man-woman dispute never ends well.”
It’s already troublesome, but with the other party’s intentions getting intertwined in strange ways, it has only become more entrenched.
As a result, Kitamiya is forced to remain in an uncomfortable situation against her will.
Emotionally, I want to help her, but—
“Honestly, I can’t think of any other way.”
“Useless.”
“Oh, it seems you want to be kicked out of here.”
“Shut up! Do you think I’ll flinch from a threat like that when I’m on the verge of quitting my job?”
“Well, I was just kidding.”
The current situation is that nothing can be done.
Even if it’s a joke, I’ll at least try to lighten the mood.
“Speaking of which, Katsu, what are you reading?”
“Company regulations.”
“Is there something that caught your eye?”
Minami asked Katsu, perhaps curious about the book no larger than a notebook he was engrossed in, or perhaps curious about what he found so absorbing even in this situation. I, too, had glanced at it briefly, but my memory of the details was hazy.
There might be something I overlooked.
“It’s this part.”
Katsu pointed to a section.
“Ah, the labor union?”
A labor union, an organization that acts as a third party to monitor whether employees are working excessive overtime or having their salaries unfairly reduced.
“We have one too?”
Given that their work was life-threatening, I assumed they would be paid properly, so I thought they wouldn’t have one.
“If we go to them, maybe something can be done?”
“It might be possible.”
Whether it’s possible or not is uncertain, but the probability is definitely there.
At the very least, it’s more certain than the method I proposed earlier.
I borrowed the company regulations from Katsu and read the section carefully.
“It’s troublesome, but not impossible.”
It seems we’ll need to provide evidence of unfair treatment, but that’s something we can deal with meticulously.
“Then,”
“All right, let’s give it a try.”
“Yes! That’s great, Kitamiya-san!”
“Eh!? W-Well, yes.”
“What’s with the question? You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to!”
“Shut up!! I didn’t say I didn’t want to!! It’s just, you know!!”
“Know what?”
I grinned and retorted, sensing the cause of her near-meltdown.
Kaido, also realizing the reason, looked envious.
Katsu, though usually composed and mature, shows a boyish side at times.
Kitamiya couldn’t keep up with the sudden shift from a serious, adult expression to a happy, boyish smile.
That’s probably why she reacted so instinctively, and Minami started to pout unhappily.
“Alright, our course of action is decided. We’ll start making arrangements to bring Kitamiya into our party. However, we’ll be assisting; Kitamiya, you’ll be in charge.”
“I know!!”
“Everyone, don’t forget the time limit and don’t neglect your normal duties.”
“Yes!”
“Good. Then, let’s head to work for today. Come on, get ready, get ready!”
The lunch break is over.
Clapping my hands to signal the end of the discussion, I herded the slow-moving Kaido and Minami towards the locker room more sharply than usual. As I also headed to the locker room to retrieve my equipment, I saw Kitamiya stopping Katsu.
Silently urging Katsu not to fall behind, I put out my cigarette and entered the locker room.
Jiro Tanaka, 28 years old, single.
Girlfriend: Suella Henderberg.
Memoria Tris.
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time Employee) + Recruiter.
Magic Aptitude 8 (General Class).
Position: Warrior.
Today’s Quote:
Never let go of talent!!
It’s also called human resources!!
But don’t forget the procedures!!
This concludes this issue.
This week has been busy, and I haven’t had much time to write, so it’s shorter than usual, but I’m glad I could post it.
Please report any typos or errors.
Please continue to support “Corporate Expansion from Another World!? Rise to Power Record After Job Change!”
