Ten minutes after seeing Minami off.
Kaido had recovered from Minami’s damage, and we began to move, thinking it was about time.
We were heading to the company’s training facility.
It wasn’t the Jigen Room we entered during training, but a room accessible to testers.
“Oh, they’re at it, aren’t they?”
From that room, we could hear the sounds of battle. Peeking in, we saw the exact scene we had imagined.
As I had predicted, Katsu, who was supposed to be a mage today, was holding a staff and in a different position from his usual role as a healer. His party consisted of a mixed unit of goblins and orcs.
Katsu was the only mage, but the others were confident in their stamina and sturdiness. They were strong if one could get close. The party of Dark Elves, understanding this, was employing tactics to prevent Katsu’s party from getting close, causing their frustration to build.
“Heeey, have you come to observe?”
“Yes, hello, Keiri-san. Thank you for your hard work.”
I approached Keiri-san, the Dark Elf woman overseeing the mock battle. She was in her usual business suit. I had heard that things had been hectic since Suella left, and I was humbled that she was taking the time to be here.
“How are things going?”
“Hmm, it’s just started, but they don’t seem to be fully concentrated. He’s a makeshift mage, so his support range is limited, and he seems to be leaning towards using his healing experience too much.”
“I see.”
I nodded in agreement as Keiri-san smiled and said, “Well, that’s something to get used to and improve.” I looked straight ahead. Katsu’s expression, though hesitant, was one of desperate effort to deal with what was in front of him.
That day, when Katsu asked me about his role in the party.
“Let me say this first: you are indispensable to our party. And that’s not flattery or politeness. Please keep that in mind.”
It was only for a moment that I hesitated in answering Katsu’s question. But the words came out smoothly. Seeing Katsu’s expression, I briefly wondered if I should say something so readily, but I chose to affirm him first. But I didn’t stop there; I also asked him about his true intentions.
“With that in mind, why did you think that? Was there some kind of problem?”
His strained expression suggested a shift in his mindset. He wasn’t the type to say such things unless there was a reason. I didn’t think there were any problems within the party. However, Katsu and I are about a generation apart. Even if he thought he was fine, there might be things I was overlooking. I felt that Katsu wouldn’t talk about his sense of purpose lightly, with only a vague feeling.
“Seeing Minami, I wondered if things were okay this way.”
“Minami?”
As expected, I was relieved to find it wasn’t just a vague, emotional action. Instead, the conversation shifted to Minami, who was good at reading the atmosphere but sometimes ignored it. Katsu and Minami were childhood friends. Given their relationship, it wasn’t out of the question for some kind of issue to arise. It was certainly a potential source of worry. Even after working together, she wasn’t a bad person, but her impression of being unserious lingered. She had her serious moments, but they didn’t stand out.
“Did she cause trouble again?”
She, who spoke in a samurai dialect, generally left things to others if she wasn’t interested. This primarily included housework like cooking and physically demanding labor. While one couldn’t pick and choose work, Minami was good at making those selections. Recently, as she seemed to have gotten the hang of things, she had started helping with physically demanding tasks even while joking, and the evasive behavior I had seen in the past had disappeared. I was concerned, wondering if she had been pushing all the difficult tasks onto Katsu behind the scenes.
“No, she hasn’t caused any problems.”
“? Isn’t that a good thing?”
But Katsu himself denied it. Normally, one would be happy about that, but Katsu’s expression was not good.
“Lately, Minami has been acting on her own more, and… how should I put it?”
His vague words caused a cascade of question marks in my head. Katsu’s supposed worry was Minami, yet Minami, who should have been the problem, wasn’t causing any. What was it, philosophy, perhaps?
“This was when Minami was cleaning her own room.”
“She cleans her own room?”
“No, as far as I know, it’s the first time.”
“I see.”
Minami, who would push chores like cleaning onto Katsu, who was younger than her, was one thing. But Katsu’s reaction, his dissatisfaction, or rather, his feeling something about it, also felt a bit off. However, it felt wrong to point that out and cut the conversation short, so I ignored it for a moment. But Katsu’s words left me puzzled, and I struggled to figure out what to say to him.
“Well, Minami told me, while cleaning, that I should start doing things for myself soon, and she said it with a smile. At that moment, I felt like Minami was somehow distant…”
“Hm?”
Katsu explained that he had also experienced a similar feeling when Minami took the initiative to help Amelia in the dungeon, and when he saw her vibrant demeanor, he began to feel a strange emotion. As Katsu struggled to explain his feelings, a realization struck me. Could it be love? I considered the possibility that he was simply sad that a nearby woman he used to look after was now independent and no longer needed his care. However, I inwardly shook my head, telling myself not to jump to conclusions. For confirmation, I asked Katsu.
“Katsu, I think becoming independent is a good thing… but what exactly is the problem for you? It’s not like Minami becoming independent means you’ll have no contact with her. Your daily life might change slightly, but isn’t Minami also changing?”
In fact, I felt that the university student being looked after by a high school student was more problematic. While I can now accept our relationship as it is, it’s a strange relationship if you think about it normally. However, as Katsu said, compared to when he first joined the company, Minami’s range of actions has greatly improved. She’s expanding her communication and responding, not withdrawn into her own world. Although it’s something she’s interested in, she’s proactively helping with paperwork and cleaning the party room. I don’t see her cooking often, but she at least prepares coffee for her companions. Gradually, she is moving away from a slovenly lifestyle, and it seems that Minami’s social independence, which Katsu aimed for when he joined the company, is about to be achieved.
“That’s what I thought, but… what is it?”
Despite these thoughts, Katsu’s attitude was one where he couldn’t honestly rejoice about something good happening. Instead of a lack of motivation like burnout syndrome, it was more like a workaholic salaryman who, with nothing to do, didn’t know what to do. Or perhaps like a parent watching their child leave the nest with mixed emotions? Various predictions swirled in my mind, and I decided it wasn’t quite love. Then, a possibility occurred to me.
“Katsu, this might just be advice, but how about trying to change your perspective for a change?”
“Change my perspective?”
So, to explore that possibility, I made a suggestion to Katsu.
What we were doing now was Katsu experiencing various roles by becoming a member of another party.
“So, how is Katsu doing?”
“I’m not sure, but I think it’s as Jiro suggested. Honestly, this case is so rare that I even overlooked it.”
“Is that so?”
I had Katsu experience positions other than his healing role to re-examine his role. In addition, I asked Keiri-san to investigate.
“I thought this might be the case.”
“Minami is being too flamboyant. Even I didn’t notice.”
“Honestly, I think Minami was a bit giddy and gradually stopped acting as usual.”
Katsu’s worry seemed to be a precursor to an overprotective parent who couldn’t let go of their child. The need for a parent, also known as a desire for approval. Based on her usual behavior, Minami seemed to be dependent on Katsu, and I felt I should check on it with some concern.
“I thought she could do it if she tried… but did she do it *on purpose*?”
“Yes, it seems she felt she had to support Katsu, that he needed her for something.”
There was also the opposite possibility. Humans have many things they cannot talk about even with those close to them. In fact, sometimes the closer one is, the harder it is to talk. I felt a bit guilty for suspecting, but it was possible that Katsu hadn’t realized this, and only Minami had. Perhaps Minami didn’t need Katsu, but unconsciously, Katsu wanted to be needed by someone. The possibility that Minami was fulfilling that role. To confirm this, I asked Keiri-san, not Suella, and to avoid raising suspicion in Minami or Katsu, I had her experience many parties and conducted interviews with the party members who were teamed with Katsu. All the leaders of those parties said the same thing.
“She was always watching his expression. It seems that when Minami wasn’t around, he saw Jiro’s words as his only support. While it was good that he acted honestly with ‘I understand,’ it seemed his impression was stronger that he was desperately trying to support someone.”
“Keiri-san, does this seem serious?”
“I can’t tell beyond that. Did she become like this because she was too preoccupied with Minami, or did something happen in the past? Without asking the person involved, I can’t know more.”
“The person involved, you mean Minami, right?”
The result was that the possibility became stronger, but it remained a possibility. Come to think of it, Katsu had never come to work alone. It was natural that he wouldn’t come when he had school, but Minami had come alone before, and Katsu was always with her. While I understood she intended to support Minami, with this new perspective, it often felt like Minami had been watching Katsu. Perhaps Minami’s frustration also stemmed from this.
“If she was tired of her job and wanted to quit, it would be a naive way of thinking, but I could accept it. However, if it comes from such emotions, things change a bit…”
“What are you going to do?”
“In such cases, running away is an option, but it often leads to regret. So, it’s best to do what you can so you don’t regret it.”
“I’m counting on you, Jiro. With the second batch of testers joining soon, a decrease in testers at this time would be bad for both internal and external reasons.”
“I understand. Personally, I’d prefer not to say goodbye to Katsu here either.”
Fortunately, this was within the scope of what I could do. The question was where to start…
“Well, it has to be from here.”
Under Kaido and Keiri-san’s gaze, I took out my smartphone and sent a message. The read receipt and reply came back immediately, suggesting she always had her devices handy. It was fitting, in a way.
“So, it’s Minami, right?”
“Yes. It’s difficult to talk about because I’ve been acting secretly and sneakily, but I’ll somehow manage it.”
After receiving a “rage” emoji, she immediately suggested an external shop, and I let out a wry smile, realizing she hadn’t gone home yet. I quickly contacted Suella and the others.
“Well then, I’m going out for a bit, so please look after Katsu, Keiri-san.”
“Understood. Leave it to me.”
“Kaido…”
“Yes sir!”
“Persuade your pickup and then decide what to do.”
“Huh?”
The designated shop was a cafe one station away from the company. While wondering if Minami would go to such a place, I left Keiri-san in charge and walked away. As I left, I saw a passing employee look surprised at Kaido, who was supposed to be hidden at the entrance to avoid causing a scene, and sent him off.
“Ahahahahaha! I’ve never seen that Machine King before!”
“I was shocked when I heard Kaido was being favored by her. Anyway, if we keep her waiting, Minami will get sulky.”
“Yes, yes, have a good trip.”
Watching Kaido hurry off, I also moved away from the scene. I nodded to Amili-san, who was inviting Kaido to eat with her upturned eyes, and passed by.
“Well, well, I wonder what will come of this.”
My previous company was also full of trouble, but here, there’s never a shortage of commotion. If possible, I hope it ends without too much fuss.
Today’s word of wisdom:
Everyone has worries at work.
That’s all for today.
Thank you for pointing out any typos and for your feedback, as always.
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*The first volume of the book is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
The e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year.
Volume 2 was released on December 19.
Volume 3 was released on February 20, 2019.
The content includes revisions and additions to the story posted on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, along with the inclusion of unpublished interlude chapters.
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The comic adaptation is serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third” and was featured in issue 9.
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