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Lately, I find myself thinking things are peaceful. Perhaps it’s because my everyday life is so hectic.
Honestly, the fact that the word “peaceful” even comes to mind probably means I’ve been thoroughly indoctrinated by this company. But the word just popped into my head, so there’s nothing I can do about it.
My previous job was so exploitative that I never had the opportunity to say I was bored or had nothing to do. It’s almost comical that here, the word “peaceful” comes to mind before “boredom.”
“Senpai, stop escaping reality and look over here! If this continues, we’ll be in danger of the party disbanding, or perhaps it’s five seconds before a physical skirmish!”
As I was leisurely drinking coffee by the window, a voice from behind jolted me back to reality.
“Also, could you do something about Min-chan over there, who’s sulking like a displeased cat? She’s been glaring at me, or rather, at you, Senpai. Honestly, it’s a little scary.”
And so, the awkwardness that comes with having a secret revealed never changes, no matter how old you get.
Deciding that it was becoming too difficult to escape reality any longer, I braced myself and looked towards what lay beyond the door.
Everything that led to this point happened just a few minutes ago.
Several days had passed since the preliminary briefing, and I had just breathed a sigh of relief as the number of people who truly wished to join the company was finalized. But just as I let my guard down, the storm arrived.
Today, just like any other day, Kai and I were waiting for the others in our peaceful party room, making idle conversation. That’s when Minami and the other women arrived, and the calm atmosphere shifted.
Minami entered the party room with an obvious display of displeasure, radiating anger and stamping her feet with forceful steps. Kitamiya followed behind her, looking slightly annoyed, and Amelia trailed behind them, flustered. Anyone who couldn’t sense that something had happened at that moment would have to be truly dense.
I immediately began running through possible reasons for Minami’s anger, narrowing down the options in my mind.
“Reeead, you know why I’m angry, right?”
Minami came straight towards me. Was this what they meant by a voice crawling out from the depths of hell? Her eyes were clearly filled with rage, and her usual samurai-like speech was gone, yet she was smiling. Anyone could see she had snapped. Her hair was standing on end. The magic power radiating from her and the way her hair fluttered were a testament to her fury. And despite it being a question, her tone was declarative. This probably meant that *it* had been revealed.
“Haa, you met Kawasaki, didn’t you.”
“Met her? Did I!?”
I had guessed right. Still, I wished I hadn’t, and with a sigh, I prepared myself for what was to come. The character who was normally a comedic relief was now consumed by a rage that felt like something out of a shonen manga. Minami’s intensity was staggering, as if her magic power had tripled.
“Calm down, Minami. You said you’d listen first,” Kitamiya said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“That’s right, Min-chan. Jirou-san might have his reasons too,” Amelia added.
However, whether those words could calm her down was debatable.
“Right now, I couldn’t suppress my anger even if you gave me 100,000 yen in prepaid cards for gaming!”
“Why are you bringing up gaming terms now… Haa, never mind that. You be quiet for a while, and I’ll explain.”
There was no way she would calm down. No matter how accurate an explanation was given, I doubted Minami would be convinced. So, while I carefully chose my words, Kitamiya stepped in to explain instead.
“First off, Jirou-san, you didn’t keep quiet about her, Kawasaki Midori, out of malice, did you?”
“There’s no mistake about that. I could answer the same question from Evia-san and be fine.”
“Then I believe you. The reason Minami is like this is because Katsu-kun told her that Kawasaki was joining our company, and he seemed happy about it, you see.”
“Ah, so that’s what it is.”
He heard it not directly from her, but from Katsu, of all people… No wonder Minami was so angry. It’s natural for someone to be displeased if the person they like is happily talking about another woman.
“Why didn’t you make her fail the selection?! With your authority as leader, or rather, Evia-san’s authority, you could have done it!”
“Do you think I could?! If you ask her to do something like that, I’d die.”
“I’ll make up for her combat power! With my current strength, I can slay any Demon Lord or Hero. I could even awaken right now! So it’s not too late, go and slide into a dogeza before Evia-san.”
“Hey, hold on. She’s your senpai, you know. What kind of demand is that to make of your senpai? I have no right to be told that. Why should I meddle in someone else’s romance and then apologize to my superior?”
“Otherwise, my inner rage will not subside.”
“Then subside it.”
Why should I have to do something so eccentric in this company, where my position is becoming established, even if it’s not going perfectly smoothly? I admit I was wrong to keep quiet about Kawasaki, but did I commit such a grave sin? While side-stepping Minami’s furious, cat-like expression, I turned to Kitamiya for an explanation.
“Like I said, Katsu-kun happily told us that Kawasaki was joining, we were summoned, and here we are.”
She shook her head, refusing my gaze and indicating she wouldn’t explain further.
“Besides, I’m angry too, though not as much as Minami. Why did you keep such an important thing a secret?”
“Well, there’s the fact that I knew you’d react like this if I told you. But, as per company policy, we Dungeon Testers need to take in as many people as possible. If I couldn’t prevent her joining, I intended to make contact with her first to gauge her true intentions. There’s no deeper meaning to it than that.”
“Given the outcome, I don’t think that was very effective.”
“Regret is something that comes afterwards. Well, looking at Minami now, I suppose my judgment was flawed.”
In hindsight, Kitamiya was right. I had intended to tell them, but I kept putting it off, and this was the result. I need to reflect on that.
“Well, it might sound like a weak excuse, but I want to tell you upfront that I have no intention of letting Kawasaki join our party.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Or rather, is it accurate to say she’s not in a state to be welcomed? When we’re currently establishing our stride with decent results, I don’t think we can just suddenly bring in a newcomer and expect the party to function. Naturally, even individual support will be prohibited for a while to avoid increasing our workload.”
“Is that alright? In terms of overall efficiency, it will likely worsen. Won’t Evia-san say anything?”
“I’ve consulted with her beforehand, and she’s agreed. In the future, we might bring someone in, or be sent to assist other parties, but the company wants to avoid crippling our party, which is currently the most efficient. Other parties are short on staff, so they’ll likely take newcomers, but we have sufficient strength. There’s no need to force it. If anyone says anything, the company will arrange it so we can avoid it by stating that the skill difference is too great and could disrupt operations.”
“I see. In that case, I feel relieved.”
“Yeah, for now, any training-related work is out.”
I had considered helping Haruna, but Evia-san specifically warned me against overt favoritism. Her position is also delicate. If I were to support her carelessly, it could hinder her future activities. The company will provide her with support considering her position, and I’ll have to rely on that.
“Katsu, I’m warning you too, don’t accept any casual requests, alright? Especially you, Kaido. Be extra careful.”
“Why are you calling me out specifically?”
“You tend to hastily agree if a beautiful woman comes on to you.”
“Oh! That’s true!”
“If you understand, then be careful.”
“Understood!”
Besides, from now on, we will be attracting attention as a top-tier party. For that reason, we must be careful not to incur any unnecessary resentment.
“Are we done talking?”
“Minami, are you planning to get a job at Instructor Fushio’s dungeon?”
A hand slithered onto my shoulder, gripping it tightly. With wide, bloodshot eyes, Minami faced me. I met her gaze with a sigh. Her feelings, though she understood, were not convinced, and they rained down upon me like a curse. But I hadn’t continued fighting for nothing. I wouldn’t flinch at such a threat. I had noticed her palpable presence, and I wasn’t surprised by her actions. I merely commented that her current expression looked like something out of a Japanese horror film. In my mind, I despaired at what happens when you interfere with a woman’s romance.
“Come on, get back to your senses.”
“It’s not over yet. I won’t give up until I’m convinced.”
“Give it up. If even Jirou-san can’t do anything, then it’s up to us to improve ourselves as women.”
This is going in a strange direction, I thought, leaving Kitamiya to persuade Minami while I drank my now-cold coffee. In the past, I too had yearned for romance, but I never showed such obsessive persistence. I thought her competitive spirit was a bit excessive. Still, she had a sense of normalcy in peculiar ways, so I doubted she’d resort to criminal acts as I looked out at the scenery. And so, we return to the beginning.
“Haa, it’s peaceful, isn’t it.”
“No, Senpai. Min-chan is burning bright red behind you. Even I can’t call this scenery peaceful.”
“She’s a woman on fire with love. Don’t worry about it.”
“It’s impossible to ignore Min-chan, who looks like she might literally burst into flames.”
It seems like this year will be full of turbulent events as well. Is it too much to ask for a little bit of escapism? As I tried to tune out Kaido’s voice, Kitamiya, having grown tired of the situation, decided to take direct action.
“Perhaps I should just freeze her to put out the fire?”
“Stop her,” I said, intervening as Kitamiya attempted to resort to force.
Just then, the door to the party room opened. Footsteps were heard, and the door leading to this room opened.
“Ah, I’m the last one.”
Katsu appeared.
“Oh, Katsu. You came at a good time.”
Today, the party members were supposed to tackle a dungeon. It was natural for everyone to be present, but the timing was perfect. Truly perfect, I thought, and as Katsu tilted his head, likely with a question mark above it, I subtly glanced at Minami. I saw her retreating figure, desperately trying to hide what a maiden should not reveal. Although she had just said various things, the cause was on me, so I decided to buy her a little time out of chivalry.
“You see, we were just discussing our party’s action guidelines for new Dungeon Testers.”
“Yes.”
When it came to work-related matters, Katsu listened intently without averting his gaze. It might be natural, but Katsu maintained his focus and assumed a listening posture.
“Considering the possibility of criticism from others, our party, Tsukika no Tomarigi, has decided not to accept new additions for now. Accordingly, I’ve also decided to refrain from offering personal assistance to newcomers for the time being.”
“Huh? Why?”
“The skill gap is too large. Furthermore, our current work, Dungeon Testing, isn’t exactly going smoothly. In such a situation, the higher-ups aren’t keen on our party, which has the highest operational efficiency, lowering its productivity by educating new members. We’re receiving quite a bit of support, so we can’t ignore their intentions.”
Katsu expressed his confusion and dissatisfaction towards me. Sensing something was afoot, I decided to convince him with sound reasoning.
“I understand the circumstances, but is there no other way? Perhaps I could help when I have free time?”
“I’m afraid it’s not just a matter of work. Even if Katsu were to help a newcomer on a day when the party has no work, it would still be considered work. And if other newcomers were to witness that, then you’d have to extend the same help to them. It might be considered an exception, but if you do, that newcomer would be seen as special, to put it nicely, or favored, to put it harshly. With our current position, we can’t assist newcomers unless it’s a direct instruction from the company.”
“Nepotism” never has a good reputation. This is because there are many cases where the evaluation is not considered fair. The son of a brilliant president is not necessarily brilliant himself. It might be frustrating for a son who has put in considerable effort to be compared to a son who has benefited from his father’s name, but that is indeed the reality. In the company’s current situation, extending a helping hand during busy work, even with good intentions, would plant that kind of perception in the minds of others.
“Do you understand?”
We are being told to concentrate on our work as per company policy, and there is no justification for such actions. All I can do is tell Katsu to be patient for now.
“I understand.”
Adult-like as he may be, he’s still mentally immature. He quietly drooped his shoulders, but something seemed off. Was he hiding something, or rather, struggling to say something? Before I could ask Katsu what was wrong, a voice called out from the entrance.
“Um, may I come in?”
And so, trouble always comes from the outside.
Today’s quote:
Human relationships, in addition to profit, also come with trouble.
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*The first volume of this novel has been 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.
The second volume was released on December 19.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content has been revised and expanded from the version posted on Shosetsuka ni Narou, with the addition of unpublished intermissions.
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A manga adaptation is being serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
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