Toshiya Suzui was in a good mood.
The management structure at his company had changed recently; those who did the grunt work now had a greater say in things. Before, this had been an old-fashioned, abusive business. Bosses could say things like, “Shots before thoughts,” and demand you go to the bar with them after work hours. Or you might later wind up with a useless boss who attempted to shorten work hours so she could focus on her children. It was a difficult workplace, and very stressful.
But not anymore.
Suzui strolled along, humming to himself and reflecting on the last several months. Maybe having a woman as a sales section chief was asking a bit too much of her after all.
She was the first female sales department section chief in the history of Yotsumiya Foods. Sales Section Two had been very excited about the event and had high hopes for her, but Mutsumi Maruyama turned out to be a disappointment. Maybe the pressure of being the first woman in her position was too much for her. In any case, she developed a fierce rivalry with Sales Section One.
“We have to do this and that to ensure Section One doesn’t beat us.”
“All this work you’re doing will benefit Section One! Am I wrong?”
“Are you close with the chief of Section One, Mr. Kanbara? Listen up, everyone! Mr. Kanbara is a spy for Section One, so keep your guard up around him!”
It was stunning. A spy? Yet Mutsumi had seemed totally serious. She actually thought that Mr. Kanbara and Section One caused her section’s poor performance.
For one thing, Section One and Section Two handled different products. The former peddled raw and fresh products, while the latter sold processed goods like frozen meals. When Section Two employees negotiated with stores, they sometimes introduced associates from Sales One or other parts of the company and vice versa, depending on the client’s needs. Accusations about “spies” and “stealing credit” were really inappropriate of Mutsumi.
“I trusted you, Mr. Kanbara. You said I would be fine here!” she’d cried, clinging to a disturbed Kanbara in an empty meeting room. She was quite beside herself. Kanbara was tall and possessed a gentlemanly sort of appearance. Watching the spectacle had made Suzui feel like he was witnessing a scene of uncovered infidelity between a romantic couple.
Despite feeling awkward about it, Suzui had still interrupted. “Chief, you shouldn’t talk that way. We’re at work. Please calm down…”
Kanbara had looked relieved for the interjection. “Ahh, I’m so glad you’re here, Suzui. Let’s help the section chief get some rest…”
The look on his face had reminded Suzui of when the company instructed Kanbara to stop taking calls from Section Chief Sato, back when that was still a problem. Suzui had heard that Kanbara was very glad about that change.
“It must be difficult, the way people keep doing this to you again and again,” Suzui had remarked.
“Yes, I was so thankful the last time,” Kanbara had said with a grin. “When they told me I didn’t need to answer the phone anymore, I thought, Oh, my duty is complete. It’s all okay. I was quite relieved.”
Chief Sato was later involved in a second assault, this time at the affiliate company warehouse he was reassigned to. His touchy personality got him into an argument over work, and he punched a subordinate. This time, the company fired him. However, he returned to the office enraged, caused a scene, and roared that he had been unfairly dismissed. Security had to toss him out.
He then returned home and committed suicide, but not before killing his wife. In the lengthy message he left behind, he detailed his great enmity for Yotsumiya Foods.
Suzui and his coworkers were shaken by the news of Chief Sato’s end. Mutsumi was especially affected, and cried, “Did I push him to it?” while everyone was in the office. “That’s what you all think, isn’t it? You think I killed him.”
Senior management was informed of her condition and recommended that she take some time off work. She wouldn’t have it, though, screaming, “You’re just trying to gaslight me into thinking I’m depressed!”
Perhaps she really was exhausted, because after leaving work, she slipped on the stairs at the train station and hit her head. She was taken to the hospital, where she remained unconscious and in critical condition.
“I wonder if the company’s cursed,” Hamada mused gloomily.
Suzui replied, “Right?” But in truth, a part of him was relieved about this turn of events. He’d grown sick of Mutsumi griping around the office.
It would’ve been nice if Kanbara were made the new section chief, but he was a special hire, and sadly, the company was still rather traditional regarding promotions. There was a bit of irony to that, because Section Two’s recent success was all thanks to Kanbara charming the retail clients, not Mutsumi’s stewardship.
Before Suzui knew it, Kanbara had become a very trusted individual to many business partners. A lot of them acted like Chief Sato, and a few started using that familiar old nickname, Jin. They’d say, “Jin, about that place we talked about earlier—about my daughter—about my husband—about my boyfriend…”
Somehow every secret or rumor came to him. Suzui thought Kanbara’s ability to win the trust of others was remarkable.
Even Suzui found himself revealing things to Kanbara on occasion and seeking his advice. Complaints about his current boss, the changes he wanted to see in the company structure, his sickly grandmother back in the country, his inability to get over his ex-girlfriend from back in school, his insistence that she shouldn’t have dumped him…
“Yes, I understand. I understand,” Mr. Kanbara would say, offering encouragement. “It’s really a terrible shame that she chose to break up with you.”
Suzui knew he was repeating the same things over and over, yet Kanbara was so patient and supportive. He was just so nice.
“Do you have troubles on your mind, Mr. Kanbara?” Suzui asked. It was only a moment later that he realized his mistake. The man recently lost his wife. Suzui had posed a very insensitive question. However, Kanbara’s gentle smile never wavered.
“My oldest has turned into a bit of a shut-in. I suppose that weighs on me a bit. I’d like to help when they’re ready to come out of their shell. I’m not in any rush, though.”
I bet he’s an ideal father, Suzui thought.
As a matter of fact, that “ideal” man had recently achieved a most remarkable promotion.
Kanbara had finished his service as a rank-and-file employee, and he was elevated to business consultant and executive director of Yotsumiya Foods. It was a stunning development for Suzui and the rest of the company, made possible by the company president’s firm insistence.
“After what happened with my wife, I planned to quit, but the president was very keen on keeping me around,” he explained bashfully. The thought that he’d intended to quit—without telling Suzui—left Suzui strangely bothered. He wouldn’t be going, though, and that was ultimately a great relief.
Apparently, the president heard that Kanbara was a business consultant for another company prior to this and had personally offered him an executive position.
“I’m so glad you accepted the executive director offer,” the president said to Kanbara in the office. Suzui had hardly ever interacted with the president since joining the company, but somehow, Kanbara had come to know him very well.
Suzui hadn’t been aware that Kanbara possessed experience in business consulting. As time went on, the fact that he’d kept that from Suzui formed smoldering discontent in the man. Suzui knew that he shouldn’t care that much, but he didn’t like that it felt as though someone had stolen Kanbara from him. It was a good thing that Kanbara was in a senior position, but it was bad because he was farther away now. Suzui wished that Kanbara would listen and help more with his problems.
Didn’t someone say that he was a doctor or something?
Suzui tried to recall, but he couldn’t remember who said that or when.
A woman came to visit Kanbara one day after he became an executive. She was there to deliver his lunch. When she saw Suzui, she asked, “Excuse me, are you Suzui?”
“Uh, yes. That’s right.”
“Oh, I’ve heard all about you. Mr. Kanbara mentioned he had an excellent coworker, someone very talented for being so young. Here, please take this. Share it with everyone.”
The woman handed him a wrapped package, inside of which was a beautiful pumpkin tart topped with whipped cream. It was expertly prepared to the point of appearing store bought.
After the woman left, Suzui ran into Kanbara on the office floor and asked, “Um, Mr. Kanbara, who was that? She gave me a piece of cake.”
He chuckled and simply replied, “Oh, she’s my wife.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Niko Kanbara stood before the blackboard and introduced himself to his new class.
“My mother and father gave me the name Niko as a shortened version of nikkori, or ‘smile.’ You can just call me Niko. It’s nice to meet you all.” He looked into the faces of all his classmates.
He also peered beyond them, to the papers displayed on the back wall—six groups in total. Good, that was enough spots on the chart.
“Teacher, I’d like to propose something.”
“Oh? What is it, Niko?”
“What if we make a chart with all the groups on it, and each group that does a good deed or behaves well gets a sticker?”
He pushed his silver-framed glasses up and showed the teacher the flower-circle sticker sheet he’d brought to class.