Entering a Company From Another World!? - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: 19 The company will follow each other regardless of hierarchy.txt




Tanaka Jiro, 28 years old, single, no girlfriend　

Occupation Dungeon Tester (full-time) + Recruiter

Magic Aptitude 8 (General Class)

Officer of the Year: Warrior

Yeah, I dreamed that I was about to be killed by a stuffed-up squadron robot.

No, sir, it's real.

Yeah.

My words, which probably included a desire to get out of bed and look at the white ceiling, were countered by Kaido, who was in bed next to me and awake before me.

We're not in hell, are we?

I guess that's typical of our seniors for not calling it heaven. If there's a nurse in hell, I'd go there... but I'm glad to say that we're both still alive.

"I've got a big sword in my gut. ...... Oh man, I'm surprised I'm a quit human being before I'm relieved to be alive.

What's that?

I laughed deliberately in response to Kaido's stunned voice.

There was no heft in our seemingly uneventful, trivial conversation.

Both Kaido and I were searching for words, feeling inert and cheerful and determined to say something.

''Oh, where are Katsu and the others?''

I don't know. I just woke up a few minutes ago, too.

There's a clock at ...... and I don't know what time it is because I can't see it.

How long have we been unconscious?

The room was well-lit, and this was the infirmary of an underground facility, so of course there were no windows.

At any rate, if we're still alive here, those two are probably safe.

We need to know if they're safe, but there's no one to ask about it right now.

I guess I could get out of bed and look for them, but my body doesn't hurt, but I can't bring myself to move.

And I've known for a while now why.

You almost died.

I've never felt anything like that before.

Don't give me that shit, I've been blown up before, and I've been stabbed.

What a way to talk back.

A conversation that was neither a boast of misfortune nor self-deprecation .

It was something I had been avoiding, but it came out unexpectedly easily.

"Kaido, what do you want to do?

...... I don't know. What about my seniors?

There's no subject matter, nothing but nuances, but we know what we're talking about.

Going in and out of the business, keeping the job or leaving it.

This is a fork in the road, in a way.

Masaru and Minami have just started and have been subjected to such a spectacle, but for Kaido, this may be a good opportunity to see if he can continue with the job or not.

"I'll keep going.

I don't know if this will help you decide, but my intentions aren't too shaky.

I'd like to spend an hour going over my mental makeup to see if I can get those words out when I was dying.

Whether to quit or to keep going, something everyone says and thinks about at one time or another if they're in a job.

It's a word that doesn't show up here because it's a thing.

But the idea of quitting never crossed my mind.

So you'd think that you'd continue, but unfortunately, I'm not such a workaholic and serious character.

Anyway, until I turn that d*mned golem into scrap.

Well, poof, it's a simple personal vendetta, and I'm not going to cry myself to sleep after I've been beaten.

"Ugh.

Hey, what the heck, people are being so serious.

If I stood in front of the neighborhood kindergarten kids right now with that face, they would definitely call the police. To be honest, he looked like a yakuza.

......

I don't know if I've ever been this belligerent.

I reached for my face as soon as I could, but sure enough, my face was smiling.

I didn't mean to be a battle freak, but it seems I won't be a battle freak anymore.

It's not bad, but it's more than a little shocking.

"Hmm~, then I'm not going to quit either.

You don't have to stay with me.

After only a few seconds of worrying about my mind, Kaido easily made his decision.

Following someone's lead is what every Japanese person does, but this is a matter of life.

For once I want you to stick to your will.

But I know I can't stay behind because my senpai said he's quitting, but I know I'll be okay with being with him.

There was no hesitation in the junior who took his hand out of the futon, gave a thumbs-up and smiled.

This junior here sometimes says embarrassing things with an unconcerned face.

You can feel the joy in that, but you don't show it on your face.

"I see... If you've made up your mind, then I won't have anything to say about it.

I'm going to give you advice before you make a choice, and then I'm going to push you afterwards.

I don't have to tell you what to do, especially if it's your choice.

There is no such thing as a tobacco and .......

When the future of Kaido and me is decided, the intentions of the other two must be confirmed, but for now, in order to smoke a cigarette, I reach into my breast pocket, which is my usual place, but there is no way that the hospital uniform is equipped with cigarettes and my hand is naturally empty.

Is this it?

Oh, hi.

He reached for the cigarette that was presented to him and lit it with the fire from his fingertips.

''What?　Supervisor Evia!

You look better than I thought.

It was presented to me so spontaneously that I took it as it came, but the person who presented it to me was Superintendent Evvia, wearing her usual slacks.

You're surprised to see a presence that wasn't there before.

"You've been asleep for three days and the first thing you ask for is a cigarette.

Oh, no. Do you want me to turn it off?

I don't mind.

You scratch your head when the supervisor gives you a stunned look.

You know that this is not something that you should ask for in the doctor's office.

So, out of guilt, I try to put it out, but the supervisor gives me permission to smoke it.

I'm not surprised that I slept for three days when I was told so plainly that I hadn't.

"You're not surprised.

'There was a chunk of metal stuck in the bank, you know?　You could have been unconscious for ten years. I'd rather make good money in three days.

I guess so. I have a complex fracture, so it was strange to see my body move.

......

At our frankness, Superintendent Evvia's normally sharp face slackened into a wry smile.

"I don't think this is coming from someone who was affected.

If it's hell, we've been through it.

Now I know that the mental torment is worse than the physical.

I never thought I'd see the day when my former company's Death March would come in handy.

I never thought the day would come when I would work hard and wear out my mind, and if I was going to kill someone, I'd rather make my life a living hell and not see the point of living at all, but I never thought I would be scared.

It's funny to think back on it, but when I think back on it, the environment I worked in before was more frightening than being physically almost killed, which is rare.

You could have sued and won.

Are you masochists?

"No, sir!

Knowing or not my feelings, I deny the words of the supervisor who lightly slashed at me.

It might have been a no-brainer to say that, but I don't want you to be with a group of perverts who feel pleasure from pain.

Just because I was able to recover doesn't mean that the pain was okay.

I'm still afraid of dying and what hurts still hurts.

And that goes for Kaido, too.

It's a shame.

'No, don't be that serious and say you're sorry.

I think I can be a little masochistic, now, can't I?

Don't do it too soon, Kaido.

No matter how beautiful and s*xy the supervisor is, it's definitely a path from which you won't be able to come back.

Calmly and quickly stop Kaido .

''The fact that it looked like I could have a servant, well, whatever. It's just a matter of time.

That was a close call.

The Servant.

The chatter ended when Kaido prevented him from becoming one of the supervisor's servants.

The supervisor bowed his head, his face now his business attire.

"This whole affair stems from a misconduct report in the development department. It was brought about through lack of supervision and haphazard behavior. This department is responsible for that. I'll send an apology later, but I'm the supervisor, so I am also responsible. So I'll apologize to you guys first.

It wasn't the kind of thing you see on TV every once in a while at a press conference where they bow to you in some kind of form.

He was disclosing the cause of the problem and offering his sincere thanks.

The department that caused the misconduct is pressing for an investigation. I promise that from now on, there will be no more scandals like this one. From now on, I will create a safe environment for you to challenge the dungeons with peace of mind.

The supervisor sent us a dignified and clear apology.

This is a good company, isn't it? In the previous company, they would have scolded us for not moving, and then they would have persisted for a while, like a gritty ramen with more oil and fat added to it.

This is not the time to tell. Well, Superintendent, it's just as you said to us. If you can prevent this kind of thing from happening again in the future, we can do our job without worrying about it.

Well, we could have decided to put the worst possible person in charge in front of you and let you deal with them, but ...... is a relief.

You almost said you were sorry, didn't you?

'Think it's in your head, Kaido, think it's in your head.'

I don't want to be left to my own devices to dispose of, but I am grateful that you are taking a firm action like this.

Even if you know that this is a natural action, it's not easy to put it into action.

When the issue of responsibility comes into play, there is no shortage of bosses who dislike this naturalness.

They try to spread the problem around to reduce the damage to themselves.

But this man took it straight to the point.

And he made it clear that he would handle it.

No, he said it was already taken care of.

That was enough to make us feel happy, since we had done all the work ourselves.

I will let Shiretoko Minami and Tokorozawa Masaru know that you have come to your senses. Jiro, it looks like you got a good man. I came to visit you guys every day.

This supervisor wants to make me cry, and I feel sorry for worrying about him, but more than that, I'm happy to know that he's worried about me.

In my previous company, I was too busy to worry, so I'm not used to dealing with this kind of situation.

Kaido sniffs on the bed next to you.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who felt this feeling.

When I see those two, I'll go get something good to eat to apologize for worrying about them.

Also, it has been decided that this matter will be covered. The details will be decided at the meeting in a few days, but it's to compensate for the delay in conquering the dungeon for our own reasons. Expect a reasonable expectation.

Thank you.

Oh, what is it?　Can I get some extra vacation time or something?

Idiot.

What will you do with a day off to make up for work?

Three days seems like a short time, but it's a long time to catch up on work.

I don't know what this will entail, but as an employee, I'm glad the company is taking care of things like this.

The apology, the company's response, and the cleanup plan should bring us to the end of the conversation.

I'll be interested to see how this ends up, and although it's not Kaido, I'll look forward to seeing what happens.

......

Supervisor?

However, if it were a normal conversation, the supervisor would end it here and get back to work without wasting any time, but he didn't seem to be doing that today.

He hasn't changed the way he's looking at you.

But he doesn't seem to be trying to get to the point.

I called out to him, but he answered with silence.

"Hello, Jiro.

What is this?

Unusual.

The supervisor is in trouble.

This may be the first time you've seen a director who maintains a basically calm expression, sometimes with a sharp look, a look of dismay, a giggle, or a sneer, but this may be the first time you've ever seen a director who does everything without a hitch look of confusion.

"You're okay physically?

"?　Yeah, I've been sleeping for three days, so I'm a little slow, but I think I'm OK.

'Can you stand up?　If the reports that have come around to me are correct, my body should be fully healed.

I'll give it a try. I think it's going to be OK.

If I stand up when I'm told to, I'll wobble for a moment, but then I'll be back to normal.

That wobbling sensation is just a dulling sensation caused by the dulling of your senses, so you should be fine.

Let me see you walk.

Huh.

You sound like a doctor checking to see if there's something wrong with your body, but what is the purpose of a supervisor who isn't a doctor doing this?

I wondered, but I tried to walk anyway.

Do you feel any discomfort?

It's a little heavy.

That's a drop in status. Remember that.

Oh, really?

Did my supervisor want to show me what it feels like to lose my physical ability (status)?

No, I don't think so.

Then there's no need for the supervisor to be confused.

It's also questionable that Kaido, who was also badly injured, wouldn't check with me.

"It doesn't seem to be a problem.

'Yes ...... Supervisor, what is this confirmation of?'

For now, there is no discomfort, so I nodded my head, but I still don't know what this is for, after all.

In fact, the treatment was not successful, as you can see from the face of the supervisor, who nodded with satisfaction, but if the body's movements are examined for no reason, you can't shake your anxiety.

Jiro, change into this one, no it's too much trouble, I'll make you change.

No. You want me to change my clothes?

Don't move.

The director doesn't stop, and he doesn't care about my feelings, and finally he makes me change my clothes.

I tried to resist, but with a wave of my arm, my outfit was changed from a hospital gown to a man's suit that the supervisor had prepared for me.

There's no tie, but when you're wearing socks and leather shoes in an instant, you don't know what's going on.

"Okay.

What's the point, are you going to work?

My shoes are polished and my hair is trimmed by some kind of magic.

You need to tell me what you want me to do, if you are going to check me from top to bottom.

I understand that I'm not just supposed to lie low and do my job.

But what exactly did they want me to do?

A suit doesn't mean you're going to challenge the dungeon.

Are you a salesman or a scout, based on looks?

Yeah, I'll give you a job. Go comfort the fools.

What?

I knew I was going to be working, as I'd expected, but the job description was so unexpected that I didn't know what the supervisor wanted me to do.

"Now I'm transferring you and that idiot to the company's facility. It's getting to the point where I'm starting to get annoyed with his attitude, so you do something about it.

No, I'm supposed to handle it?　How?

I guess the supervisor wants me to do something like counseling, but I don't know how to do that kind of thing.

I didn't know how to do it, so I asked the person who gave me the job.

"I don't know.

She cut me down.

"Today and tomorrow, you and your friend will have to rest. Human time is finite, and instead of wasting it sleeping, you should spend it wisely.

No, ...... I've been sick for a while now.

There: .......

'I'm not going to make you do anything that tough, so stop giggling and get going.

He seems to be paying attention to his physical condition, but I don't know what to do anymore with a supervisor whose actions and lines don't match up.

I'm ignoring the fact that Kaido is being treated like a chore.

What I'm supposed to do is follow up on employees who are stressed at work, but isn't that the job of the supervisor?

"Be at your disposal at your own risk.

What?　That's a whole--

There was no time to continue, and just when I thought my feet were glowing, the scene changed in an instant and I was dropped from a height of about one meter.

''Heh!　Where is ......?

I was dropped from the waist down, but it was softer than I thought it would be, and since I was on a bed, the shock was absorbed by the springs and I didn't feel any pain.

'I thought I was getting used to the supervisor's recklessness, but I can't help it if you don't ask questions.

The gap between us is so wide that I'm not only in the back of the pack, but it's a bargain that doesn't even exist.

It's a good idea to use the boss's best sword, the reckless swing and the circular throw, at the same time, there's nothing I can do to resist.

"...... hotel, right?

The lights are on, so you can see what kind of place you are in.

There's a TV, a small refrigerator, a large bed with a stand, and a slightly larger but slightly more expensive hotel room.

What do you want me to do in this place? Give me the information, Superintendent.

Fortunately there's a front door so I can get out, but I can't go out of there with people coming, albeit indirectly, I've been told, but I can't get out of there...

The clock by my bed shows that it's now three o'clock in the afternoon, but there's nothing I can do about it but sit on my bed and wait.

'Huh?'

But apparently the supervisor's job is to do everything fast.

Instead of making them wait, the magic circle that appears right above where I'm sitting, yeah, not beside or behind me, but right above me.

...... This position is...

What?

I've been doing this a lot lately, but I'd like to at least have the time to let him finish.

Before I can say no, the voice of the shadowy figure is a woman, and since we're not in a zero-gravity space, she'll naturally fall.

And right below her is me.

!

So the only way to avoid a head-to-head collision is to catch it.

I saw his eyes for a second, and he caught it, but...

No. Mu Mu Mu.

Yeah, I'm sure most of you can guess how I took that sound alone, but let's just say it's pretty soft and smells really good .

'Miss Suela?'

......

Maybe it's because the evil markings are improving my dynamic vision, so I know who I'm dealing with.

The devil's control has made the man happy.

More specifically, I'm staring at Suela in her arms.

...... My heart is racing, so I don't have time to enjoy the feel and smell of it!

But I know this even though I don't have the luxury of time.

The end result of a lucky snake is a full-on assault from the other side.

At least they won't go easy on us.

d*mn it, my life is on the line of death.

I've got to do something.

Well, well, well...

You're going to have to put your guts into your reasoning, and you want to avoid that, so you'll give your excuse in your boiling head and think about the rest of the story, but for now, you're going to release your arms from the hug.

Relax, I'm going to take it slow and take stock of the situation.

Then you'll have a clue.

Hmm.

Miss Suella is crying, over!　No more explanations!　I don't understand it!

Her mouth was so tightly knotted that tears began to fall from her eyes.

Yes, I blew up the previous situation, the process, and the explanation is over, but I have no idea what to do.

Tight!

Why are you hugging me there!

We're trying to get away from you!

Normally, you'd have a lot of options here to push off at the beginning, get angry, embarrassed, complain, or run away, but the first thing you'd do is leave!

It's so soft!

I'm relieved to hear that he's not going to hit me.

It's so soft!

I said it twice because it's important!

The result is a form of receiving Suela in a bang-up way.

Well, Miss Suella, why don't you just leave for now?

No, don't shake your head.

This is not a good situation.

The director may have created this situation so there's no chance of someone breaking in on the way, but that's not good.

And at this rate, I...

Hey.

What am I doing?

The slight tremor that comes from my palm as I touch her shoulder, trying to push her away, and her arm as she weakly exerts herself, as if refusing to act on me .

Perhaps she is acting on instinct, not knowing what she's doing because her emotions are spinning and she doesn't know what she's doing.

I can't get rid of her like that.

''It's okay .

What I could feel was fear.

Honestly, I have no idea what's going to be okay, but just hearing someone say it's okay makes me feel a little better.

Carefully and slowly I hug her again.

I could have been accused of s*xual harassment, but I'm willing to let it go for now.

It's okay, it's okay.

I slowly patted her on the back as if comforting a child.

I don't know why she was so upright and dignified, but something must have happened to her.

For now, let's just stay like this until she calms down.

Are you okay?

Yes, sir.

I don't know how long I stayed in that position, I can't see my watch, but I think a lot of time has passed.

I haven't stopped crying yet, but I think she's starting to get her emotions under control.

Suela calms down until we can finally have a conversation.

Things went from bad to worse, but in the end I just held her.

I hope it was still a comfort to her.

"I'm sorry.

But there's no such thing as a good time to end a tear.

Here's the deal.

"What?

I slowly listen back to his muffled apology.

I think I sounded gentler than I often do.

'...... I couldn't get to you in time and put you in harm's way.

......

Her voice was too weak to be heard after a few moments, and it seemed to break.

It's not your fault she's like that.

I couldn't say that.

Saying it wasn't your fault is comforting by saying it wasn't your fault, but sometimes it's hard to believe those words when you're a responsible person.

You wonder if it's really true or if you are not responsible.

So I kept quiet, patted her back and waited for her to say something.

...... If only I had rushed more, if only I had done it sooner, then none of that would have happened.

Maybe it's arrogance to try to take all the blame.

Maybe it's because she's tied up in the past that she says if about the past.

Still, it's what she needs now.

"I was scared. Something inside me whispers those words to me, that I'll never be able to talk to you or see your face again when I see you stuck in the sword.

She's stronger than me .

It may be presumptuous of me to say this, but instructor Kio, instructor Fusio, the supervisor, that ever-bright Keely, and the tall and dignified Suera.

They've lived in a peaceful and prosperous Japan, and they've experienced things I could never have imagined, and they've gotten to where they are now.

We've been at war.

She's been through war, and I'm sure she knows death a lot better than I do.

"I had no idea how to save you. I just...I just hated it. I just hated that the person who hurt you, who should have moved to help you right away if it was true, went blank, and then when it was over, I was holding you in my blood.

I'm sure she was prepared to do that.

Prepared to lose someone close to her, the person next to her, or herself.

But that doesn't mean she was okay with it.

"When I heard you were safe, I kept thinking over and over again. Couldn't I have done more then, if I hadn't hired you then?

It was just three days for me, but it must have been a hell of a long three days for Suela.

How many people must have said words of comfort to her.

I don't know how she responded to them, whether she smiled and told them it was okay, or thanked them for their support, but she continued to worry until I woke up.

It's time for you to do something about it.

The supervisor had seen right through Suela.

They knew that I was the only one who could unburden her from the responsibility of my serious injury, or rather, from the responsibility she was about to bear.

That's why they had me meet with Miss Suela when I just woke up.

But I don't understand.

I don't understand why Miss Suella feels so responsible.

I've only heard the gist of what happened, but I believe it was the development department, not Ms. Suela's human resources department that caused it.

I believe that Suera-san was simply sent to deal with an incident in another department.

I didn't know what to say, and I didn't know what to say to her, but she looked up from my arms.

We stared at each other again.

I looked at her clearly and saw the look on her face, and I shouldn't have thought about that at a time like this.

Her eyes were wet with tears and her face was filled with melancholy and I thought she was beautiful.

I was mesmerized.

"I didn't want to know.

And I knew.

"I didn't want to like you more than I wanted to know the pain of losing you.

"I love you.

Her mind.

What did he just tell you about me?

Miss Suella likes me?

I had heard that dark elves are a single-minded race.

But I didn't think it would be for me.

I thought I was out of my league.

I see, ma'am.

You had to do something, and you knew why.

"Be at your disposal at your own risk.

It's confusing.

I've never heard of such confusing support.

The rest is up to you.

Yes, that's what the supervisor was trying to say.

Instead of pushing you back, he was kicking you in the back like a supervisor.

It doesn't matter now, it's just her and me out here.

It was wrong for me to comfort her with words, this and that, in the first place.

It may be old hat, but a man is ballsy.

So much for hitting and shattering.

Jirou?

I hugged her a little tighter.

"Please keep listening.

Thanks to the hug, I can't see each other's faces, but I can tell her firmly that we're in close contact.

'Thank you.'

What?

You don't need to feel responsible for that, Miss Suella.

With all that in mind, please accept my heart.

Thank you for the help.

Sending you our thanks.

I hmmm.

You can't ask me to say mean things to you.

I would if I could, but all I can do is just get the words out to you.

Maybe this isn't in character, but for now I'm just going to follow my heart and give you a hug.

Gratitude alone won't stop Suera from blaming herself.

So I'm going to close Suela's mouth with a kiss.

And I want to tell her.

I'm going to tell her, Suela, what I feel for her now.

Thank you for liking me.

After a few seconds of kissing, he slowly spun out words of thanks.

She blinks her eyes over and over again, and I'm sure Suela can't keep up with her thoughts.

So I want her to know.

"'Suela', I like you.

I'll tell you how I feel with my first name calling.

"What?　Oh, what?

Don't believe me?

Oh, um, I...

It's okay, I'll wait until things settle down.

Honestly, I'm pretty confused myself.

Maybe I went along for the ride, but the feelings I have for her are real and genuine.

I told her that in a moment, and I don't know how long I've liked her.

I don't know how long I've been in love with her. I realized, or in this case, lifted my sinking feeling of impossibility and prepared myself for it.

I think I fell in love with her when I first met her and she encouraged me over and over again in unfamiliar surroundings.

It's simple, but it's a good thing for me.

So we'll just hold each other and stay there until we get settled.

Oh, my heart is beating so loud.

"Jiro.

Settling in?

Yes, I mean, it's not a dream, is it?

From that environment, Miss Suella... or rather, Suella was quicker to recover.

Yeah, it wasn't a dream.

I can't believe it, sir.

What can I do to make you believe me?

...... again.

Hmm?

Say it again, please.

I'm pretty nervous too, but I'll give it everything I've got to answer the encore.

Slowly, I let go of her and look her firmly in the eyes.

"I love you, Suela.

Yes, I like you too, Jiro.

The softness of it all coming together again.

Suela was so afraid of losing me that she was driven by guilt.

Then I woke up and I guess the combination of relief and fear made her lose control of her emotions.

You let out what you've been holding in on, Suela.

I love her for showing me the fear of losing something important that we all have, the fear of losing something important.

Slowly, as her lips parted, I saw her face.

Like a white flower in the moonlight, she was so beautiful.

And with that smile I swear.

I'll be strong.

I felt the groundwork for the path to the top I had been vaguely aiming for was now solidified.

Tanaka Jiro, twenty-eight years old, single, girlfriend, Suela Handelberg.　

Occupation Dungeon Tester (full-time) + Recruiter

Magic Aptitude 8 (General Class)

Officer of the Year: Warrior

Word of the Day.

What happens next is R-rated.