Walking with Suela along the approach after the caran-colon and fireworks.
That was fun.
"Yes, the fireworks were very interesting,
We've been in the park for a while after the fireworks are over, hand in hand, and even after the fireworks are over, we're already on a deserted road, so the strange eyes of the festival are not facing us.
It may be that the light is low and Suela's skin color is not as noticeable, but I don't want to disturb the sense of calmness and clarity of thought that I have right now.
I want to cherish the time with Suela that gave me this.
Can we go to a bigger fireworks show this time?
I wish I could, but unfortunately we may not have enough time, and
"And?
From the gesture of Suera reaching for the ornate hairpin, the amount of magic consumed by this action may have been higher than I thought.
It may not be a problem if you don't use magic, but the fact that you can't use magic makes me a little nervous.
"Oh.
For me, magic is something I started using, but for her, magic is a part of life.
If you compare it to us modern people, it's akin to electricity.
If you take your phone to another world and think that the battery will run out of power while it's still working, it's a chilling thought.
"Then why don't we buy some fireworks?
Can you buy it?
We don't have a fancy one like that, but we can get one that looks like it.
It's doubtful that you can do it on the premises, but you could at least use a corner of the training room to withstand the destructive attacks of your instructors, let alone fire and lightning magic.
I thought it would be nice to have a fireworks show with an after-party, but Suela shook her head.
It sounds fun, but I'll pass on that for now. I'd like to have the next one a little later.
"Hmm, okay.
It would be too tactless to say let's do it, said with a cheery laugh .
When you were younger? No, I still think I'm a little young, but if I was in high school or something, I would have enjoyed myself more, imposing my own ideas on myself, hoping to have more fun.
The reason why I didn't is because I'm now an adult, for better or worse, and can enjoy just walking and talking quietly like this.
Speaking of which, this is where Jiro-san used to live, do you know anyone around here?
"Oh, there's no lack of
Then we might meet.
"Yeah, maybe.
"You don't want to meet?
Maybe it's because I sounded so angry, or maybe it's because the atmosphere is a little darker, letting you know your negative feelings.
I feel bad for telling him that I don't want to see him in the dark, but if I don't tell him, the mood will be even worse.
We don't get along very well.
Is that so?
Yeah, it wasn't as good as my current company, either.
In my previous company, I was close with Kaido and the chief, but the rest of the team had a delicate relationship to be honest.
Not bad, but not good either.
I guess you could say we were business associates, but we never interfered in each other's private lives.
That's how we got along.
We were simply so immersed in work and overtime that we didn't have the energy to hang out in our private lives.
There are other reasons why people show their true nature when they are under pressure, but I don't need to tell you that.
...... Well, that's about it. And I got to see Suela.
Oh, you can't get any more out, can you?
It's a shame.
It may be a little stinky, but it's also honest.
If I had been in my previous company, I would have never met Suela in the first place.
There's no mistaking it.
Can I still have a little more time?
Yes, it's not that close as long as you don't use magic.
Then why don't we go out and get something to eat anyway?
That's nice.
She was so beautiful and interested in everything fresh and new that it was worth it to change jobs.
With that in mind, you want to do something more, so you take out your phone and look at the nearby stores.
"Huh? You Tanaka?
"Hmm?
I knew it, wasn't it, Tanaka?
But as I was leaving the path, I heard a voice from a group of people who had gathered there.
When I turned my gaze from the screen of my phone to the direction of the voice, I found that my mouth was a little stiff.
"Kato, huh?
"What, I thought you quit your job and you're still here, but if you are, you should at least call me.
Do you know him?
"Wow, pretty girl, a foreigner?
"He used to be a salesman at my old company. Are you good at your job? They're busy all year round, they don't have time for a festival.
He was two years younger than me and I knew him as a salesman, a guy with black hair because of his sales job, but now he was dressed completely privately, unlike at work.
But I don't like this guy in the company and I'm counting from the top.
Maybe it was because of his good sales performance, but he would often use this kind of language with me and other colleagues who were older than him.
In addition, he had a thick skin, and was well received by his bosses.
At best, he was worldly-minded; at worst, he was very backwards and forwards.
That's why I was on the side of dislikes and dislikes.
As a working man, he handled his work well, but now he's completely private, and the company he resigned from is no more.
It's a stinging response, as if to say that every second is a waste of time.
Gently, stand in front of Kato to hide Suela's figure.
"Don't worry, I'm supposed to be on the outside now, and more importantly, nee-ne, where do you come from? If you're free afterwards, would you like to go for a drink with me?
"Hey,
Come on, Tanaka too! I was going to go for a drink afterwards with those guys and the girls from my business are coming too!
A friendly smile on your face as if to say that it's pointless to do so, and you look into my body to avoid me and talk to Suela.
A battle switch is flipped on and the tone of your voice drops a notch.
Whether you don't realize it, or whether it's on purpose, I can see that you're confident that you have several large companions, and that you can afford to be in your position.
Although violence is frowned upon in Japan, it is not without means.
I wonder if it is because of the insurance policy that is in place when the need arises.
I don't know how many women he has dropped off with his natural good looks, but there is no need to condone him if he messes with you.
Cool your irritating thoughts of being interrupted on a date with battle-ready thoughts and find a way to get rid of them without getting in trouble with the police.
Can't you joke about it until you're in your right mind? Honestly, it's just weird to hear.
"What?
In an instant, thoughts from another direction were forcibly cooled.
No, I was blown out of the heat.
If my thoughts were a blazing fire, I was in dire straits.
"Didn't you hear? I told you to pull that flimsy smile off your face and come back to me, didn't I?
Suela's tone of voice was like a blizzard blowing in Siberia.
Her face is a sales smile, and the magic power that leaks from it is that of a battle one.
No matter how much magic power (battery) is limited, if it's just a little, her fighting ability will certainly exceed mine.
If it's only about intimidation, she can also overpower the opponent with little magic power consumption.
In fact, my cautious senses are now definitely on Suela's side.
As for Kato, she has no idea what is being said.
Of course, Suela's voice can be heard by the group that is hanging out behind her.
"Wow, Kato's guy's been dumped, that's a rarity.
I mean, she's too harsh, are foreign women like that?
I don't know, but isn't it interesting that Kato was cut to pieces like that?
"Ukelukelukel!
It's not that I'm a clown, but I'm just making fun of Kato who was embarrassed.
It's hard to believe that just a few minutes ago you were so excited about the possibility of having a drink with Suela.
Hahahaha, the joke's on you.
"I didn't mean to make a joke, okay?
"Huh?
If it were Japanese, what woman would be able to speak out like this, or maybe not.
Face, face, Kato's humiliation and the situation she's going through right now, I want to tell her that she's trying her best to endure it, but I'm not that demon either.
Kato, don't be too persistent, women will hate you.
The taxpayers' tax on dating beautiful women has gotten you in a lot of trouble today, but it's not bad if you can laugh at it.
I would like to hug Suela for removing her make-up, but we'll talk about that later.
I know you're stressed out, we have plans later on, why don't you go have a drink with your friends?
Don't get carried away.
I'm telling you I'm persistent.
Suela said what she wanted to say, which took away most of my anger, but it didn't take away the spark.
My voice came out so low that I thought it came out well.
You don't really apply force to interrupt me, but you grab Kato's right shoulder with your left hand with a squeezing force to stifle him.
Thinking back, I was more than a little jealous of this guy.
I could hear the stories of the woman I met in between sales assignments during work, she had free time, and while I was working overtime, she was just going home.
I don't know if it's true or not, but I heard a rumor that Kato's salary was better than mine.
My boss would scold me and then smile when he arrived.
I blamed myself for my bad judgment and wondered again and again why I was different from him.
Now I feel that things have changed.
Is it because this way, I'm beginning to realize that even if my work is not going well, I'm still getting solid results.
Kato's presence, which I thought would be far away or above me, now seems small.
I have no further use for Kato, who looks at me as if surprised.
I grab her shoulder and shove her away, making her turn around.
Let's go.
"Yes.
This time it was my usual voice.
When Suela answered me, it was her voice, too.
I pulled my hand from her grasp and slowly walked away, but she didn't speak to me from behind.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but someone I know is bothering you.
Well, I'm actually a little angry, aren't I?
"Huh?
A short distance away from the place, there was silence, albeit for a few minutes.
Normally, Suela would reply with an apology for trying to get out of it, but this time was different.
Perhaps subconsciously expecting such words, I slowed my walk to look at her face in surprise.
"Do you know what I'm angry about?
It's not a smile, but a serious look into my eyes as Suela looks at me.
I'm sure there's a connection between this and Kato's earlier conversation, but she doesn't seem to be angry that she was picked on.
...... Sorry, I don't know.
I'm sure that if he had known, Jiro-san would not have responded in the way he did.
"......
I seriously don't know what Suela is upset about.
Hence the silence.
"Jiro.
In my previous company, I would have just apologized and made an excuse, but now I don't want to lie to her and I don't want to make excuses, so I choose silence.
She put her hand on my chest and called out my name, slowly and admonishingly, as if to keep up with my pacing, which had stopped before I knew it.
You're not a god. In everything you do, you will fail, you will falter. It's human nature and it's inevitable. But...
Isn't it good to have confidence?
"Huh?
Her words dropped into me like a stoner in my chest and got me hooked.
I'm angry that you despised the confidence that you should have. You were sincere about everything, but you didn't have the confidence that should have accompanied it. You are straightforward, but you do not trust yourself. You're trying to do something by forcing yourself to believe that you can do it.
Slowly she tells me what she's seen and felt herself.
I'll just listen.
Sure, maybe I'm insecure.
Part of me hates to work hard like that, but I was afraid that if I retreated here, I would lose something.
I was afraid of desperation, of being lost, of being next to Suela like this.
I've seen what you've done. I've seen what you've done. So, Jiro, please believe in yourself. You may think you can do it, but you can't rise to the top, but that's not true.
There is something deep inside, something like a pillar, and her words support me.
I can do it, because it's Jiro, who I fell in love with.
"......
Jiro?
For now, stay tuned.
"Yes.
There's something nagging in my chest.
I'm being watched in a very uncool way today.
Being seen frustrated at work, comforted when you are down, saved by the words of an acquaintance.
And it helped me build my confidence.
Yeah, I'm so uncool today.
Thank you.
I love her more than I can say, and I love her so much right in front of me.
I don't care about the street.
I hold her softly.
Yeah, I'm just taking it.
But I feel like I've finally left the nest.
So far I've just been a cog in the wheel that relies on the power around me, and now I'm going to be the cog in the wheel that turns.
Oh, I'm ashamed that I thought the job was a hassle.
I must be a fool for thinking it was a hassle.
It's not just Suella.
The supervisor, Kaylee and Kaido are giving me a job (a chance) because they believe I can do it, too.
So why didn't I have the guts to respond.
Thank you, Suela.
You're looking great, Jiro.
"I was uncool today, so I'll be cooler,
I'm not worried about it.
I hug her again as she finally says the words of thanks and receives them with a happy smile.
I want to meet her expectations that I can hear from her chest.
It might be the first time.
I want to work.
If I can think that way.
It's because of her.
Do you want to go somewhere to eat?
Yes, I'm a little hungry.
Still, just close your eyes for today.
Resist the urge to work for a little while, and go into town with Suela to accumulate more fuel.
The stares I felt along the way don't bother me anymore.
I can proudly announce that her seat is mine.
Another side
Retraining Proposal
I loosen my mouth when I see that the paperwork, and the attachments that seem to accompany it, are far better than I expected.
The atmosphere that I thought was lacking is improving over the next few days.
"I thought it would end in prospect, but it's come out of its shell faster than I expected.
You're happy but frustrated that you weren't the one who did it.
I'm not naive enough to hide those feelings, and I think I'm honest enough to play along.
I was going to take some action if it had remained unchallenged, but I decided to think that I could cut down on the effort.
I'm looking forward to the future.
Some resumes placed on the desk and visible next to it, the second cohort is approaching.
Another side END
Tanaka Jiro, 28 years old, single
Her Suela Hendelberg
Memory Tris
Occupation Dungeon Tester (full-time)
Magical aptitude 8 (general class)
Post Warriors
Word of the Day
You need results for your efforts.
But it's important to believe in yourself to support it.