Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.
“Thanks for all your hard work in preparing.”
With a smile on her face, Shurin raised her glass and drank it in one gulp. Kouka, standing next to her, gulped down her glass as well, looking at Shurin from the side.
When Shurin turned her face back to me, her smile disappeared.
I also looked at the glass and gulped down my drink. Then I looked at the dishes placed in front of me. When I came here a few days ago, I couldn’t eat the food because I went to the bar as soon as it was served. The two people in front of me who took notice of this suggested that this restaurant would be the right place for a farewell party for the three of us.
“We will miss you.” Kouka raised her eyebrows at Shurin’s words. It was an expression that looked like she was holding back from crying.
“Yeah,…… thank you for sending me off even though it’s going to be hard work for both of you.”
The day after I announced my resignation to Ranrei, I told Jirun I wanted to resign, feeling refreshed yet apologetic. There would be a handover, and in the modern Japanese sense of the word, I intended to keep my job for another month or so.
However, when I told Shurin and Kouka that I was going to resign as well, they were impatient that I should go as soon as possible, and Jirun also insisted, so I decided to quit early.
Moreover, with Ranrei’s help, I was allowed to ride in Jirun’s carriage. Of course, I gave him travel expenses and gratuities from my meager savings, but it was an unbelievable amount of money. As I was sorry, Jirun told me to get promoted quickly when I got a new job. He said with a hint of a smile, which was a mystery to me, even though I had no chance of getting a promotion.
So for the past three days, I was swamped taking over work, preparing for the trip, and cleaning up since I would be away from home for an extended period.
Kouka responded, “I’m past my busy period at work, and I’ll be fine.”
“I think it’s rare for someone to worry about work when quitting. Everyone quits as soon as they decide to do so.”
Shu-ring smiled while Kouka looked at me strangely.
I was deeply moved by the difference in sensation between modern Japan and another world.
“Please contact me… Please contact me and let me know the outcome.”
Shurin’s smile suddenly turned tearful while saying in a sad voice, “I’m sorry, but I’m not sure. Kouka, standing next to her, also seemed to be caught in the act and raised her eyebrows as if in a panic, as if she was about to burst into tears. The corners of her eyes were slightly smudged.
Seeing the two of them, I was about to tear up as well, and I hurriedly rubbed the area around my eyes.
“Yeah…… thanks, really.”
The two of them suddenly began to tear up when they saw my voice was shaking a little too.
“Let’s meet again.” I was surprised to hear Kouka’s words. I knew that if I went to Yansho city, I might not be able to see them again. But knowing that, I was happy that she said we would see each other again.
I managed to put a smile on my face.
“See you again.”
Both of them beamed at me with tears in their eyes.
I wonder if I have ever cried at a farewell party for someone. And I had only been with the company for about six months. When I thought about that, my heart was moved by the two people who were saddened for me. After all this time, I realized that it was a very precious relationship.
※※※※※※※※※
“I’m not good with children.”
After I said that accidentally, I thought, “Oh no.”
The junior guy who had just been talking about the goodness of children closed his mouth with a dumbfounded look. Only the hustle and bustle of voices and the phone ringing can be heard from afar.
My junior recently gave birth to a child, so all we talked about at work was that. She talked endlessly about the advantages of having a child, even to me, the senior employee sitting diagonally in front of her, and I couldn’t help but vent my true feelings.
When I looked around, the female senior sitting in front of me and the boss next to me stopped as if time had stopped for a moment. I regretted from the bottom of my heart that it wasn’t a remark to make among all the other married people with children.
To lift up the tense atmosphere, a senior colleague clapped her hands together as if to start over.
She said, “Yes! Let’s go to work. We have to go home early for your child’s sake.”
“Oh …… yes, sorry. I’m sorry, I guess I’m just rambling words.”
The junior colleague smiled at me and turned her head to her computer. I felt awkward as the only one when I saw another junior peeking at me from his laptop.
I was startled for a moment, and then I smiled guiltily. The younger man sat up and moved his face closer to mine.
“But having children are really great, you know. It’s not only for women. When a man has a baby, his values change, and he’ll transform anew! You can get a whole new skin!”
I smiled back at the younger man whispering to me and immediately turned my head to my computer.
[So, if I can’t have children, will I be an immature person for the rest of my life?] I hated myself for having taken it that way, and I suppressed a sigh that I was about to let out.
I thought to myself and responded, “I think you should choose the right person to talk about …… having children with.”
“Huh?”
As I was about to enter the break room, I heard a senior female colleague sitting in front of me talking with a junior colleague. I stopped in the hallway, unintentionally with them, not realizing I was in the vicinity.
“Didn’t you notice? There’s a rumor he broke off his engagement,… and I’m not going to say anything bad about it, but be careful.”
“Yeah,…… but I didn’t mean to …… offend him, I just wanted to make sure that …… senpai knew how great having children were….”
The junior raised his voice pitifully. I knew she didn’t mean to offend me.
“Yeah… but you’ve been talking about children all day.”
“Haaa…”
The conversation ended with the junior’s curt response, and then it was on to something else. I let out a breath and turned around to return to my office.
Lifting my eyelids slowly, I saw the morning sun shining brightly on the steam locomotive’s sleeper compartment.
It was a pleasant morning, but I dreamed that my mood was somber. Perhaps I felt the train jolting for the first time in a long time, and it reminded me of modern Japan. I got up from my narrow bunk and lazily moved closer to the window.
The view that greeted me took my breath away.
The train seemed to be running at a higher elevation than the city, and below me, buildings of mixed Western and Chinese styles lined up endlessly. A large building sat at the back of the train. Further to the right, I could see the light blue color, which I could not tell if it was the ocean or a river.
I was stunned to realize that this was Yansho, the largest city in the country. I had only known the city I was in before, but this city was an otherworldly city on a scale far beyond my imagination.
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Translator’s Notes:
I need Shurin and Kouka as my besties too!
And, for the latter part of the story, it was a bit confusing since I initially thought Kouhei had already gotten a new job and was working with his new colleagues. But, apparently not? Since he’s still on a train arriving in Yansho….
p/s: Join my Discord for updates if you haven’t yet!\n