My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 597

"Why should Ms. Yumahama listen to the sumo wrestler? Couldn't she just refuse? Is it because she's a good performer?"

You could tell from her words that she was implying, "Does she have some kind of leverage over you?"

Yumahama's answer was simple.

"Because Shengmei and I were classmates."

"Just because of that?"

"She's my only colleague from the same year. Of the people who joined the company in the same year, only Shengmei and I are left."

In my opinion, sumo wrestlers are annoying people, but Yumahama has a different view. It's true what they say, you can't help but feel a special connection to your contemporaries. My two contemporaries are both gone now. One changed careers, the other developed a mental illness. I wonder where they are now.

"I see."

He spoke calmly beneath the snow.

"However, sometimes this kind of goodwill is not beneficial to the other party. I advise you to remember that."

"Um...thank you."

Yukinoshita looked at Yumahama, who was thanking her, and her eyes suddenly softened. It was as if she were gazing at someone she missed.

"I heard you sneeze just now, are you alright?"

"Ah, um. It's nothing, it's nothing."

"The air conditioning in this company is too strong. Matsutani SV, please think of a solution."

"Go talk to the building management company."

They were utterly indifferent and ruthless towards me.

Yumahama's healing aura is irresistible, even to the shop's hostess!

The next afternoon.

When Yumihama, who was on the night shift, arrived at the company, the sumo wrestler on the morning shift strode toward her with an angry look on his face.

"I received this customer's complaint."

Yumihama stared in astonishment at the fax paper the sumo wrestler handed her.

"Fax this document to the other guests. You got the number wrong, didn't you?"

"Huh, is this for real?"

Yumihama took the fax paper and searched for the number on her computer. She stared at the screen for a while, then slumped her shoulders in frustration.

"I'm sorry... it turns out you're a customer with the same surname."

"So what? Just read out the name and customer number before sending it, wouldn't that have prevented it? You made me get yelled at. Hey, how are you going to compensate me—?"

The sumo wrestler kept berating her. Her tone and words were unpleasant. Nearby employees frowned, but a single glare from the sumo wrestler made them look away. In this workplace, offending the queen meant certain death.

I got up from my SV seat and got involved.

"That's enough. Everyone's watching."

The sumo wrestler glared at me fiercely, raising his overly bright red lips. It was a reptilian smile.

"Okay, Yuri, Mr. SV will protect you—building a good relationship with people is very useful in situations like this, right—? Hmm—?"

Yumihama seemed at a loss, her gaze shifting back and forth between me and the sumo wrestler.

I resisted the urge to yell at the woman in Edmund (Note 24), outwardly ignoring her, and pointed to the electronic bulletin board on the wall. It displayed the number of people in the queue—"Several guests are waiting online."

"There are five guests waiting, please assist them as soon as possible!"

Yumahina snapped back to reality and reflexively pressed the phone's power button. "Hello. I'm a customer service representative from Maru-Ryu Shin's credit card loan department. My name is Yumahina." Even in this situation, she could still answer the phone in a normal tone. Her gentle voice soothed the listener's emotions. Yumahina might seem unreliable at first glance, but she's actually a very excellent employee, I know that very well.

The sumo wrestler glared resentfully at Yumahama. I shouted again, "Please assist as soon as possible!" The sumo wrestler reluctantly returned to his seat.

Really...

Although her sumo recovery rate was number one, my evaluation of her was very low. Her performance in answering customer questions and handling complaints was far inferior to other customer service staff. For example, like just now, when the phone kept ringing, she wasn't the first to answer. She used her outstanding performance as a shield and ignored SV's instructions.

As the frantic phone calls subsided, a cold voice came from behind me.

"The presence of sumo wrestlers is hardly beneficial to this workplace."

"Oh, really?" I replied while using my computer. I knew without even turning around. I only knew one woman who could speak with such a cold voice. I wondered when she had started spying on me.

"You actually said something like that. That's surprising."

"Accident?"

"Because sumo wrestling has an excellent recycling rate. It's much more useful to your main store staff than to Yumahama, isn't it?"

"—Provided that her performance is genuine."

Her tone shifted to a soft murmur.

I instinctively turned around and looked up at the fair face beneath the snow.

What does that mean?

"I've listened in on her phone calls with customers several times and couldn't find anything unusual. It was like reading from a script—no, considering she sometimes forgot to use honorifics or her tone became casual, her score was probably below average. It's unbelievable that she could get such a high response rate."

"I understand without you having to tell me. But it's a fact that she has good sales performance."

"Is that so?" Yukinoshita muttered to herself, as if talking to herself. She placed her snow-white hand on her cheek, as if deep in thought.

"what's on your mind?"

She did not answer.

"What can someone who doesn't know the situation possibly see? Please, don't cause trouble."

I deliberately mocked her, but Yukinoshita ignored me. Her thoughts had already drifted to another world. Even in the same space, the things on our minds are different. Different values, different perspectives. Looking at her delicate face, I deeply felt the obvious differences among humans.

What kind of punishment will the cold, aloof goddess, standing high above, impose on this hell?

The working class crawling on the ground has no way of knowing.

Lunch break a week later.

I was eating a rice ball from a convenience store in the corner of the lounge, holding a copy of the new speech draft that's expected to be used starting next year. It seems Yukinoshita suggested it to higher-ups based on this inspection. Oh, it's really well-written. So good it's infuriating. Seaweed crumbs were scattered on the white paper. I'll just throw it in the shredder along with this later.

The break room, crammed with about thirty people, was filled with noisy conversations. Given the high percentage of women in this workplace, and the environment being as noisy as a girls' school, men simply couldn't stand it. Therefore, the vast majority of male employees would escape to eat out. I'm one of those people, but I spent too much money on mobile games this month and am currently short on cash, so I can't escape.

The five-member female group occupied the very center of the women-filled lounge.

It was the group led by sumo wrestler Katsumi, who was ranked number one in performance.

They chattered incessantly, their voices like those of rare birds nesting deep in the jungle. Words like "men," "annual income," and "promotion" drifted in intermittently. Ugh—so annoying. I should have just gone for beef bowl.

Yumahama was also in that small group. However, her voice couldn't be heard. She only nodded slightly in response. I wondered if this was really making me happy? But her role in the group was indispensable. Women often hope to hear affirmations like, "Wow, that's amazing!" when they chat.

A rough, middle-aged man's voice suddenly broke into the sharp conversation.

"Sumo wrestling! Are you free?"

He was a middle-aged man, around sixty years old, with a belly that looked like it was about to burst. A lazy smile graced his oily face. He was the president of the Shibuya censorship company; I remember his name was… what was it again? I think his nickname was "Ebisu."

"Oh—Minister, is there something you need?"

The sumo wrestler stood up, his voice like that of a bar hostess. President Ebisu smiled. "You did send a bottle, didn't you?"

"I had to make a trip to Chiba, so I thought I'd drop by and see you. You're getting good reviews in Shibuya too, aren't you? Everyone says you're the ace with the highest return rate for three consecutive months."

"Ugh—stop talking—everyone's watching—"

The sumo wrestler patted the captain affectionately on the shoulder, his face practically screaming, "Keep going! Keep praising me! Praise me in front of everyone!" After spending too long in this hellish place, other people's true feelings would appear as subtitles.

"How about it? Want to take the exam in September and see if you get a promotion? (Translation: As you wish, I'll give you a few compliments; accept them.)"

"Hmm—I do think it's time, but I probably won't pass the exam. (Translation: Since you say so, you should be able to make things easier for me, right? Hmm?)"

"Choosing you is definitely the right choice! I'll vouch for you! (Translation: If you get the job because of me, you'll know how to thank me, right? Hehe.)"

"So the review department will recommend me? That's great!♪ (Translation: This is a completely different matter, isn't it? Oh well, once I get that position, it'll be mine—sigh.)"

Ugh……

The sheer audacity of such a shameless conversation would leave even financial institutions speechless. The previous customer was right. It's dirty money laundering.

After President Ebisu left, the sumo wrestlers unanimously began to flatter her. "Great job!" "I also want to leave this godforsaken place like Chiba!" Regardless of what they were really thinking, everyone had a smile on their face.

There is only one exception.

Yuri Yumahama.

She forced a smile, but even from a distance, it was clear that her smile was stiff.

"Is Katsumi going to Shibuya...?"

Her listless voice sounded very unlike her.

The sumo wrestler nodded frankly. Cruelly, it was only at this moment that her smile appeared endearing.

"Because they've always wanted to get into the audit department! That's why they've been working so hard to collect the money. Now they're finally getting their reward! (Translation: Who wants to beg for money in a rural place like Chiba? I'm outta here.)"

It seems the subtitles are still on.

However, even I could tell that such a straightforward truth was easy to understand.

"Oh, I see... That's great!"

Yumahina looked terrible.

The fact that she was going to Shibuya at the same time was a huge blow to her—and it seems that wasn't the only reason. Come to think of it, she hasn't been doing well lately.

After lunch, the sumo wrestlers went back to work. Yumahama, however, sat alone in her chair, staring blankly at her phone. Her rounded back appeared even more petite than usual.

Just as I was about to strike up a conversation with her out of concern, she suddenly collapsed.

He lay motionless on the table.

"Hey, Yumahama? Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I...I'm fine."

Upon closer inspection, I noticed sweat beading on her forehead. Her eyes were also watery, like a puppy's. She had a fever.

"I'll count this as you leaving early today. Go take a nap in the rest room inside."

"This won't do—no one will fill my vacancy this way."

"It would be more troublesome if you fainted halfway through your work."

I half-forced Yumahina to go to the nap room next to the lounge. In the dimly lit space of about two square meters, there was a large sofa bed and a quilt. I left the door open.

"I'm sorry, Songsong."

"I can't believe it," said Gongbin, sitting on the sofa. She placed a cushion instead of a pillow on her lap, curling herself into a small ball. Seeing her, who was always so energetic, so listless, I felt a pang of sympathy.

"You were upset by what happened just now, weren't you?"

I asked, and she nodded with a slight hesitation.

"You might think I'm a narrow-minded woman who's jealous of my friends' success..."

"Nope."

I understand that's not the reason. She was upset about something else.

"Turns out I was the only one who saw her as a peer, someone I considered a comrade. Unrequited love. Haha, I got dumped."

"..."

I didn't know what to say to her. Those words sank into my heart like a cold stone. Unrequited love.

There was a knock on the door.

Turning my head, I saw Yukino Yukinoshita standing there with her arms crossed.

"Director Matsutani, isn't it incredibly inconsiderate of you to be alone with a female employee in a place like this?"

"That's why I didn't close the door."

Hmm—Yukinoshita nodded. "You're quite smart for your age." She said as she squatted down next to Yumahina, looking into her eyes.

"You looked very uncomfortable, which is why I warned you before."

His tone was gentle. This guy really dotes on Yumahama.

"Ah... I'm sorry. How should I put it, I'm a bit... emotionally affected."