Chapter 18

“My boss called me back.”

“Your… boss?”

Kenji slid closer to the bottom end of the stairs, making sure he didn’t make a noise. He didn’t want to eavesdrop, yet the conversation was something he couldn’t ignore, as much as he wanted to.

“I’ve never told you what happened to me at my old job, I guess.”

“Speak. You have me intrigued."

The image of a smug Amaya appeared in his mind. Kenji wished her sister would say the opposite. How tactless.

But who am I to comment?

“I… don’t want to sound narcissistic, but the people at work considered me to be an overachiever.”

“Well, that sure sounds narcissistic."

Kenji gritted her teeth. Just what is her sister saying?

Tsukiko sounded unbothered, though. “Haha, I know, right? My overachievement, despite being a new hire, drew the ire of other, more senior workers.”

“Oh, and you got kicked out?”

Kenji couldn’t see Tsukiko’s reaction, but the silence told him what he needed to know.

“A project that I opposed failed, but they blamed me for it.”

“Sigh… That’s the corporate world. Have you ever had managers claiming your work as theirs?”

“You experienced that too?”

Some more silence.

“So, your boss wanted you back?”

“A different issue revealed the truth: that they tricked me and made me a scapegoat. So, someone else was fired, and he wanted me to come back. He offered me all the pay I missed out on, along with a raise and some more bonuses.”

Kenji gasped. He didn’t need to know the amount to know that the money offered was more than he could give her. While he technically had a considerable amount of cash on hand, most of it was for running his business. He and Amaya couldn’t pay her such a high salary; they made it clear when she first joined.

Back then, Tsukiko didn’t have any other option, so she accepted. But now that a path opened up for her, there was no way Kenji could stop her.

It’s her future… I should be happy for her… yet…

Yet…

Pain stirred in his heart. He held his chest, trying to stabilize his breathing. Silence followed. Kenji thought he had been discovered, but no footsteps came to check on him.

“So, you’re going to take it?” Amaya continued.

“I… don’t know. Haven’t decided.”

“Why? Just grab it, work a couple of months, and if you get kicked again, come back here.”

Kenji’s chest ached.

No, no, I shouldn’t be disappointed. I cannot be disappointed.

I’ve always known.

A great future awaited Tsukiko. She’s talented. She should utilize her talent. I should be supporting her.

He should appear, apologize for ‘accidentally’ eavesdropping, and say that she should take the opportunity. Such a career would take her to greater heights, better than whatever this small business could offer her.

“I… don’t know.”

“Chances don’t come twice, you know?”

“But… my boss gave me until the end of summer to decide.”

“Early September?”

Kenji's heart ached once more. Their time together had been cut short. Within three weeks, Tsukiko would return to the city.

“Well, you should think about it. As I said, chances don’t come twice.”

“Yeah… You’re right.”