28th April, 2017 | Chiyoda Office, Tokyo
It was like any other day, a busy workday for every public sector across Japan. The sun cast a long ray of light that seeped through the glass buildings — stretching the shadow ever-longer.
The endless paperwork was piling up higher than myself, and I felt like I could never make peace with this bunch of toxic higher-ups.
As a woman working in the Cabinet Secretariat of Japan, it never gets easier.
From time to time, the workload will only increase before I could manage to lean back on my chair.
For me, it was another workday far away from my hometown in Osaka. Moving out to Tokyo was not something I had in mind as a kid.
But regret? Never.
"Hozumi," a man called out to me out of the blue.
He was wearing a gray suit and a white shirt underneath it — a red tie that contrasted with his own attire hanging neatly on his neck.
His name is Yamada, a senior office worker who was recently promoted to manager by the board.
"Mmm.. yes?" I looked up from the laptop on my desk, staring at him with my tired eyes.
"I need you to submit this report for the Cabinet meeting within two days and send the files to me." He handed over a file as thick as a magazine and placed it on the edge of my desk.
"Right… anything else, Mr. Yamada?" I took the file and started inspecting its content with critical eyes.
"That would be all." As he turned to leave my working space, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder.
"Don't work yourself to death." He said with a gentle yet authoritative tone.
Yet those words were enough to steal my subtle attention before I dismissed it and retracted my focus back onto my work.
As the hours passed by, I could feel my back screaming in agony as I kept changing my position on my desk while working on my assignment.
Once I typed in the last sentence for my eight assignment of the day, I finally allowed myself to catch a break and leaned forward onto my desk.
I looked out the window and gazed into its breathtaking scenery, staring down the ever-busy and familiar area where I spent most of my time working in this mortal and fragile body.
This morning, I remembered looking at the early sun rising from the murky water during the dawn.
Now, it has reached its peak directly above us, giving us both light and skin burn.
As I was enjoying the view, my colleagues called out to me suddenly, snapping me back to reality.
"Hozumi, It's lunch time."
"Yeah! Come join us for lunch. Don't worry~ we won't make you pay for us."
I looked up from my desk and stared at the familiar faces in front of me.
The girl on the right was Ajitani Maki — a close friend of mine since high school. We somehow met again in this firm as colleagues by chance.
The universe does have its way with people.
On the left was Takanashi Yuki, an intern who was recently unofficially engaged to Maki after a few months of workplace romance.
Like fate, I sometimes felt like the third wheel of their story.
"Ah, I didn't realize. Time passes by so quickly.."
I sat up straight on my chair, raising both arms in the air to stretch my sore back before looking up at them again.
"Well, let's go." I replied shortly, standing up as Maki took my hand in hers before leading me out of the workplace.
Her graceful steps were followed by occasional giggles throughout the conversation that I don't quite catch.
Yet I just smiled at her as she continued to guide me.
Yuki followed close behind but didn't say anything. His hands were tucked away in his pocket as he kept his posture straight, revealing his broad shoulders under the bright daylight.
A few minutes later, we arrived at a busy ramen shop downtown, it wasn't the popular kind but it was packed with locals.
And thankfully there weren't many tourists or any tourists at all. We sat down on the counter table as the cook came to take our orders.
"What are you three having?" The cook asked.
"Uhhhh… I'll have.. the Miso Ramen. Wait- no no! I'll have the uhh.. owh.. there's so much to choose from.." Maki complained quietly in her seat.
Yuki however let out a soft chuckle and placed a hand on her shoulder before turning to face the cook.
"I'll have the Tonkotsu Ramen and a glass of water, please."
"O-oh! Right! I'll get that too please!" In the end, Maki ended up ordering the same meal as her fiance.
I stared at them from my seat, a part of me was happy that I have someone like them to brighten my world.
But another part of me felt.. kinda envious.
"I'll have Shoyu Ramen and sencha, please." I placed my order and leaned forward, cupping my cheeks in my palm against the cold surface of the counter.
When our order arrives, we eat with efficiency to save time so we can return to our desk as soon as possible.
Being herself, Maki would slip in conversation and jokes that made me lose track of time.
At one point, Yuki even fed Maki his own piece of chopped pork meat using chopsticks which almost ended up as a disaster because she was so close to dropping it.
As lunch time was nearing its end, we returned to the office, feeling full but not as energetic as one would suggest.
"Ha.. that was good ramen. Oh! I know, we should try that takoyaki stall next time we go downtown! I heard they stuffed big chunks of meat fillings inside them!" Maki suggested.
"Sure." I replied curtly with a nod.
We then went on our separate ways and returned to our own respective desks.
And so, I continue focusing on my assignment, answering calls from higher-ups about schedules and preparations.
This is the ordinary life of a public sector worker, the reality of life that I choose to hear throughout the rest of my short life span.
For hours more, I continued to work diligently until the sun began to fall at the edge of the blue sea.
The needle of the ticking clock on the wall strikes 08:00 P.M., indicating the closure of today's working hour.
I let out a heavy sigh, placing the final printed file next to the stack of files as tall as Mount Fuji itself.
Of course, exaggerate much.
But before I could even lean back and pack up my stuff, someone was approaching my desk with raging steps.
His face was a mask of anger and dissatisfaction from where I was sitting.
"Hozumi Fumiko!" He yelled out my name across the office, drawing the attention of nearby employees who were already packing up their belongings.
When he reached my desk, he slammed a file onto my table, making me jump a bit from his sudden outrage.
"What is the meaning of this?! The bill of the last Cabinet meeting was total chaos! You've placed every detail in the wrong places!"
I looked down at the bill — confused.
"But, Mr. Tanaka, I—"
"Quiet girl! Save your explanation for the board when they hear about your incompetence!" he cutted me off before I could even begin to explain myself.
Before the situation could escalate for the worst, someone thankfully came to my rescue to mediate between me and this bastard of a senior.
"Calm down now, Tanaka. There's no need for us to start shouting over some inconveniences. Besides, Ms. Hozumi here has performed outstandingly for the past few weeks."
Yamada approached us and stood between the rising tension. However, Tanaka doesn't look pleased by the slightest.
"With all due respect, this isn't a minor inconvenience, Yamada. This is an important bill that concerns the elected party." His voice began to change from a yelling tone to something more controlled.
"I know that, but each and every one of us makes mistakes once in our life. And I wish that you could see it the same way in Ms. Hozumi."
By the second this argument went by, Tanaka's irritations became more and more visible.
"Tch, don't act so high and mighty, Yamada. You may get promoted now, but that doesn't mean you could boss me around like your lackey."
He pointed a finger accusingly at him.
"Oh I'm sure it does, and as the manager, if you've got any problem, take it up with me."
He turned to face me, leaving Tanaka completely frustrated.
"You may go now, Ms. Hozumi. Get some rest, after all, wouldn't want you to be late for your train. Oh, and also, enjoy your holiday."
"Umm.. okay.." I nodded hesitantly before standing up facing him — bowing slightly to him in show of respect and custom norm.
After packing all my belongings inside my sleek bag, I decided to silently leave the now-awkward office situation.
Surely tonight couldn't get any stranger than this, right?
Welp… that concludes tonight's unpredictable charade. Time to go back to Osaka.
[Writing the next chapter…]