By the Grace of the Gods (LN) - Volume 7 - Chapter SS

Extra Story: Before the Press Release

~Tabuchi’s Side~

“Tabuchi, another round! Go on, crack ’em!”

“Whoops...!”

The landlady, Urami, and I, who’d hardly known each other before tonight, had gotten carried away telling old stories of the director, while in the process of putting the contents of Urami’s home bar to good use.

“Eating takeout’s classic bachelor shit, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I know it’s not healthy, but I can’t help it. Especially when all I’ve got in the fridge is booze and junk food.”

“Well, that’s all well and good while you’re still young, but that all goes out the window once you’re married.”

“Ha! Like that’ll ever happen.”

While we were joking around like that, the doorbell rang.

“Hmm? Who could that be...? No one ever visits me. Excuse me a moment,” Urami stood and went to answer his door.

“You’re too young to play the old bachelor, y’know. You remind me of Takebayashi. Aren’t there any girls at the office you have your eyes on?”

“Our company’s a bit too crazy for that right now. Anyone with free time’s a bear trap, so there’s nothing I can... What’s up, Urami?”

Urami had returned with a man I didn’t recognize. He was a little older than the director, clad in a pretty sharp suit that looked quite expensive, whether it was tailor-made or brand name merch.

“What are you doing in his apartment, dad?!”

“Huh? Oh, Kenji. What are you doing here?”

“Mom asked me to stop by.”

“You’re the landlady’s son?”

“I guess so. He apparently left saying he’d be right back, so his son came looking for him.”

“Ah, we kind of got on a roll.”

Then, Kenji turned to us. “I apologize for my father’s intrusion.”

“Oh, no. I was the one who asked him to stay in the first place. I’m sorry I kept him for so long.”

“No apology necessary. My father has a habit of overstaying his welcome when drinks are involved... Oh, where are my manners?” Kenji produced a business card from his pocket, which I instinctively took.

Kenji Oya...?!

I was astonished by the title listed next to his name. Preceding the name of a very famous and successful company were three letters: CEO.

“Th-Thank you kindly. Here is mine,” Urami answered.

Right, I better give him my card, too! I quickly rummaged through my pockets. Of all the times to lose my own business cards...! The CEO Kenji’s eyes felt like daggers.

“Um... Apologies if I’m mistaken, but are you Mr. Tabuchi?” He asked. How did someone like him know about me? I tried to think of even a guess, but those drinks seemed to slur my thought process.

“Uh, yes...?”

“I knew it!”

“Have we met?”

“Baba from your office told me a lot about you.”

Oh... Baba had mentioned a connection... That made sense.

“I see. Baba...” I asked for details, and heard that a company Kenji used to work in to gain some experience had been one of our clients. He had met Baba then, and went on to trust our work to create part of the software when he started his own company.

“He’s been very good to me, but I haven’t a chance to speak to him since... I was just hoping to see him again when he called me. We met up and talked for a while. Mr. Tabuchi, I’ve heard you are a talented and hardworking technician, and that you worked under the late Mr. Takebayashi. He assured me that you can do anything from managing systems to developing new ones from day one, including details of your illustrious achievements. I’ve already spoken to my HR team. I was wondering if you would come and work for my company.”

“Um. That’s a great offer. Really...” Baba had apparently shown him a picture of us together one time, which allowed Kenji to identify me. It’s a small world (or maybe just dumb luck). Can’t believe I’d run into an acquaintance of an acquaintance like this...

“Hey, Tabuchi, you’re going to quit? Guess you are if you’re going to work for my son.”

“Um... Yes, to tell you the truth. Baba is one of my bosses, and he’s encouraged me. Everyone, myself included, had enough of that company, I think. Now he’s used his connections to look for new jobs for us. We’re all going to quit, and even though we’d be in different companies, we all decided we wanted a fresh start.”

The landlady nodded, and I wondered if Urami was planning to write an article about this. Whether or not that would be a good use of his time, I thought I might want to warn him against it.

Then, Kenji piped up. “You all did! Baba found a new job, too, then! How wonderful!” He was beaming.

“What?” I felt like I was choking. “Wonderful?”

“Baba took great care of me back in the day, but he’s so close to retirement. I couldn’t quite convince my HR on that one... And he may be a skilled salesman, but he can’t keep up with the job, I don’t think, physically speaking. Unfortunately, his technical skills were thoroughly average, without anything worthy of note... It didn’t work out with us.”

Come to think of it, Baba had been transferred away from sales, made to work from a department he was completely unfamiliar with from scratch. We had so much of a head start as engineers who came in with a skill set at the ready. But even I didn’t find that out until recently. He had enough skills to take care of tasks, no problem... And Kenji was right. Baba didn’t have any exceptional development skills or knowledge. It wouldn’t be hard to find someone more skilled than him at programming and system design. That’s why he still didn’t have a job?

“Baba searched everywhere for work...” I muttered.

“Oh, yes, I’ve heard. I keep in touch with other CEOs through seminars and social networks...” Apparently, Kenji had approached his online acquaintances about Baba. Some of them knew of Baba, but none wanted to offer him a job. There were some signs of interest, but his age was a dealbreaker. Kenji had kept one ear open for news of Baba’s new employment, but had heard nothing about it.

I couldn’t speak a word while Kenji explained all this. The great feeling that had swelled in my chest was gone. I had utterly sobered up, a sick feeling whirling in my gut.

“Mr. Tabuchi?”

“I didn’t know anything about that. Baba said everyone...” He was the only one without a new job? He kept quiet so he wouldn’t worry us?

“N-Not that I’m aware of all of Baba’s connections,” Kenji hastily tried to reassure me. “He could have help from someone I don’t know of.”

It didn’t work, as I couldn’t help but think of how Baba had acted that day. I couldn’t keep his expression out of my mind when he had muttered “perfect” at the office.

“The press conference!”

“The press conference? Oh, that’s 8 p.m. tonight, isn’t it? It’s a little past seven now.”

“Barely even an hour...! Sorry, I need to run back to the office.” I began scrambling to gather my things.

“Tabuchi? What’s going on?”

“Baba’s going to appear at today’s press conference. A manager who’s gotten away with scandals is being demoted, leaving him with the position and the responsibility for what happened.”

“What?!”

“It didn’t sit right with us either, but Baba was the one who convinced us in the end.”

Perfect. We’re all responsible for our job until quitting time on our last day.

Baba’s words kept repeating in my mind. “I can’t explain it, but I’m worried about him. What if Baba does something rash at the conference? I have to go!”

If I was wrong, then great. Just my alcohol-addled brain playing tricks on me. But what if I wasn’t? I had to ask him before the press conference.

I was just about to leap out the door when Kenji called, “Wait!” He caught up to me at the front door. “I have a driver and a car right outside. Let him drive you there.”

“What?”

“I can’t overlook what you just told me.”

“Th-Thank you!” I took the offer without any time to second guess it. In the meantime, Urami had grabbed something and came to join us. Leaving the landlady at the apartment, the three of us sprinted out the door...

■ ■ ■

~???’s Side~

Baba, having been saddled with the title of manager, stood alone in an office. With the prepared script he had been given from the higher-ups of the company in one hand, he was gazing out of the window. His expression lacked conviction, making him look astonished, but his eyes still gleamed with strong intent. We watched the media representatives who had already gathered, apparently waiting with bated breath for the conference. Baba tightened his grip on his script when a man entered the room. He was as old as Baba, and despite his polished dress, he looked exhausted.

“Baba, sir. It’s almost time. If you could get ready to...” Baba kept staring out the window without answering. “Sir?”

“Mitani... I’ve devoted many years to this company. No offense to the development team, but being transferred there from sales wasn’t easy, but I stuck around. I remember working with you, too, before all of this.”

“I remember...”

“This will be my last project for this company, I think... And that brings back some memories. My first day, and the years I’ve spent working... The company was still small back then, with enough employees to count on my fingers...”

“I remember that too...” Mitani said, more quietly than before. Tears came to his eyes, and Mitani shifted his gaze to the floor.

A weak grin came over Baba’s face, shaded with some guilt. “Pardon me... This is hardly the time to be taking a stroll down memory lane, right? I’ll get ready.”

“Yes... Please.”

“I won’t fail my final project... You can count on that.”

Mitani sprung his head up, now looking at Baba. “Baba, sir...” A moment passed. “Uh, never mind.” Mitani left the room.

Now alone again, Baba stood staring out the window, his eyes burning with determination.