The office was full of people. Everyone's stare was focused on their respective monitors. The sound of countless fingers clicking on the keyboards flooded the hall with the recognizable click.
"Have you ever tried pouring milk into coffee before hot water?"
A rather philosophical question broke the verbal silence.
I looked at Ogawa with a confused face. However, he still looked at the monitor. Nothing showed the fact that he was the one who raised the question. Even so, the voice was definitely his.
"Why does it matter? Coffee is coffee, after all" — Masaru pulled back from his desk and made a few spins on his chair.
His answer sounds very logical, but for some reason I feel like I have to disagree with him…
"But if you mix the coffee with cold milk and only then add hot water, does it not change the taste?" — the coffee maniac continued his philosophical debate. He turned back to his desk and looked at the monitor. Even though Ogawa continued working, I could tell by his expression that he was thinking about something else. His body was here, but his mind was somewhere else.
"I guess Saru is right. However… there are still changes in sacred processes…" — stated Furuya in the end, with a visible disappointment on his face.
"Why don't you try this method once?" — I mean, it's still better than just being disappointed.
Ogawa nodded.
"Ahem, Mr. Best Employee?"
Another one broke the verbal silence. This time, it was a demonic voice of a certain old pervert.
"How can I be useful to you, Mr. Ya-ma-za-ki?"
Yamazaki shivered.
"I said to cut it off. Sigh. Anyway, here, take an addition to your ranks" — he pushed one guy forward.
"M-m-m-my name is Nakamura Inumaru! Nice to meet you! Please take care of me, seniors!" — the young boy in front of me, approximately my age, shouted his name out loud. Nakamura stood straight, his head high at attention, and his hands held below his stomach. He looks familiar, I think I have seen him somewhere.
Huh… such enthusiasm… I could feel nothing, but pity. He definitely never worked in his life…
"Anyway, have fun" — Yamazaki went back to his desk, giving me a smirk, before finally disappearing.
"Who's that?" — a monkey face poked out from the side.
"M-my name…"
"I think they heard you" – and not only them, but the entire hall.
Sigh.
Why is it always me? Since when does Yamazaki care about the new ones? No way in hell I'll believe it. The sole purpose of this is to give me more work. Thank you! Pervertzaki.
"Mhm, excuse me?"
Right, this boy is still here. Do I really have to deal with him?
"Erhm, how was your name again?"
"Nakamura, sir."
"Right, Nakamura, you see this human-like monkey next to me?"
The boy looked at Masaru, then looked back at me, confused. We have a long way to go…
"Saru."
"Hmm? Yes, senior" — he turned to me in excitement.
"Take this rookie and teach him the basics." — I pointed at Nakamura with my thumb.
Masaru was as confused as the boy.
"Me?" — he poked at his own chest.
I looked to my right at Ogawa. I doubt he is a better choice.
"Yes, you."
The monkey still hasn't realized. He looked at me with puppy eyes.
"That… means, I am a senior now?" — I could hear a strange note in his voice. Saru… couldn't believe his own ears?
"Uhm, I guess so?" — confused by Saru's reaction, I could only scratch the back of my head.
Finally, the face of my junior changed drastically.
"Hmpf! Hear me out, rookie! I am your senior, name's Akashi" – he proudly declared with crossed arms, standing up and raising his chin. If someone asked me to depict "pride", I'd show him a picture of Masaru at this specific moment.
Is it a big deal for him?
"First lesson! This here is senior Fukuhara, the man next to him is senior Ogawa! Remember both of them."
He pinpointed his finger at us. I nodded. Ogawa only raised his palm. The Four-eyes didn't even bother to turn around.
"Y-yes! I will remember them all! Uhm, what about the job?"
"Ah, don't worry. You'll figure everything out on your own."
Do not expect everyone to learn everything just by working! Not everyone is like you! Argh… crap. Is everything going to be fine? Be strong, Nakamura-kun…
…
As the day passed, Masaru showed the new boy everything he needed. Beginning from our floor and ending with the cafeteria on the first. Saru seemed to be very delighted by the fact that he no longer is the youngest, in terms of working here, among us. I wish he'd explain our workflow with the same enthusiasm. I guess Nakamura will be fine. When I see them both together, it's as if they are brothers. Although… no, I changed my mind. Inumaru doesn't look like a monkey as much as Masaru does… rather a puppy? Sleep peacefully, Saru… your status as the office monkey is not endangered.
For the first day, we decided to just show him how we work. We gave him a chair, and he sat behind us, observing every step of us. At some point, he got curious about something Ogawa did. He poked his face out, tilted it to the side and asked the most silent among us.
"Uhm, senior Ogawa? What is this red thing?"
"…"
Furuya ignored him. Or rather, just didn't hear him. Nakamura repeated his question, but the only response he got was the clicking of Ogawa's keyboard. Nakamura puffed out his cheeks. He made the final attempt to gain Ogawa's attention and poked him in his side.
"Huh?" — Ogawa turned his head to Nakamura, visibly irritated – "who are you?"
Hiiek!
It scared the hell out of Nakamura.
"S-s-sorry…"
"Ogawa, Ogawa! He is our new junior! Nakamura."
"Since when do we have junior?"
"Since today?"
"Is it so?" — Ogawa scratched his cheek — "nice to meet you, then."
So, almost an entire workday had passed since Nakamura came, and Ogawa didn't notice him yet? I don't know, is it that Ogawa is so focused on his work, or he just doesn't care for anything but coffee? He is definitely a man of mysteries.
"Uhm, Nagashima, you want something from me?"
"My name is Nakamura… cough. I was curious about this little red thing over there" – he pointed at the monitor.
"The red thing, hm, this one?"
"Yes
"This shows us that the candidate rejected our offers several times."
Furuya was certainly right, but his dry and basic answer did not satisfy Nakamura's curiosity.
"Some of our candidates are selfish and want to live an eternity here, without bothering helping some random gods that they do not even know" — I added.
Ding-dong
It was the bell that signaled the end of the working day. We said our goodbyes and went home. As always, I took the subway. On my way to home, I thought of paying a visit to the supermarket, but my laziness won this fight. As I passed by the supermarket, I turned my head and looked at it, giving myself the last chance of rethinking everything. Only then I noticed a familiar figure behind me, it was Nakamura.
"Oi! What the hell, Nakamura!" — I reacted immediately, aggressively pointing my finger at him.
I'm not gonna lie, it caught me unguarded.
"Nakamura, you know the workday is over, right?"
You creeped me out, damn.
"Y-yes, senior… I am just heading home."
"Right behind my back?"
"…"
"Since when do you follow me?"
"Since we exit the company office…" — okay, maybe Ogawa's status as the office shadow assassin is endangered? Not like he was bothered by this, anyway?
We exchanged our looks, I sighed and went walking again. It came out that Nakamura is actually my neighbor. It makes sense now that he looked familiar to me.
"Uhm, senior Fukuhara?"
"What is it?" — I was about to enter my apartment. It better be something fast…
"I… I wanted to thank you for today."
"Hm?"
What for? I look at him again. Not like I did anything particular for him. Why does he thank me? Moreover, it was my task, wasn't it.
Nakamura was stranded in a very formal pose, bowing to me. Well, this boy has manners and can show gratitude in an extremely polite way. In comparison to the Office Monkey and the Silent Assassin, it was something unusual. I scratched my head.
"Sure, whatever. You did great today." — I entered the apartment and closed the door the instance I finished my sentence. It may be considered a rude act, but, please, show me some understanding. I am a human, after all, and I need my time to rest.
…
"Good morning, senior!"
The moment I opened the door, my new junior greeted me with a face full of enthusiasm. He smiled, still keeping the polite pose. He even stands in the same place! Did he wait there all night!? No, it wasn't so, for sure. Despite it, at first glance, I really could think about it. Anyway… why are you so excited, Nakamura? You only lack a wagging tail, behind your back.
"Morning" — I responded.
We hit the road to the company. Please, don't tell me you'll do it everyday now? I wanted to ask him that, but his face resembled a happy puppy that saw his master after a long time waiting for him. We were almost at the subway station, when I took the opportunity to ask him something.
"Uhm, Nakamura-kun?"
"Yes?"
"Why did you decide to work for us?"
It's not a common decision to do. He seems like a normal boy, not the other eccentric psychopaths like the Ice Demon, Coffee Demon or Monkey Demon. Was he also tricked by Yamazaki, like me? I can expect everything from that snake.
Nakamura raised his head, looked at the sky and thought for a moment.
"I didn't know what to do here" – his answer was simple and clear like a raindrop at the end of September.
Well, that's a common concern for the new citizens of this city.
"Yes, but you could do whatever you desired?"
"Mhm, perhaps you're right" – he looked down at his feet with a flushed face, as if he was ashamed of something – "I saw how you went every day to work and was curious about it. I followed you once and found out about this company. This became my new routine, I woke up early and followed you day by day."
Huh…? I could feel how my mouth itself widened with a terrified and surprised smile.
That's creepy. I take my words back, you are not ordinary. You fit this company very well! Welcome!
"I think Mr. Yamazaki noticed how I followed you" – he continued, moving his eyes to me. Again, that strange tilt of the head to the side.
"He did?"
"Yes. At first, he wanted to hand me over to the police. I think he was worried about you."
"I doubt it." — he'd rather sell me to a brothel than be worried about me! Even in such circumstances, he should've done it, hasn't he?
"I was scared that he would hand me over to the police for real, and I told him everything. Mr. Yamazaki then offered me a position at Divine Reincarnation. To be honest, I would rather not accept the offer at first, but…"
He innocently smiled.
"I still have nothing to do, so I thought I'd give it a try."
"…"
Something smells bad here… it can't be that, right? Yamazaki told him everything, right? I have to check it now, before he figures it out on his own. Nakamura noticed my worried face and tilted his head a little.
"What is it, senior?"
Then…
"Are you… Are you aware of the fact that you can't resign, right?"
He tilted his head even more, with a visible confusion on his face.
"I can't resign?"
I nodded.
"You can't… I am pretty sure about that."
Nakamura's eyes widened.
"…"
A train passed at full speed in the background. Just like Nakamura's joy about his new job. After all, he was indeed tricked by Yamazaki, just not the same as me. What did I expect?
***
"He~, you are neighbors?" — asked the chimpanzee.
In response, Nakamura nodded in silence. His enthusiastic face was gone, those sparking eyes had now become fish eyes, dead. I couldn't tell who looked more depressed and dark in my eyes, Ogawa or Nakamura. Nonetheless, Nakamura came back to consciousness in a few hours — "Whatever! It's not like I had any plans." — good willpower for someone in his situation, very commendable…
What concerned me more, was Ogawa's unusual sad expression.
"What's the matter?" — I asked him.
"Mhm… do you remember my question from yesterday?"
What question? Ah, about the coffee?
"Yes. You tried it?"
"I did."
"And what is your conclusion?"
"It tastes bad…" — Ogawa looked like my nephew Ryūtarō when he got a different present than what he wanted during Christmas. With the only difference, that Ryūtarō was ten years old.
"…"
And this is the reason you're sad?
…