The Matter of Starting to Live Together With a Long-Time Friend From High School After Becoming a Working Adult

The Matter of Starting to Live Together With a Long-Time Friend From High School After Becoming a Working Adult - Chapter 24: You’re at Your Limit Right Now

“I see… I have a rough idea of what happened.”

Having listened to the rough outline of the conversation, I nodded with my arms crossed. On top of that, to confirm, I’ll summarize the content of the discussion once more.

“A major mistake occurred in the project you’re working on. Arikura was trying to cover for it as the leader, but more and more small mistakes piled up, and as a result, you caused a lot of trouble for those around us… is that right?”

“Yeah… that’s right.”

Arikura’s expression was heavy. It was only natural since it reminded her of negative things. She also wanted to avoid it as much as possible, but it was unavoidable to properly grasp the situation.

However, it was worth it. Thanks to that, there were some things that became clear.

“I was entrusted with a big project and got a bit carried away. It’s really pathetic, isn’t it?”

“Well, I actually thought it was a strange story.”

“…Huh?”

Arikura looks up with a puzzled expression. After glancing at the attention she had been receiving, I voiced my thoughts.

“Indeed, in the sense that ‘a mistake occurred, so I ended up having to fill in as the leader,’ that’s true. In reality, it’s a common occurrence in the workplace, so I don’t even question it.”

“Uh, yeah… if that’s the case…”

“What I want to say is about “who made the mistake” in that job.”

And that is precisely the crux of today’s story. Well, I have a rough idea of it at this point.

“Well, it’s just my own arbitrary guess, but――”

Even so, I somehow feel it’s the right thing to do, so it’s quite troublesome.

“The other day, that kouhai who showed up… didn’t she mess things up?”

At that moment, Arikura slightly twitched in response. Just that alone was almost enough to confirm it, but it still wasn’t definitive. So, I’ll press a bit further in the conversation.

“I heard that kouhai is a direct subordinate of Arikura. If she’s as you described, it’s not surprising.”

“…Still, it’s not like I have no responsibility.”

“Yeah, I think that’s right.”

If this were a romantic comedy manga for kids, they would probably say something like, “That’s not true!”

However, unfortunately, that’s not the case for her.

Even so, she’s still a member of society—she have got her own boundaries, you know.

“The boss takes responsibility for the subordinate’s mistakes. As long as the company is an organization, that’s unavoidable. No matter how much you weren’t at fault, the subordinate’s responsibility will be treated as the boss’s responsibility. There’s nothing you can do to protect you in this case.”

It may sound harsh, but this is something unavoidable in the workplace. Even someone like me, who has only worked at a company for about two years, knows this. It’s just that obvious and harsh about the world.

However, it’s not quite that simple to say that everything is settled.

“That said, though――”

This time is exactly that. At least, I can’t help but think so.

“If the one who messed up gets off scot-free, then that’s a whole different story.”

“――!!”

Arikura’s expression clearly stiffened. It’s not just off the mark; it might be almost spot on.

“If a subordinate’s mistake is covered up by their superior… What if the kouhai used this unspoken social rule to shift all the blame onto you, their superior? What if, as a result of you drawing all the bad lots, you ended up in a situation like the one you’re in now?”

“…”

“They say silence is an agreement, but what about in your case?”

“Different… I can’t really say that, can I?”

“I see.”

Let me reiterate, that was just my guess. It’s not like Arikura definitively stated that it was absolutely correct.

However, she received a response that felt roughly on target.

That alone can be considered a significant achievement.

――It seems that the bad premonition I had before coming here was right after all.

The words that the kouhai was babbling about in the station—those were most likely referring to Arikura.

It’s a completely infuriating story.

They pushed all the responsibility onto Arikura, the “senpai,” while they casually clocked out on time and drank with a few men until they got drunk.

No… they still don’t know if that obnoxious woman made a mistake or not.

But at this point, it doesn’t really matter either way.

At the very least, it’s almost certain that they forced Arikura to bear the burden—just that alone would be enough to consider it guilty.

That said—I’m still an outsider. That fact hasn’t changed at all.

Here, it’s easy for me to tell Arikura that I saw someone who looked like a kouhai at Meguro Station. But what would happen if I did?

Honestly, all I can see is a future where things get even more complicated――

“Seriously… why am I going through this…”

Suddenly, Arikura began to murmur. When I returned to my senses and looked at her, Arikura was still looking down, tears welling up in her eyes.

“That kid apologized, but in the end, she just casually clocked out on time… ‘If we keep working overtime, it will be a hassle for the company,’ she says. The real hassle is making mistakes in the first place! If she reported it right away, it would be one thing, but she hid it until the last minute because she was scared of getting scolded… It’s just ridiculous.”

I was strangely calm as I listened to Arikura’s grumbling. Rather, I could see the scene I had witnessed in my mind aligning more and more with her words, making me listen even more intently.

“After piling up all those lame excuses, she even had the nerve to lecture me. She said something like, ‘I think it’s questionable for a working adult to keep doing overtime like you do, Senpai,’ acting all high and mighty. Whose fault do you think this is?! This whole mess is because of what you did in the first place!!”

“…So if I point that out, it’s just going to cause more trouble, right?”

“That’s right!”

Arikura slammed the table with a “bang.”

“Thanks to you, I’ve been told countless times not to commit power harassment or to be careful not to say too much—when in fact, I’m the one being subjected to it! I want to say, ‘Your eyes must be completely blind!!'”

“Well, that’s quite a challenge.”

“Seriously. It feels like it’s beyond the limit!”

And finally, she collapsed onto the table. Including all the harsh complaints up to this point, it’s clear that she has reached her limit in various ways.

“Arikura――”

That’s why I decided to tell her with a serious expression.

“Hey, take tomorrow off from work.”

“…Huh?”

Arikura’s eyes widened in confusion. Well, it’s no wonder she wouldn’t understand the meaning of just this.

So let’s continue the conversation a bit more.

“Since we’re at it, I’ll say it clearly; you’re at your limit right now. If you push yourself even a little more, you’ll break. I’m seriously scared that it might become irreparable.”

“Um…”

It seems that my point got across, but even so, Arikura still looked quite troubled.

“But I have a position to uphold. If I don’t go, it would be a nuisance…”

“I can understand how you feel, but if you push yourself and end up collapsing, that would be a bigger hassle, right? Besides, if that happens, it would only play into that kouhai’s hands even more, wouldn’t it?”

“…”

It seems like she has a lot of ideas about this.

Listening to her earlier grumbling allowed me to confirm various things, which is why I was able to say what I just said.

However, saying anything more forceful than this seems a bit impossible, doesn’t it?

After all, I’m an outsider.

“Well, ultimately, the final decision is up to you to make yourself――”

“If only…”

“Hmm?”

When I redirected my gaze, Arikura was moving her lips while looking down.

“If something happens to me because of this… Katase-kun, will you be on my side?”

“――Ah, of course.”

I didn’t say anything like “Why the sudden question?” I just answered honestly to what was asked of me.