Of course, society is built upon the individual efforts and hard work of each person.
There’s a phrase often directed at employees who want to quit their jobs at black companies, which goes something like, “There are plenty of people who can replace you.” But in reverse, this also implies that “it cannot function without replacements.”
The metaphor of society as a gear system is quite apt; if even one person is missing, some measure must be taken to fill that gap.
…However, it’s a sad fact that there are people who don’t understand such basic concepts.
“There are plenty of people who can replace you?”
It’s too shabby a word to use as a threat. While bowing my head to my boss, I sigh inwardly.
Sure, there may be many people who can take over my job.
But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter if I’m gone.
I think the company is the one that will be in trouble if I leave.
…Even though fantasy scenarios of exile aren’t realistic, where capable individuals are intentionally let go, it seems like a fairly common occurrence when viewed from a societal perspective.
Still, I can’t say such things to my boss, so I nod along and return to work. Thankfully, my company is relatively fair, despite the boss being difficult. I only have to work a little over two hours of overtime.
Nevertheless, the exhaustion remains, and my desire to quit persists. Sometimes I daydream about finding a trillion yen lying on the side of the road.
With such thoughts running through my mind, I drag my weary body home.
.
.
”……”
It fell.
Specifically, it was a Aluminum case that had fallen by the roadside. When opened, it was packed with money. Well, if we’re talking about a trillion yen, that would probably fill up a whole truck with cash, so what I found was likely far less than that.
However, there seemed to be at least ten million yen inside.
“…”
Silence hung in the air.
This reeks of an incident. I have no idea where this substantial amount of money came from, but regardless, it’s not something that should be lying on the street.
What should I do?
Is this the kind of situation where I should contact the police?
But then again, in a world where evil organizations like the “Thirteen Steps” exist in fiction, is it just one of those, you know, eventful occurrences where a dangerous amount of money is casually left on the street?
Or maybe it’s like picking up gold coins in a video game.
Did video game protagonists experience this kind of raw emotion every time?
…I feel like throwing up just thinking about it.
At least, it’s a problem that’s too much for an ordinary person like me.
If it was 500 yen, I would have put it in my wallet without question, and the same for a thousand yen bill.
From ten thousand yen, I might consider reporting it to the police.
…I can’t imagine such a large amount of money falling.
With that thought, I quickly leave the scene.
.
.
.
“…So, that’s what happened.”
Life is unpredictable. Yet, it’s also inherently dramatic. So, witnessing such an extraordinary event without any cost was unexpected.
“I managed to return home normally.”
Turning on the room light and tidying up my belongings, I settled onto the sofa. Although I felt like taking a sip of beer, unfortunately, work awaited me tomorrow, so that wasn’t an option. Sigh. I resisted the urge to lie down on the sofa and close my eyes. First, I needed to prepare dinner.
“Ojisan!”
At that moment, Thanatos-chan opened the door and entered. She seemed unusually cheerful.
“Guess what? I found some money lying around!”
“…”
Wait, why did she bring that aluminum case filled with the large sum of money that I saw on the roadside earlier? What’s going on?
“It’s amazing, Ojisan! There’s over thirty million yen in here!”
Seriously? She looked at the contents, which means she touched the money. Fingerprints—there’s no way they’re not all over it. Returning it to where it was found won’t cut it anymore. Worst-case scenario, I might be arrested as a thief.
Oh, what a predicament. Even though we’re indoors, the star of impending doom seems to shine brightly…
“With this, Ojisan, you could quit your job and try something new!”
Maybe prison time?
“Today is a joyous occasion, so let’s have sukiyaki.”
“Before that, I need to step out for a bit.”
I took the aluminum case and headed to a place.
.
.
.
“It’s a found item.”
“Um. If this reaches the hands of the rightful owner, you have the right to receive a reward, so please provide your address, name, and phone number.”
“No, I’ll pass.”
I absolutely don’t want to get involved.
Even if it’s an event where I can interact with characters from the original work, I still don’t want to be involved.
“…”
“Yo.”
As I left the police box, there was a man.
“Are you the extraordinary benefactor who kindly delivered this?”
I want to say no.
