He was beckoned over and led into a private room.
A bad feeling—a very bad feeling—overwhelmed him.
While offering Shinnosuke a seat, Kasuga began speaking with a furrowed brow.
“The truth is, I have something to discuss. We’re considering transferring you, Shitara, to the Land Acquisition Division.”
“A transfer at this time of year? I see… Wait, what?!”
Just as he was about to nod, Shinnosuke’s eyes widened.
A transfer from the Construction Division to the Land Acquisition Division was unthinkable. The Land Acquisition Division was in charge of acquiring land and compensations required for projects. People rarely gave up their land willingly, so negotiations in that department often involved shouting matches—it was the worst department to be in.
“But…”
Suppressing his agitation, he swallowed hard.
“I’m in a technical position, while the Land Acquisition Division is entirely administrative. The fields are completely different.”
“Apparently, the higher-ups think that negotiations, which have been stalling, might progress smoothly if explained from a technical perspective. In other words, they’re placing their hopes on you, Shitara.”
Kasuga spoke in a consoling tone, though his expression looked almost apologetic.
“Of course, it’s not immediate. This would happen in six months, so for now, keep it confidential—”
There was a knock on the door.
Startled, Kasuga stopped speaking and went to open the door. He cracked it open slightly and spoke in a low voice with Kazama, who was waiting outside. Partway through, Kasuga let out a confused and surprised voice.
“Got it… Perfect timing. Shitara is here, so let’s discuss it now.”
Just from the atmosphere, Shinnosuke could tell this wasn’t going to be good.
Not only did Kazama enter, but so did a person in a work uniform—the on-site supervisor from the construction company handling a project that Shinnosuke had commissioned through the Construction Division.
“If you could please take a look at this.”
The site supervisor, skipping formal greetings, handed over a tablet screen. Normally, he was casual with Shinnosuke, speaking to him as an equal, but with the division head present, his tone was more formal.
“During excavation, we came across a large concrete block.”
“This… This is quite massive. And…?”
“We suspect it may have been illegally buried in the past. Removing this will be quite a task.”
“So, how about the project timeline?”
“It’ll be delayed—and significantly at that.”
Hearing this, Shinnosuke’s face grew strained.
The construction project involved consolidating essential utilities like electricity, gas, water, and telecommunications lines under the road, ensuring their functionality even during a beast disaster. Although this project was for the community’s safety, the excavation required road closures, which had already drawn heavy criticism from the residents. Extending the construction period would likely provoke even louder complaints.
“Isn’t there any way to work this out? If it’s a matter of budget, we can make adjustments.”
Kasuga sounded desperate, but the site supervisor shook his head.
“No amount of money will fix this. This area is right in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Breaking the concrete will cause significant noise. Using quieter methods means slower progress, though some noise is inevitable.”
“In that case, we’ll need to explain it to the residents and get their understanding, or we’ll be flooded with complaints again.”
“If we just demolish it, the removal itself would be quick—if we could demolish it, that is.”
While they were frowning and pondering a solution, Kazama slipped out of the room, clearly to avoid being dragged further into the issue. Shinnosuke resented him a bit for it, but couldn’t really blame him. After all, Shinnosuke, too, wanted to escape this mess.
And if he were in Kazama’s shoes, he’d probably do the same.
“It’s over…”
Shinnosuke made his way home with unsteady steps.
Having just heard the worst news, he was in the worst mood, facing what promised to be the worst weekend. He wished they had at least waited until after the weekend to tell him. Just a few more days of peace would have been nice.
The hallway he shuffled into was quiet, devoid of any other presence.
It was Saturday afternoon, so everyone else had gone home, as expected. With recent work reforms, employees were encouraged to leave early. Surely everyone was off enjoying their usual carefree weekend.
“What am I going to do…”
He murmured to himself as he walked toward the elevator.
The thought of quitting even crossed his mind, but he couldn’t lightly abandon a job that had been passed down for generations. And he needed to keep sending Himari to school.
“Has heaven forsaken me…”
As he muttered, the elevator chimed, and the doors opened. He started to step inside, only to hesitate when he saw the person already there.
“I see you’re not coming aboard?”
The dignified man with a commanding presence was none other than Naruse-sama, the chief retainer of the Owari domain.
—It’s Lord Naruse.
At the top of the domain’s administration and favored by the feudal lord, he was also a noble of considerable influence. His suit was of fine quality, and the lacquered scabbard of the sword he wore was impressive. To Shinnosuke, a common samurai descendant, Naruse was as unreachable as a cloud in the sky.
“…”
Shinnosuke silently bowed and stepped into the elevator.
Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, another person was already inside. This man, clearly of high status as well, was fawning over Naruse with almost groveling words and gestures.
“Oh, Naruse-sama, your daughter has grown so beautiful—so graceful and charming. I envy you; my own daughter could never compare.”
The man’s sycophantic tone was almost nauseating.
—If I could flatter Naruse-sama like that, maybe he’d reconsider my transfer…?
The thought crossed Shinnosuke’s mind, but he quickly shook his head internally. He hated the idea of being transferred, but he couldn’t lower himself to that level. He still had his pride.
The conversation was tiring just to listen to, and it seemed Naruse-sama felt the same.
“Enough, be quiet. You’re tiresome.”
“Uh…”
At Naruse’s curt dismissal, the fawning man let out a strangled noise.
As the elevator chimed to announce its arrival, the doors opened, and Naruse stepped out gracefully. But then, with a casual flick of his hand, he pressed the “close” button right in front of Shinnosuke.
Shinnosuke looked up in surprise, only to see Naruse flash a sly smile.
“Wait, Naruse-sama!”
The sycophantic man tried to follow but ended up getting caught between the closing doors in a rather comical manner. Watching him struggle, Shinnosuke felt his spirits lift, if only a little.
