“You’re going to fire me!? Are you fucking kidding me!?”
Yasuhiko Kanzaki pounded the table in the conference room. He is fifty-five years old and his silver-framed glasses made him look shrewd. Inside the room, men in suits were sitting on the chairs surrounding the round table. They stared intently at Kanzaki.
“Your dismissal has already been decided. I cannot continue to let you sit in the representative director’s seat.”
One of the men stated coldly.
Kanzaki’s body trembles with anger for a while and then he leans back in his chair as if he has given up on something.
“…I understand. The number of contracts has plummeted since I became president. It’s now three-quarters of what it was when President Tanaka was the president. It’s only natural that I should be fired.”
A general meeting of shareholders was held recently and representative director Kanzaki was dismissed. Generally, when a representative is dismissed, the company director remains. However, when a company director is dismissed, he or she will lose both the representative rights and the position as director. Kanzaki has lost both of them. It can be said that he was effectively fired.
“Now that I think about it, President Kanzaki… no, Kanzaki-kun, don’t you know where Tanaka-san is?”
Kanzaki snorts a laugh at the fat man’s words. He could easily tell that he’s already pretending to be a president. He then remembered his former president, Shinichi Tanaka.
White Ring Co., Ltd., whose founder was Shinichi Tanaka, is a first-class company with a history of 46 years this year. The company’s main business is domestic communications, but it also operates a wide variety of other businesses. It was known to the general public as the white ring of mobile phone companies.
Kanzaki has been an employee since the company’s founding. There is no doubt that the man named Kanzaki played an active role as Shinichi Tanaka’s right-hand man and supported Shinichi as a friend and employee. It would be impossible to say that White Ring Co., Ltd.’s rapid rise to become a top-notch company was without his efforts.
“…No, I don’t know. More importantly, why does former president Tanaka’s name come up here?”
“The shareholders are demanding that Tanaka-san be made president again. They probably thought that the founder could make this company, which was on the brink of collapse, turn around.”
“I see. It’s going back to Tanaka-san after all huh…”
“Of course, personally, I don’t think it is necessary to look for him. I have to listen to the wishes of the shareholders though. So, if you don’t know where he is, that’s fine. In fact, even if you know, don’t tell him.”
The fat man grins, showing his yellow teeth. Looking at him, Kanzaki predicted that this company would be over.
“Haa-, what would Tanaka-san say if he saw the current company?”
“Hah! You really have the nerve to say that!? You were the one who dragged President Tanaka down in the first place! Have you already forgotten that you reached out to the shareholders and asked them for his dismissal?”
Kanzaki’s face contorts as if he has crushed a bitter worm. The man was right. He lobbied the shareholders and kicked the former president. That fact was a well-known story within the company.
“When I thought about where the company would end up to, I decided that I had no choice but to do that. At that time, Tanaka-san was on the verge of destroying the company you see.”
“It is true that we were able to create our main products because of that. But it is not like I forgave you back then!”
Kanzaki cast his eyes downwards after hearing the man’s words. All the directors here are gathered in admiration to a man named Shinichi Tanaka. Everyone respects Shinichi deep down in their mind. However, now their positions have changed, and they are using the company to satisfy their own greed. The flow of time has changed both Kanzaki and the men.
“It’s my bad. Then, I’ll go find the former president.”
When Kanzaki said this, the man lost his momentum and lowered his voice.
“I don’t think you have to do that. I’m going to be the representative director so even if Tanaka-san comes back, the management won’t necessarily go well.”
Kanzaki was stunned by the man’s words. They are now blinded by their status. He was tempted to say that double standards should be put aside. But it’s the same with him. He also enjoyed the 11 years that Shinichi was gone as president. He sucked the sweet nectar and satisfied his greed. Remembering this, he realized that he was not in a position to say anything to the man in front of him. They are the same after all.
“You are saying it’s my fault right? Okay, I’ll obediently get dismissed.”
Kanzaki then leaves the room.
◇◇◇
It’s been six months since Kanzaki was fired from the company. During that time, he hired a detective to look for Shinichi Tanaka.
“This is the investigation report, and to be clear, the person you are looking for is still alive.”
Two men faced each other in a detective agency. It’s Kanzaki and the hired detective. The man holds out a thick document.
“He’s alive huh…”
Listening to the detective’s words, Kanzaki flipped through the papers. Shinichi Tanaka’s birth and upbringing are described there in detail.
“I already know this information,” he said, then he checked the last page to find out where he was.
“Tanaka-san… H-He is homeless?”
Kanzaki was speechless at the current Shinichi Tanaka which was written on the last page. The fact that the former president, who ran a large company and earned enough money to live on leisure, was now homeless, made Kanzaki doubt his own sanity. He quickly went back to the page and found out why Shinichi was homeless.
After Shinichi Tanaka was fired from White Ring, he sold all his assets and donated them to welfare facilities throughout Japan. After that, when he ran out of money, he worked part-time and suddenly disappeared one day.
The detective continued to inquire and discovers that there is a person who appears to be Shinichi Tanaka in Shinjuku Central Park. The investigation kept going and he finally found the person he was looking for. This was the result of the investigation.
Kanzaki remembered Shinichi in the past. He always has a calm atmosphere and a keen eye that he shows from time to time. However, contrary to his appearance, he was also affectionate and valued his family more than anything else.
“That’s right, it wasn’t until he lost his family that he went crazy…”
He watched the work by Shinichi’s side more than anyone else. Without a doubt, he was a major figure who would stand on the shoulders of Japan’s business community. However, Shinichi has changed. After the divorce, he became even more immersed in his work.
Without taking a break, they devoted themselves to the development of their own products, reaching out to new businesses one after another. It was a terrifying sight for everyone. Working beyond the limit affected the entire company. Employees and subcontractors who had reached their limit left one after another. Kanzaki, who thought that it would be over if it goes as it is, planned to drag Shinichi out of the president’s position. Kanzaki then became president after that.
“I wonder if I was wrong…”
Kanzaki mutters. It’s unclear whether the path he chose with the company in mind was the right one. However, if Shinichi had been left alone, the White Ring company today might not have been there.
For the past 11 years, Kanzaki hasn’t even met Shinichi and he’s been struggling with the choice he made at that time.
“As an outsider, I know it’s not my turn to say this but, wouldn’t it be better if you go to him and apologize?”
The detective said to Kanzaki while smoking a cigarette.
“Apologize? After 11 years…. don’t you think it’s too late now? Maybe he even has a grudge against me.”
“Isn’t it better if he hates you? I think what’s more important now is what you want to do in a situation like this. Even if you can’t regain the trust you’ve lost, you can rebuild it once again.”
“Once again?”
Kanzaki was convinced. Hearing the detective’s words, the feelings that had been sealed away were released. He would like to work with Tanaka-san again. He wants that person to trust him again. His overwhelming emotions turned into a turbulent wave that swept him over.
“Tanaka-san… where is he now?”
“At this hour, he should be wandering around behind the convenience store. Wait a minute, I’ll get you a map.”
The detective gives him a map and with red pen, he circles the convenience store where Shinichi will be. Kanzaki paid the commission fee to the detective and immediately rushed out of the office.
“He’s not the kind of person who should end up being homeless! Right! I’m going to work with him again!”
As he ran frantically, he was able to come to the vicinity of the convenience store he targeted. Then Kanzaki begins to look around in search of Shinichi.
“Gyaaaaaaaa!”
Suddenly, he heard a scream. Then as if triggered, meteorites began to fall from the sky. The building in front of him was shattered, and the ground shook from the impact. On the road, there are people fleeing and big beasts chasing them. He saw a giant wolf bite a human, it crunches the bones and swallows the person.
“W-What…? What’s going on!?”
Terrified, he decided to flee for now. When he walks into a nearby back alley, he notices something unfamiliar floating in the air. It was wearing a black cloth and was carrying a large sickle. There are two human corpses nearby. Their heads were cut off and they lay motionless on the ground.
“Gugigigigi”
The uncomfortable voice made Kanzaki take a step backwards. This is clearly an unusual situation. Deciding that he should run away, he turned his back and started to run.
――But then his field of vision rotates. The scenery changed rapidly, and then his cheek hit the ground. Immediately after that, his consciousness drifts far away, and a revolving lantern begins to flash in his mind.
Kanzaki realized, “Oh-…. I’m dead huh.”
Strangely, he didn’t feel sadness or wonder at the fact that he died so quickly and easily. On the contrary, he laughed at it, betraying Shinichi, he deserved it.
◇◇◇
“Ryan! How long are you going to sleep!? Wake up!”
Kanzaki was woken up and he jumped from the bed. A white woman he had never seen before was looking at him with an angry look.
“Eh? Huh?”
“Eh? Huh? What are you dazed about!? It’s already eight o’clock! Get ready and go to school quickly!”
School?
Kanzaki feels confused, but memories gradually awakened in his mind. His current self is called Ryan Doris. He is 13 years old. He was born as the eldest son of the Doris family, a lower aristocracy. Today is a weekday and he has to go to a school attended by aristocrats. He quickly dressed himself, grabbed his bag and left the house.
“What does this mean?”
Walking through the city, Kanzaki ponders over this matter. In his line of sight, there is a landscape that is not in Japan at all. It looks like it could be somewhere overseas, but when he saw an adventurer with a sword, he immediately realized that this is not Earth.
When he saw his reflection in the glass window of a store, he realized that he turned into a white kid and his current look did not resemble his former self.
“Reincarnation…?”
That’s all he could think of. Yasuhiko Kanzaki was reincarnated as Ryan Doris. Then a fervor that he had never felt before is now bubbling inside him.
“It’s a second life!”
He trembled with joy. He jumped up and down with joy, blowing away all his doubts. However, as soon as he calms down, his thoughts go full circle.
“I don’t know why this happened, I said I want to work with Tanaka-san again but I don’t think I can do that. I also wanted to apologize properly but…”
The only thing he left undone in his previous life was an apology to Shinichi. However, when he decided that it was impossible under the current circumstances, he changed his mind with his own mental strength. Kanzaki is already dead, and now he is Ryan. He decided that there was no point in dragging his past life.
At that moment, the sound of bell ringing echoes in the city.
“Ah-, crap! I’m late!”
Ryan hurried to school.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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