Otherworld Company Chapter 216: Why Do I Feel Relieved Just At The Sound Of Finishing My Work?

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　After the Christmas party is over, the next day is usually a working day.

　It is a common pattern for working people to work after a day off.

　However, this is not the case this time.

　My work schedule allows me a lot of freedom in terms of time off if I adjust it.

　So, what I’m doing now is.

“Hold that, Kaido.” (Jiro)

“Well, I’ve only been using it for about half a year, but I’ve accumulated quite a bit of stuff. Is it okay if I put it over here?” (Kaido)

“If six people are sharing the space, the amount of stuff will increase, so if you don’t need the materials on that shelf, dispose of them one by one.” (Jiro)

　So, instead of the usual dungeon attack, it became an end-of-year cleanup.

　The schedule for this month was adjusted considerably, and by putting the work in the first half of the month, the end of the workday was moved up.

I was amazed and grateful for this feat, which would not have been possible at a normal company, as I had never been involved in year-end cleaning.

　I understand that I have to do a good job of cleaning, but I am now trying to be a little more careful with my actions, which tend to be a little messy due to the feeling that it’s a hassle inside.

　The party room is a space where work and private life are mixed together, and since several people come and go, there are many opportunities to get dirty.

　Paperwork, maintenance of weapons, and simple meals are all done in the party room, as well as home drinking and simple tea parties, so there are many opportunities for dirt to appear.

　We can’t just leave it as it is, and each of us cleans it up, mostly by Masaru, but even so, clutter remains.

　So, during the year-end cleaning, we will thoroughly clean such areas this time.

　We are cleaning the backs of shelves, ceilings, curtains, and other places we don’t usually pay attention to, with cleaning tools in our hands.

　Kaido and I move heavy things out of the way while organizing them.

“I never even clean my own room, but I never thought I’d have to do it again, even if it’s at work. …I feel like I’m losing so much, that I am.” (Minami)

“Normally, I would say something like, ‘I’m deeply moved.’ But you’re complaining about something so obvious. If you have the time, move your hands.” (Karen)

“I am moving, that I am.” (Minami)

“Yes, then do it a little more carefully. Or else, there will be some dirt left.” (Karen)

　Kitamiya and Minami clean the smaller areas.

　Minami, who was wiping the window glass, suddenly turned serious and sank down next, and Kitamiya, as if in a daze, gave a sharp comment while vacuuming.

　Although the cleaning started as a way to finish the work, there is a lot of work to be done.

　But even so, the end is in sight thanks to the steady progress we have made.

　If things continue as they are, it looks like they will be finished sooner than expected.

　Although it’s a big place, it’s small compared to a company office or something.

　If there are enough people here, we should be able to finish in less time.

“Master, I brought you lunch.” (Himiku)

“Oh, thank you. Let’s eat somewhere after we’re done.” (Jiro)

“Yeah! It’s lunchtime!” (Kaido)

“Kaido I am entrusted with lunch boxes for you from my younger sisters.” (Himiku)

“Wow, am I the only one who’s different?” (Kaido)

“Just be grateful that they made it for you.” (Jiro)

　And then, just at the perfect moment, Himiku brought lunchboxes.

　Relaxing from the unfamiliar work, I untied the towel from my head, and while being careful not to get any dust into my lunchbox, I instructed everyone to take a break, and each of them stopped cleaning and gathered around.

　Meanwhile, Himiku wipes the table and spreads out the food.

“Looks delicious. I think you’ve raised your skills again.” (Jiro)

“Hmm! This world is nice. You can gather all kinds of information easily. You can get ingredients for cooking inexpensively. It’s worth putting my skills to good use.” (Himiku)

“Just enough so that we don’t get scolded by Memoria’s merchant side.” (Jiro)

“Uh, I was trying to buy Matsusaka beef earlier, but I was stopped.” (Himiku) [T/N: Matsusaka beef is in the same price range as Kobe beef.]

　The praise made Himiku smile, and she is certainly improving her skills day by day.

　In the otherworld, cooking recipes are often considered secret.

　In Japan, however, such information is made public.

For Himiku, our world is like a treasure trove of information, and the results of her use of such treasures are simply reflected in her work.

　The large table that emits a delicious aroma that tickles the nose, several containers are placed, a larger container is filled with side dishes, and onigiri are also prepared.

　In addition, Himiku is distributing tea from a thermos she has prepared.

　The color of the tea seems to indicate that it is green tea.

　For some reason, Kaido is the only one who has a separate tea bottle, but it seems to have been prepared by the twin angels, and he looks both happy and sad that he can’t eat the same thing together.

“It’s lunch, that it is! I’m starving, that I am, because I’ve worked hard, that I have.” (Minami)

“You did great, did you? You did nothing but wipe things.” (Karen)

“I did the cleaning, that I did. That alone is an accomplishment, that it is.” (Minami)

“What kind of life do you lead?” (Karen)

“I owe everything to Masaru. I was not living a decent life from other people’s point of view. Recently, my life is a little below average, that it is.” (Minami)

“Ha, I can see how Masaru became too good and you became a failure.” (Karen)

“Masaru is the person I raised, that I did.” (Minami)

“It would be more accurate to say that he grew up taking care of you, rather than being raised by you.” (Karen)

　Attracted by the smell, Minami rushes to the lunchbox, and when she declares that she is hungry, Kitamiya follows behind after putting away the vacuum cleaner.

　Kitamiya sat down at his seat while looking at Minami, who was having fun over the food like a child.

　I take my seat, and Himiku sits down next to me and starts our lunch.

　Memoria and Suela are not here because they are working as storekeepers.

　And speaking of the twin angels who made lunch for Kaido, I guessed that they were probably watching TV right now.

　As a result, Himiku sits down to eat instead of Masaru.

“Still, it makes you realize just how great Masaru is. I thought it would end a little earlier, but it didn’t quite end.” (Jiro)

“It can’t be helped. We haven’t really done much work in the kitchen. Unaccustomed work takes a lot of time. Oh, you’re doing quite well. What kind of meat is this? It looks like shrimp. But it’s delicious.” (Karen)

“Is that so? It must have been a sand spider’s foot.” (Jiro)

“…you don’t think it’s spider meat, do you?” (Karen)

“It’s a luxury item, right?” (Kaido)

“Uh, if you ask me that, it starts to look like a delicacy.” (Jiro)

“Okay, okay, I don’t care about otherworldly foodstuffs, Minami, but haven’t you heard why Masaru isn’t coming?” (Karen)

“Huh? I didn’t ask you. He said he had something to do, that he did, but I thought Leader would know more about it, that he did.” (Jiro)

“I didn’t hear the details either. I heard that Amelia will join us this afternoon for her medical checkup.” (Jiro)

　The last cleaning of the workday, Masaru was supposed to be there, but he had something urgent to do and couldn’t make it.

　I was impressed that the serious Masaru was so apologetic about it, but if he had something to do, there was nothing I could do.

　I ended the call thinking that the next time I would see him would be after the New Year, since I was not going into the dungeon or preparing documents.

　Amelia and her mother, Ms. Mie, will be late for a routine checkup.

　So, we are struggling like this because we have fewer people and no one to be the mainstay of the cleaning crew.

“If he’s not here, it can’t be helped. Convenience is different for everyone. We’ll just shut up and work hard to clean up after this.” (Jiro)

“That’s right.” (Kaido)

“That’s fine, that it is.” (Minami)

“Can’t you get a little more motivated?” (Karen)

“There are things that people are not good at, that there are, Kitamiya.” (Minami)

“Hmm, in the case of Minami, I think she’s not good at many things.” (Jiro)

“That’s right.” (Himiku)

“Whaat! Both “eader and Ms. Himiku are terrible, that you are!” (Minami)

“You can’t deny it, can you?” (Jiro)

“I can’t deny it, that I can’t!” (Minami)

“Then stop with the arrogance!” (Karen)

　They were eating their meals and just chatting without talking about what they were going to do afterwards.

　In such a space, the TV news that was playing instead of background music brought up news that caught my attention.

“The following is the next news. The police were notified of a robbery at a convenience store in ### city early last night, and the culprit was arrested, but the police reported that he was in a delirious state and injured. The police found drug reactions in the suspect’s body, which may be related to a drug ring that has been popping up a lot lately…”

“This news again? There’s been a lot of it lately.” (Jiro)

“Yes, it’s been going around for about a month now.” (Kaido)

　Even if I say I’m interested, it’s not because it’s interesting or about the actors and actresses I used to talk about.

　The worse the story, the more memorable it is.

　It is even more so if it is happening nearby.

　While the trouble was happening in the company, it was also happening in Tokyo.

　This is the news.

　Although Kaido said it was recent, this incident that he mentioned has been going on for about a month.

　A person left deranged by a new kind of drug.

　It is a genuine illegal drug, different from the decriminalized herbs often seen in the news.

　It is often reported that the search for the sales route has been difficult because it is different from the well-known drugs.

　There are stories that some of them are working on their own, from free labor organizations such as the Yakuza, and that police officers are now entering even the smallest back alleys.

　This news is probably meant as a warning, but the lack of progress is also somewhat disconcerting.

“Come to think of it, the rumors about the strange girl Kaido mentioned were going around a month ago, right?” (Jiro)

“You mean that religious recruiter who keeps saying she’s possessed by that demon?” (Kaido)

“Yeah.” (Jiro)

“Come to think of it, that I see. But if it has something to do with this, then that means the girl is connected to the distributor, that she is, right? That’s too convenient, that it is.” (Minami)

　Kaido said it is hard to imagine, but my usual intuition is whispering to me to deny his denial.

　But this news has nothing to do with us.

　If one of my loved ones is involved in some strange drug, it’s too much for us to get involved in such a troublesome situation outside the company.

“Someone once said that truth is stranger than fiction, that they did.” (Minami)

“As Minami said, sometimes what you think is true may turn out to be true. However, it’s best to leave this matter to the professionals. It’s better to not stick your head in when it comes to incidents outside the company. It’s strange. It would be more constructive for us to just move on with our work and focus on the holidays that are right in front of us.” (Jiro)

“That’s true. I’ve had my fill of troubles from the other day.” (Kaido)

“I guess so. I’d like to say that, but am I the only one who feels like I get dragged into conversations like this lately?” (Karen)

“Hmm. Do you think so too, Minami? I also remember that the brave man I used to work for used to say that, and he used to get me into trouble every time.” (Himiku)

“You’re already in trouble because of Leader that you are. Be careful, that you should, okay?” (Minami)

“Why are you telling me? Me?” (Jiro)

“Oh, isn’t it because Senior always gets into trouble?” (Kaido)

“It’s not like I’m involved in it because I like it… But I can’t deny it.” (Jiro)

　I parry the unflattering jokes and accepts Minami’s points with a wry smile as I watch the news.

　The other side of the TV screen is a scene of people discussing the past incidents and trying to find some kind of connection between them, but there is nothing but a flurry of theories that don’t come out of thin air.

　I hope nothing will happen until I satiate my hunger, and I eat an onigiri until I am full.

Note for the Day

Even when we think we have nothing to do with something, sometimes we are connected to it somewhere.