That day, I received a call from the police.
They were letting me know they had found the owner of the wallet I had turned in earlier.
"They would like to visit you in person to offer their thanks. Would it be alright if we gave them your address?"
"I don't mind, but please tell them that I really don’t need a reward or anything," I replied.
I figured they would probably show up anyway, but I made sure to decline out of politeness for the time being. It felt like a bit of a hassle, and besides, I hadn't returned the thing expecting anything in return.
I hadn't done anything special for the person who had found my own wallet in the past, either. I’d given them some sweets, but only because they insisted that was plenty.
Feeling somewhat restless, I spent some time tidying up my room to kill the hours.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang, announcing a visitor.
It seemed the owner of the wallet had arrived.
"Coming."
When I opened the door, two men were standing there. Both were dressed in sharp, expensive-looking suits, giving off the distinct air of corporate executives.
"Forgive us for the unannounced visit. Are you Mr. Kazunari Takanashi?"
"Yes."
"My name is Takenaka. Thank you very much for returning my wallet. It contained an important microSD card, so you truly saved me."
I remembered seeing an item like that when the police were checking the contents. Apparently, it was something more vital than the cash or the cards. It was likely work-related, but from my perspective, all I could really say was, "I'm glad to hear that."
"I see. I'm glad it made it back to you safely."
"Yes, thank you so much. Ah, this is just a small token, but please—some sweets."
"Thank you for going to the trouble. I appreciate it."
I accepted the bag of sweets. It felt heavy; there was probably quite a lot inside. I hadn't expected a reward, but I was shallow enough to be happy to receive a gift.
"I really wanted to offer you a proper reward... To be honest, from our side of things, this isn't something that can be settled with simple gratitude..."
"No, really, I just returned a wallet. It’s no big deal."
It turned out the sweets weren't the reward itself, but merely a greeting. I see. That probably explained why two of them had come all this way.
Then, the other man, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
"Forgive me for interjecting. I am his superior, and I would very much like to express our appreciation properly."
If they were talking about a reward beyond this... honestly, a cash gift would be more than welcome, but there was no way I could say that out loud. Besides, it wasn't as if I actually wanted money.
Returning the wallet had been a whim—a choice born from my own past experience. If no one had returned my wallet back then, I probably wouldn't have bothered with this one.
"No, I'm truly fine. I've already received the sweets."
"We would still like to do something... Hmm, then how about this? I'll leave you my business card. Please feel free to contact me whenever you like if you ever find yourself in need of assistance."
"Please, allow me to do the same!" Takenaka added.
I had absolutely no intention of ever calling them, but if it would satisfy them, I didn't mind. I was just accepting business cards, after all.
"I understand. Thank you for coming all this way..."
I accepted the cards from the two of them.
...Sawa Electronics? These guys were from a massive corporation. And a Senior Managing Director? That's incredible.
"Well then, thank you very much again."
The two of them took their leave. A black sedan was waiting for them—it certainly had the look of a luxury car.
I looked at the cards again. It seemed the superior's name was Masaomi Satsukawa.
...Satsukawa?
No way...