Sara-san was coming home today!
That was my very first thought the moment I opened my eyes.
As we had discussed on the phone yesterday, she wouldn't be staying over at my place tonight, but I was still overjoyed just at the prospect of seeing her again.
However, I had one last "job" to finish first—if I could even call it that. I had an appointment with Masaomi-san.
He had gone out of his way to clear his schedule for my sake, so I had to keep my head in the game. I couldn't afford to be daydreaming about Sara-san the whole time.
Checking my smartphone, I found a message from Sara-san waiting for me, as usual.
"Good morning, Kazunari-san. The day has finally arrived. I am truly looking forward to the moment we meet today. From your Sara."
"I’m also incredibly happy that I get to see you today. I can’t wait for that time to come."
I sent my reply, but she didn't see it immediately. She would probably read it whenever she found a spare moment.
Well then, time to get ready.
Since I didn't have any manual labor today, I dressed in something more casual. I unwrapped the bandage Todo-san had put on my Right Hand yesterday and inspected my palm.
The worst spots were near the base of my Ring Finger and Middle Finger. My blisters definitely got worse every time I worked my part-time job, but I only had to endure it a few more times.
I ate some bread for Breakfast and, with a bit of time still to spare, I looked around the room.
The laundry from the last few days was piled up, left unwashed. Mayumi-san had kindly offered to do it for me, but I had only actually taken her up on the offer once.
"Oh, I see how it is. You really do prefer Sara-chan, don't you?"
Her tone had sounded like she was pouting, but her smirking face had made it clear she was just teasing me.
I had several reasons for declining, but the main one was simply that it felt wrong to have her Mother do so much for me while Sara-san was away.
The laundry Mayumi-san had done for me was neatly folded and tucked away in the Dresser.
As a side note, ever since Sara-san started doing my laundry, I had switched to the same Detergent the Satsukawa family used. Now, my apartment smelled exactly like their home.
Next, I checked the Kitchen.
It was spotless—not surprising, considering I didn't cook for myself.
...Well, this should be fine for now.
Based on my experience so far, I didn't think I could keep a secret hidden from Sara-san forever. She would probably grill me about it once her birthday was over anyway. Since I was planning to consult her about talking to Masaomi-san regardless, I’d likely end up telling her everything then.
All that mattered was making it through until her birthday.
Masaomi-san contacted me to say he was on his way.
I was already prepared, so I locked up and headed out.
While I waited in front of the Apartment, a familiar Sedan eventually pulled up.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Takanashi-kun. Hop in."
"Thank you very much."
The car stopped, and I exchanged greetings with Masaomi-san through the open passenger window before climbing in and buckling my Seatbelt.
Masaomi-san waited until I was settled before pulling away. After we had driven a short distance, he spoke.
"I’m sorry this isn't a proper workday today."
"Not at all. I was the one who made a selfish request."
"I appreciate you saying that. It’s really nothing major, anyway. Just a bit of a chat, so please, feel free to relax."
I had been bracing myself for a serious discussion since this was meant to be in place of a work shift, but judging by both his words and the general vibe, it really did seem like he just wanted to talk. I expected we might discuss the work I'd done, but maybe it wouldn't even be that formal.
As we chatted lightly, we arrived at the Satsukawa home.
The Garage shutter opened, and after he parked, I followed Masaomi-san inside.
He opened the Entrance and called out toward the back of the house. "I'm back!"
"Welcome home!" a voice called back. It seemed Mayumi-san was busy with something.
When we stepped into the Living Room, I saw her in the Kitchen, moving around with frantic energy.
"Welcome, Takanashi-san. I'm sorry, I can't quite step away right now."
"No, it's fine. Are you busy with something?"
"Our daughter is coming home from her School Trip today," Masaomi-san explained. "It’s been a week, so my wife is prepping a lavish feast for dinner."
"I'll be done in just a minute, so please forgive me!" Mayumi-san added.
It seemed my intuition had been correct. There was no way they wouldn't be thrilled to have their daughter back after a week. Knowing how close the Satsukawa family was, they must have been counting down the hours.
...What should I do? Seeing how excited they were, I felt like it might be better to tell Sara-san not to come over tonight after all.
I would be lonely too, but seeing Masaomi-san’s joy and Mayumi-san’s intense preparation, it wasn't hard to imagine they were planning a big Home Party.
Seeing this scene, I felt a slight pang of regret for even suggesting she come to my place...
Mayumi-san eventually finished her prep and brought Black Tea to Masaomi-san and me as we sat on the Sofa.
She also served some cake, which she had apparently baked while multitasking with the dinner preparations. Her Housework Skill was truly staggering.
"Now then... Takanashi-kun, once again, thank you for your hard work. I honestly didn't think you would finish everything, and I checked the files yesterday—there wasn't a single error. You even went the extra mile with the filing system. I'm beyond satisfied with the result."
"No, thank you for the opportunity. It was a huge help to me."
Masaomi-san and I both bowed from our seats. It wasn't intentional, but we raised our heads at the exact same moment, causing us both to smile.
"I’d like to thank you as well, Takanashi-san. Truly, good job. If it had been just me, it probably would have taken a month. Though, having watched you for the last week... being diligent is a virtue, but you absolutely must take proper breaks during work, okay?"
"Y-Yes..."
I had learned that lesson the hard way. I really wanted to avoid being given any more "punishments"... seriously. If Sara-san ever saw something like that, I’d never hear the end of it.
"Well, he'll get used to pacing himself in time," Masaomi-san said. "More importantly, your sincerity toward your work and your flexibility to make your own improvements will serve you well in the future. Don't ever lose that."
"Thank you very much."
I allowed myself to take the compliment. Even if it was just him being polite, being recognized for my very first Part-time Job meant a lot to me.
"Ah, sorry, I'm getting all stiff and formal again. Anyway, I’m truly glad I asked you to do the job. That’s really all I wanted to say."
"I appreciate it."
"Now, let's put the business talk aside and enjoy our tea. This cake is one of my best works."
Today’s offering was a Cheese Tart. Just as Mayumi-san said, the quality was professional—it tasted like it came straight from a high-end patisserie.
While savoring the tart, I decided to take the opportunity to ask about Masaomi-san’s role at the company, something I’d been curious about for a while.
"The title of Senior Managing Director means I’m a corporate Officer, but there isn't a rigid definition for my daily tasks. If I had to describe it, I'm the President's Assistant. My job is to act as a bridge between the employees in the various Departments and Sections and the President and the board."
"That sounds like a massive amount of responsibility. It must be difficult."
"Because the role isn't clearly defined, if you give it to someone lazy, they can easily become a salary thief. People even use the term 'Do-nothing Senior Managing Director' to describe those types."
A pun... though it wasn't as if he was trying to be funny; he was just explaining that the term existed.
"The company's President is actually my Uncle. He has no son of his own... he’s always been very kind to me, and that connection is how the role of Senior Managing Director eventually came to me."
His Uncle was the President? I couldn't even fathom what the head of such a massive corporation would be like. Then again, Nishikawa-san was a genuine corporate heiress, so normally, I wouldn't even be in the same social circle as these people. She was the first person I'd ever heard call their father "Otousama" in real life.
Wait, if he was the President's nephew and there was no son, did that mean Masaomi-san was effectively the heir? Was he the next President?
...No, I was probably overthinking it.
"That's why I try to be proactive—listening to the staff and gathering reports and data to present to the Board of Directors and the President. I never want to be seen as dead weight. Although, as you saw, taking on too much is what led to that mess in the annex..."
I see. So that's how that mountain of paperwork happened.
I felt like I understood Masaomi-san a bit better now. He called me serious, but he was clearly cut from the same cloth.
Our meeting was finally drawing to a close.
He had asked me a few odd questions about departments and sections, but other than that, it really had just been a casual conversation.
"Well, shall we call it a day? Here, Takanashi-kun..."
Masaomi-san pulled an Envelope from his pocket. I knew exactly what it was, so I accepted it without a fuss.
"Thank you very much."
"You should check the contents, you know."
I thought it might be rude to count it right in front of him, but Mayumi-san was nodding in agreement, so I followed their lead.
I felt a strange spike of adrenaline. This was my first time receiving a Salary—actual cash given in exchange for my labor.
Careful not to tear the envelope, I opened it and looked inside.
Wait... this looked like a lot.
No, it wasn't just "a lot"—even without counting, I could tell it was way more than we had agreed upon!
"U-Um! This is too much..."
"Hm? Not at all. There was no formal Contract, so I decided the final amount at my own discretion. When we first spoke, I only gave you a minimum figure for the Hourly Wage."
He had said he would pay "at least" a certain amount, but I had been more than happy with that minimum. I had calculated everything based on that figure.
"But this is still..."
"Takanashi-kun, this is the fair market value for your labor, plus an Additional Reward for delivering results that far exceeded my expectations. There’s nothing strange about it. You earned this."
Masaomi-san spoke with absolute conviction, but I still felt a bit overwhelmed. I knew I’d worked hard, and I was proud of the result, but still...
"Takanashi-san, please, just accept it," Mayumi-san said, backing him up. "My husband decided on this amount based on your merit. There’s no reason for you to feel guilty."
With both of them insisting, it felt like continuing to decline would actually be disrespectful. If I kept pushing back, I might even hurt Masaomi-san’s pride as an employer.
"...I understand. Thank you so much."
I tucked the envelope into my Bag, and Masaomi-san gave a satisfied nod.
"Good. That’s settled, then."
"Yes. Thank you for everything. It was only for a short time, but I appreciate you Taking Care of me."
I stood up from the sofa and gave a polite bow.
"The pleasure was mine. I intended to be the one helping you, but I feel like you’re the one who bailed me out."
Masaomi-san reached out, and we shared a firm handshake.
He really was a fantastic father. I wished my own father would take a page out of his book and learn how to be even half as cool as Masaomi-san.
"I hope we’ll see each other again. I might even have more part-time work for you in the future."
He said it with a light, almost teasing tone, but it meant a lot to me. I didn't want this to be a final goodbye either—especially since I planned on giving him a much more formal greeting in the near future.
"Masaomi-san... the next time we meet, I have something important to tell you."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Yes. There are certain circumstances, so I’ll have to save it for next time..."
"Well, that’s fine with me. It just gives me another reason to see you again. In that case, let's not say 'goodbye.' Let's just say 'until next time.'"
"......Yes!"
The next time we met, I would definitely tell him the truth.
I realized then that if I was going to grow up to be a man, I wanted to be a man like Masaomi-san. It was the first time in my life I had ever felt that way about an adult.