TEORA 11: Two Shochus please.

Neito was able to get discharged in four days, and in the following week, he was able to go back to the backstreet factory that was his Miscellaneous Branch.

Should I start training for now? He thought, but two days after his reinstatement, he received a summons from the supervisor. It was the first time such a thing had happened since he was first stationed there.

“Pardon me.”

“Don’t mind it. Take a seat.”

He was prompted to sit on the old chair in the supervisor’ office. The man’s expression looked to be somewhat nervous.

“Did something happen?”

“Yeah. I was just a little surprised! No, I’m sure you… you’ll be too!”

He had been nervous just a moment before, but he suddenly burst into delight. Neito couldn’t understand his actions in the slightest.

“??

“Ah… ehem! Komori Neito-kun!””

“Yes?”

He purposefully cleared his throat, what’s more, it felt quite strange being called with my first hame. I mean, he usually just went oy, Komori!! Or something like that.

“An unofficial announcement for you. From next week onwards, we will be having you transferred to the Second Sales Department of the Main Company.”

“Huh?”

It was a term the recent NEET Neito had little familiarity with, but he knew what it meant. An unofficial announcement was a message from the people in personnel affairs.

“The Second… Sales Department?”

“Right!! For someone to transfer from Miscellaneous to the main company, you’re the first!! It’s an exceptional announcement!! Rejoice!! Your work in repelling Dylan has been recognized!”

An excited supervisor. On the other side, it didn’t really feel real to Neito.

Sales Department. Once again, it sounded like a normal subsection of a normal company, but of course, its contents would be different. As I thought, are the purposely naming them like this?

The Sales Department, as its name suggested, took care of… selling. But it’s not like they barged into places to demand the selling of certain items, nor did they prostrate themselves before business clients, or hand up posters to advertise the merchandise of the organization (Though there’s a time and place for such duties as well).

What they sold could be summed up as evil deeds. What they sold them to was the world. With the schemes drafted up by the Planning Department as a base, they were the ones who carried out the invasion plans on a large scale.

Unlike his other post in the Misc Division that was pretty much there for odd jobs, it was given an extent of authority, a knowledge of the meaning behind each plan, and based on the situation, it could even give orders to mysterious beings.

Just like the Sales Department of a standard company, it was left to the forefront of the battlefield, and it demanded a level of results. I guess that’s the only sense Metallica’s Sales Department shares a similarity with them in.

To summarize, they were Metallica’s task force.

That was the level of understanding new recruit Neito had on them, but thinking of the wall he had always felt between himself and the main company, it could be considered a great leap forward none the less.

He had never learned the purpose of his actions, and was arbitrarily ordered around like a sacrificial p.a.w.n; an inferior environment of manual labor, authority that could be equated to nothing at all. That was the general position, the Miscellaneous Department

Going over to the main company would mean he would be working in the proximity of members with regular positions. Even if his salary remained as general level, it wouldn’t change the fact he would be doing a regular’s work. An entirely different position from before should be waiting for him.

“…OH What’s up!? Could it be you don’t want to transfer!?”

Watching Neito silently thinking to himself, the supervisor hurriedly called out.

So Neito answered with a smile.

“Surely you jest. I’ll transfer with pleasure.”

“Oooh!! Of course! Great!”

Of course I’ll move on. I’ll take a step forward.

“Kuh. You sure have it nice. I want to transfer someday too.”

The supervisor complained. Perhaps those were his real feelings. But Neito answered in a joking tone.

“If I get a promotion, I’ll reform the Misc’s reception. I’ll make it a workplace with more motivations.”

“Oy, oy. You sure have some leisure to be joking around like that. Well, I’ll be here waiting with relatively low expectations.”

Joking? Far off. I’m serious here. It’s best the manual labor environment of the Miscellaneous Division be changed.

“Hahaha.”

But that isn’t just for the sake of the people in it. It’s for Metallica as a whole. Because this is an environment that forces its members to believe they don’t need to produce results.

Leaving the supervisor’s room, Neito returned to his business. The expectations for his transfer were gradually building up in his body.

Transfer. Authority. Main company.

Ah, I see, moving over there means I may get to talk to Maki more frequently. Oh right, Ikeno too.

His heart was restless. He couldn’t calm himself down.

After finis.h.i.+ng up his work, he cleaned up the works.p.a.ce. And after confirming that no one else remained, Neito shouted out.

“I did it~!!!!”

He was delighted for the first in a long time. And joy is still joy after all.

And after that was over with, he headed to his usual oden stand. He knew he had to go there.

He didn’t have anyone to sit next to him today, but still.

“Excuse me, two shochus over here, please.”

“Two? … Ah, I see…”

The shop owner quietly poured two gla.s.ses, pa.s.sing them off to Neito and the seat beside him.

“…It looks like I’m going to be transferred. So for now, I think I’ll see how far I can go.”

“… But I won’t forget.”

“I’ll surely never forget.”

“… Thank… you…”

To the airs.p.a.ce void of a conversation partner, Neito raised his gla.s.s.

Right, do your best.

He got the feeling such a voice came along with the clinging sound of gla.s.s, but still he saw no one there.

Neito cried a little.

Because sorrow was still sorrow after all.