Standard Equipment | Short-Short [The Sound of a Knock]

There was a sound of a knock.

Tanaka turned around. No one was there. The knocking sound came again. This time, it was coming from his own chest.

When he tapped near his heart, a small door opened.
A palm-sized human appeared from inside.

“Good work. I am Tanaka-san’s emotion management system.”
“Emotion management system?”
“Yes. It is standard equipment from birth. I am in charge of adjusting joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.”

Tanaka was surprised.

“So, why are you coming out now?”
“Actually, a malfunction has occurred in the system.”

The tiny human made a troubled face.

“Yesterday, when you were offered a seat on the train, anger occurred for some reason. It should have been set to gratitude.”

Tanaka remembered.
It was true; he had felt angry even though someone had been kind to him.

“Also, you felt sad when praised by your boss, and happy when seeing a colleague you dislike fail.”
“That is a problem.”
“I apologize. Emergency maintenance is required.”

The tiny human took out a toolbox.
“This will take a little time.”

Tanaka waited. There was a clicking sound inside his chest.

“Thank you for waiting. Repairs are complete.”
The tiny human wiped away sweat.

“This will return things to normal. However...”
“However?”
“The parts are aging. It is almost time for a replacement.”

Tanaka became anxious.
“What happens if I replace it?”
“The latest model is high-performance. Sorrow is reduced by 30%, anger by 50%, and joy is increased by 20%. Furthermore, affection is completely deleted.”
“Delete affection?”
“Yes. Affection has been classified as an inefficient emotion. Romantic love, friendship, family love. All of them hinder productivity.”

Tanaka was stunned.
“But, in that case...”
“Please rest assured. In exchange, your motivation to work will increase fivefold.”

The tiny human flashed a sales smile.
“What will you do? Will you replace it?”

Tanaka thought in silence.
Then, he slammed the small door in his chest shut.

“No thank you.”

That night, Tanaka told his wife, “I love you.”

His wife was surprised.
It was the first time she had heard those words in ten years of marriage.
Something creaked deep inside his chest.

But Tanaka didn’t care.
Because this broken emotion was surely who he was.

Shinichi Hoshi has a book titled "The Sound of a Knock," and all 15 stories included in it begin with the phrase "There was a knock at the door."
It is one of my favorite books, where various stories unfold from the same opening line.
Therefore, I wanted to write a short-short story this time titled "The Sound of a Knock."
Did any of you have a favorite piece among them?

#ShinichiHoshi #ShortShort #TheSoundOfAKnock