[Rainbow Creative Department] Summer, the Sea, and Our Daily Life (2)
Episode 2
・‥…━━━★
The morning light gently caresses the air, which still holds a hint of humidity. A small marble—no, a glass bead—placed on the windowsill of the hut catches the light, twinkling brilliantly and casting ripple-like reflections on the interior walls. The old man sits down quietly and rolls the sphere with his fingertips. A cold texture, smooth contours. Inside, the faintly swaying characters for "Tuna" reflect the light, shimmering as if embracing the morning sun.
"Perhaps you are still in the middle of your journey."
Spoken as if to himself, yet with a touch of lingering attachment. The old man's voice dissolves into the sea breeze like grains of light.
・‥…━━━★
"Ride the Wind of Inspiration! ~Section Chief Yamamoto's Challenge~"
Monday morning---.
Today, too, I, Yamamoto, am on point. My tie is at a 45-degree angle. My awakening is perfect. The natto at breakfast was a bit too stringy, but even that feels like a "sign of destiny," which is my good quality. And, I had a dream. A golden tuna jumped out of a waterfall and chirped, "Project B will open up the future." Huh? Tuna don't chirp? No, they did in my dream!
In other words, this is a divine revelation.
In the 18 years since I joined this company, my success rate when acting on intuition is, roughly... well, I feel it's about 63%.
The company is a three-story building by the sea. When you step through the entrance, the air is faintly mixed with the scent of the tide. From my seat by the window, I can see the buses entering and leaving the port. When I arrived at the office, Tanaka-kun was already at his desk. He's a meticulous guy. The fact that he's printing a mountain of documents for Project A shows his seriousness. Behind me, the copier makes a whirring sound, and from the next room, the sound of ringing phones and the laughter of the sales department can be heard.
But! We can't just go straight ahead with Project A like this! My dream told me so! "Hey, Tanaka-kun! We're going with Project B! I just had a flash of inspiration. This is it, definitely!"
I saw his expression twitch just a little. No, that must have been a tremor of "excitement." He must be grateful for my flashes of inspiration every time.
・‥…━━━★
As the sun climbed higher, the reflections swaying on the wall lost their shape, and the shadow of the bead on the floor became pale and blurred. What had shone like a transparent water surface in the morning became like a cloudy mirror on dry sand by noon, its colors faintly dulling. The glass bead collected and reflected the morning light, casting shimmering grains of light on the ceiling, but by the time the evening sun shone in, the reflections sank into the shadows, wrapped in reddish light.
The old man wrapped the glass bead in a cloth and left the hut. On the path leading to the beach, the sound of seagulls echoed as always. Their cries flowed into the wind and dissolved into the wide, red sky.
・‥…━━━★
We move to the conference room. An inorganic space with white walls and glass doors. The morning light streaming in from the large window illuminates the table, where documents and tablets are lined up. Traces of yesterday's discussion remain on the whiteboard, with someone's scribbles half-erased. Tanaka-kun said modestly.
"Um... I thought we talked about going with A last week..."
Here it comes, the theorist.
"Listen, Tanaka-kun, humans are creatures that must keep updating themselves. Think about it, even refrigerators evolve every day. Our project needs to evolve too, right?"
"I see... (A refrigerator...?)"
Outside the window, trees sway in the summer breeze, and a blue bus passes between them. The air in the conference room feels like it's clearing up in response to my words.
Hmm, he seems convinced. Tanaka-kun is a good subordinate. He keeps up with my sense of speed without changing his expression. His eyes are dead sometimes, but that's also proof of his effort.
"So, I'll be giving an interim report to the president by the end of this week, so please take care of it!"
"...Understood (Wait, by the end of this week!?)"
At that moment, laughter echoed from the distant office through the glass. Ah, that is proof that our challenge is brightening up the whole company.
Good, it got through.
The blueprint for Project B is already perfectly drawn in my head. Tanaka-kun should be able to handle the details. That kid is talented.
・‥…━━━★
Upon reaching the water's edge, the old man stopped. He slowly opened the cloth and took out the bead. Its surface, which had been blinking as if embracing the sun in the morning, now only returned a slightly dull light. The "Tuna" characters inside had also lost their contours, as if sinking into a fog.
"Do thoughts, too, eventually dissolve...?"
He cupped it in both hands, just as when he had picked it up. But this time, as if releasing it from his palms, he gently extended them toward the sea. After a breath, the old man waved his hand quietly. The small glass bead disappeared as if sucked into the waves dyed by the sunset.
・‥…━━━★
My role is to read the wind. To create a flow.
I don't tell my subordinates, but honestly, there's one more reason I decided on B. I remember the president saying, "B has a nice ring to it," at a drinking party last week. That one remark stuck somewhere in my heart. This is what a leader is.
In the evening, the setting sun shone on the backs of several people lined up in front of the elevator. I feel like I'm being pushed by that light too. Come on, I'm running again today. Riding the wind called inspiration.
"Intuition is the greatest strategy!"
Carving that into my heart, I searched for inspiration again with a coffee in one hand---.
・‥…━━━★
In the sea breeze, the old man stood still for a while. In his eyes, there was a light that seemed somewhat empty, yet possessed the peace that only those who have accepted things can have.
"...Well, shall I tidy up the workshop?"
Saying that, he turned his back to the sea, and his small back slowly returned to the hut. If there are things that wash ashore, there are things that return. He simply knew that. The glass bead sucked into the waves sank while swaying for a while.
The small sphere drifting in the sea continued to wander slowly through the streaks of light, as if searching for its destination. And the "Tuna" characters held within also quietly lost their contours, as if dissolving into the color of the sea.
・‥…━━━★
fin
Episode 3▶️
⬅️Episode 1
いいなと思ったら応援しよう！
もしこの物語のささやきが、あなたの心のどこかでそっと響いたなら、その余韻のひと雫を、この小さな灯火に注いでいただけたなら——言葉の旅路は、より遠く、より深く、静かに広がってゆくでしょう。