[Creative Award 2026 Work Novel Category Entry] Kaname, I'm Going to DX. - Episode 1: "The Appointment Comes Suddenly."

That day, Kaname Matsuo was staring intently at the contents of a flask.

Synthetic polymers. Viscosity adjustment. Mixing ratios. A long list of numbers written densely in her lab notebook. This was Kaname's world. To be precise, this was Kaname's "entire universe."

"Matsuo-san, do you have a moment?"

Department Manager Kimura was standing at the entrance of the laboratory. What could it be? Kaname replied without taking her eyes off the flask.

"Yes, what is it?"

"...The flask isn't going anywhere, so please look this way."

When she reluctantly looked up, Department Manager Kimura's expression was strange. It was a complex look—not so much troubled, but apologetic, yet perhaps a little relieved.

"Manager, what's with that face?"

"What kind of face?"

"A face that says you want to tell me something but don't want to, yet you're a little relieved. Did I mess something up?"

Department Manager Kimura crossed his arms. And then, he let out a sigh.

"You're being transferred."

Kaname set down the flask.

It was ten minutes later that she was handed the appointment letter.

DX Promotion Division: Kaname Matsuo

Five simple characters. Yet, they made absolutely no sense to Kaname.

"What is the DX Promotion Division?"

"It's the Digital Transformation Promotion Division."

"What is that?"

Department Manager Kimura looked up at the ceiling. "I don't know what to tell you."

"Even if you say you don't know, there's no one else I can ask."

"Apparently, they need someone with a science background."

"...Is that it? Is that all my five years amount to?"

"I'm sorry."

Because the manager apologized so honestly, Kaname lost the will to blame him any further. Perhaps the manager was a victim too. The fallout always lands on the front lines. It's the same everywhere.

Kaname looked at the appointment letter once more. Effective the first of next month. Three weeks left. From a world of flasks, polymers, and lab notebooks to a world of something called "Digital Transformation." In three weeks.

Well, it'll probably work out. Maybe.

Kaname was basically an optimist. For some reason, the more she was in a pinch, the more her spirits lifted. She thought it was a convenient personality to have.

The three weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

Handover. Explaining things to her successor. Organizing experimental data. Passing on what Kaname had built up over five years to the next person in just three weeks. For a researcher, there is no task more heartbreaking. But even if she complained, the appointment wouldn't be overturned.

And then, April 1st.

Kaname stood in front of the door to the DX Promotion Division.

The plate said "DX Promotion Division." It was so simple it was actually scary.

Alright.

One deep breath. Kaname opened the door with a flourish.

The DX Promotion Division was smaller than she had imagined.

There were five desks. A single houseplant sat by the window. It didn't look very healthy. A paper titled "DX Promotion Roadmap (3rd Edition)" was stuck to the whiteboard, but the contents of the roadmap were too far away to see clearly. The fact that it was the 3rd edition meant there had been a 1st and a 2nd.

I have nothing but a bad feeling about this.

There were two people at the desks.

The first person. A man in his late forties. His suit looked somewhat limp and wrinkled. He was staring blankly at his screen while drinking coffee. He hadn't noticed her. Kaname thought he didn't look like the type of person who would be in the Research and Development Department.

The second person. A man in his late twenties. His hair was slightly brownish. On his desk sat a MacBook and a protein shaker. She never imagined there was a timeline where she would encounter a protein shaker in the workplace.

“Oh, you’re here!”

Turning toward the voice, she saw a large man standing up from a desk in the back and walking toward her. He looked to be in his late forties, but his movements were strangely light. And his smile was strangely bright.

“Kaname Matsuo-san? I’m Gondo. Mamoru Gondo. I’m the manager of the DX Promotion Division. Nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kaname Matsuo. I look forward to working with you.”

“Man, I’ve been waiting for you. We don’t have any science-background talent here at all. You’re a lifesaver. Can you do things like programming?”

“I know a little Python.”

“Oh, that’s awesome. That’s plenty. That’s exactly the kind of talent we need here!”

Kaname intentionally didn't mention that she knew far more than just “a little” Python. But she retorted in her mind. There are so many people who think Python can do anything.

“That guy over there spacing out is Matsukawa-san. He’s our veteran.”

The man with the coffee stood up sluggishly.

“I’m Matsukawa. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Matsuo.”

“DX is tough, you know,” he said.

Is that really the first thing you say? Kaname thought. But she didn't let it show on her face.

“And that guy with the protein is Saotome-kun. He’s in his third year at the company. Two years younger than you.”

The man with the protein stood up and gave a light wave.

“I’m Saotome. Please call me Takumi. That’s Takumi. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Matsuo.”

"Ms. Matsuo, you were in research? Science majors are amazing. I'm a liberal arts guy, so I don't understand numbers at all."

"Is that so?"

"But I won't lose to anyone when it comes to enthusiasm. Let me know if you need anything."

*Enthusiasm, huh.* Whether enthusiasm is useful for work is unknown, but I don't dislike a cheerful workplace.

"And the other person is Mr. Mori," Section Manager Gondo said, looking at an empty seat. "He's... working from home today. He's been working from home a lot lately, Mr. Mori."

"Every day?"

"Five days out of five, working from home."

"Isn't that every day?"

"Well, he's on Teams, so."

Kaname somehow grasped the weight of the phrase 'he's on Teams.'

At that moment, a Teams notification arrived on Kaname's PC.

Mori: Nice to meet you, Ms. Matsuo. This is Mori from home. I've been here for three years and still don't really know what DX is, but I look forward to working with you. Also, please water our houseplants a bit more.

Kaname couldn't help but laugh.

I might actually like this department.

During lunch break, Kaname went to the cafeteria alone.

While holding her tray, she organized the day's events. Section Manager Gondo, former sales, excessively cheerful. Mr. Matsukawa, first words were 'DX is difficult.' Saotome-kun, won't lose to anyone in enthusiasm. Mr. Mori, on Teams, worried about houseplants.

And then, the 'DX Promotion Roadmap (3rd Edition)' on the whiteboard.

Third edition. In other words, they remade it three times. Three editions in three years. Yet, the roadmap is still stuck on the whiteboard.

DX really is difficult, isn't it.

Kaname poked at the fish in her mackerel miso set meal.

When Kaname was in the R&D department, she created several Python tools herself. Tools for analyzing experimental data. Predictive models for material properties. Experimental design support using Bayesian optimization. They were quite well-made, if she did say so herself.

But no one used them.

"It looks useful, but it seems difficult," "I don't know how to use it," "The usual way is faster."

At first, Kaname tried to solve this by improving the accuracy of the tools. But that wasn't it. The problem wasn't the accuracy. The problem was that she hadn't thought about the people who would be using them. She had been so obsessed with making the tools that she had left the users' feelings behind.

Could it be that DX isn't about that kind of thing?

It's not about installing tools, but about getting people to use them. It's not a technical problem, but a human one.

Since Kaname is a researcher, she understands at least that much. No matter how excellent an analytical method is, if the person using it doesn't use it, it's just data.

While eating her mackerel in miso, Kaname felt a little anxious. And she also felt a little fired up.

In the afternoon, Kaname read through the materials from the DX Promotion Division at her desk.

The first edition roadmap. The second edition roadmap. The third edition roadmap.

The more she read, the more question marks appeared in her head.

The roadmap listed goals. "Achieve 80% company-wide digitalization rate," "Improve operational efficiency by 30%," "Promote AI utilization." They were impressive. But nowhere did it say how to achieve them.

"Saotome-kun."

"Yes?"

"What is the status of this roadmap?"

Saotome-kun reached for his protein bottle and replied, "...Honestly, it hasn't progressed much."

"When was the first edition released?"

"Three years ago."

Three years. Three editions in three years. And progress on achieving them was minimal.

I see.

Kaname placed the roadmap on her desk.

I feel like there's something I need to do before making tools.

Just as she thought that, Matsukawa-san next to her slowly opened his mouth.

"Matsuo-san, what do you think DX is?"

A sudden philosophical question. Kaname thought for a moment before answering.

"I've only been here for three hours, so I don't know."

"Well, that's true."

"But I do think it's meaningless if people don't use it."

Matsukawa-san said "Hmm" and drank his coffee again. It was a reply that made it unclear whether he agreed or disagreed.

At that moment, a Teams notification sound rang out.

Mouri: I think what Matsuo-san is saying is probably correct. That's about all I've learned in three years. Also, please take care of the houseplants.

Kaname stifled a laugh.

Mouri-san is actually working. He's watching the conversation in real-time. He's the model of remote work.

On the way home, Kaname searched for "Digital Transformation" on her smartphone.

There were many difficult things written in difficult words. But there was one line that struck a chord.

"Using technology to make people's lives better."

Wait, I can understand that.

Chemistry is the same. No matter how precise the analysis is, in the end, it's about "whether it's useful to people." DX is probably the same.

A department that has redone its roadmap three times and still hasn't achieved it. Matsukawa-san's powerless "DX is hard." Mouri-san's "I don't really get it even after three years."

But, precisely because of that.

Kaname muttered that to herself as she passed through the ticket gate.

I'm going to DX.

As she boarded the train and looked at the night view outside the window, Kaname smiled softly.

The flasks in the laboratory were no longer waiting for Kaname. But the houseplants in the DX Promotion Division were waiting for water.

I'll water them tomorrow.

First, I'll start with that.

To be continued in Episode 2

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