Being Asked

◆ This story explores the themes of "Should one be honest about the bad parts?", "What does it mean to act for someone else's sake?", and "The space between easing one's own burden and becoming a burden to others."

　Having taken two days off work—the day before yesterday and yesterday—because it was too painful to go, I knew I had to show up today. I whipped my heavy body and mind into gear and boarded the train.
　As the train moved west toward my workplace, my feelings of melancholy and the sense of being lost only grew stronger...
　Then, the moment I arrived at work and stepped into the locker room to put away my shoulder bag,
“Excuse me, you’re with the Stop Response team, right?”
I was addressed from the right by a man shorter than me with a friendly expression.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Um... I’m sorry to bother you, but could you tell me about the Stop Response job?”
“Sure. But this isn't really the place for it, so I’ll tell you in the cafeteria.”
“Thank you very much. Excuse me, my name is Suhara.”
“I’m Gondo. Nice to meet you.”
Sitting in the cafeteria, I explained to Suhara that the main job of Stop Response is picking up merchandise that has fallen off shelves, or clearing items that get stuck between the floor and the automated transport robots that lift and carry the shelves... and that our role is to ensure that when a stop occurs, it doesn't last a second longer than necessary.
And then, I told him the truth, without hiding the bad or difficult parts.
“Unlike picking, packing, or sorting, Stop Response is a very small department. Even last month, someone who joined at the same time as me quit the company entirely, and our numbers are steadily dwindling.
　This floor of the logistics center is several times larger than a school gymnasium, yet they make one person handle the whole thing.”
Upon hearing this, Suhara immediately looked surprised.
　I continued.
“This center is long from north to south. It’s possible for robots to collide with merchandise and get stuck at both the north and south ends at the same time.
　If that happens in front of a workstation, you can't load or unload goods from the shelves, so you have to deal with it quickly—the pressure is immense...!
　By the way, it’s not rare for seven or eight robots to be stopped on one floor due to such collisions. And since they’re scattered, it takes time to move between them. In the meantime, new stops can occur...
Oh, and if salt or detergent leaks inside the shelves, cleaning that up is also our job.”
　Suhara wore a bitter smile rather than just surprise, and said,
“Mr. Gondo, thank you for the explanation.
　It’s clear enough how tough it is. Actually, my boss invited me to join Stop Response before, but I turned it down. However, I’ve recently started to get curious about the work. I’m currently assigned to packing, and I’ve been wanting to challenge myself with something new.”
　He told me this. Of course, if Suhara joined, it would be a huge help and I’d be endlessly grateful, but after hearing my explanation, I couldn't imagine he would still want to.
　I decided to tell Suhara about the human relationships as well.
“There are days when I’m with three senior colleagues.
　During work, we use company-issued computers to communicate and consult, so we don't really have face-to-face conversations, but the three of them are thick as thieves.
　Part of it is that I’m the only junior, but it’s honestly very difficult to work with them. I can only say that I have no standing there.
　I don’t think the idea of reaching out to a junior even crosses their minds.”
Suhara was completely at a loss for words...!
　I told Suhara that I had to go to the work area to prepare, so we should wrap things up.
　As we parted ways, I said to Suhara,
“This is just a 'what if' scenario, but I want to get out of Stop Response. If your department is looking for people, could you recommend me? Sorry for being so bold...”
　I asked him. The chances of it happening are close to zero, but I figured I’d say it anyway.　　　　　　　　　　End