Minutes of Yukino Sanada, Personnel Department: 1-5 A Black Christmas After All

Chapter 1: The White Head Office, The Black Sales Office

Episode 5: A Black Christmas After All

Kuroki-san, who had appeared suddenly, was wearing a slightly more casual navy blue duffle coat than usual and sneakers. His hair wasn't styled as it usually was, and that was when I first realized he had naturally curly hair.

There are two main types of sales positions in the sales office. One is "Lease Brokerage Sales," which introduces properties to prospective tenants and supports viewings and contracts. The other is "Lease Management Sales," which proposes tenant recruitment and building management to real estate owners. Kuroki-san is the latter, proposing management plans and equipment installations for apartment buildings to landowners and real estate owners considering land utilization.

Because Kuroki-san often goes out for business negotiations, he and Mariya, who handles many phone calls and administrative tasks, rarely saw each other on a daily basis.

Even so, feeling a bit relieved to see a familiar face, she replied, "Merry Christmas."

“Maruta-san, why are you here today?”
“I... I couldn't finish my work. What about you, Kuroki-san?”
“Ah, well, you know. I have a meeting with an owner tomorrow, so I thought I'd check the materials.”

We both said it was tough for each other and returned to our seats.

My seat was back-to-back with Kuroki-san's. While processing documents, I suddenly felt embarrassed, realizing I had mistaken him for a customer earlier and had let out a loud sound when I stretched. I looked back at Kuroki-san's back, but he seemed to be working on his materials without paying any particular attention. He had hung his navy duffle coat on his chair. Wearing a fine-knit beige sweater, his back looked broader than usual.

Hearing the clicking sound of him typing on his keyboard behind me made me feel restless. I thought, I'll go home today once I finish the amount of work I can handle tomorrow... Just then, while still back-to-back, Kuroki-san spoke up.

“Would you like some cake?”

“...Is there some?”
It was completely unexpected. Mariya turned toward Kuroki-san and asked back.

“Yeah. Well... I only have enough to share one portion...” he said, suddenly mumbling. Perhaps Mariya shouldn't be eating it. Still, she couldn't resist the magic of the word "cake." For one thing, she hadn't brought lunch and suddenly felt hungry.

“May I have some? I'll divide it with a spare fork!”
“No, it's fine, you're busy, aren't you? I'll divide it later.”
Mariya stopped Kuroki-san from saying that.
“No, I was looking for a break anyway, so I'll divide it.”
“Thanks! Then, make sure to divide it equally so we don't fight over it.”
Mariya burst out laughing at that remark.

Kuroki-san took a white box out of his soft camel-colored leather bag. The box had a red ribbon with gold trim, making it look very much like a Christmas item.

There should have been disposable forks and paper plates in the sales office for some event. When she brought them and opened the white box, a rectangular chocolate cake about the size of a palm appeared.

When she thought of Christmas cake, she imagined a shortcake topped with strawberries or a Yule log.

It was a shape a bit too simple to be called Christmas.
However, the chocolate solidified into a rectangular shape with powder evenly dusted over it had a geometric beauty.

“It's square...”
“Yeah, it's a cobblestone chocolate cake. They were having a Nagasaki fair nearby, so it brought back memories.”
“Memories...? Was it Nagasaki where you're from, Kuroki-san?”
“My parents are. When I was little, whenever we went on a trip, it was always Nagasaki...”
“Nagasaki... I only have the image of it being the gateway during the time of national isolation...”
“What era are you talking about...?”

Even though I had never talked to Kuroki-san before, I was able to banter so naturally. Is it the magic of working on a holiday, or is it because we have cake in front of us?

The square chocolate stone pavement is easy to mark in the middle. When I inserted the fork, it was surprisingly soft, with a moist texture that belied its rugged appearance. Inside, the chocolate and sponge cake looked like geological strata. Once she finished cutting them into roughly equal sizes, Mariya placed one on a paper plate and, along with a new fork, set it on the edge of Mr. Kuroki's desk.

Without taking his eyes off his computer screen, Mr. Kuroki said, "Oh, thanks." Mariya put the rest on a paper plate and took it to her own desk. She pushed her documents aside with one hand so they wouldn't get chocolate on them.

(Is this... even if it's a coincidence, am I spending Christmas with Mr. Kuroki...?)

I felt my face grow hot, embarrassed by the thought I'd had for a split second. Isn't this thought way too heavy for a man I've barely had any contact with until now? I shook my head with all my might, trying to shake it out of my mind.

“Is something wrong?”
Perhaps he sensed me shaking my head. Mr. Kuroki asked while we were still back-to-back.

“No, it’s nothing...”
Mariya made a vague excuse, speared a bite with her fork, and put it in her mouth. The elegant bitterness of the dark chocolate, the milk chocolate, and the gently sweet sponge cake spread throughout her mouth. It was as if the inorganic space filled with office equipment had turned into a cafe.

“Delicious! This... makes me want some coffee...”
Just as she started to say that, a sudden sense of loneliness welled up inside Mariya.

Tears overflowed as if a levee had broken. I'm embarrassed, I'll be thought of as a strange girl. Thinking that only made them overflow even more. Mr. Kuroki kept his back turned and remained silent.

I had always thought I was fine.
Coming in early on the first train to avoid overtime pay, coming in secretly on my days off. Coming in today. The fact that work doesn't progress when I answer the phone. The fact that half the day is spent acting as a proxy. It's work. I'm an adult. I thought I had to be fine.

It was impossible.

In truth, there were times when I wanted to throw everything away. There were times when I wanted to throw away all the sticky notes around my computer after my shift ended. There were times when I wanted to ignore the phone no matter how many times it rang. There were even times when I wondered if the office would collapse today.

Because I'm a member of society, because I'm an adult, because I'm a professional.
I used those words as a weight to keep myself from floating away.
And yet...

I heard Mr. Kuroki stand up behind me and his footsteps heading to another room.
I felt sorry, wondering if I had made things awkward.

(Once I calm down... I'll just make an excuse that I was so moved because it was so delicious.)

“...Customer, here is your ordered coffee.”
I heard a voice like a cafe clerk, and when I turned around, Mr. Kuroki was standing there with a paper cup on a tray.

Not understanding what was happening for a moment, Mariya hurriedly wiped her eyes. Steam was rising from the paper cup.

“Would you like sugar and milk?”
It seems Mr. Kuroki is continuing his cafe clerk roleplay.
“Black is fine... oh, um, I'm sorry...”
Is this because of my earlier comment about wanting coffee? The tears receded due to my sense of guilt.

“I'm pretty good at it, right? Believe it or not, when I was a college student, I worked part-time at a traditional coffee shop.”
Mr. Kuroki returned to his usual tone.
“A traditional coffee shop...”
When Mariya was a college student, she used to go cafe-hopping as a hobby. She had been to a few traditional coffee shops as well. She remembered how comfortable they were, with classical music playing, wooden antique tables, a master, and coffee served in small cups.

I looked at Mr. Kuroki's face again. His long, narrow eyes with single eyelids give a smart impression in his usual suit, but today, combined with his natural curls, they give off a softness.

It's not Starbucks, a pancake cafe, or Blue Bottle Coffee. The slightly old-fashioned term "traditional coffee shop" fit Mr. Kuroki's current appearance perfectly.

“Somehow, it feels more like a traditional coffee shop than Starbucks.”
“I get told that a lot... but Starbucks would hire me too, though this coffee is instant.”

Mr. Kuroki handed the paper cup to Mariya, looking a little embarrassed. My hands warmed up immediately. When I took a sip, it was so delicious that I couldn't believe it was the instant coffee shared by the office. Despite her cafe-hopping, Mariya wasn't that knowledgeable about coffee, but for the first time, she learned the feeling of "no unpleasant aftertaste."

“Why does instant coffee taste this good...”
I muttered without thinking.
“I adjusted the ratio of hot water to cold water from the water dispenser, and the amount of powder.”
Kuroki-san said proudly.

“Kuroki-san, you could open a shop.”
I thought I might be flattering him too much, but even though it was a space for just the two of us, Kuroki-san lowered his voice as if to ensure no one else would hear.

“Actually... just between us, I’m aiming to open a cafe in the future.”
“That’s absolutely wonderful...!!”
Mariya exclaimed before she could stop herself, but then she voiced a question that suddenly popped into her mind.
“But if you’re aiming to open a cafe, why aren’t you in the food and beverage industry?”

“You sound like an interviewer,”
Kuroki-san said with a chuckle, then suddenly straightened his posture.
“I worked part-time at a traditional coffee shop, and because the taste and atmosphere were exceptional, it was loved by the local customers. However, due to the aging customer base, they stopped coming, and since it wasn’t easily accessible, we couldn’t expect new customers, so it was on the verge of bankruptcy. I learned firsthand how much location affects store management, which is why I became interested in real estate as a product! ...Or, well, that’s what I said in my job interviews to sound plausible, but really, it’s just to save up money for opening my own place.”
“Wow... that sounds like a motive that would definitely get you hired...”
“Right?”

Kuroki-san looked at Mariya again.
“So, let me hear your dream, Maruta-san.”
Asked so suddenly, Mariya fell into deep thought.

I had never even thought about having a dream. I always felt that time was too precious. If I just had time, I wanted to finish my work. Rather than a dream, I only ever thought about “finishing my current work.” The ever-increasing number of application forms. The sticky notes that seemed to prick at me after my shift ended. I just wanted to finish them.

Someday, I want to clear off the desk piled high with documents until it’s completely empty.

“Honestly, I can only think about finishing my current work...”
Even though Kuroki-san had gone out of his way to share his dream, I felt pathetic that this was all I could say. Mariya hung her head again.

“Then how about this?”
I looked up at Kuroki-san’s voice.

“Today, we’re opening a cafe right here!”

As I stood there confused, Kuroki-san continued.
“The concept is, ‘The Finish-Your-Work Cafe’! And it even comes with an optional employee help service.”
Mariya eventually realized what he meant by this strange phrasing.
Perhaps he was also the type to get through things using funny words.

“Are you, by any chance, going to help me with my work...?”
“Yeah, I’ll need you to teach me about the administrative side, but I know about the properties, so ask me anything.”

“That would be a huge help...!”
It was, in fact, a very welcome offer. Sometimes, even if an applicant has questions about a property, I have to look them up because the sales staff is away. Since it’s an inquiry response, I have no choice but to handle it quickly, which means it interrupts my priority tasks.

I took out the file containing the list of unprocessed cases.
“Starting right away, does this ‘Corpo Shiraishi’ have air conditioning in every room?”
“Yeah, it does. Actually, I was the one who proposed it and had them installed.”

Kuroki-san handled the administrative tasks, which he was likely doing for the first time, with care once I lectured him on them. And for each property, he would share stories like, “Oh, the eldest son inherited this one through succession...” or “The owner is really kind...” Each document, which had previously just been “work to be processed,” now had a story behind it.

The mountain of application files gradually decreased. Mariya double-checked Kuroki-san’s work, even though he was a beginner at administrative tasks. There were almost no mistakes. I suppose having knowledge of the properties really does make a difference. His handwriting was a bit idiosyncratic, but that actually made it easier to read.

“How is it... Senior?” Kuroki-san looked up at me with a playful expression.
Mariya played along, acting like a senior, and replied, “Yes, it’s perfect.”

And so, we were finally able to process all the application documents.
Even with Kuroki-san’s help, it still took over three hours, and the clock was already nearing 6:00 PM.

Even so, the satisfaction of having processed everything was obvious just by looking at the desk. “I don’t think I’ve seen a desk this clean since I was assigned here.”
I felt like all the knots in my heart had been untied.

But surely, that would only last for a moment.
If left alone, the work would likely continue to pile up from tomorrow onwards.

"Why don't you take tomorrow off?"
Mariya's eyes went wide.
"Eh... but, tomorrow is... Sunday, and... I thought you were busy..."
"We can manage that somehow. It's a rare chance to take a nice break when there's so little work."
Kuroki-san pressed her further as Mariya hesitated, saying, "But..."

"I know. Everything. That you've been working too hard, Maruta-san."

Unable to say anything, a silence hung in the air.

"I mean, my phone memos are almost all your name, Maruta-san. No matter how early I come in, you're always here. Even today, I thought, 'Maybe she's at the office? No, surely not...' and then, there you are..."
"That's... because I'm slow at my work, so I have to do that to keep up."
Kuroki-san shook his head.
"No! If anything, everyone is relying on you too much, Maruta-san. Well, myself included... If things keep going like this, you'll collapse... No, why don't you collapse a little bit at a time while you still can? Then everyone will have to be a little more independent."

Kuroki-san pressed on as Mariya remained speechless.
"Please. Just take a break. It would be a problem if you weren't around, Maruta-san."
"A problem...?"

Administrative tasks are things that even Kuroki-san, who was just taught them a moment ago, can master—in other words, work that anyone can do.

(To say it would be a problem... that's an exaggeration...)

When Mariya looked up, Kuroki-san was looking down slightly. Realizing what he meant, her face grew hot.

"...Understood. Anyway, thank you. I'll contact the office manager and take tomorrow off."
"Yeah, that's the right thing to do. Let's finish the rest of the cake and head home."

She sat with Kuroki-san over cake and coffee. They talked about the old-fashioned coffee shop he used to work at, the cafes Mariya had visited, cafes that were good for reading, the types of coffee they liked, and how to make delicious instant coffee.

The office, which would normally be drowned out by the sound of phones and the intercom, was being repainted by the voices they exchanged.

(Christmas spent with Kuroki-san. Today really is a black Christmas.)

A smile escaped her as she thought about how she had come up with a clever phrase.
If you can think of a funny word, you can get through anything.

But, now. In this moment, just for today...

"There are some situations you don't want to just 'get through,' aren't there?"
When she said that, Kuroki-san smiled a little too.
"Yeah, me too... I don't want to just get through this right now."

(Continued in Episode 6.)

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