Suspicious Behavior -- Image Shiritori Started (#188)

(#187) Pool Opening → "Ki" → Suspicious Behavior

He's a husband who seems to be cheating, but

"Huh?"

If this is the state he's in after just one word,
it's not worth trying to bait him.

It's not even a matter of whether it's worth baiting him; it's a problem that exists before you even try to bait him (￣∀￣)

Baiting someone isn't limited to just these kinds of romantic scenes.

For example, in an organization like a company, a subordinate called in by their boss might occasionally be asked the following question.

"Is there anything you need to report?"

If there really is nothing, you can just say, "Nothing in particular."
However, if you have something to hide—like a project you're struggling with and are secretly working hard to resolve—it's a different story.

Do you honestly say, "I'm sorry, actually..."
or do you keep playing dumb and stick with "Hmm, what could it be? Heh heh...", or "Nothing in particular."

In this case,
"I'm sorry, actually..." is the pattern where, whether the boss was baiting you or not, you're still in trouble for being late with your report. You'll get scolded.
"Nothing in particular" is the pattern where, if the boss was just baiting you, you get away with it, but if the boss already knew about the problematic project, you'll be called into a separate room with a "Could you come here for a second?" and shown evidence, leading to a severe scolding—the worst-case scenario.

By the way, I also have experience working in an organization for a reasonably long time.
And in my case, I would change my response depending on the type of boss.

"Is there anything you need to report?"

To this, I would respond with—

1. "I don't think there is anything, but I might have overlooked something, so it would be helpful if you could let me know." 👈 For a sharp boss who you can't escape from

2. "Hmm... what do you think it is? (￣∀￣) grin" 👈 For a frank boss who can take a joke

3. "I want to ensure perfection, so I will summarize it in a document by the end of the day." 👈 For a boss who forgets they even tried to bait you two hours later

In my life as an organizational employee, which was by no means short, I've encountered all three of these types... ^m^ (laughs).

For an organizational employee, so-called "Horenso (*1)" is the absolute basic of basics.

Even so, this thing called "reporting" isn't something you should just do for everything.

Work mistakes, from small to large, are scattered everywhere like trash. So, if you reported every little thing, there would be no end to it. "
Secretly recover from mistakes" This was the basic rule.

However, there needs to be a line drawn for "mistakes are for recovery" (←what kind of sloppy abbreviation is that💦). Personally, I judged that line by "

whether the worst-case scenario caused by the mistake can be settled by my own head alone". If it can be settled by my own head, I would start recovery without reporting it in particular. If there is even the slightest possibility that it could develop into a situation involving the career of someone above me, I would consult without hesitation.

I don't know if that's the right thing to do, though (￣∀￣)

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

"Kama o kakeru" (to set a trap/to fish for information) means to steer a conversation or make an invitation in order to get the other person to say what you want to know, or to make them reveal their true intentions. To put it formally, it's a "leading question."

As a phrase, it's an idiom often used in daily life, but I sometimes wondered, "What on earth is this 'kama' (sickle)?" (・・? So I looked it up.

Then, as for the etymology of "Kama o kakeru,"

it is said that "kama" refers to a "hiuchi-gama (a metal tool used to strike against flint to create sparks)," and it is either likened to drawing out a spark with this hiuchi-gama to drawing out one's true intentions, or it comes from the meaning of hooking a key to reap something.

—it says. When I hear flint, I have the impression of a kiribi (spark-striking ritual) from period dramas where an Edoite is about to leave, the wife appears, says "Wait a moment, dear," then clack-clack, "Off you go!"—and I, who thought that was just striking stone against stone, what an

ignorant fool I am (*´Д｀)

Looking closely, indeed a stone is held in the right hand, but isn't there some kind of tool in the other? I see, this is the hiuchi-gama.

I mean, it's even appearing in recent anime!

This is the scene in episode 15 of the anime "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba," titled "Mount Natagumo," where the protagonist Tanjiro and his friends are heading out on a mission to Mount Natagumo, and the old woman of the Wisteria Family Crest House performs the kiribi for them.

I-it's so obvious that it's "flint and hiuchi-gama" (・_・)... The fact that I, who easily falls behind on trends, watched this anime was only last April or so. ...What on earth was I watching... (*´Д｀)

However, since only a part of it is shown, it's hard to say, but despite being called a "hiuchigama (sickle)" I feel like the shape doesn't look like a sickle (￣∀￣)... but it seems it is also called "hiuchi-gane (striking steel)".

Also, the bare (?) one looks like this.

I see, if it looks like this, it's sickle-like... or rather, it looks like a sickle.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Sometimes, fortunately it hasn't happened in this area yet, but I feel like power outages caused by power lines snapping or short-circuiting due to heavy snow have become more frequent. Well, during the Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake five years ago, we had a power outage for nearly a week, so it's not someone else's problem at all.

At that time, it was the beginning of September, so it was actually quite hot, and I didn't mind it, but if a power outage happened on a midwinter day like these past few days where the high temperature is -6°C or -7°C—it makes me shudder (￣∀￣)

So, in terms of securing warmth and fire even without electricity, wouldn't it be worth having a flint as a last resort?
That's what I, Mr. Ignoramus, have started to think.

By the way, the fire striker mentioned above is a product called the "Fire Striker" fire steel & flint set from Misono Kobo.

How much is it? (⌒～⌒)?

4,200 yen (tax included)

Hmm (・_・)... As a poor person, that price seems a bit steep to casually add to my disaster prevention goods collection 💦

Well, well, let's see what else is out there.
--So, when I searched, the words "Easy Flint Set" jumped out at me, which sounded quite appealing.

That's right. Isn't it standard practice to start with something basic for beginners? Judging by the name, one would expect a reasonably affordable price.
Come on, how much is it? (⌒～⌒)?

Retail price 5,720 yen (tax included)

Yikes (゜o゜)!!

It might indeed be easy for a beginner to light a fire with it, but it's not something a beginner can easily afford.

The flint uses agate.

No, no, no ✋
Fire striker aside, for the flint, isn't anything fine as long as it's hard?
The flint from Misono Kobo that appeared earlier even says, "As shown in the image, it is a natural material. We include them in a balanced way, such as one medium-sized piece or two small ones--".

There's no need to go out of your way to use something as beautiful as agate as a flint...
Well, I wonder. For example, even for just a ritual fire, does having a stylish flint change the power to ward off evil spirits? (・_・)

Now that I think about it, the seller, "Kamidana no Sato", has a lineup that includes kamidana sets, kamidana shelves, ritual tools, and decorations... This isn't really at the level of practical goods.
When I checked the category for this Easy Flint Set, it's listed under "Lucky Charms"! ^m^💦

I guess it's my fault for jumping to the conclusion that it was an affordable item for beginners just because of the name "Easy Flint Set" (*´Д｀).

--Yes, if I wanted to find a reasonable item, I should have gone to Amazon from the start.

The result of searching for "fire striker" on Amazon☆
The "Flint Set" from "PSK OOK".
Come on, how much is it? (⌒～⌒)?

1,498 yen

Oh! \(^o^) /
And what's more, in addition to the basic set of "flint and steel," it comes with a fire blower and tinder at this price. As expected (o^-')b♪

If it's like this, even if I add it to my disaster prevention kit, I'm sure it will get along well with the others.
Let's go ahead and order it.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Today's closing song is Akina Nakamori with "FIRE STARTER"

A track from her 12th album, "Stock".

Oops, it's already this late tonight.
Today, I was shoveling snow & shoveling snow & shoveling snow from 4 AM (lol). Twice in the morning and once after dinner, for a total of 3 times over 6 hours (lol)... And, since the third time was during a heavy snowfall, by the time I finished, about 2cm had already lightly accumulated ^m^ -- in other words, shoveling snow at 4 AM tomorrow is confirmed (^^ゞ💦
You are quite formidable, General Winter.

With that said,
tomorrow as well, I hope that as many people as possible
will refrain from setting traps that would make the other person instinctively act suspiciously lol
May it be such a merciful day ✨

■ Bonus

This is the car before the current one in this image shiritori train (188th car). If anyone felt curious about the title "Pool Opening" and the joke image below, please take a look when you have some time to spare.