[Daily Short Story 101] Sliminess and Stickiness

The morning at the machine shop begins with the smell of lubricating oil.

Shuzo Makabe, sixty-two years old. He has been operating a lathe at "Makabe Precision" for forty years. The only employee is a young man named Tajima. There used to be several people, but one by one they left, and now only Tajima remains.

Before a machine seizes up, it always makes a small sound. It was Shuzo's job to hear that sound with his fingertips before his ears did.

Breakfast is white rice with natto. For forty years, it has hardly changed.

"President, aren't you tired of that yet?"

Tajima says, sounding amazed.

"It's a habit."

Shuzo says nothing more than that. He himself didn't have a reason worth explaining to others.

Three years ago, his only son said he wouldn't take over the business. Shuzo just replied, "I see." That evening, he oiled the lathe longer than usual. Since then, that topic has never come up. Human connections are meant to be broken. He had always thought that an adult is someone who doesn't make a sound when they break.

*

A large Japanese catfish lives in the river behind the factory. It was Shuzo's habit to go down to the bank during lunch break and peer into the deep water. Its black, glossy body moves slowly as if stroking the mud.

When I was a child, I chased catfish in this river with my bare hands. The moment I thought I had caught one, it would vanish, leaving only its slime in my palm. No matter how many times I tried, it was the same. My grandmother laughed and said, "You can't catch a catfish. They are made so they cannot be caught."

Now, I don't think about catching them. When a shadow falls on the bank, the catfish sinks into the deep water without a sound. After watching that, Shuzo returns to the factory.

*

In autumn, a major client switched their parts procurement overseas. Forty percent of the sales vanished from the ledgers.

The bank representative stared at the numbers in long silence, and as he was leaving, he said, "I am well aware of your company's technical skills," and cut his sentence short there.

The sound of the factory changed. It wasn't the sound of the machines. It was that human voices had decreased. During lunch break, Tajima spent more time staring at his phone screen. I didn't need to ask what he was looking at to know. Even so, when the machine suddenly made an irregular sound, Tajima would lift his face from the screen and listen intently. It was a habit he wasn't even aware of himself.

At the end of November, Tajima came to the office. He held out a white envelope with both hands.

"I am thinking of leaving at the end of this month."

Shuzo accepted the envelope.

I see.

The words that slipped from his mouth were the same as they had been three years ago. After Tajima bowed and left, Shuzo picked up an oil can and wiped the sliding surface of the lathe. His movements were the same as that night. His fingertips moved smoothly. There was no friction anywhere.

That night, while stirring natto by himself, Shuzo suddenly stopped his chopsticks. A white thread stretched between the small bowl and the chopsticks. It looked like it would break, but it didn't. Shuzo did not move his chopsticks until the thread broke.

*

The next morning, Shuzo placed natto and white rice on Tajima's desk.

Tajima, who had arrived for work, looked down at it for a while.

...Natto alone won't pay my salary.

His voice was quiet. There was no accusatory tone, and that was precisely why it could not be brushed off. Shuzo could not think of a reply.

After a long silence, Shuzo spoke.

Three years ago, when my son told me he wouldn't take over the business, all I said was 'I see.' I thought I had no reason to stop him. ...Yesterday, I said the same thing to you.

Tajima remained silent.

I don't want to close this place down.

He had said it out loud for the first time. Once he did, it was surprisingly simple—just his honest feelings.

We can't win on volume. But if it's a job that requires fixing one item by tonight, we still have the advantage.

Shuzo paused for a moment.

We'll focus on urgent repairs and custom, one-off pieces. ...I've been thinking about it for a long time. I was just too afraid of failing to say it.

It was the first time Tajima had seen Shuzo lay out his true feelings.

I'll hold onto your resignation letter. Just lend me a hand for one week.

He thought to himself even as he said it that it was a selfish request. Tajima did not answer; he opened the lid of the natto and began to stir it clumsily. Shuzo did not know if it was a sign of agreement or if he was just hungry. Without knowing, the two of them ate their meal.

*

From that day on, the two of them worked on the old lathe. They checked the bed alignment and scraped the sliding surfaces. A thin layer of oil remained in the fine scrape marks. As the alignment came through, the smooth, suction-like feel returned to the fingertips. The machine, which had been on the verge of seizing up, began to find its voice again.

Between tasks, they went around to their old clients one by one. They bowed their heads and announced that they would accept even single-item or repair jobs. Most just nodded vaguely.

On the evening of the first week, a call came in from one of them. They asked if they could machine a replacement for a broken shaft by matching it to the original by tonight. It was close, and it was urgent. It was exactly the kind of work Shuzo had described.

The two worked through the night. In the morning, they delivered the package, which was soaked in the smell of oil. The money they received was a drop in the bucket compared to the hole they had to fill. Still, on the way back to the factory, for the first time in a while, Shuzo didn't think about the resignation letter in his drawer.

*

There was no longer any time to go down to the riverbank during lunch breaks. Days passed where they only watched the river surface glisten through the window. The catfish must still be in the depths. Things you can't grasp are fine left ungrasped. However, not being able to grasp something and not reaching out for it were two different things.

On the morning of the new month, Shuzo took the resignation letter out of his drawer and placed it on Tajima's desk.

"What are you going to do with this?"

Tajima put on his work gloves while looking at the envelope.

"Another one is coming in this morning, isn't it?"

It wasn't an answer. Even so, Shuzo did not put the envelope back in the drawer.

The factory morning begins today, as always, with the smell of lubricating oil. A faint scent of natto mingles with it.

(End)

Original Concept: Y
Written by: Claude

Natto Day

July 10th is "Natto Day." It is an anniversary that allows us to feel the depth of Japan's fermented food culture, along with the friendliness of the wordplay.

"Natto Day" is an anniversary derived from the wordplay of reading 7 as "na" and 10 as "tou".
It is said to have been established in 1981 by the Kansai Natto Industry Cooperative Association with the aim of promoting natto in the Kansai region, andsubsequently, in 1992,the National Natto Cooperative Society Federationsought to establish it as a nationwide anniversaryas introduced.
The reason for the date, of course, comes from the reading of "7" and "10".

Natto is a food unique to Japan made by fermenting steamed soybeans, and it has become deeply rooted in daily dining tables while possessing a unique aroma and stickiness. While it has been familiar as a particularly accessible food in eastern Japan, there were regions in western Japan where it was not as common in the past, and this anniversary also suggests an intention to spread the appeal of natto across the differences in food culture by region.
July 10th is not just a day of wordplay, but a day to reflect on how Japanese people have inherited the wisdom of fermentation in their lives and the regionality that resides in simple foods.

Natto Day is an anniversary that allows us to focus on Japan's fermented food culture and the differences in regional tastes through a familiar item.

Lubricant Day / Oil Day

July 10th, 'Lubricant Day / Oil Day,' is an anniversary that sheds light on the role of lubricants, which are not usually given much thought. It is a day to re-evaluate the unsung heroes that smoothly support machines and society.

'Lubricant Day / Oil Day' is an anniversary derived from the fact that if you turn '710' upside down, it looks like the English word 'OIL'.The reason for the date lies in this interpretation of the numbers, and it is known as an anniversary born from a playful idea.
The founder is
the National Petroleum Industry Cooperative Association.Lubricants are essential in various situations, such as automobiles, factory equipment, power generation equipment, and household appliances, to reduce friction and wear and to keep machines running smoothly. Although they are not conspicuous, they are deeply involved in the lifespan, safety, and energy efficiency of machines, and play a role in quietly supporting the foundation of society. July 10th is a day that reminds us that even if they are not the glamorous protagonists, there are things necessary for things to move without stagnation. We can sense from familiar machines and industrial landscapes that there is invisible ingenuity and technology behind the mechanisms that move smoothly.

Lubricant Day / Oil Day is an anniversary where you can once again feel the importance of invisible technologies that support society and machines.

Japan Catfish Day

July 10th, 'Japan Catfish Day,' is an anniversary that, triggered by a pun, draws attention to the fish known as the Japanese catfish, as well as the food culture and folklore surrounding it.

'Japan Catfish Day' is an anniversary derived from the pun 'na (7) mazu (10)'.The reason for the date lies in the connection of the readings.
The founder is Japan Catfish Production Co., Ltd., which is headquartered in Higashikushira Town, Kagoshima Prefecture, and engages in the production and farming of catfish.. The Japanese catfish is a fish that inhabits freshwater areas such as rivers and marshes, and in some regions, it has been cherished as an ingredient for local cuisine. It is sometimes treated as a nourishing food during hot seasons, and it has a history of existing in daily life as a blessing from nearby waters. Furthermore, catfish are not only used as food, but are also often talked about in folktales, folklore, and even in connection with earthquakes, making them creatures that have deeply entered the Japanese imagination. July 10th is a day to feel a facet of Japanese culture where the nature of the waterside, local food, and folk memories overlap, while focusing on a freshwater fish that we do not usually think about in our daily lives.

Japan Catfish Day is an anniversary that allows us to expand our thoughts not only to the deliciousness of catfish as a river fish, but also to waterside life and folk culture.