Seasonal Opening Ceremony
“There is someone you want to kill at any cost. It does not matterthe motive behind it. For instance, it could be that person killed yourlover, or your objective is that person’s a.s.sets. Either way, you haveto kill that person no matter what. Now then, what would you do?”
Thejob applicants all together were dumbfounded at the interviewer’s wildquestion. They were clad in new suits without one wrinkle in them andhad their backs perfectly straight, but their mouths were wide open inshock.
What did he say just now? Kill someone? I misheard, right? Everyone there thought that.
“If it was you, how would you kill someone?” The interviewer repeated back. It seems they did not mishear him.
Howwould you kill someone, he says? I can’t think of it. I shouldn’t thinkof it. If he had seriously thought of doing such an act, right now hewould not be at an interview but in prison.
Saitou eagerly forced his non-operating mind to work and thought. What is the purpose of this question? What is being asked?
Isit to test his deliberateness or ethics? What kind of answer is thecorporation side looking for from a student? Awkwardly keeping a fakesmile on his face, he read deeply into the question desperately.
Therewere only two questions the interviewers made before this. “What areyour strengths and weakness?” and “What did you strive for as astudent?” Those were the staple questions that appear in employmentinterviews.
Even the students curled up in themselves inapprehension were able to manage providing some kind of exemplary answerfor those questions they thought of ahead of time even with their voiceshaking. Just as they got a breath of relief and the tension able tolessen the “How will you kill a person?” came up. It felt like afterproceeding from hitting back two straight b.a.l.l.s thrown from the centerto easily return by approximately a hundred kilometers a sudden,irregular non-rotating fork ball was thrown at them.
He had readin a how-to book for job searching that at recent interviews there havebeen strange questions asked to shake up students. “If you got onebillion yen, how would you use it?”, “What seasoning do you think youcan compare to?” or “Please give us some kind of interesting story”seems to have been said before. It was to test their tactfulness in themoment. Saitou also made his resolve so he can be like that no matterwhat questions would come up. Although he came prepared, this was quiteunexpected. Rather than shaking him isn’t this like a giant earthquake?
Therewere three interviewers, and the one who asked the question was the mansitting in the center. In comparison there were five students. Saitoufaced the interviewer from the right edge, sitting in the seat closestto the exit. The answers will start from the farthest student on theleft side. Saitou’s turn will be last.
If Saitou had even oneunofficial offer he would reject it saying “I don’t know” and take hisleave. But having sent entry sheets to fifty companies now, that washopeless. The fiftieth one was the first interview he managed to get. Itis tough. He still has time before his turn. He had to find a goodanswer no matter what in that time frame to give a good impression to theinterviewer.
The first student honestly answered, “It is against the law, so I cannot kill a person.”
Atthat moment a strange feeling swept through the students. It was the kindof atmosphere of relief. “Ah, that’s good.” “So there was no need tothink so deeply about it?” They concluded this question pa.s.sed to themwas a test of their ethics. After that the other three also addresseddrawn-out fastidious, argumentative words of principle that “we cannotcommit murder.”
“Even in the case if you don’t kill them, youwill be killed?” The one the interviewer questioned back to was thestudent next to Saitou. His turn was coming up already.
The femalestudent wore a pantsuit with her long hair tied back. She nodded with fullconfidence. “Yes. Even then, I cannot violate the law.”
Saitou laughed in his mind at the simplicity of it.
They are testing their ethics?
By chance, is that really the case?
Saitoucould do not consider that. Are they looking for students with distinctionin the ‘must not kill’ aspect? That cannot be it. You cannot killpeople; even elementary schoolers know at least that much. The issue isnot that. He sensed that the bored face the interviewer was making wastelling that.
“Now then, next, Saitou-kun. Please answer.”
His turn had finally come around.
Evenif he said the same thing as them that could not leave any sort ofimpression on the interviewer. And so, Saitou decided to state adifferent answer from them. Whatever happens, who cares.
“I have almost killed a person before.”
The halfhearted mood drifting among the students frozewithin a moment. What is this guy saying? Those surprisedexpressions of the students appeared in his mind.
“Oh?” The interviewer raised his voice and bent forward, intrigued. “What do you mean by that?”
“WhenI was in high school I belonged to our baseball club. It was a famousveteran school even within the Kantou region, and I was an ace pitcher.”He said it with a bit of pride put in casually. “I even partic.i.p.ated at Koshien.”
“Is that so? But you do not have that written on your entry sheet.”
Just as the interviewer said, ‘baseball’ was not written under hobbies or special skills.
“Eventhough you were an ace pitcher for a veteran school, you did not enterbaseball clubs or baseball circles at university? That’s a shame.”
“I have become unable to pitch a ball.”
“Is it an injury?”
“No.”
After letting out a quiet exhale, he continued.
“WhenI pitched at Koshien I ended up hitting the batter in the head. Hecollapsed and stopped moving. He then was carried out on a stretcher andwent to the hospital in an ambulance. The place he got hit was severe,and he was in a critical, comatose state.”
The batter miraculously recovered afterwards, but he could not throw a bat for the spring and summer of their third year.
“Atthat time I was really afraid I could have become a murderer. I was sounbearably afraid I ended up getting the yips. Since then I couldn’tfind control and couldn’t throw towards people. I don’t even like toplay catch.”
“I see. So you quit baseball.”
“Yes. So I’m notsuited to be a murderer.” Saitou smiled in self-torment. “I don’t havethe courage or the skill for it, so in the case there is someone I wantto kill no matter what I think I’d just pay others and have them killthem.”
It was a cheerful att.i.tude. He did not know what kind ofanswer the company was looking for or what kind of students they werelooking for. Even so, he did what he could. He put out his best. He hadno regrets even if it gets rejected. That was what he thought.
Two weeks after that, a notification of an unofficial offer reached Saitou. He was delighted nearly jumping in joy.
Saitouat this time still did not know that the answer he brought forth at thelast moment with, ‘in the case there is someone I want to kill no matterwhat I’d just pay others and have them kill them,’ was in fact themanagement philosophy of this company.
Top of First Inning
On a Friday night the shop wascrowded with people. This pub where small-earning salary men andstudents gathered had half of the private rooms with all the seats set upas horigotatsu and isolated with grid patterned walls in everydirection. Munakata and his group were lead into the pub. Next to themtwo company employee-like men were gulping down their drinks with a hardexpression. The inside of the place was rambunctious, so he could nothear their voices, but surely they were grumbling complaints about theirjob. I understand the feeling, Munakata bowed his head in sympathy.
Once the drinks were brought over,
“At any rate, good work for this year.”
Theeldest of them, Munakata, took the lead for a toast with a hoa.r.s.e voice.Raising the mug of his draft beer, he clanked it against each of the fourgla.s.ses gathered at the middle of the table. Three were draft beers, andone was an oolong tea.
Washing down his throat half of the drinkin one go with white bubbles caught around his mouth, “Aah, this isgood. It’s so refreshing.” Munakata spit out an old-man like phrase.Actually, he was one. He was already forty years old, and wrinkles stood out around the corners of his eyes and mouth. If it were not for theblack eye-patch covering his right eye, he would look like any ordinarymiddle-aged man. Regardless, for a normal middle-aged man what he worewas first-cla.s.s. From the tucked in sleeves of his high quality strippedsuit a branded wrist.w.a.tch was peeking out.
“Munakata-san, there are still another two months for this year left.” The one sitting next tohim, Shinohara, said as he drank his oolong tea. “Don’t you think it’stoo soon to forget the year?”
Shinohara was still a newcomer. Hewore the same suit as Munakata, but more than a company employee helooked like a university student who attended a coming-of-age ceremony.Presently, he was still a university student. Paired up with Munakatatheir age gap was separated enough to not appear to be parent and child.
“It’s fine. We’ll be getting so busy we won’t have time for a year-end party.”
“Ah, please call over the waiter. I would like motsunabe.”
“Listen.”
“CanI order gizzards?” The person sitting in front of Munakata, Reiko, had asked him this time. While pulling her loosely permed, brown hair back in theshape of a pelican’s beak with a hair clip she stared at the front ofthe shop’s menu. “Blue mackerel is fine too. Is it alright if I orderit?”
“Don’t ask me.”
“But you’re treating, right?”
Munakata shut his mouth before he asked, why me.Among the four of them, he was the eldest and their senior. Thatj.a.panese tendency for elders and seniors to have to treat the ones belowwas quite annoying. He swiped a hand through his gelled bangs roughly.
“Munakata.” A large, half-Russian man named Ivanov who was sitting next to Reiko said to him in a murmured whisper. “I’ll pay half.”
“You’regenerous.” Munakata told him keenly. His face was frightening, but hispersonality was kind. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. It’s my treat.Eat up.”
After saying that, he cursed himself a little. He was worried by saying ‘eat up’ that he might take everything off the menu;Ivanov was huge. But fortunately the giant that was more than two meters tallarched his back and ate small portions of appetizers. He was alsowearing a suit but with no tie. He had a crew cut of light-brown hairwith several scars on his face.
“Shino, why are you drinking oolong tea? Drink some beer.”
Munakata pressed since he was over twenty, but Shinohara made an apparent revolted face to his comment. “Munakata-san, that’s hara.s.sment.”
“Shut up.”
“If you’re saying that, then for Ivanov-san,” Shinohara glared at Ivanov. “Why are you drinking beer?”
“Is it wrong?”
“Normally it’s vodka, right? Since you’re Russian, drink vodka.”
“You know, that’s racist.”
“I’m not Russian. I’m from Saitama.” It was a habit for Ivanov to speak in a murmur, unfitting for his large size.
“Nowthen, let’s get into the main topic.” Around the point their orderedmeals were being brought out, Munakata began to speak. “You know thereis a mayoral election next month, right?”
“A mayoral election?” The one who asked was Shinohara. “What’s that?”
“Ah, right. Since you just got in you wouldn’t know.”
“It’sthe election for the mayor of f.u.kuoka.” Reiko cut in. “There’s oneevery four years. Our boss was first elected eight years ago. This nextone will be his third term.”
“At this time there will be a lot of occasions the boss will go out in front of the public for a.s.semblies, lectures, and speeches.”
“That seems pretty bothersome.”
“Yeah,it is. There may be guys who have a grudge against the boss and pretendto be a supporter aiming to take his life. During this time until theelection ends we’ll have someone to watch over the boss. Reiko andShino, I’d like for you two to alternate.”
“Ehh.” Shinohara frowned. “Right now I have testing going on, so I’ll be busy.”
“LikeI said, Ivanov and I can’t wander around near the boss.” If a large manwith scars on his face and a man with an eye-patch were near the mayor,it would look nothing but suspicious. “We are killers. We’re notbodyguards. Leave it to the guys in charge of the boss’s safety, whileyou guys think of killing anyone making an attack on the boss. Got it?”
“Understood.” Reiko said while putting the blue mackerelin her mouth.
Shinohara was still dissatisfied. He muttered a complaint, “My credit is important though.”
Havingplaced the portable stove in the center of the table, the motsunabe wassimmering in it in front of the four of them. Once the flame died down abit, the conversation continued.
“Our main job is not ensuring the safety of the boss’s well-being. It is to ensure the safety of the boss’s position.Any raising factors in the mayoral election would cause a small scandalto become fatal. Be watchful when around the boss and eliminate anyobstacles. Crush any convenient bad information before it gets out.”
“Like always, you mean.” Shinohara said as he fixed his gla.s.ses.
“That’sright. So, the first thing is this guy.” Munakata took out a picture ofa man and several doc.u.ments from his bag. “It’s the Hakata policeoffice’s ground. It seems he is secretly looking into the connectionbetween the boss and the crime syndicate.”
“How about I kill him.” Ivanov said and took them. “Can I strangle him?”
“Strangle him and have him hanged. And then there is the case with the boss’s son-”
“Ithas turned into quite the season for delicious hot pot, hasn’t it.”Shinohara interrupts the conversation and prepares his own motsunabe.
“Listen.”
“What do we do with this dish? For the last part.”
“It’s just miso, right?” Reiko says. It is with an att.i.tude like it could not be anything but miso.
“It’s ojiya.” Ivanov objects.
Either is fine. Munakata let out a sigh. “I guess we’ll just leave work for later and eat for now.”
Translation Notes:
1. Koshien甲子園- Koshien stadium is where the j.a.panese National High School BaseballChampionship is held. It is located in Nishinomiya City, in HyogoPrefecture.
2. Horigotatsu - A s.p.a.ce in the floor with a table covering it.
3. Motsunabe - Miso nabe made with offal and vegetables.
4. Ojiya - A rice gruel containing vegetables and fish and seasoned with miso or soy sauce.