Chapter Eleven — The Price of a Good Deed A Reward with Unexpected Side Effects

On his way home, Yamamoto, who handled personnel matters at the company, hesitated for a moment before pushing aside the curtain of his favorite neighborhood bar.

“Welcome!”

The owner's booming voice echoed through the room.

“Boss, I ended up coming back again.”

“Oh, Yamachan! Long day?”

The owner laughed.

“What are you talking about? You can come here every day if you want.”

“That's right!”

Satoru, one of the staff members, chimed in immediately.

“No need to hold back, Yamasan.”

The three of them laughed.

“Beer first.”

After a few mouthfuls, the alcohol finally settled into his stomach, and Yamamoto let out a relieved sigh.

“You know, Yamachan, you always look like you're enjoying your beer.”

The owner pointed toward the entrance.

“If I put you right there beside the door with a beer in your hand, customers would probably come in without me even saying a word.”

“Fine. I'll do it. But then my drinks should be free.”

“Now that's what I call a win-win situation.”

They both burst out laughing.

“Then this one's on the house.”

“Wait a second... Isn't this just the appetizer?”

“You caught me!”

The owner had clearly been drinking, too. He no longer cared whether other customers overheard him.

“But seriously, Yamasan, what's going on? You've been coming in every night lately. Something happen?”

“You want to hear about it?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

“You really want to hear it?”

The owner thought for a second.

“Actually... maybe I don't.”

“Hey! Come on. I'll tell you.”

Yamamoto straightened himself in his seat.

“It's really nothing special, but this year's hiring has been getting a lot of positive feedback.”

“Wait. Aren't you in Human Resources?”

“No.”

He took a long drink.

“More accurately, we don't even have a Human Resources Department.”

“What are you talking about? Haven't you told me before that you handle hiring?”

“Boss! Slow down. I'm getting to that.”

He took another drink.

“People my age have become so impatient lately. It's terrible. No wonder nobody finds you attractive.”

“Who's saying that? The lifelong bachelor?”

“...Anyway.”

Another drink.

“We don't have an HR department, but every company still needs someone to handle interviews and recruiting, right? The president and the plant manager used to take care of all that.”

He paused dramatically.

“But then, one day, they picked me.”

He pointed at himself.

“You have to admit it. The people at the top know talent when they see it. They really know where to look.”

“Boss, another beer, please.”

“Okay, I understand that your president is a genius.”

The owner nodded.

“But what exactly did they choose you for?”

Yamamoto nearly dropped his mug.

“You've got to be kidding me!”

He pointed at himself again.

“Me! They chose me!”

“Oh, that's not good.”

A regular customer sitting nearby burst out laughing.

“Yamasan, if you say it yourself, it loses all its value.”

“That's the kind of thing other people are supposed to say about you.”

The whole bar exploded with laughter.

Yamamoto was thoroughly offended.

“Come on! Every single one of you keeps interrupting my story. That's not fair.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

The owner wiped tears of laughter from his eyes.

“So where were you again?”

Everyone started laughing even harder.

They had completely taken control of the conversation.

Where exactly had this gone wrong?

All he had wanted to say was that this year's new employees were exceptionally good. None of them had quit, and lately, people throughout the company had been complimenting him on his recruiting skills.

“But seriously, Yamachan...”

Someone shouted from across the room.

“Are you sure your company's president knows what he's doing?”

The entire bar erupted again.

Still holding his beer mug, Yamamoto quietly muttered,

“...How did we even end up there?”

The night had only just begun.