Chapter Thirteen — Taboo

“Hey, rookie. Today, I'm going to teach you something important.”

Shun had just bent down to grab the cola he'd bought from the vending machine when someone suddenly spoke behind him.

If I remember correctly... that's Sano, the senior everyone talks about.

He turned around, searching his memory.

“Well, when I say 'important,' I don't mean work. This is about the company.”

Keisuke bought a cola of his own and continued.

“You're Kano from the Second Factory, right?”

“Yes.”

“You know who I am?”

“...Mr. Sano?”

“Oh? Not bad. So you know me.”

He grinned.

“Am I famous?”

“Yeah. Pretty famous.”

“...”

For a moment, Keisuke looked pleased.

Then, for some reason, a sense of unease crossed his face.

“Anyway...”

He quickly returned to the subject.

“This is our precious three o'clock break, so I'll keep it short.”

Apparently, I don't get a vote in this conversation.

Shun couldn't think of a response to this relentlessly self-paced man and simply stayed silent.

“Trust me. This is worth hearing.”

Keisuke pointed his cola at him.

“Don't make that face. You know how schools always have those Seven Mysteries stories, right?”

Shun nodded.

“Well, companies have them, too.”

He took a sip of his cola.

“The difference is that company stories aren't cute little school legends.”

He paused.

“They're real.”

Another sip.

“They involve actual people.”

He looked directly into Shun's eyes.

“That's why they're worse.”

Shun noticed something.

Behind Keisuke's gaze, there was a strange excitement.

“That's right.”

Keisuke nodded to himself.

“Ghosts aren't the scary part.”

He lowered his voice.

“People are.”

“Our company has five factories. But only the first four are actually operating.”

He leaned closer.

“By the way, do you know what the Fifth Factory does?”

“No...”

Shun shook his head.

“To be honest, I didn't even know there was a Fifth Factory.”

“Hmph.”

Keisuke folded his arms.

“Well, that's a little too uninformed.”

He glanced around dramatically.

“Anyway, there are certain people working in that Fifth Factory...”

“Um... Mr. Sano?”

“What?”

“Is this going to take much longer? Break time is almost over.”

“Kano, relax!”

He waved a hand dismissively.

“Don't rush. A few extra minutes won't kill you.”

“No, seriously. I'm going to be in trouble.”

“In the worst-case scenario, just tell them you got caught by Sano from the First Factory.”

“...Would that actually work?”

Wow.

The rumors were true.

This guy really is something.

Keisuke clicked his tongue.

“Well, I guess we'll continue this another time.”

At that moment, a sharply dressed man who looked to be somewhere in his late forties casually walked past them.

He bought a coffee from the vending machine as if he hadn't a care in the world.

Both Shun and Keisuke greeted him with a slight nod.

After the man walked away, Keisuke spoke again.

“That's him.”

“Huh?”

“The man I was trying to tell you about.”

“The Seven Mysteries guy?”

“No.”

Keisuke shook his head.

“Not one of the Seven Mysteries.”

He lowered his voice once again.

“One of the company's Five Great Taboos.”

“What?! Now I really want to know!”

“I told you.”

Keisuke shrugged.

“You should've listened.”

“Come on! At least tell me his name!”

“His name?”

Keisuke tossed his empty cola can into the recycling bin and started walking away.

“Everyone calls him... Golgo 13.”

“What? That's his real name?”

Keisuke didn't even turn around.

“Figure it out yourself.”