Chapter 22: “Experiencing War” (Part 3)

The meeting did not take long.

Twenty minutes later, Masaya and Miyauchi were already in the car on their way back.

The air conditioner was running, but the summer sun was merciless, beating down on the small car as though it meant to bake them alive.

They were about halfway back before Miyauchi finally spoke.

“President... I’m sorry about today. You came all that way, and we got nothing out of it.”

There was a heaviness in his voice.

“We did get something out of it.”

“...”

“We found out, in the end, that the Pool Field Shooter job had been transferred to another company. That’s something, isn’t it? At least now we know.”

“Yes... unfortunately.”

“If we hadn’t found that out, I don’t think we could have made our next move. So yes, it was unpleasant news, but learning the truth was still something we gained from this.”

“Even so... I asked them about the Pool Field orders again and again, and every time they gave me vague excuses and avoided giving me a straight answer. But today, they told us so easily.”

Miyauchi took an electronic cigarette from his inner pocket.

“Sorry, President.”

“Oh, that’s fine.”

Miyauchi took a long drag and slowly exhaled.

(The president really is the chairman’s son. He’s inherited his spirit.)

As he thought that, Miyauchi remembered the brief but meaningful exchange they had just had with their customer.

“...I understand that it may be difficult for you to answer this while Mr. Shibuya isn’t here, but Toyama-san, let me ask you directly. What exactly is happening with the Pool Field Shooter at your company now?”

“What do you mean by ‘what is happening’?”

“Even if it’s true that the work was transferred to another company because of mistakes on our part, we have to accept that. But I would like to know why it happened. We want to learn from it. If there were problems with our quality, or with the way we handle defects, or anything else... we would like to discuss those things internally and use them to improve.”

“...I see. Yes, that’s true. The Pool Field Shooter is currently being handled by another supplier. As for the reason...”

According to Toyama, the decision to transfer the work had indeed been influenced by the series of defects that had occurred shortly beforehand.

Masaya believed perhaps sixty percent of what she said.

And his intuition told him that the remaining forty percent involved some other reason.

The change in company president had probably changed the way the customer viewed them as well.

Masaya had vaguely sensed that for some time.

Something as small as simply not feeling comfortable with someone personally—something difficult to explain—could gradually grow into a serious obstacle.

“I’m sorry I put you through an unpleasant experience, Miyauchi-san.”

“What are you talking about? It’s my responsibility. I failed to fully understand what the customer was thinking. I’m sorry. I’m the one who should be apologizing.”

“No. I’m not so sure about that.”

“But anyone can see what caused this problem.”

“What I’m trying to say is, Miyauchi-san... people can think completely differently depending on their position and circumstances.”

He paused.

“This may not be the best example, but when I was in high school, I practiced karate.”

“I know that. Of course.”

Masaya nodded.

“I was more on the receiving end of bullying, you know. I wanted to change myself. That’s why I joined the karate club.

“It was much harder than I expected. I wanted to quit almost immediately. But I hated the idea of giving up so soon, so I kept at it for a while.”

Miyauchi stared straight ahead, listening quietly.

“I could tell you countless stories about how hard it was, but the thing I remember most clearly was training camp in the summer.

“I was drenched in sweat. I could barely breathe. More than anything, my throat was so dry it felt as if someone were tearing it apart from the inside.

“The first-years had to clean the floor before practice. There was this filthy bucket of water—the water we’d squeezed out of the rags after wiping the floor. Someone had left it outside the gym instead of throwing it away.

“During the entire training session, that was all I could think about.

“That filthy water from the rags.”

“So... did you drink it?”

“No!” Masaya said. “Of course not. That would’ve been insane.

“But I realized something.

“Depending on the circumstances, people can find themselves thinking about things they would never even consider in ordinary life.

“And it doesn’t necessarily take something dramatic. Sometimes, even the smallest change in circumstances can push a person into a completely different way of thinking.”

“President... that really wasn’t a very good example.”

“Sorry,” Masaya said. “The example was terrible, but you understand what I mean, right?”

Miyauchi burst out laughing.

(To be continued)