25

A man and a woman were locked in a passionate embrace, their hands tangled like spiderwebs, boldly roaming each other’s hips, chests, and backs.

‘At this rate they’re going to end up at a hotel.’

Though it felt like a medieval fantasy world, expressions of love were no less modern; perhaps because men and women behaved like spouses, it seemed even more provocative.

‘I’ll have to pass on this place…’

I couldn’t bring myself to break the mood, especially since they seemed to be nobles, which made it worse.

‘I don’t know who you are, but I hope you two are happy.’

I fanned my flushed cheeks without realizing it and very carefully retraced my steps down the corridor. Fortunately, I spotted a passing servant and managed to get back to the hall.

“Where on earth did you go? I was worried.”

Everyone was getting ready to leave. If I’d been even a little later it would have been a disaster. I confessed honestly to the slightly on-edge young lady.

“I went to the restroom and got lost.”

She looked at me with a kind of pitying stare.

“…Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, it turned out nothing serious happened while I was lost.

‘Now they’ll be looking for something to nitpick at the Marquis’s residence launch party.’

For that reason, the young lady and I were busy preparing for the Black Dia new-product launch party.

I was especially busy since I even took part in planning the new products, but I stubbornly kept to leaving work on time.

Even Penel the butler commented on it.

‘It’s amazing you can leave on time with that workload.’

I had no response and just smiled. Would they understand if I called it the power of a K-office worker?

I tend to set my own deadlines so I don’t procrastinate and can stay focused.

Giving myself too much time often reduced my focus and the quality suffered. I’m not saying to rush things; moderation is key.

But a worker’s life doesn’t run that smoothly.

‘I need one more impactful move.’

When the Black Dia brand launched, running a pop-up store left a strong impression. But does that mean the brand is established…?

‘Absolutely not.’

We had to prove once more that the last success wasn’t a fluke. That meant this party had to be even more special.

Fortunately, the K-office worker had ideas. I hadn’t fallen into a book’s protagonist role, but I was resourceful.

So I was coming out of a meeting with the Daijo headquarters’ Sales & Goods, External Relations, and Management teams. Pinea’s good sense was a big help. Nicola also pitched in to produce quality items, which made things much easier. Without them it would’ve taken about one and a half times longer.

“See you at the next meeting!”

After exchanging goodbyes I headed the opposite way of the Marquis’s residence. The young lady had allowed me to leave directly from the Daijo merchant guild if I was late after meetings.

After about twenty minutes of walking I saw an old building tucked between alleys. I went straight in, unlocked the door, and hung a sign that read ‘Open.’

‘I hope a customer comes today.’

I finally started a side gig last week that I could do for exactly three hours after work—something that used my skills and required no capital beyond the space.

‘TWCR: Resignation-Impulse Countermeasures’

It’s an abbreviation of ‘those who can’t resign’—a sort of workplace counseling/consulting service.

In truth, workers often think about quitting in awful workplaces but can’t easily hand in their resignation when faced with reality. I figured my K-office worker skills might be useful—selling advice on handling work issues, coping strategies, writing efficient reports—so I tried it.

‘The basis of smooth counseling is anonymity.’

I invested quite a bit in face-covering masks. For the grand opening I distributed one-month, one-time free trial vouchers through the information guild. But for days nothing happened.

“Isn’t it worth giving it a try? I’ll listen to your story and I won’t even see your face!”

Of course it’s arrogant to claim I’ll solve everything, but listening itself can help a lot—I speak from experience.

Tired of waiting, I flopped into a chair and stared at the freshly papered ceiling. Even though the money was a reward from the young lady, I didn’t want to waste it so pointlessly.

Ding-dong.

The bell rang.

I sprang up, put on a mask, and pressed the button to open the door on the customer’s side. The room was arranged so that the customer and I were completely separated for anonymity.

When a customer enters, they choose a mask from the wall guides. When they sit and signal they’re ready, a window in the partition opens just enough to show my upper body from the other side.

‘I considered just using my voice, but talking into a wall felt oddly off.’

The customer murmured “Huh? Is this it?” and then tapped the partition three times as a ready signal.

The door opened and I saw someone wearing a pink rabbit mask. The rabbit looked flustered when it saw me.

“I thought it would be just a mask, but it’s almost like a full costume…!”

“In terms of hiding one’s identity, that’s not wrong to do.”

“Strangely, it isn’t stifling and it’s comfortable.”

“You made the effort to come; there mustn’t be any discomfort.”

“By the way… what are you wearing, boss?”

I had prepared it with pride, so it was a pity they didn’t recognize it.

“It’s a quokka.”

“Oh.”

“You can call me Master Quokka.”

“Yes. It looks cute.”

“Thank you.”

Unexpectedly, the animal costume helped ease their tension.

“Can… Can you really stop my urge to quit?”

“I can’t offer life counseling, but I can listen to the concerns of those who can’t resign and suggest countermeasures. Please speak freely. What’s been driving you to want to quit lately?”

The rabbit hesitated, then, apparently relieved by seeing me—no, the quokka—slowly began to open up.

“Um… I think a senior at work has it in for me.”

The first client wasn’t an easy case.

“Why do you think they have it in for you?”

As if they’d been holding it in, their story poured out.

“He told me to ask if I had questions, but when I ask he says I’m asking without thinking the answers. So I stopped asking and do the work, and then he yells at me for not asking and doing things on my own… I don’t know what to do! Now I’m too scared to ask him, I just wait…”

A tearful sigh escaped the rabbit. This was a common issue for new hires, so I asked a few clarifying questions.

“This is your first job, right? How long have you been there?”

“Almost three months.”

“Then you’re at the point where you can vaguely feel the company atmosphere. How does that senior treat others—your managers, colleagues, and people outside the company?”

The rabbit thought carefully and replied.

“Hmm… I’m not sure, but it didn’t seem like his personality changed or anything. He’s always busy so I haven’t seen him chat about non-work stuff to anyone. Oh! I did see him give—me?—a lot of tasks saying I’m the only one he has to depend on; he seemed to trust me a lot.”

“What was the senior’s expression like?”

“Uh… his face looked a bit pale, but he always looks unwell so I’m not sure!”

“Hmm…”

I clicked my tongue.

‘Trust or not, all the work is falling on that senior.’

To solve the rabbit’s problem, I felt we first needed to help the rabbit’s senior.

“From what you said, that senior neither hates you nor has it in for you. He doesn’t have the bandwidth for that.”

“Really?”

“He’s simply overwhelmed with work right now and finds a brand-new employee a bother.”

“Gasp!”

The shocked rabbit covered their mouth with both hands.

“He’s so busy he has no mental peace, and when you talk to him or handle things on your own, it doubles his work to clean up. I’m not saying the senior is right, but I’m saying he doesn’t hate you.”

The rabbit breathed a sigh of relief.

“Really? Phew, that’s a relief. But do I have to keep living like this? It’s so hard…”

Judging that the senior was within normal bounds, I suggested the orthodox route rather than shortcuts to the new rabbit.

“If you can quickly become useful to assist your senior, the problem will resolve itself.”

“How do I do that? I’m still far from being able to.”

Wearing the quokka mask, I smiled and said firmly.

“You need to take some scolding.”

“Huh?”

I held up two fingers toward the rabbit.

“Let’s get you scolded exactly twice a day.”