IGTL Chapter 64

Chapter 64 – Meanwhile, at Amazing Corporation (A New Problem Emerges)

“There, that should do it…”

The “Drowsing Inn” was the inn I operated.

Apparently, its basement floor had somehow become the lair of a criminal organization called the “Transfer Group” without my knowledge, but I was genuinely glad I managed to drive them out safely.

Well, the “Transfer Group” guys had been extremely reluctant about it.

There was no way I was letting a criminal organization stay in my castle.

Still, destroying the fence that protected the human realm “Midgard,” huh…

Would that really be okay?

I had a feeling that destroying something like that would lead to some seriously awful consequences…

After returning to my room, I logged out of the game world (DW) and searched the internet for Norse mythology.

My search topic was the origins of the human realm “Midgard”…

“Hmm. Yeah, this reeks of nothing but trouble…”

To put the origins of the human realm “Midgard” simply, it was the whim of the three Odin brothers.

One day, while walking along the beach, they found two trees that had washed ashore.

The three Odin brothers carved them into human form, creating a man from ash driftwood and a woman from elm driftwood. They bestowed upon them life and souls, wisdom and the power to move, as well as eyes, ears, and speech.

Then Odin had the two live at the center of the earth made from Ymir’s flesh. To let them live safely, he planted Ymir’s eyelashes and erected a fence, then surrounded the area with the sea so the giants from the giant realm “Jötunheim” could not invade.

I understood that to unlock a new world through Transfer Gate “Yggdrasil,” it was necessary to break the fence. However, if the fence was destroyed, wouldn’t the giants come attacking from the other side?

“Well, I guess there’s no point worrying about it…”

Maybe I was overthinking it, and there was an ocean beyond the fence anyway.

If there was a possibility that a new world would be unlocked, it might be worth trying at least once. Well, there was also the possibility that it would be irreversible…

The name of the new world unlocked by destroying the fence was the realm of black fairies, “Svartálfaheim.” It was an underground world where dark elves and dwarves lived.

At the level of those “Transfer Group” guys, clearing advanced dungeons should still take time. Maybe I should look into it from this world too…

Thinking that, I decided to head to a nearby library.

◇◆◇

“Haaah? You can’t get in touch with Mr. Takahashi Kakeru?”

My name was Noume Hachiya. I was an attorney at Noume Legal Consultation Office.

At present, I was handling two legal matters: the defense of the high school students who had committed a robbery resulting in injury against Takahashi Kakeru, and the content-certified mail sent from Takahashi Kakeru to one of my firm’s corporate clients, Amazing Corporation, demanding compensation for wrongful termination and unpaid overtime wages. In other words, a final warning before legal procedures began.

What was currently giving me a headache was that the victim and plaintiff in these two disputes, the robbery resulting in injury case and the labor lawsuit, were the same person. Worse, when I called him, he would not respond properly and eventually blocked my number, so negotiations were not progressing the way I wanted.

The robbery resulting in injury committed by the high school students.

This had already been covered by numerous media outlets, and while the high school students who committed the offense were being held at the police station, each of their parents had gone off the rails on their own, making the situation extremely difficult.

I had submitted a written opinion to the prosecutor, trying to have the boys’ case changed from robbery resulting in injury, which would not carry a probationary disposition, to extortion and assault, which would, but the response had not been favorable.

After they left the juvenile classification home, there would immediately be a hearing. Unless I reached a settlement with Takahashi Kakeru by that day, the boys would almost certainly be sent back to the prosecutor’s office and receive actual prison sentences.

If only the boys’ families had not gone berserk and stormed the hotel where Takahashi Kakeru lived, something might still have been possible. But by now, their relationship with Takahashi Kakeru was already at its worst.

As a result of the boys’ parents independently attempting settlement negotiations, or rather, intimidation, there was an extremely high chance that Takahashi Kakeru’s sense of victimization had only grown stronger.

At this point, settling directly with Takahashi Kakeru was impossible.

The office phone had also been blocked.

That was why I thought I could go through Amazing Corporation, but it seemed President Nishiki had also been blocked.

“More importantly, Counselor. What happened with the labor lawsuit against Mr. Takahashi? I heard from Director Ishida, and it seems things haven’t moved forward at all.”

“Th-That is…”

I had held discussions with the other party’s attorney in the presence of Director Ishida, the head of the Administration Division, but the evidence was simply too complete for this to be much of a discussion.

Most of the claimed amount consisted of unpaid overtime wages, and the compensation for wrongful termination was also a reasonable amount. There was even audio data of Director Ishida himself directly urging Takahashi Kakeru to resign.

Even reducing the claimed amount would be difficult under these circumstances.

They had said that if we could not accept this amount, they were prepared to take the matter to court.

I had told Director Ishida that the company would be at a disadvantage if it became a lawsuit, and that in cases like this, it would end in a settlement one way or another, so I wanted the company to discuss that point internally. However, it seemed Director Ishida had not yet passed the matter on to President Nishiki.

“Counselor, you are our company’s legal adviser, aren’t you? A settlement payment of ten million yen? There is no way we can pay that. In the first place, suing the company after forgetting all the favors we did for him is strange. Presumptuous, even! Right, Ishida? You think so too, don’t you?”

I could hear Director Ishida’s voice from the other end of the phone.

“You are absolutely right, President. However, if we misjudge when to withdraw, this could become a serious problem…”

“What nonsense are you saying? Am I wrong? Demanding ten million yen after forgetting his debt of gratitude to the company is an outrageous act of betrayal!”

“B-But if this goes to court, the company’s image…”

“What about the company’s image? Takahashi is the one in the wrong, isn’t he? We haven’t done anything wrong. We can settle who’s right and wrong in court.”

Th-This was bad. The conversation was flowing in the worst possible direction.

However, even if I wanted to cut in, there was no opening whatsoever.

“B-But…”

Do your best, Director Ishida!

If you don’t stop the raging President Nishiki here, you’re going to charge straight into the worst possible outcome!

What you people were about to board was the mud boat prepared by the rabbit!

This was Kachi-kachi Yama*!! (TN: A dark Japanese folktale featuring a mischievous, villainous tanuki who harms an elderly couple, and a cunning rabbit who seeks revenge.)

“No buts! I’m telling you to do it, so just do as you’re told!”

“U-Understood…”

D-Director Ishida!

Don’t “understood” him!

This is the part where you absolutely must not understand him!

All the evidence is already lined up, so there’s no way you can win, right!?

“…And that is that, Counselor. We have decided to settle matters with Mr. Takahashi in court, so I’m counting on you.”

“Y-Yes…”

Th-This was the worst…

In the end, not only had I failed to get him to connect me to Takahashi Kakeru by phone, but now I was being forced into a lawsuit that was already guaranteed to lose…

“Discuss the details with Ishida. Ishida, I’m counting on you as well. If we’re going to court, then losing will not be something you can get away with. Now then, Counselor. Excuse me.”

President Nishiki said that over the phone, and then the call abruptly disconnected.

“Th-This is the worst…”

This was why dictatorial, one-man company presidents who surrounded themselves with nothing but yes-men were such a pain.

The current Amazing Corporation was a yes-man paradise.

It was in the terminal stage of one-man management.

They had detonated themselves at the worst possible timing.

Worse, it was a self-destruction that dragged me in with them. Truly the worst.

Should I refuse even now?

No, I couldn’t…

My father had been appointed as an outside director of Amazing Corporation.

My father was also a one-man type… I probably couldn’t rely on him, nor did it seem like I could refuse.

After placing the phone on the table, I clutched my head with all my strength and screamed.

◇◆◇

My name was Ishida. I was the head of the Administration Division at Amazing Corporation.

Right now, I was listening to an outrageous report from Internal Audit Office Head Shinonome.

“Um, Office Head Shinonome. Could you tell me that one more time?”

“Yes. The other day, we received an internal report from employee Kudo, who had just been hired at the Nerima Sales Office. He alleged that the head of the Nerima Sales Office may have been embezzling wages that were supposed to be paid to day laborers…”

Yes. An internal report had been submitted to Internal Audit Office Head Shinonome by Kudo Shinji, an employee who had only just been hired the other day.

According to the internal report, the head of the Nerima Sales Office had been embezzling wages that were supposed to be paid to day laborers. The wages paid to day laborers at each branch sales office were handed directly to the workers by the manager in charge of that location.

When Office Head Shinonome investigated, it seemed that over the course of five whole years, the head of the Nerima Sales Office had pretended to pay twenty million yen in wages to several fictitious day laborers, then pocketed the money himself.

That damn head of the Nerima Sales Office… I had forgotten his name, but what the hell had he done at a time when we were already this insanely busy…?

Of course, the head of the Nerima Sales Office would have to be dismissed for disciplinary reasons, but first, I needed to inform President Nishiki as soon as possible…

“U-Understood. I will report this to President Nishiki myself.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

After leaving the conference room, I immediately headed to the president’s office.

My mood was terrible.

Just yesterday, I had been saddled with a hopeless lawsuit, and now this time, it was embezzlement by a sales office head… Twenty million yen in embezzlement. What would happen once President Nishiki heard about it?

There was no doubt he would become furious.

Standing in front of the president’s office, I took a deep breath, then knocked on the door.

“President Nishiki, it’s Ishida.”

“Ah, come in.”

“Excuse me.”

When I entered the president’s office, President Nishiki had his feet up on the desk and was reading the newspaper with a foul attitude.

“President. Something terrible has happened.”

“Hm? Something terrible? What is it…?”

President Nishiki put down the newspaper and directed a glare-like look toward me.

“Y-Yes. The truth is, the head of the Nerima Sales Office embezzled twenty million yen…”

When I conveyed the results of Internal Audit Office Head Shinonome’s investigation, President Nishiki became angry, exactly as expected.

“What have you been doing!? I can’t believe that the Administration Director failed to notice for five whole years something even a new employee noticed! This is the height of negligence! Call the head of the Nerima Sales Office here immediately! Gather every executive here!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

As expected, this was turning into a major incident.

I called the head of the Nerima Sales Office and summoned him to headquarters immediately, then used that momentum to call in every executive except the outside directors.

“Um, all executives, please gather in the president’s office.”

Upon hearing my words, all the executives made openly displeased faces.

However, this embezzlement case was not merely a problem with one single sales office.