IGTL Chapter 65

Chapter 65 – Meanwhile, at Amazing Corporation (A New Problem Emerges) ②

Two hours had passed since the head of the Nerima Sales Office was summoned to headquarters.

At last, Sales Office Head Kuwabara appeared in the president’s office.

“President Nishiki. Sales Office Head Kuwabara of the Nerima Sales Office has arrived.”

“Mm. First, Kuwabara, sit on that sofa.”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

The unusual atmosphere in the president’s office twisted Sales Office Head Kuwabara’s expression.

To keep Sales Office Head Kuwabara from escaping, Internal Audit Office Head Shinonome and I sat on either side of him. Then I turned my gaze toward the president and began speaking.

“Now then, regarding the matter that came to light today, we would like to confirm the facts. First, Office Head Shinonome of the Internal Audit Office, please explain the circumstances surrounding what was discovered.”

I paused partway through and passed the baton to Office Head Shinonome.

“Yes. Yesterday, we received an internal report from an employee at the Nerima Sales Office claiming that the sales office head had been embezzling funds. Upon investigation, we discovered facts suggesting that approximately twenty million yen had been embezzled over a period of five years.”

When I looked at Sales Office Head Kuwabara sitting beside me, his face was twitching.

It seemed he had never imagined that he would be called into the president’s office, surrounded by every executive, and publicly executed like this.

President Nishiki, wearing a terrifying expression like a wrathful demon, addressed Sales Office Head Kuwabara, whose face had gone rigid.

“…Kuwabara. While I was waiting for you to arrive, I told Shinonome and Ishida that this was outrageous, and that there was no way you could have done such a thing. That is why I called you here today, to pursue the truth. So, Kuwabara, what is the truth of the matter? Surely you did not actually embezzle the money, did you?”

On the table and in each executive’s hands were copies of the investigation report prepared by Office Head Shinonome. Of course, there was one placed right in front of Department Head Kuwabara as well…

As ever, he was a nasty piece of work.

He knew perfectly well that Sales Office Head Kuwabara had embezzled the money, yet deliberately made it look as though he was defending him by saying, “This is outrageous, there’s no way Kuwabara could have done such a thing.”

I trusted you, and you betrayed me.

It was painfully obvious that he wanted to steer the conversation in that direction.

“U-Um…”

“…Kuwabara, could you speak a little louder? I’m an old man, you see. I can’t hear you very well.”

“…”

I would not think, Despite the fact that you usually have super-sensitive hearing…

If I said something like that, I might get caught in the crossfire too.

“…So, is it true that you embezzled as much as twenty million yen starting five years ago?”

When President Nishiki asked Sales Office Head Kuwabara that, Sales Office Head Kuwabara stiffened his face, looked down, and answered.

“I don’t remember the exact amount, but starting several years ago…”

“…Kuwabara, did you think this would never come to light as long as you kept quiet?”

“N-No, that wasn’t…”

“Then what was it? What the hell were you thinking, embezzling twenty million yen!?”

“I-I am terribly sorry!”

If “I am terribly sorry” were enough to settle things, we would not need the police.

Honestly, Sales Office Head Kuwabara was a real problem.

However, Sales Office Head Kuwabara’s next words left all of us speechless.

“…Five years ago, under company policy, we were instructed to suppress labor costs and cut subcontractors in order to increase operating profit. However, with the number of job sites expanding as it is now, if we had cut those subcontractors, field construction would no longer have functioned. Moreover, I judged that if we had cut the subcontractors at that point, there was a possibility the subcontracting companies would sue us for violating the Subcontract Act, so I hired them in a way the company would not notice. I am terribly sorry!”

“…”

Uh, hm?

What did that mean?

I exchanged looks with Office Head Shinonome over Sales Office Head Kuwabara, who was bowing his head and begging for forgiveness.

“Um, so that means… this wasn’t embezzlement? Is that what you’re saying?”

“The fact that he failed to follow company policy is a problem, but this is…”

In other words, it wasn’t embezzlement?

When I looked at the other executives, they were also confused.

Of course they were. What we thought was embezzlement turned out not to be embezzlement after all.

However, there was one person who was not satisfied.

“…In other words, you are saying that my decision five years ago was wrong?”

Yes. President Nishiki.

Originally, the one who had instructed the company to suppress labor costs and cut subcontractors in order to increase operating profit was none other than the president himself.

This matter directly led to denying the president’s words head-on.

“N-No, that’s not what I…”

“…What do you mean, ‘that’s not what I’? You judged that my decision was wrong, so you sent money to subcontractors based on your own arbitrary judgment, didn’t you? Answer with ‘yes’ or ‘no.’”

However, Sales Office Head Kuwabara seemed unable to say anything.

“…”

He remained utterly silent, staring at President Nishiki.

Sales Office Head Kuwabara was amazing. I could never do that.

As I was thinking that, President Nishiki turned his gaze toward me.

“…Ishida, did I say something difficult? I told him to answer with ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Were my words really that hard to understand?”

“N-No, sir. Not at all.”

“Exactly… Then why isn’t it getting through to Kuwabara? Could it be that Kuwabara doesn’t understand Japanese? What do you think, Ishida?”

Having had his management decision denied, President Nishiki was basically asking if Kuwabara was insane.

It was true that he had bent company policy and sent money to subcontractors on his own. On the other hand, it was also true that if he had cut the subcontractors as the president ordered, the job sites would not have functioned, and the matter might have developed into lawsuits over violations of the Subcontract Act.

Normally, the correct course of action would probably have been to offer a word of advice to the president, whose management decision had been mistaken. However, the person with the most power in this room right now was President Nishiki.

If anyone dared to advise President Nishiki, a one-man president who had absolute confidence in his own past experience, they would be happily demoted on the spot.

That was precisely why I cut Sales Office Head Kuwabara loose and fully affirmed President Nishiki.

“You are exactly right, President. Kuwabara, why don’t you say something? Or do you truly not understand Japanese? Even a kindergartner can answer with ‘yes’ or ‘no.’”

When I said that, Sales Office Head Kuwabara glared at me.

I’m sorry, Sales Office Head Kuwabara. If I do anything that goes against President Nishiki’s wishes, I will be demoted. You know that too, don’t you?

When I averted my gaze, President Nishiki spoke to Sales Office Head Kuwabara.

“…Kuwabara. If you have time to glare at Ishida, answer my question. As Ishida said, even a newborn can answer with ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Why can’t you, a working adult, manage even that? Is your head worse than a newborn’s? Even a crow would do better.”

No, I never said anything like that. Please stop fabricating the conversation.

“So? You judged that my decision was wrong, and sent company money to subcontractors based on your own arbitrary judgment, didn’t you? Answer with ‘yes’ or ‘no.’”

“…Yes. I sent money to the subcontractors based on my own judgment.”

When Sales Office Head Kuwabara said that, President Nishiki’s face twisted, and his fury showed openly.

“For a mere sales office head to ignore a management decision and privately divert company money to subcontractors… Kuwabara, you have truly done something outrageous! If we cut the subcontractors, field construction would no longer function? Making things work within the assigned budget is your job, isn’t it? And after all that, this is what you have the nerve to say… Everything was due to your own negligence, wasn’t it? How dare you claim that the management decision was wrong! This is the first time I have ever been insulted like this! Enough! Get out immediately!”

Then, after throwing Sales Office Head Kuwabara out of the president’s office, he sat down on the sofa in a huff.

He was like an active volcano on the verge of eruption.

“…Ishida. Shinonome. Visit each branch and sales office and investigate whether the branch managers and sales office heads have been privately diverting company funds.”

“Huh? What do you mean by…”

“Were you not listening!? I’m telling you to go around to every branch and sales office immediately and investigate whether similar acts are being committed! For branch managers and sales office heads to ignore the judgment of me, the president, and privately divert company money is outrageous! Understand at least that much!”

“M-My apologies. We will begin the investigation immediately!”

“Of course you will! The other executives should also move proactively instead of waiting for my decision on something this obvious! This is exactly why all of you are useless! Every executive will work on this! Don’t overlook even the slightest misconduct. If anything comes out after the investigation, you will not get away with it. Now hurry up and go!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

After being showered in President Nishiki’s furious shouting, we immediately began investigating each branch and sales office.

◇◆◇

“Hmm. I still don’t get it…”

I had come to the library to research Norse mythology, but only ten minutes after entering, I had already thrown in the towel.

I looked through books like Easy Norse Mythology and Norse Mythology for Beginners, but I couldn’t find any detailed descriptions of the realm of black fairies, “Svartálfaheim.”

Every book uniformly stated only that it was “an underground world where dark elves and dwarves lived,” and that “the Æsir sent Skírnir, Freyr’s messenger, there in order to obtain Gleipnir, the fetter used to bind the wolf Fenrir.”

I had not learned anything about the realm of black fairies, “Svartálfaheim,” but there was one thing I did understand.

It concerned the realm of giants, “Jötunheim.”

Apparently, Jötunheim was inhabited by frost giants and hill giants, and the giants living there were a threatening presence to the human realm “Midgard” and the realm of the Æsir, “Asgard.”

Wouldn’t the giants come attacking if we smashed the fence?

Well, there was an ocean between the human realm “Midgard” and the giant realm “Jötunheim,” so they probably wouldn’t invade immediately. But in the not-too-distant future, they would definitely attack.

That was what removing the fence meant.

There was also a possibility that the residents of the unlocked world would come to the human realm “Midgard” through Transfer Gate “Yggdrasil.”

Now that the Yggdrasil Shop had disappeared, the methods for obtaining the paid item “Move Yggdrasil” were limited, and getting one in this world that had become reality was difficult.

Even if one could obtain it, “Move Yggdrasil” had a limit on the number of people it could carry, one person per item. In that case, the possibility of them invading through Transfer Gate “Yggdrasil” was low, I guess…

Argh!

Just thinking about it made my head hurt.

I had more or less grasped the danger of destroying the fence.

For now, I should set this matter aside. Thinking about it wasn’t getting me anywhere.

After returning the books to the shelves and standing up, I left the library.