kscans

Chapter 30 -

Troubled Youth

The discussion about sexual preferences on the riverbank was a very fruitful time.
Huh? Yanagi? Don't know him. Well, I'm sure he'll find his own way to deal with things.
As adults, we're expected to work well with people we're uncomfortable with, at least professionally.
Now, if it were our cute new hires at the company, I'd be more considerate.
But Yanagi and Onisaki were originally my enemies, and they're older than me, so I don't feel obligated to be that considerate.

(The ones I need to worry about are...)

I glance around.
Everyone's hunched over their desks, working diligently... no, wait. Someone's doodling manga.
Well, that's fine. If he were just slacking off, that'd be one thing, but this manga artist type is efficient with his work.

(He probably finished his paperwork early and is taking a breather)

That's within acceptable limits.
Even in sales, it's not just about being out in the field. There's plenty of paperwork too.
These quiet times are subtly appreciated by bosses like me. It's a chance to observe the subordinates closely.
I can't see how they're doing when they're out, so I use times like this to spot who needs attention.

(This year, it's all three new hires, huh?)

It's work, so being serious is expected, but being too serious is a bit scary.
If it's just excessive enthusiasm causing them to spin their wheels, that's still okay. That sort of thing settles down on its own into a good rhythm.
But if it's for other reasons, it could be a danger sign.
For example, if they're trying too hard with paperwork because they feel they're failing at sales.
To be honest, no one expects new hires to become immediate assets.
It hasn't even been half a year, so we should be watching over them warmly. Of course, I'd scold them for truly terrible mistakes.
I'm getting off track. We take a long-term view, but some people view them harshly.

—None other than themselves.

When you first join a company, it's half expectation, half anxiety... maybe a bit more expectation.
You start off thinking, "I'm going to do great!" But as you get used to things...
You see how your seniors work and think, "Can I do the same?" or "Maybe I'm not cut out for this..."
But as I said before, we don't think "This guy's no good" at this stage. It's a one-man sumo match.
So far, I haven't received any reports about such precarious situations from the mentors assigned to the new hires.
But from what I can see, they seem to be holding their own negative sumo tournament already.
I'm not saying the mentors are bad... There's a matter of aptitude and getting used to things.
I assigned the current mentors thinking it might be time to let them look after juniors.
So this is my mistake. It's my job to clean up after the mentors.

(Well, let's do this again this year!!)

I psyche myself up a bit and get to work for the few hours until closing time.
As the end-of-day bell rings, I call out the three new hires: Saeki-kun, Shiozaki-kun, and Sudo-kun—the "Sa-Shi-Su" trio.

"It's not like you guys did anything wrong, okay?"

I laugh it off as they look visibly anxious.

"By the way, do you have any plans after this?"
"No..."
"Nothing in particular"
"I'm free, but..."
"Then would you mind coming with me for a bit? Don't worry. It's all on me."

It's hard to refuse when your boss asks like this.
It's not my favorite approach, but please bear with me—I'm not just lonely and looking for young people to drink with.
As expected, though they don't seem eager, the three agree, and I take them to a high-class hostess club in Shinjuku.

"Welcome. Thank you for your hard work this year as well."
"No, no, sorry for the trouble."
"Not at all. This 'event' contributes greatly to the shop's profits, both in sales and other aspects."

I had arranged this in advance, so the owner himself came to greet us.
I'd actually prefer the owner to entertain us... but he's not one of the hostesses. I can't ask him to do that.
We head to the reserved seats in the back, but the Sa-Shi-Su trio seems uncomfortable.

"Um... isn't this kind of place expensive...?"
"Don't worry about it. Your uncle here makes good money."

It is expensive, but it's not like we're at a high-end club in Ginza. Those are for the next step.
I seat the three and first use the oshibori wipes. Ah... refreshing.

"I'll get straight to the point. You guys are worried about whether you can make it in the sales department, aren't you?"
"!!!"

The three of them flinch.
What an honest reaction... I smile wryly and try to calm them down.

"I'm not criticizing you. Would you listen to what I have to say first?"
"...Yes"
"Neither I nor your seniors expect someone who's been with the company for less than a year to be immediately effective."

First, I need to put it into words clearly.

"This isn't about your abilities; it's just how things are.
Elementary school, middle school, high school, university... you might misunderstand because you progressed smoothly, but school and company are different."

If you don't stumble at the start in elementary school, you generally understand how things work.
So when the environment changes, you can carry over your previous know-how to the new environment, but companies are different.
It's a completely unknown world. So it's natural if things don't go well.
It's obvious, but the more successful you've been until now, the harder it is to see this obvious fact, and you end up blaming yourself.

"You're still in a state where we can't tell if you're fish or fowl.
You joined the sales department, but your true aptitude might be elsewhere, and you might do better if you transfer.
But you don't even know that much yet. That's where you are now. So don't be too hard on yourselves."

If this continues, they'll eventually break down.
I explain that there's no need to ruin their shining twenties with their own hands.

"But... I really wonder if I can make it..."
"...Indeed, as you said, sir, I sailed smoothly through school... so I thought I could handle society too..."
"But nothing's going well at all..."

Bit by bit, their true feelings spill out along with their tears.

"No matter how much your boss says it's okay, anxiety is anxiety. So, I'm going to help you build some confidence to ease that anxiety, even if just a little."
"Confidence?"
"That's right. Remember in elementary school? You had tests for vaulting horses, right?"
"Y-Yes..."
"When you found out about the test, weren't you anxious about whether you could do it well?"

But if you practiced over and over to be able to jump, didn't it get a bit better?
I remember practicing a lot with my friends during lunch breaks in elementary school.

"That's true, but specifically, what are we..."

I smile at the three confused faces,

"Come ooooooooon! Hostess Teacheeeeeeers!!!"

I shout.
Answering my call, six hostesses in teacher outfits, holding pink chalk, appear.

"Yes♪"

Let the Satou Hideo-hosted Hostess Club Classroom begin!