212 208 日常というのは昔を振り返ると、だいぶ変わっていると思う時がある (1/2)

The food on the other side of the world is good, but the food here is also good, too, isn't it, senpai?

Yeah, I guess that's part of what I'm used to. When you want to eat, you want to eat.

This is neither the company cafeteria nor my room in the dormitory, but a ramen shop in Tokyo.

Kaido and I sat side by side at the counter, sipping noodles that wafted steam as if to warm our chilled bodies in winter.

I'm sure nobody knows what happened, but nobody knows about it.

”It's a police matter, but that's as far as it goes. If you deal with it externally, it won't leak out. Given the uniqueness of our company, I can understand why you're nervous about internal secrets. Then it's only natural that you should do this.

The disturbance caused by the heroic Carter just a few days ago is now under control and the level of alertness within the demon king's army is gradually decreasing.

I've heard from instructors and supervisors that they will be forced to clean up the mess for the rest of the year, since it's not over yet.

In the midst of such a day, the food from another world is good, but I also miss this kind of food from Japan.

Normal duties are gradually resumed for a few days.

It's my day off from my job as a tester.

Today, for the first time in a while, I had a day off with Kaido, and I had to go out to my old favorite ramen shop.

I was relieved to see the unchanging taste of the ramen soup, which made me nostalgic for the ingredients I had recently eaten, even though it hadn't been a year, and I turned my attention to the television set installed in the ramen shop.

On a summer day, the newscasters, who were screaming about the disappearance of a group of high school students, are now talking about the upcoming Christmas.

”Come to think of it, it's almost Christmas, isn't it?

It's a little late for that.

Until last year, it was none of our business. Especially at this time of year, we're in a tight spot, so maybe that's why. It feels strange to be slurping ramen so leisurely.

I don't know, that feeling, last year we didn't have a problem with an event like Christmas.

On the other side of the screen, a restaurant with a view of the night sky.

A restaurant with a night view.

Featuring date spots to spend with your lover.

And it was filled with a lot of peaceful content.

If I had time to think of the language of Christmas, I'd rather be efficient in crunching numbers.

At the same time, you were thinking about how you could legally hit your boss in the head.

”Oh, me too.

I remember last Christmas was so busy that it could almost be mischaracterized as Merry Suffering already.

I don't know how many bottles of energy drinks I've had.

The papers that never went away.

I don't know if it was the heating, but the air in the unventilated room was stagnant, and the color of the inhabitants in the room was so bad that it was almost like you were trying to figure out what they looked like.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting to spend the end of the year like this.

”Yeah, I thought you'd be busy at the end of the year with all the mess,

Now that we have said goodbye to such a company, we are able to laugh about the old days.

While thanking the current company for making it such a situation, I think about other departments that are still in turmoil.

The aftermath of what could be called a civil war is still lingering.

As a person who was involved in the turmoil, I feel it is very important to have a day like this when I can spend a peaceful day.

The noodles are growing!

”Oops.

Lost in thought, I take my eyes off the TV screen I've been watching for a while and eat the leftover ramen.

Since you are exercising, your appetite has increased from last year, and you find yourself finishing your bowl of ramen.

As you go out through the curtain with your respective slips in hand, you find yourself outside.

It's so cold, isn't it?

It's December. It rarely snows, but there's nothing we can do about the cold.

The winter chill of the ramen noodles cooled my warm body.

Kaido rubs his hands to try to warm up, and I pull the collar of my long coat together with mine.

Unlike the usual warmth in the company, it's cold in winter in Tokyo.

Without saying a word, we walk straight to the station.

How do you say, it has changed.

”Huh? Not much has changed.

No, the building hasn't changed, but what do you call it?　See, how do you see it, or is it sensitivity?　Here it is.

”Awareness gap?

That's it. When I think of what I learned at my current company, the view looks different.

”...... Maybe.

A nondescript Tokyo cityscape.

Lots of people, tall buildings, noisy and noisy.

In the past, we wouldn't have felt this is a familiar sight to us, but now it looks different.

The casual flow of people and this peaceful scene, free from conflict.

To begin with, I used to feel that peace equals boredom.

Now this view feels very precious.

Maybe that perception has certainly changed since I changed jobs this spring.

There are a lot of people and messy relationships but this is certainly a law-abiding, peace-keeping country.

It's a little late to be reminded of that.

It's not like that.

”Did you say something, senpai?

I didn't say anything.

You can't help but laugh at the words in your head, laughing at the sentimentality after all the work you've done, and move forward with your feet, which had almost stopped.

Speaking of which, Minami-chan said she was going to hold a Christmas party. I think it's a good idea, but what about you?

”Not a bad idea.　We were going to take Christmas Eve and the day off both.

Oh. Then you can do it!　Then let's do that!

”Don't forget the subject, the subject can't understand that.

You'll be able to find out what you've remembered by saying that you don't care about my sentimentality, and when I respond in kind, you'll happily say what you want to do.

It's Christmas, of course, is an exchange of presents!

You know what?

I thought I'd feel like a student, but then I realized that Suela and her friends didn't do much of this side of things.

Then it would be good to do that once in a while.

If there's a Christmas party, I think it would be good to have it.

Well, that's good. We don't have much of a date, so we should let them know ahead of time.

”Yeah, right!　I can't wait to see what they have in store for us on the other side!

We'll take care of our own business first. We're not even halfway through the plan.

”Whoosh!

We walked through the crowds of people while chatting with each other in this way towards our destination.

The streets of Tokyo are decorated with Christmas lights.

Underneath the illuminations, part-time and full-time employees are dressed as Santa Claus and waving signs for their respective businesses.

You're going to be able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.

Was it this way?