episode_0025

025 – The Circuit Breaker and The Pirate King

When I closed my eyes, the longed-for surface world vividly came to mind.

Our house, where real sunlight warmly poured in.

I threw open that door.

Then, in the living room, I saw Mom and Professor Jusu drinking tea amicably and laughing.

“Mother, your beauty is truly remarkable. It’s hard to believe your son has grown so much.”

“Hohoho, Professor, you flatter me. I do sometimes hear that I look like a high school girl.”

─Professor Jusu, a human scoundrel who hits on a married woman despite being married himself!

I reached out my hand to pull him away from Mom, but─.

“Where did this monster crawl in from! Get out of this house!”

Mom suddenly started striking me hard with a broom she pulled out from somewhere.

Mom─!

What do you mean, calling the son you gave birth to a filthy monster─!

But instead of those words, only strange noises came out of my mouth.

─KREEEAAAK!!!

What in the world is that sound?!

When I looked at the mirror in the living room, my appearance was utterly horrible.

My form, that of a human-shaped armored beetle with a gleaming, lustrous exoskeleton all over my body, was exactly like the shining hell cockroach from “Happy World”!

─KREEEAAAK!!!?

Why did I become such a horrible sight?

It was then that I felt my heart stop, as the cold touch of despair crept in from the deepest part of my soul.

“Manager Joy, you must wake up…!”

Someone vigorously shook my body, allowing me to come to my senses.

The strange nymph Melinoi and Or… Krauser were looking at me.

“Manager Joy, you were thrashing about as if having a terrible dream. What did you dream of? I used to be a bard. I also interpreted dreams as a side job.”

“I dreamed I became a giant bug.”

Like Mr. Gregor Samsa, who woke up one day from uneasy dreams.

It was a dream of becoming a huge insect.

“You mean Manager Joy became a giant bug, just as Actaeon transformed into a deer? Hmm, to suffer such a fate without even peeking at a goddess. It seems your subconscious’s deep self is─.”

Anyway, I had a nightmare after a long time.

The reason was clear.

The strange nymph Melinoi, whom I thought had disappeared somewhere, had reappeared.

When a regular house uses too much electricity, the circuit breaker trips, right?

Just like that, my mental strength reached its limit, my mental circuit breaker tripped, and I fell asleep.

I asked Markius, who was continuously copying something.

“Marki, tell me everything you know about Melinoi.”

“Melinoi? She’s the new employee you hired recently, isn’t she? You hitting the Mercenary King Magnus with your fist back then certainly caused quite a sensation.”

See? This is the problem.

Just a while ago, everyone acted as if they’d forgotten everything about Melinoi, as if she never existed, and now suddenly it’s like this again.

“Did Melinoi come to work regularly until yesterday?”

“She did. Saving Employee Kuchiki, saving Employee Inoue from Hollow World, and the supply room always being tidy—it’s all thanks to Employee Melinoi, isn’t it?”

And who are Employee Kuchiki and Employee Inoue?

And where is Hollow World?

Anyway, if my memory serves me right, Melinoi had never come to work until yesterday.

Yet, Melinoi was naturally inserted into everyone’s daily lives and memories.

‘I have absolutely no idea what’s going on!’

Actually, in this “Happy World,” strange things were commonplace, so if one was surprised by and overreacted to every such incident, they’d end up having nightmares just like I did.

For the past two years, I thought I had adapted to this strange Happy World, but it seems I still have a long way to go.

What the heck, Happy World!

# # #

I took the new employees out of the “Happy World” company building and headed to meet the currently popular idol group “E&S.”

Recording the company song that would represent “Happy World.”

That was what I had to do today.

Normally, I would have been seriously contemplating ‘how to spectacularly fail this job.’

I would have tried to stir up trouble like a muddy loach.

However, that method brought misfortune several times.

The more irrationally I acted in order to fail, the more incidents spiraled out of my control and unintentionally snowballed into achievements for me.

‘Then all I have to do is perfectly control the situation.’

Therefore, the name of this operation is [Work Normally].

To work normally, reducing variables and controlling them as much as I can, to finish the job at an appropriate level.

It would be perfect if the result fell slightly short of everyone’s expectations.

Currently, I am receiving an excessive amount of expectation from everyone.

What if I were to produce an average level of performance there?

‘Even by doing things normally, I can achieve results that look like I’m bad at my job.’

Let’s say there’s a film director who has made consecutive hit movies.

Every film released draws ten million viewers.

Golden Lion Award and other film festival awards, etcetera!

What if such a director suddenly released a work that only drew around two million viewers?

That might be considered average.

However, from the perspective of people whose expectations had soared, they couldn’t help but be disappointed.

─That person is finished.

─They can’t make another hit.

Excellent.

An operation that even uses people’s psychology.

Even I thought it was ingenious and novel.

“Oh, so meeting an idol group and recording is today’s mission…? This is an extremely excellent task for this Melinoi to undertake…!”

“I heard Manager Joy brings gold and honor with every touch, just like King Midas. With Manager Joy, even a new employee like me can succeed!”

The new employees, unaware of my plan, seemed extremely pleased, and their steps were light.

In the case of Krauser, an employee who dreams of becoming a superstar, he didn’t even hide his intention to latch onto my prestige for his own success.

That aspect actually pleased me.

Look at the story of Helios and his son Phaethon.

Phaethon, borrowing his father’s prestige of driving the sun chariot, insisted on driving the chariot himself, brought about disaster, and ultimately died struck by lightning, didn’t he?

In the aftermath, Helios also had no choice but to hand over much authority to the next-generation sun god, Apollo.

Those who seek to borrow others’ power can eventually cause the downfall of even the power’s owner.

Therefore, Krauser might become my trump card.

It was then, as we were about to board the ship heading to Elysium.

“Mmhmm, this Melinoi wants to try riding in a first-class business seat…! Because this Melinoi is a business nymph employed by “Happy World”…! She has the right to sit in a business seat…!”

Melinoi insisted on wanting to ride in a business seat.

Krauser also chimed in, as if the story was intriguing.

“I heard that sweet music from the Muses is provided in Charon Transportation’s business seats. If I were to hear that just once, I might find my lost touch….”

As far as I know, a business seat ticket on Charon Transportation costs 100 gold.

That money is similar to my annual salary, and it also allows for a 5-second call to the surface world.

They say it also provides a little bit of the new-style divine food, nectar and ambrosia, which only executives can eat as an in-flight meal?

It’s a very, very small amount, but even that alone is worth 100 gold.

‘What if I bought three such tickets? Now would be a good time for me, Krauser, and Melinoi to buy business class tickets using the company corporate card.’

That would be a perfect case of illegal use of the corporate card.

Disciplinary action and dismissal upon detection!

‘─That’s what yesterday’s me would have thought. But it’s amateurish. If I board the business class like this, an unexpected variable might surely arise and make me succeed.’

Perhaps the old gentleman who happened to accompany me in business class might turn out to be a great magnate, and I might unintentionally build connections and networks with an important person.

At that moment, Krauser made a fuss.

“Look over there! The old man boarding the business seat! As far as I know, that person is Carnegie, who rose to the ranks of magnates by investing heavily in Elysium’s real estate! He’s looking this way for some reason!”

See? I knew this would happen.

I almost unintentionally formed a connection with an amazing person.

“Melinoi ssi, you cannot purchase expensive business class tickets with expenses run on the company budget. This is the absolute basic rule.”

“But this Melinoi is fully qualified to sit in a business seat…. You mean I can’t even if I pay out of my own pocket…? This Melinoi really wanted to try it….”

Clink-.

It was Melinoi taking out her coin purse.

A coin purse embroidered with a three-headed dog.

The appearance of that purse somehow looks familiar.

But that’s probably not what’s important right now.

“No. Just as trivial matters become the foundation of the most important things. Upholding basic rules and fundamentals is the first step on the royal road of professional life.”

“Indeed, that mindset is what made Manager Joy who he is today! This Krauser, being new to professional life, didn’t know such things. I will remember it well!”

“Indeed, fundamentals are important…! This Melinoi also found that when playing fighting games on her Nymphtendo Switch 2, her special moves were often blocked by the opponent’s basic skills…! Now she understands the reason…!”

Everyone seems to be well convinced by my moderately made-up story.

Just in case, I decided not to board the ship that the real estate investment king was on at all.

“Why are we taking the next ship? Thanks to that, it seems time will be tight.”

“This Melinoi also doesn’t understand….”

The new employees spoke as if they couldn’t understand why I intended to take the next ship.

How should I explain the decision to make the probability of encountering the real estate investment king’s face exactly zero?

Boooooo─, the ship soon blew its horn and departed.

It was then, after a little time had passed.

“Haha! Infiltration success! Success! This ship is now taken by us, the ‘Tartarus’!”

“The business class is full of well-fed rich people! These bourgeois!”

“This Mercenary King Magnus now dreams of becoming a Pirate King! Who will stop him! I’ll show you true piracy of a man!”

A problem arose on the ship that had gone midway through the river.

# # #

“Manager Joy! I saw the news and was worried! I heard the ship Manager Joy was supposed to be on was suddenly hijacked by some pirates! I heard Prince Zagreus stepped in to resolve it….”

Miss Arachne examining me carefully from various angles.

A news flash was showing on the TV set up in their agency’s office.

“The Regressive Traitorous Faction ‘Tartarus’ group was subdued with a single blow by Soul Society’s ‘Safety Management Manager – Zagreus’.”

“Authorities are currently investigating the incident─.”

“…We were fine….”

“It’s thanks to Manager Joy! Isn’t he truly amazing!”

“This Melinoi also could not have possibly anticipated the rebels’ piracy…!”

I decided to hold my tongue.

Because it felt like my mental circuit breaker was about to trip again.

I want to stop having nightmares about becoming a strange hellish masked rider.

Then let’s quickly finish this job and go home.

“So, Miss Arachne. When can we start the work?”

“Well, actually… the reason I called Manager Joy here wasn’t anything else, but… the idol I raised has caused another problem…. She suddenly reversed her decision not to cooperate with this company song recording….”

A sudden hiccup.

It was indeed an awkward situation, but Miss Arachne’s eyes, on the contrary, were filled with anticipation.

“But Manager Joy, you’ll find a way, won’t you?”

“Ohh! This is an important opportunity to see Manager Joy’s work performance…!”

“…A singer is causing trouble….”

Eyes sparkling with various emotions.

At this moment, I thought the time had come to implement the [Work Normally] operation.

Let’s produce an average performance.

I’ll work just slightly below everyone’s expectations.

“Alright. However, I believe there’s a valid reason for everything. What is the reason Miss Euriol decided not to cooperate with the recording?”

“Well, she said it felt inappropriate for her, an outsider, to record a song that would be the company’s symbol…. She thinks the employees who work for the company should do the recording themselves….”

That’s a valid point.

It would be strange if Justin Bieber recorded the official sound source for the Republic of Korea’s national anthem, wouldn’t it?

Though that itself would likely become a hot topic.

“First, I will meet Miss Euriol.”

“I, I suddenly have a stomachache….”

Rush-.

It was Krauser, rushing out of the place.