The Promise of Yuuko Asahino - Volume 1

Chapter 3 - Aberration

Part 1

"Now closing, please step away from the doors for your safety."

The electronic doors closed with a soft thud, and the acceleration he felt soon after let him know that he was well on his way.

Yuuto heaved a heavy sigh as his head leaned against the metal wall behind him. His thoughts had been running without end since a certain day at the school. In fact, it had gotten so bad that he's been unable to sleep for the past two weeks. Even if it was only temporary, using the forty minutes he had until his arrival to work, for rest, would be a great blessing.

There were very few things he enjoyed about work, but the most positive had to be the fact that his route was much more "out-of-the-way" compared to others. He had seen how full the trains going to Yokohama could be, with pushers struggling to fit in all the passengers; the constant utterances of "Please excuse me," and "I'm sorry" spoke volumes of how suffocating it could be.

Those people are definitely stronger than he is.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the movement of the tracks and faint whispers around him. He almost wished it wasn't so peaceful— enjoying it now, then having to experience the drastic change that would surely come the moment he stepped into his building.

His building....... filled with coworkers who are also riding a train like this. Were the mornings of the people who disliked him exactly the same as his?

He opened his eyes and began scanning the people around him. Salarymen, career-women, a few students here and there; most seemed to occupy themselves with something. A handful of the students were reading books or writing in journals, maybe some last minute homework they had yet to accomplish?

The thought brought with it a faint smile. He remembered his days during school when he had crammed last minute for a test— or hurriedly finished an assignment that would be due that morning. It happened often during elementary and middle school; but in high school he became much more diligent, thanks to a certain someone.

It's thanks to that diligence that he had managed to secure the work he had now. His company was in the process of negotiating a deal with a neighboring corporation that would, hopefully, expand their own business should they choose to accept the agreement. Countless hours were spent amending terms for both sides, reviewing currently existing policies, and other such frivolities.

He was tasked to review the conditions regarding the changes that would be made to his company. Should he find anything "unfavorable" he was to report it along with the revisions that he deemed appropriate and fair.

In hindsight, the reason he was chosen most likely had to due with a revision he recommended upon finding a copy of the terms and conditions. Fine print and misdirection were easy to spot for him, and the longer he read, the more frequent they became. The employees who had been working on it were fired on the spot for incompetence, with Yuuto being tasked to carry out their work alongside a small group.

And it felt awful.

It was easy to look over fine print, the majority of people do it everyday; it was never his intention to have them fired.

And he couldn't help but think that if he hadn't said anything....

"Do you care nothing for the people you work with? The people of this company?"

That's what his boss had asked him. That's what the rumor would be.

And yet, if he had never found it, the result may have been severe for his company, what else was he supposed to do? If the company suffered, everyone did. The only benefit now would be the increased revenue that would come out of the joint venture. Revenue he could use for his family. Maybe taking them on a small vacation? That would certainly be—