Chapter 11 What Is Youth? You're Exhausted. Have a Megashaki Drink

What Is Youth? You’re Exhausted. Have a Megashaki Drink

The monthly all-branches meeting.

I was there today.

It’s a place where the branch heads gather to exchange opinions.

Or at least, that’s the official reason. In reality, it’s more like indoctrination into company loyalty, with lots of talk about mindset and spirit.

And then…

“This branch is doing great in sales!!”

“What is your branch even doing?!”

“Why can’t you do it? I can’t understand if you stay silent!”

“You can do it, right? You’re not giving it your all yet, are you?”

…it’s a peculiar space where you can hear such sermons.

Well, it’s because of places like this that this industry is often referred to as “black” “exploitative”, with more than half the employees quitting within six months.

Even statements like the ones earlier would be considered harassment, but when people are cornered, they often internalize it, blame themselves, and quietly suffer.

Occasionally, a rebel would emerge, take a private settlement, and leave.

If it weren’t for the commission-based system, I probably wouldn’t have worked here.

These days, though, without the motivation of “saving money for my future with my wife,” working just for money feels meaningless.

The camaraderie with colleagues.

The sense of responsibility to not abandon my students halfway.

Considering these things, I just can’t bring myself to quit.

So, in a way, the company’s tactic of binding people with “emotions” is… clever, you could say.

But thanks to these ties, there are ways I’ve been saved, so maybe it’s not all bad.

“Ariga-san, you look better lately.”

As I was spacing out, thinking about such things, a junior colleague spoke to me.

Her name is Sahara Rika 佐原里香.

She trained at my cram school before and now runs her own place as the branch head.

A petite woman with short, neatly trimmed black hair that gives off a serious vibe.

“Do I? Maybe it’s because I’ve been able to sleep better lately.”

“That’s great to hear. You always looked like you were about to die, Ariga-san.”

“Was it really that bad?”

“Yes. Your eyes were lifeless, and you looked like you could collapse at any moment.”

Was I really in such a dire state back then?

No wonder parents often brought me canned coffee or energy drinks.

I guess you don’t notice these things about yourself.

“Sahara-san, can I ask you something random?”

“What is it?”

“What do you think ‘youth’ is?”

“…”

She fell silent, then pulled out a few energy drinks from her bag and lined them up in front of me.

“…As I thought, you’re tired. Have a Megashaki and wake yourself up. I don’t know what’s happened, but hang in there. I’ll help however I can.”

“Hey, that’s an overreaction. Also, why do you have so many of these?”

“Better safe than sorry. It’s essential.”

“If you’re drinking these all the time, I’m starting to get worried about you.”

“Sometimes you need them to get through the day.”

“Don’t compare it to alcohol.”

As I sighed, she handed me a Minmindaha drink this time.

Her actions, as if to say, “Wake up!”, made me sigh again.

This junior colleague is really on her own wavelength.

And a little quirky, too…

“By the way, Ariga-san, did a student ask you about youth earlier?”

“Yeah. I was thinking of answering, but… when you hear youth, it’s such an abstract concept that it’s hard to define.”

“That’s true… I’ve never really thought about it deeply, but to me, it feels like something I left behind in the past. Once you’re an adult, it’s too late for it.”

“I think so. Nowadays, we don’t even think about what it means to be young. In the past, there were things like school trips that were easier to define.”

Even though I’m still in my twenties, thinking this way makes me feel old.

Back in school, we’d go to the beach on trips and take photos of ourselves jumping on the sand.

At the time, I’d thought, “This is what youth feels like!”

But now, if I were asked to do that… honestly, it would feel awkward.

Thinking about it, youth is such a vague thing.

Sure, I could still do those things, but I probably wouldn’t.

As I pondered this, Sahara-san glanced at me suspiciously and asked in a small voice,

“…Ariga-san, you’re not, by any chance, getting involved with one of your students, are you?”

“Of course not! Don’t make it sound so scandalous.”

“By the way, even if it’s a university student, 19 is still off-limits.”

“Why are you doubting me so much?”

“Well, Ariga-san, you’re popular. Even when I was training at your place, you were. You often got letters too.”

“Those were just thank-you notes for my help.”

“Were they? Also, when I was training, there was a girl who clung to you a lot. What was her name? The pretty one who was there when I visited your classroom…”

“Ah, Amamiya-san. The one with lighter hair.”

“Yes, that’s her. She’s in her second year of university now, right? I wonder what she’s up to.”

“She’s working part-time. She’s our ace.”

“Then… that’s suspicious.”

“There’s nothing going on!”

When I said that, Sahara-san gave me a doubtful look, pouting slightly as she said, “Lying is bad, you know.”

“Cheating is really not okay, Ariga-san. Once you cross that line, there’s no turning back.”

“You sound like you know a lot about this.”

“Well… it happened at another branch.”

“Seriously…?”

“Yes. That’s partly why today’s meeting is also about tightening discipline.”

“Things like that actually happen, huh?”

“Apparently. Rumor has it that they were both serious, but it caused a lot of trouble.”

“Yikes…”

Thinking, “That must be a real mess”, I couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy.

“You never know. Whatever happens, you’ve got to follow the law. Compliance is key.”

“Exactly. Keeping that in mind, let’s return to the earlier question—”

She cleared her throat cutely to reset the conversation.

“Regarding your question about ‘youth,’ I think you should focus on mature, adult relationships rather than adolescence…”

“Adult relationships, huh…”

“But… that said, if a married man like you acts on it, that’s a no-go.”

She shrugged her shoulders in exasperation.

Then she gave me a reproachful look.

I let out a dry laugh, which only made her gaze sharper.

“Something happened, didn’t it?”

It was more of a statement than a question.

Given her usual composed demeanor, the way she stared at me was terrifying.

Her gaze pierced straight into me, as if saying, “Don’t hide it.”

When she gets like this, she’s relentless… this junior of mine.

I gave up, sighed, and decided to give her a brief explanation.

“Well, about that. I already reported it to the company, so it’s bound to become a rumor anyway, but…”

“Just tell me now.”

“Fine, I’ll talk… but stay calm, okay?”

“What is it? You’re being awfully formal.”

“I got divorced recently.”

“…What?”

She froze as if time had stopped.

She pinched her own cheek and blinked repeatedly.

And once she realized it wasn’t a dream—

“Ehhh~~~~!?”

She screamed in shock and then started shaking my shoulders, yelling, “Why!?”.

Incidentally, because of her loud outburst, Sahara-san ended up getting scolded by our supervisor.