Chương 2: Chapter 1: The Last Ordinary Day(Part 1)

The alarm on my phone blared through the bedroom. Anyone who described mornings as "refreshing" had to be out of their mind. Being dragged out of sleep was unpleasant no matter who you were. And during winter? The temptation to crawl back under the blanket and go right back to sleep was almost irresistible.

"Still... work is work." I sat up, stretched, and let out a groan. I was getting close to forty these days. My body was still holding together, but every year the company's annual health checkup became a little more terrifying. Thinking such depressing thoughts first thing in the morning, I wandered into the living room. My wife, Rina, was already there. Still wearing her pajamas, she sat in front of the television, happily working her way through a piece of toast.

"Morning. You're up early for a day off."

"Morning. Nayuta had club activities today, so I had to make lunch for her. I packed two for you while I was at it."

"Much appreciated." After a quick wash, I changed into my usual casual clothes: a hoodie and jeans. One advantage of working facility security was that nobody cared what you wore during the commute. The uniform stayed in the locker room at work anyway. Besides, today's shift was an overnight one. Once I clocked in, I wouldn't be back home until tomorrow. My name is Tsukasa Kuroe. Husband. Father of two. Owner of one cat. And proud bearer of approximately twenty more years of mortgage payments.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. After leaving the Japan Self-Defense Forces, I found work with my current company and had been there for nearly ten years. The body I'd once trained so hard had gradually evolved into the standard middle-aged man's physique. Not exactly fat. Not exactly fit. Just... comfortable. I wasn't particularly ambitious. Never had been. Yet somehow I always ended up taking on the troublesome jobs.

That probably came from a personal philosophy of mine.

"There will always be someone who has to do the job. That someone might as well be me." People often hear that and assume I'm some kind of self-sacrificing saint. They're wrong. If a job can be done by someone else, then by definition there are alternatives. Choosing to do it yourself isn't self-sacrifice. It's simply saying:"I'll handle it my way."

"Thanks for the lunch. I'm heading out."

"Take care."

"You too." After a brief kiss goodbye, I headed outside. Waiting in the parking area was my beloved motorcycle—a Suzuki GSR250S. Back when I bought it, the internet had plenty to say about its looks. Most of those opinions weren't flattering. Personally, I thought they were blind. I swung a leg over the seat, started the engine, and pulled out onto the road. On the way to work, I stopped by a convenience store for my usual breakfast: canned coffee and a cigarette. A perfectly balanced meal.

With that important task completed, I continued on to work without incident. Most people were enjoying a holiday. For us, it was just another workday with lighter traffic.

"Morning."

"Morning, Mr. Kuroe." The greetings started as soon as I arrived. The shift-change period was probably the busiest time of day for our department. Not that there were many of us. At this point everyone knew everyone else. There was no need for formalities. After exchanging greetings, I stored my wife's lunchbox in the communal refrigerator and headed for the locker room to change into my uniform. There was still some time before the morning briefing, so I checked the day's schedule.

Since it was a holiday, nothing particularly exciting was planned. Barring some unexpected emergency, it looked like we'd make it through the shift with nothing more than routine work. Exactly how I liked it.

"Kuroe-san, looking forward to working with you today." I turned to see Sasaki, one of the younger guards.

"Morning. Hopefully it'll be quiet, but let's do our best." If anything happened inside the facility, Sasaki and I would probably be the first ones sent to investigate. He'd been here for several years already, so I trusted him not to make any major mistakes. And if he did? Well, covering for junior employees was part of a senior employee's job. Besides, I was the one who had to write the investigation reports afterward. Missing information always came back to haunt me.

The morning briefing ended with the section chief's usual closing line.

"Safety first, everyone." The outgoing shift headed home. The rest of us settled into our duties. Monitoring systems. Sorting documents. Routine inspections. Nothing exciting. Nothing dangerous. If things stayed this peaceful, most of the work would be wrapped up by noon. Even if we got delayed, we'd be finished before dinner. At least, that was the plan.