[With a deliberately loud and theatrical sigh to indicate just how inconvenienced he is by all this paperwork, Sho puts down his phone, grabs a pen - monogrammed, of course - and starts signing his name on all the forms. His desk is mostly tidy, except for the piles of papers stacked up to one side. Probably because he doesn't actually do that much work.]
So what's our precious little Sales Pixie going to be doing next, then?
You mean Yamamura-san? [ Jim purposely thinks of the office's smallest person in sales. He's well-aware Sakurai's referencing Jim himself, but let him believe Jim's a dunce. ] I, uh... I'm not sure. Do you want me to check on her?
I meant you, you idiot. Besides, Yamamura isn't a pixie, she's a goddamn ice queen. Or she's gay. Maybe both.
[From which it's fair to assume that she's turned down Sho's advances at least once, and he's taken it badly. Calling her gay is rich, coming from him.]
There we go. All done.
[He finishes singing the last form with a flourish, placing his pen triumphantly down on the desk as if he'd just written up all of the forms himself.]
Very. Thanks. [ Jim takes the papers he'd brought along with the quarterly reports; he knows better than to try and argue against Sakurai's hopelessly closed-minded opinions. Yamamura's a good person. Jim knows that much. Sakurai has a terribly shallow life. ] And thanks for thinking I'm pretty and magical.
[ He doesn't actually answer Sakurai's question about what he's up to, nor does he say goodbye. Jim just leaves and goes to the fax machine by the receptionist. ]
[Sho's life is most definitely an empty one, not that he'd ever admit it.]
Yeah, you're certainly pretty. Pretty damn annoying, that is.
[Smirking at his own joke, he watches Jim leave then checks his watch; it's time for lunch already?Thank God. He yawns, stretches, gets to his feet and grabs his phone, then heads out to investigate one of the noodle bars down the road. Now is Jim's chance.]
His deskmate glances his way, but Jim waves his hand in dismissal before sticking it into his drawer. Out comes a good few loops of wire (fifty long metres), and Jim heads into Sakurai's office.
He pulls Sakurai's Internet wire out of its CPU, following the entire way in the wall until he's got even its other end ripped out from the main modem. Replacing it is Jim's own Internet wire, which he fits in and re-tapes on the wall in place of the network.
And he keeps going. And going. Moves from the modem room to the break room, to the fire exit, and onward until he's outside.
Jim climbs a telephone pole close to the sidewalk, all the way up to the top, and this is where the other end of the wire is finally taped.
He slides down and goes to Matsuya to buy himself a beef bowl. Then he goes back to his desk. ]
[Sakurai Sho is in a pretty good mood by the time he gets back to his desk. He's eaten some good food, made a few phone calls - none of them work-related, naturally - and even levelled up a couple if times on one of his gaming apps. That's why he's smiling when he gets back into the building, casually strolling over to his office and closing the door behind him before sitting down at his desk with a sigh. Time to get back to work, then. He keys in the password which will unlock his screen, and...
...no network? Hmm.
He calmly glances around the back of his computer to check the cables, which are all still in place. Okay then. The next thing is to do what the IT guys always tell him to do first. He logs off, turns it off and on again, and sits back while he waits for it to reboot.]
[ Jim knows how the IT protocol works. He pretended his Internet didn't work one afternoon just to figure out their system--and while that's a huge testament to how little work he actually gets done, as well as the fact that he's really got nothing better to do with his life, it at least lets him know that at some point Sakurai will be asked to check the wire connection.
Which, of course, means checking if the wire's still in good condition. Which means following its course.
Jim considered the possibility of Sakurai asking other people to help him out, naturally. So he chose a work day (the end of the quarter) where the entire office would be too busy to listen to him or make time for his whims. It's a lot of planning, a lot of trouble. And the real clincher is that Jim isn't hateful towards Sakurai at all as much as he is annoyed, and astounded, and a little appalled that anybody lives the way he does.
But that's neither here or there. Jim's existential issues don't matter. He just hopes Sakurai leaves soon so he can steal his stapler and put it in jell-o mould for later on. ]
[Finally, the damn thing reboots. He types in his username and password again, and...
...still no network. Damn it. That means he's actually going to have to call someone, and that means having to admit there's something he can't do. He hates when that happens, since it means he's not in control. He hates feeling like a helpless idiot, especially if he's going to look bad in front of other employees. But his internet connection isn't going to fix itself. Right, he just needs to call IT - he'll get their phone number off the company's web page... ah, shit.
It takes a few more minutes for him to compose himself, and then he's opening the door and looking out onto the floor of the main office.]
Kawasaki-san?
[He tries to flag down the closest one of his colleagues, a man in his mid-forties.]
[ But of course, Kawasaki can't. He's got papers he has to fax right now immediately.
Jim doesn't actually have work; he'd secured enough sales today to reach at least his minimum target. But he's on the phone anyway to look as busy as everyone else.
Sometimes he looks up to check on Sakurai, but for the most part keeps his head down and writes absent memos. Jim wonders why he finds it so hard to ask people for help. ]
[ To Amori's credit, he does make a quick call to IT. And after, tells Sakurai precisely what Jim already knew: that the wire had to be followed. Of course, he apologises for not being able to follow it hmself; work is just swamping him today, what with it being the end of the quarter.
Jim stands from his desk to go to the vending machines, punching in the code for a bottle of juice. It occurs to him that he could go back and sell more instead of keep tabs on his boss' kid, but the lack of motivation is stronger than his attachment to work. Not that he even really has much of the latter. ]
[Follow the wire? Follow the fucking wire? Sakurai Sho doesn't have time for this shit and he says as much out loud, although it is at least clear that he's not annoyed at Amori himself. He stamps back into his office and shuts the door, glaring at his computer with his hands on his hips.]
What does being from New York have to do with anything?
[Because as far as Sho is concerned, 'Yankee' is pretty much the same thing as saying 'American'.]
As for the reports, well, there's that... thing... I need to write about the, er, you know. The paper thingy. With the printers. And that quarterly forecast for those clients who wanted the big paper.
Well, a wire gets pretty long. Maybe someone bumped into it on the way?
[ Jim gives the bowl of jell-o a little shake, as if reminding Sakurai he can get some. In the event that's still rejected, he pulls it close to where he sits so he can eat it all. ]
[It's not the first time the issue has been raised, and although Jim is probably right that they should go wireless, Sho isn't going to give the man the satisfaction of admitting it.]
I suppose we'll have to get someone to follow the wire, then.
[Because Heaven forbid Sakurai Sho would actually stoop to doing so himself. He glances over at the bowl of jelly.]
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So what's our precious little Sales Pixie going to be doing next, then?
[He makes patronising small talk as he writes.]
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Because I can. After you sign.
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[From which it's fair to assume that she's turned down Sho's advances at least once, and he's taken it badly. Calling her gay is rich, coming from him.]
There we go. All done.
[He finishes singing the last form with a flourish, placing his pen triumphantly down on the desk as if he'd just written up all of the forms himself.]
Happy now?
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[ He doesn't actually answer Sakurai's question about what he's up to, nor does he say goodbye. Jim just leaves and goes to the fax machine by the receptionist. ]
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Yeah, you're certainly pretty. Pretty damn annoying, that is.
[Smirking at his own joke, he watches Jim leave then checks his watch; it's time for lunch already?Thank God. He yawns, stretches, gets to his feet and grabs his phone, then heads out to investigate one of the noodle bars down the road. Now is Jim's chance.]
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His deskmate glances his way, but Jim waves his hand in dismissal before sticking it into his drawer. Out comes a good few loops of wire (fifty long metres), and Jim heads into Sakurai's office.
He pulls Sakurai's Internet wire out of its CPU, following the entire way in the wall until he's got even its other end ripped out from the main modem. Replacing it is Jim's own Internet wire, which he fits in and re-tapes on the wall in place of the network.
And he keeps going. And going. Moves from the modem room to the break room, to the fire exit, and onward until he's outside.
Jim climbs a telephone pole close to the sidewalk, all the way up to the top, and this is where the other end of the wire is finally taped.
He slides down and goes to Matsuya to buy himself a beef bowl. Then he goes back to his desk. ]
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...no network? Hmm.
He calmly glances around the back of his computer to check the cables, which are all still in place. Okay then. The next thing is to do what the IT guys always tell him to do first. He logs off, turns it off and on again, and sits back while he waits for it to reboot.]
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Which, of course, means checking if the wire's still in good condition. Which means following its course.
Jim considered the possibility of Sakurai asking other people to help him out, naturally. So he chose a work day (the end of the quarter) where the entire office would be too busy to listen to him or make time for his whims. It's a lot of planning, a lot of trouble. And the real clincher is that Jim isn't hateful towards Sakurai at all as much as he is annoyed, and astounded, and a little appalled that anybody lives the way he does.
But that's neither here or there. Jim's existential issues don't matter. He just hopes Sakurai leaves soon so he can steal his stapler and put it in jell-o mould for later on. ]
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...still no network. Damn it. That means he's actually going to have to call someone, and that means having to admit there's something he can't do. He hates when that happens, since it means he's not in control. He hates feeling like a helpless idiot, especially if he's going to look bad in front of other employees. But his internet connection isn't going to fix itself. Right, he just needs to call IT - he'll get their phone number off the company's web page... ah, shit.
It takes a few more minutes for him to compose himself, and then he's opening the door and looking out onto the floor of the main office.]
Kawasaki-san?
[He tries to flag down the closest one of his colleagues, a man in his mid-forties.]
Can you ring IT for me?
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Jim doesn't actually have work; he'd secured enough sales today to reach at least his minimum target. But he's on the phone anyway to look as busy as everyone else.
Sometimes he looks up to check on Sakurai, but for the most part keeps his head down and writes absent memos. Jim wonders why he finds it so hard to ask people for help. ]
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Amori-san...?
[He turns to the next man, and it is notably the men he's looking to for help. So Sho is sexist as well as arrogant. Great.]
Amori-san, I need you to contact IT for me. I've got a network access problem and I need to compile some reports today.
[It's a lie, but maybe it will make the man act faster.]
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Jim stands from his desk to go to the vending machines, punching in the code for a bottle of juice. It occurs to him that he could go back and sell more instead of keep tabs on his boss' kid, but the lack of motivation is stronger than his attachment to work. Not that he even really has much of the latter. ]
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In the middle of drinking his juice, Jim almost sighs, but at least stops himself from inevitably choking himself.
It's stupid, but he comes in minutes later with a bowl of jell-o he puts in front of Sakurai, spoon and all. ]
Why aren't you wasting time?
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[He stares at the bowl in front of him with the exact same expression he'd use if it were a bowl of dog shit.]
Don't you have some asses you have to go and kiss?
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[ Sometimes he wonders why Sakurai doesn't fake being charming with him. Then he decides it doesn't matter. ]
So, what're you working on?
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[That's possibly only the second time he's reminded Jim about that this week. The man's jibes are grating on him even more than usual, though.]
I've got some reports to write.
[He hasn't, because Jim has already done them.]
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And I'm not a yankii either, if that's what you're concerned about.
[ The spoon is on Jim's bottom lip. He taps it lightly. ] What reports do you have?
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[Because as far as Sho is concerned, 'Yankee' is pretty much the same thing as saying 'American'.]
As for the reports, well, there's that... thing... I need to write about the, er, you know. The paper thingy. With the printers. And that quarterly forecast for those clients who wanted the big paper.
[Very concise, Sakurai.]
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[He scowls, arms folded across his chest.]
I still need to get back online though. There might be emails waiting for me.
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It could've been damaged somewhere, y'know.
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[Sho briefly casts a suspicious look at Jim, as if considering whether he's a part of some big IT helpdesk conspiracy.]
But I was only gone for an hour, and nobody else has even been in here. Have they? How could it have been damaged?
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[ Jim gives the bowl of jell-o a little shake, as if reminding Sakurai he can get some. In the event that's still rejected, he pulls it close to where he sits so he can eat it all. ]
This is why we should go wireless, really.
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[It's not the first time the issue has been raised, and although Jim is probably right that they should go wireless, Sho isn't going to give the man the satisfaction of admitting it.]
I suppose we'll have to get someone to follow the wire, then.
[Because Heaven forbid Sakurai Sho would actually stoop to doing so himself. He glances over at the bowl of jelly.]
...why are you eating that?
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